BoxRec

Herol Graham - three failed title challenges.
BillySchwer - two failed title challenges
Michael Brodie - three failed title challenges.
Clinton Woods - three failed title challenges.
Michael Watson - three failed title challenges.
Tony Sibson - two failed title challenges
Henry Wharton - three failed title challenges
Johnny Nelson - two failed title challenges
David Starie - two failed title challenges

Who was the best and how many have I missed....

Colin Jones came close, twice.

Bruno took four attempts...( and I think they'd have given him ten shots if that's what it took for him to win the bloody title )

But ultimatley Bruno won one.

Wonder how long it will be before Clinton Woods gets to four

Woods reckons he'll fight Harmon late October..and that will be an IBF eliminator. But he wont be at the front of the cue, winner of this Thursday's Hoye-Griffin fight will ge their shot first.

Alan Rudkin - 3 failed attempts
Crawford Ashley - 2 failed attempts (3 if you include WBU)
Pat Cowdell - 2 failed attempts
Dave 'Boy' Green - 2 failed attempts

PS
Tony Sibson had 3 failed challenges

I feel for Graham the most. Mike McCallum described him as the most awkward boxer he ever faced high praise.
He was ahead in his two other title challenges before being sparked, and he was past his very best by that stage.

I think Michael Watson is probably the best, hammered benn silly, and gave Eubank a complete boxing lesson in their first fight. Not many fighters can lay claim to that...

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I think Michael Watson is probably the best, hammered benn silly, and gave Eubank a complete boxing lesson in their first fight. Not many fighters can lay claim to that...

true..i'd say it's between himself and Graham.

It was nice seeing Dave Boy Green on ringside a few months back, he seems to be doing pretty well. I especially liked it when talking about his two title attempts he said his fight with Carlos Palomino was close until he was KOed in the 11th but that he could have trained for 25 years and he would still never have beaten Sugar Ray Leonard. A class act.

Howard Winstone made three gallant attempts to win the world featherweight title from Mexico's legendary Vicente Saldivar.
Harry Mullan described Winstone as the best pure boxer he ever saw.
John Conteh made three attempts to win back the 'world' light-heavyweight title after being stripped of his crown in the 70's. He lost to Mate Parlov in Belgrade, then twice to Matthew Saad Muhammad in the States.
His first fight with Saad is a modern classic.

I feel sorry for Micheal Brodie who was the victim of one of the worst robberies I've ever seen in his title fight with Jorrin... that was Micheals time and his night and it was taken away from him and he'll never get that back!.

J-C wrote:It was nice seeing Dave Boy Green on ringside a few months back, he seems to be doing pretty well. I especially liked it when talking about his two title attempts he said his fight with Carlos Palomino was close until he was KOed in the 11th but that he could have trained for 25 years and he would still never have beaten Sugar Ray Leonard. A class act.

I think Dave Green earned more respect and recognition in his losing efforts to Palomino and Leonard than all todays champions do with their so called 'world titles'. Theres no shame in losing to the true best in the world and Greens fight with Palomino was a absolute classic which should never be forgotten... if he was fighting today I've little doubt that Green would beat many of todays 'champions' including Ricky Hatton... (if he got the chance! 8) )

Jim MacDonnell had two and is worth a mention, Cantwell had two another who is worth a mention - especially a both failed in pretty heartbreaking circumstances in their second attempt.

Colin Jones for me, might not have been the best of the fighters - but the best nearly man a draw with McCory and to be robbed of a decent chance through damage vs Curry was heartbreaking.

silkov wrote:I feel sorry for Micheal Brodie who was the victim of one of the worst robberies I've ever seen in his title fight with Jorrin... that was Micheals time and his night and it was taken away from him and he'll never get that back!.

Everyone feels sorry for Brodie, out of all those on that list he's the saddest case, IMO. He won his first shot fairly clearly and didn't get the decision. The majority of our other nearly-men's defeats were legitimate, Brodie's wasn't.

glittermonkey wrote:

silkov wrote:I feel sorry for Micheal Brodie who was the victim of one of the worst robberies I've ever seen in his title fight with Jorrin... that was Micheals time and his night and it was taken away from him and he'll never get that back!.

Everyone feels sorry for Brodie, out of all those on that list he's the saddest case, IMO. He won his first shot fairly clearly and didn't get the decision. The majority of our other nearly-men's defeats were legitimate, Brodie's wasn't.

I think Colin Jones was hard done by in his first fight with Mccrory... the 2nd fight was arguable too but I really felt that Colin had won the first bout... though not by the wide margin by which Brodoe should have beaten Jorrin.

silkov wrote:I feel sorry for Micheal Brodie who was the victim of one of the worst robberies I've ever seen in his title fight with Jorrin... that was Micheals time and his night and it was taken away from him and he'll never get that back!.

i thought he was lucky to get a draw in the first fight, I had it for Chi by 2 rounds.

DavidPayne wrote:Herol Graham - three failed title challenges.
BillySchwer - two failed title challenges
Michael Brodie - three failed title challenges.
Clinton Woods - three failed title challenges.
Michael Watson - three failed title challenges.
Tony Sibson - two failed title challenges
Henry Wharton - three failed title challenges
Johnny Nelson - two failed title challenges
David Starie - two failed title challenges

Who was the best and how many have I missed....

Are you not including Nelsons WBO?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

silkov wrote:I feel sorry for Micheal Brodie who was the victim of one of the worst robberies I've ever seen in his title fight with Jorrin... that was Micheals time and his night and it was taken away from him and he'll never get that back!.

i thought he was lucky to get a draw in the first fight, I had it for Chi by 2 rounds.

I agree that Chi won the first fight with Brodie.... Brodie was at his best at Light-Feather imo and has never looked so convincing at Featherweight.

There are so many nearly men in the annals of British boxing in truth. Jock McAvoy iced 'world' middleweight champion Eddie "Babe" Risko in a round in Madison Square Garden in a non-title fight in 1935 - but couldn't get a rematch for the title. They threw him in with world light-heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis and McAvoy lost a tough 15-rounder on points.
Hard-hitting Peter Keenan softened up Vic Toweel for 15 rounds in a world bantamweight title challenge in South Africa. A fight later, Jimmy Carruthers reaped the rewards by chinning Toweel in a round for the title.
One of the best 'nearly men' in my opinion, is Kevin Finnegan. He was genuine world class and desperately close to a shot at Carlos Monzon when he suffered a broken jaw in a routine 10-rounder (he hung in there to lose on points). He was just as good as bitter rival Alan Minter, who did make it to the world title.

Kirkland Laing, but only bcuz he squandered the opportunities given to him.

Well Hatton has been fighting for a while and never picked up a title (a real one).

bugs wrote:Well Hatton has been fighting for a while and never picked up a title (a real one).

He's been a pro 7 years, 36-0 and still no genuine title. Compare that with Cotto and its an absolute joke.

maybe not as good as some of the fighters already mentioned but how about Andy Holligan?

Tommy Farr was a class act as well.

007 wrote:

bugs wrote:Well Hatton has been fighting for a while and never picked up a title (a real one).

He's been a pro 7 years, 36-0 and still no genuine title. Compare that with Cotto and its an absolute joke.

Agreed and as a big Hatton fan it's a bit embarrising.