BoxRec

Several boxers might have gone on to be among the greatest ever had they not been struck down by tragedy. Just a few to start with.

Stanley Ketchel
Les Darcy
Salvador Sanchez
Pancho Villa
Masao Ohba

Are there more that come to mind ?

heres some potential great ones


carmine vingo
james shueler



heres another great one

gerald mcclellan

i have a question....isnt pancho villa a mexican rebel from the early 20th century????

Yes, Rory. And if he had been a boxer he would have fought as a heavyweight, because he weighed around 185 lbs.

Young Stribling. He died at the age of 28 with 245 career victories against only 15 losses. He lost his only world heavyweight title shot by TKO in the final round against Max Schmeling but he was game the entire fight. He outboxed the great Maxie Rosenbloom in his final professional fight. Fought to a controversial draw with Mike McTigue in their Light Heavyweight Title fight. Lost to Paul Berlenbach by Unanimous Decision in his second Light Heavyweight title shot. Lost a decision to Jack Sharkey in a non title fight. Disqualified against Primo Carnera in a non title fight in 1929 that was probably fixed. Defeated Carnera by disqualification a month later in a fight that was also most likely fixed. Held victories over Maxie Rosenbloom, Tommy Loughran, Jimmy Slattery, Battling Levinsky, Otto von Porat, and Tuffy Griffith, amongst others.

It's not inconcievable that had Young Stribling not died, he could have won upwards of 300, even 400 career fights...not just against TC's but solid competition as well.

My favorite Young Stribling stat:

In 274 official fights, Young Stribling was knocked out...1 time

He was just a little bit past his peak

flowers beat a shot harry greb. prime greb whips flowers. in fact, greb 2 years earlier did beat flowers

Davey Moore
Victor Galindez
Oscar Bonavena
Du Ku Kim

Greb and Ketchel were not in their primes. Ketchel was young but he was slipping. Greb was a physically old 32 who was blind in one eye, bad vision in his "good" eye, had fought 300 fights in 13 years against the best competition available, suffered numerous car accidents, etc. His body had taken him as far as it was going to go.

Jimmy Garcia
Randy Carver
Beethaeven Scottland

If we are talking about elite fighters, then in recent times I'd go with Sanchez and McClellan.

Dave Sands

Would have made for an excellent opponent for the top middleweights of the early 50's. Ray Robinson said he was the uncrowned middle champ upon learning of his death (ok, slight exaggeration but you get the picture)

Mike Tyson..if you make the arguement that he was still iun his prime during the douglas fight

Marcel Cerdan

flowers died early on the operating table as well i think.

Ike "The President" Ibeabuchi

although he didn't die or anything, he did go to prison right at the peak of his game...IMO he could have been champ of the world and maybe even still had his title today.

Choosing to become a sociopath i,e Tyson, Ibeabuchi, isn't exactly the same as being struck down in ones prime.

Lemuel Steeples, 1979 Pan Am Games champion, billed as the nest Sugar Ray, was killed in an air flight tragedy in Poland among the rest of the US team.

Todd Hickman

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:heres some potential great ones

carmine vingo

Carmine Vingo? What evidence is there that he was going to be a potential great?

This is another Marciano opponent whose ability gets over inflated because Marciano beat him.

Face the facts Vingos final record was 16 (7kos) and 2 losses. He didn't beat ANYONE of note and when he fought Marciano he had never been past 6 rounds.

Of his 16 wins he fought Washington, McNamus, Giorgio and Conyer TWICE even though he beat them the first time round. All of his opponents had terrible records and 9 of them had lost their previous fight before fighting Vingo.

In fact the combined records of the fighters at the time he beat them were 86 wins - 105 losess and 4 draws

Hardly a case for a future 'potential great'

Its quite worrying that Marciano stated his fight against Vingo was the toughest of his career.

Lonnie Young