Boxing most tragic figures.

I'd go with Riddick Bowe as someone who reflects the dark side of our collective passion. Certainly, boxing has left him in bad mental shape though he does seem to have some money left over. Bowe is tragic for many different reasons not the least of which is that he never fulfilled his great potential. Hell, no big man could ever fight as well as he could on the inside. He had it all, but then, after the two Golata DQ 's, it went south fast. Maybe his grueling trilogy with Holyfield ruined him. Whatever the case, Bowe was never all that he could have been.

Can you name some others?

Johnny Tapia. A great HOF fighter that had a lot of demons. He will always be 1 of my top ten fighters. But he's struggling outside of the ring because of the demons he's got in his life.

2 words..... Salvador Sanchez!!

Edwin Valero. A recent tradegy.

paul ingle?

Jack Johnson - 1st Black heavyweight champion, he was Ali before there ever was one, had his title ripped from him by legal mumbo jumbo that kept him from boxing and out of boxing shape and he got martyred in the ring late in his career....died in my home state (NC) after speeding away from a diner that wouldn't serve him because of his color.

Sam Langford - Never got credit when he deserved it...died penniless and blind

Joe Louis - THE GREATEST Heavyweight Champion IMO, did a lot for the sport, did a lot for this country and all he got for it was the fucking IRS breathing down his neck when he could no longer earn a living and when he should have just been taking it easy.

Joe Frazier - Went toe to toe with all comers, took 1 of 3 from Ali in 3 great fights. He should have earned Ali's respect, but was mocked, called an Uncle Tom and a Gorill, and now he litterally lives in a boxing gym. It's a shame.

Battiling Siki - Tough warrior in the ring and out, died after a bender...a cop shot him in the back of the head.

Billy Collins Jr - Destroyed from the Resto fight, died in a car wreck while driving drunk not too long after.

Alexis Arguello - The Sandinistas took everything from him, then when they needed his help, he naively offered it, they gave him hope and then threw him in the gutter, he took his own life out of nothing more than humiliation and dispair.

George Chuvalo - nobody's had a tougher go of it than Georgie....he lost 3 sons (2 to heroine and 1 to suicide) and his wife to suicide after their second son had died.

I think Audley Harrison is pretty tragic.

Vernon Forrestt

I actually find Jones Jr quite tragic now, Tyson is a train wreck.

Filipino Rolando Navarette

meldrick taylor comes to mind.

They found Mickey Walker lying in a gutter once believing he was an alcoholic mess, he suffered Parkinson's disease and died a lonely death in 1981. Walker was one of the toughest and hardest hitting middleweights of all time and to put him into context with the modern era, he would have have given both Monzon and Hagler very tough fights!

When i saw Joe Frazier as a guest on Friday night fights a few years ago i nearly cried as the once great Smokin Joe was barely able to string two words together.


Johnson, Louis, Tyson, Gatti, Valero, Arguello, boxing has a history of letting it's heroes down! Some let themselves down by fighting way past their used by date : Roy Jones jr?

Watching Paul Briggs a couple of weeks ago highlighted the lengths some old fighters go, just to survive when their career is over.

Saad Muhammed , Rocky Lockridge, Wilfred benitez, Bobby chacon, Jerry Quarry, Joichiro tatsuyoshi, Frankie Randall, Kid Akeem ,Serqui Kobazov, Frank Fletcher, Masao Ohba......Tony Ayala not tragic,just a fawking fool !

Daz Suttherland

Rubin Hurricane Carter. Getting robbed of a life and career for a crime he did not commit.