Most "promising" fighter who never really blossomed?

Several of course will come to mind. Fighters in the 90s who I remember were really hyped to become big were guys like Samson Pouha, Obed Sullivan, Courage Tschabalala, Michael Grant, Jimmy Thunder, Shannon Briggs.......but one of the most frustrating examples to me would be Andrew Golota. I feel this guy had everything, all the skills you could hope for, but mentally something was amiss. And this was the Achilles Heel. This guy could really have been one of the greatest.

who can you remember to be among the most promising fighters, that never lived up to the expectations?

this might be slightly different but id dont think Jamie Moore lived up to his potential

he dominated in britain then injuries and then it seemed to take him ages to get the euro title fight, it was on and off, and then when it all started happening it just seemed like he had run out of steam

a lot less deserving fighters with a lot worse records get handed european title fights a lot earlier in their carears a lot of the time, i think if jamie had got a chance 6 fights before he did (and he more than deserved it then) he could have had a crack at the world title

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

This is a bit off the topic requirements - but Naz was a great featherweight that should have been a true legend. Quite sad that most Naz threads are littered with people calling him just a hype job.

Roman Greenburg was gonna be the first "billion" dollar boxer. He was jewish. He was also crap.

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

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ha audley yes, he was the future of the heavyweight division

Frank had an awesome carear

Naz is a great example.....he was talent AND hype, but i agree never quite blossomed into the expectations of true greatness.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

This is a bit off the topic requirements - but Naz was a great featherweight that should have been a true legend. Quite sad that most Naz threads are littered with people calling him just a hype job.

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id say naz was the biggest waste of tallent yes

Francisco Bojado

Naz is an OK-ish example but doesn't really belong with the other names mentioned. He was NOT a failure. He was the lineal featherweight champion and ruled his division during his pomp. But could have accomplished even more. That's all i'm saying.

Mark Breland (at a stretch)
David Reid
Tyrell Biggs

Our own Kikland Lang

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Originally Posted by Fenster

Naz is an OK-ish example but doesn't really belong with the other names mentioned. He was NOT a failure. He was the lineal featherweight champion and ruled his division during his pomp. But could have accomplished even more. That's all i'm saying.

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and when i said waste of tallent, it was a bit over the top

he wasnt a total waste as you say, he was the best in his division and recognised across the globe

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

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I thought Akinwande over-achieved really. He was average but still won a world title.

As for Audley, how can you call him a failure? Didn't you see that jab he threw at Haye? It didn't quite land, but if it had, well, that would have been some jab.

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Originally Posted by bzkfn

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

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I thought Akinwande over-achieved really. He was average but still won a world title.

As for Audley, how can you call him a failure? Didn't you see that jab he threw at Haye? It didn't quite land, but if it had, well, that would have been some jab.

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Nice one;D

When Lewis fought Akinwande, im sure I remember seeing Henry drop Lennox but it didnt get called and then Lewis held like fuck like he was scared to get hit again and the ref disqualified Akinwande for Lewis's holding!!

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Originally Posted by ross

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Originally Posted by bzkfn

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

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I thought Akinwande over-achieved really. He was average but still won a world title.

As for Audley, how can you call him a failure? Didn't you see that jab he threw at Haye? It didn't quite land, but if it had, well, that would have been some jab.

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Nice one;D

When Lewis fought Akinwande, im sure I remember seeing Henry drop Lennox but it didnt get called and then Lewis held like fuck like he was scared to get hit again and the ref disqualified Akinwande for Lewis's holding!!

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It was Henry Akinwande that was hanging on to his dear life. ;)

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by ross

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Originally Posted by bzkfn

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

jamie moore, i'll look into this, what about Audley Harrison? And henry Akinwande? I remember all the hype and they never did nothing much, Frank Bruno as well.

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I thought Akinwande over-achieved really. He was average but still won a world title.

As for Audley, how can you call him a failure? Didn't you see that jab he threw at Haye? It didn't quite land, but if it had, well, that would have been some jab.

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Nice one;D

When Lewis fought Akinwande, im sure I remember seeing Henry drop Lennox but it didnt get called and then Lewis held like fuck like he was scared to get hit again and the ref disqualified Akinwande for Lewis's holding!!

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It was Henry Akinwande that was hanging on to his dear life. ;)

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Think he was being sarcastic Master.

We'll have to consider Mike Tyson in the list. Sure he was a champion and all, but for me, a boxer reach his peak around 30 years old. I'm sure he could have become a lot better that what we saw.

Edwin Valero comes to mind. He was a promising fighter with a lot of potentials. It was a pity that his head injury placed some limitations on where he can fight and his early demise put some mystery on how big he could have been.

Ryan Rhodes

he has had a good career and i'm not sure he would have ever been dominant at the top for long but he was really close to winning a world title. I think he lost some desire after getting beat and he has come back well the last couple of years but maybe too late for that elusive world title, i think he'll be lucky to get another crack and if he does he will more than likely be too old to stay there for long.

Billy Collins

He was 14 and 0 with 11 K.Os before he faced Resto with plastered gloves. He had a LOT of heart and he had the will of a champion. R.I.P.

Yuriorkis Gamboa

An excellent fighter but I still think he needs to prove himself by fighting an opponent with equal or greater skills, like Lopez.

Panchito Bojado
Muhammad Abdullaev
Cris Arreola
Jeff Lacy

I know he's not on the same level as most listed, but i remember being pretty certain that David Barnes was going to go on to be a world champion.

A bit abstract because he won a world title.
But for me Jermain Taylor

Carlos "Bollilo" Gonzalez.

Almost forgot... Engels Pedroza. Silver medalist in 84 (?) from Venezuela, trained by Jimmy Montoya, started off 22-0 (22), then decided there was no p[oint in training if you just knocked 'em all out. His fight at the Forum in LA, against Othal "choo-choo" Dixon was wild. Pedroza went down but didn't quit punching and the referee never counted. Pedroza, KO 2nd round.

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Originally Posted by Fenster

Roman Greenburg was gonna be the first "billion" dollar boxer. He was jewish. He was also crap.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoACIIz33II

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Originally Posted by brocktonblockbust

Naz is a great example.....he was talent AND hype, but i agree never quite blossomed into the expectations of true greatness.

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Emmanuel Steward said he was one of the most promising fighters he had ever trained and really didnt prepare well enough for Barrera and went downhill after that

here are some fighters that did accomplish things in boxing but IMO didn't live up to their full abilities and potential

Fernando Vargas
Francisco Bojado
David Reid
Paul Spadafora
Jeff Lacey
up to a certain point Vernon Forrest

I am going to say Donald Durry, a great fighter who unified the Welterweight title and then became Jr Middle champ, but it was effectively all over when he lost to average French pug Rene Jacquot at age 26! Some might say he's a two time champ and they would be right of course, but Curry was young and had it all before him before losing to Lloyd Honeyghan and then brutally KO'd by Mike McCallum. I just think that Donald Curry was a brilliant fighter who never fulfilled his true potential. He was retired by age 30, he should've been a fighter we all talk about as one of the top 10 fighters of the 80's. He blossomed for a short while without fully blooming.

I think anyone that wins a title has blossomed. That is if they actually fought for it and won it. Not like this crap today where people just get given titles when people get stripped.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

Carlos "Bollilo" Gonzalez.

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I met Carlos about 3 years ago really nice man had an opp. to talk with him.
Also tied to Carlos we can add the guy who would dethron him Zack Padilla.
Who's career was cut short due to an injury he got while sparring with SSM.


For my likings I've often said that "Maestrito" Lopez would have fucken ruled the WW division. True to his nickname he was a master at boxing. We saw signs of greatness but never reached the heights he was destined for.

Others that come to mind for one reason or another;
"Chava" Sanchez (RIP)
Paul Gonzalez
Johnny Bumphus
"El Torito" Ayala
Masao Ohba (RIP)
Tony Tucker
Davey Moore (RIP) (LMW)

Hey.. you're an LA guy. What's going on with Genaro Hernandez? I hear he has cancer...saw it here, actually. What a shame...nicest guy in the world.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

Hey.. you're an LA guy. What's going on with Genaro Hernandez? I hear he has cancer...saw it here, actually. What a shame...nicest guy in the world.

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He is announcing fights for Top Rank, he just did the fights at the Maywood Center here in LA county. So I think he is in remission. His voice sounded fine. Lots of people thing Bob Arum is a bad guy, but he hooked up Hernandez and gave him a job. There was also a benefit to help him pay for the treatments.

For me its Michael Nunn, though perhaps "never blossomed" is not the right phrase. He blossomed then suddenly disappeared, it seems.

But for a very brief shining moment he appeared to have arrived. It was around 1988 and I recall the NYTimes Magazine doing a piece on him entitled "The fighter the great ones don't want to fight"...in reference to SRL, Hearns, Duran, and Hagler.

I don't think its an exaggeration to say he occupied a space similar to RJJ: a big, fast, unorthodox, hard-to-hit and hard-hitting MW with 1-punch KO power. Would've loved to havr seen him develop and fight those greats and RJJ too. But I guess J.Toney should get his due here. Nunn was really something to behold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcb1MgGrlWA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcb1MgGrlWA

Bob arum took care of richie Sandoval too...
Used to be a big michael nunn fan. Whatever happened to Gabe Ruelas?

Rocky Juarez

Z Gorres

Chris Arreola is bordering in that category.

Alejandro Gonzalez...me...

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Originally Posted by Manju

For me its Michael Nunn, though perhaps "never blossomed" is not the right phrase. He blossomed then suddenly disappeared, it seems.

But for a very brief shining moment he appeared to have arrived. It was around 1988 and I recall the NYTimes Magazine doing a piece on him entitled "The fighter the great ones don't want to fight"...in reference to SRL, Hearns, Duran, and Hagler.

I don't think its an exaggeration to say he occupied a space similar to RJJ: a big, fast, unorthodox, hard-to-hit and hard-hitting MW with 1-punch KO power. Would've loved to havr seen him develop and fight those greats and RJJ too. But I guess J.Toney should get his due here. Nunn was really something to behold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcb1MgGrlWA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcb1MgGrlWA

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I put Nunn in the same category as Mark Breland, great, awesome amateurs who didnt have the best punch resistance that you need in the pro's. Superb boxers that couldnt take the best shots.

I met Leon Cat Taylor last month, a lot of people that know boxing think he may be the guy.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/mma/boxing/09/20/leon.taylor/index.html

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Originally Posted by No Contest

I think anyone that wins a title has blossomed. That is if they actually fought for it and won it. Not like this crap today where people just get given titles when people get stripped.

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That's kinda subjective. Ever heard of this kid Marvin Sonsona?