Champion avoiding a fight/ducking

[El Kabong]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwdqP45ICc4


I wanted to use this clip from Rocky III to start the ball rolling. Has a champion in any weight class hand picked opponents, avoided dangerous challengers, or outright ducked fights? Has it happened often? Who did it most? Who did it most blatantly? Did it help them or hurt them?

[Beanflicker]

I don't believe there was a champion in the history of boxing who didn't duck someone - even if the boxer was blissfully unaware like Rocky and it was the doing of the handlers.

I think it's just one of those necessary evils that no one likes to acknowledge exists.

[Spicoli]

[cyclone]

Chavez Sr dumped the belt he won off Taylor in the trash just like Bowe did.

He was supposed to fight Raphael Pineda but ducked the shit out of him to fight some guy in pink trunks

[Spicoli]

Chavez Sr dumped the belt he won off Taylor in the trash just like Bowe did.

He was supposed to fight Raphael Pineda but ducked the shit out of him to fight some guy in pink trunks

Chavez didn't duck Pineda, he and King ducked Randall after rematch, but Pineda was known only for quitting on his stool up to that point.

[Hulk]

Chavez Sr dumped the belt he won off Taylor in the trash just like Bowe did.

He was supposed to fight Raphael Pineda but ducked the shit out of him to fight some guy in pink trunks

Chavez didn't duck Pineda, he and King ducked Randall after rematch, but Pineda was known only for quitting on his stool up to that point.

Pineada was a good fighter from what I saw of him agains lt Judah. He beat Zab and got robbed.

[cyclone]

Chavez Sr dumped the belt he won off Taylor in the trash just like Bowe did.

He was supposed to fight Raphael Pineda but ducked the shit out of him to fight some guy in pink trunks

Chavez didn't duck Pineda, he and King ducked Randall after rematch, but Pineda was known only for quitting on his stool up to that point.

Chavez did a Bowe instead of fighting Pineada..

Spin all you want.

Sr fought PLENTY throw-away fights so I don't see why his standards suddenly rose on that occasion.

[El Kabong]

Nicolay Valuev was not a guy who would agree to fight a "real threat" in the heavyweight division either due to his own personal preference or because of Don King's pull with that association.

[IamInuit]

I wanted to use this clip from Rocky III to start the ball rolling. Has a champion in any weight class hand picked opponents, avoided dangerous challengers, or outright ducked fights? Has it happened often? Who did it most? Who did it most blatantly? Did it help them or hurt them?

I'd bet all have. Some more obvious then most.

We could go division by division but we both have lives to live. I think the line can be both broad and fine between avoided and ducked and at other times blurred completely. Robinson never fought one man from the Murderers Row until Aaron Wade and that was after he'd been retired for two years. I'm sure had it been up to Ray he would have fought Burley.

It took Moore 160 fights to get a title shot. A few guys ducked him in a couple of divisions.

John L refused to fight a black man period. The colour of a mans skin as avoidance. Its one of the reasons I've always respected fellow Canadian Tommy Burns. He broke that damn colour barrier by fighting Johnson and telling racists like author Jack London to go have at himself.

Speaking of Johnson, he was one of the biggest duckers of them all. McVy, Langford, Jeanette, all ducked.

"Business" at times can be a clever cover for duck. Still if I'm Johnson living in those days would I not stay away from certain people in order to increase my own earnings, fame etc?

Who is to blame for Jones never fighting Britain's fab 4 or that Tiger from Poland?

Dempsey outright avoided or again maybe his handlers did.

Others avoid by waiting.
4 belts per division creates waiting time.
Mandatory fights in a 4 belt world enable.