Most "promising" fighter who never really blossomed?

[Master]

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.

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.

Nunn was a quality fighter, could have been a great, which is where he should have headed. Drug addiction held him back as well as James Toney.