JourneyMen: The GateKeepers

[Andre]

A journey used to be a person whos second job was boxing.
Some also think of one as a fighter who has stood the test of time and is always there as a testing ground for the top tier fighters.
Can think of any journeymen who fought their way into top tier? Winky.

[Spicoli]

A journey used to be a person whos second job was boxing.
Some also think of one as a fighter who has stood the test of time and is always there as a testing ground for the top tier fighters.
Can think of any journeymen who fought their way into top tier? Winky.

Steve Lightning Little, RIP. Clawed and clawed with spotty but deep record until he out hustled a smirking Michael Nunn for a strap.

Journeymen to me arrive at different points. Guys who like you said are in half way from the start. Guys paying rent and a car note but "serviceable" enough to pad records for a few rounds but brought in strictly as TBA. Then you have pluggers who came with potential and literally learned on the job but the point is they learned a bit, take some guys rounds, have a moment vs a touted prospect and then are seriously overlooked based on record and rep and then score big "upset". Or prospects themselves who just go bust after being walked into a trinket win but didn't belong there in the first place but stick around. On and on

Its a good question really. After all its the journeymen who make the sport. When I think journeymen its guys like a John the beast Brown..plugger knocked off a few early undefeated prospects and damn hard enough to go rounds and be tv friendly. Darryl Pinckney who pulled a golden rabbit outta his arse ko'ing Junior jones? Marion Wilson or Bigfoot Martin at heavyweights, Cosme Rivera...Mr short notice TBA himself. Livingston Bramble, champion to hard nut journeyman thanks to a rock hard head and guile.

[La Cucaracha]

Recent: Tony Thompson Soto Karass

[Dark Lord Al]

Harold Brazier?
Sammy Fuentes ?

[SlimTrae]

A journey used to be a person whos second job was boxing.
Some also think of one as a fighter who has stood the test of time and is always there as a testing ground for the top tier fighters.
Can think of any journeymen who fought their way into top tier? Winky.

Steve Lightning Little, RIP. Clawed and clawed with spotty but deep record until he out hustled a smirking Michael Nunn for a strap.

Journeymen to me arrive at different points. Guys who like you said are in half way from the start. Guys paying rent and a car note but "serviceable" enough to pad records for a few rounds but brought in strictly as TBA. Then you have pluggers who came with potential and literally learned on the job but the point is they learned a bit, take some guys rounds, have a moment vs a touted prospect and then are seriously overlooked based on record and rep and then score big "upset". Or prospects themselves who just go bust after being walked into a trinket win but didn't belong there in the first place but stick around. On and on

Its a good question really. After all its the journeymen who make the sport. When I think journeymen its guys like a John the beast Brown..plugger knocked off a few early undefeated prospects and damn hard enough to go rounds and be tv friendly. Darryl Pinckney who pulled a golden rabbit outta his arse ko'ing Junior jones? Marion Wilson or Bigfoot Martin at heavyweights, Cosme Rivera...Mr short notice TBA himself. Livingston Bramble, champion to hard nut journeyman thanks to a rock hard head and guile.

Excellent post.

[SlimTrae]

Steve Forbes,

Im still reeling from his win over francesco Bojado.
Bojado was in good shape to get in contentions, but Forbes brought his 'A' game.

I also wanted to say Keith Mullings, but i think he was a tomato can that stopped Terry Norris.

[IamInuit]

Lots of gate keepers have won a strap just to be clear.

I consider Zab Judah a gate keeper just as much as I consider David Tua to be one.

[SlimTrae]

Lots of gate keepers have won a strap just to be clear.

I consider Zab Judah a gate keeper just as much as I consider David Tua to be one.

I consider Zab a mental midget. Serious, the dude had speed, a lethal uppercut, but faded after six rounds. Didn't seem to be a stamina issue to me, more like a mental block.

IMO Zab had the tools to be a legit champ. Most journeymen I think would love to have had his abilities, but somehow he kept falling apart.

Tua, you got me there. Like Lennox said : takes more than a right hand and a haircut to the get the title.

[erics44]

In England we have Ovil Mckenzie

High end journeyman, Beat Ovil and you're a good fighter

[IamInuit]

Lots of gate keepers have won a strap just to be clear.

I consider Zab Judah a gate keeper just as much as I consider David Tua to be one.

I consider Zab a mental midget. Serious, the dude had speed, a lethal uppercut, but faded after six rounds. Didn't seem to be a stamina issue to me, more like a mental block.

IMO Zab had the tools to be a legit champ. Most journeymen I think would love to have had his abilities, but somehow he kept falling apart.

Tua, you got me there. Like Lennox said : takes more than a right hand and a haircut to the get the title.

Tua was not the sharpest knife in the drawer either. ZAB had some nice skills but so did David Reid. The mentalsaspects of a given fighter can be just as much evidence for "gate keeper" status as anything else. I personally believe that the cerebral cortex is the most important organ/muscle/skill in the sport. After all in my mind that is what separated Judah from true elite. It makes no difference to me that he captured a belt or two along the way in a 15 belt per division system. He seems to have matured over the past couple of years and settled down. Shame it happened so late.

Guys like Tua and Miranda are gate keepers that nobody could miss. All one has to do is reflect on the history of the opponents they lost to and who they beat. With Tua, Fres got checked at the gate and Moorer's comeback came to a screeching halt and Rahman was refused entry the first time. Judahs career reflects in a similar manner but people tend to remember the 15 second highlight reel footage of spectacular nature against a no hoper.

Tackie was one hell of test for the key.
Katsidis
Bika
Andrade

You better bring your A game against these guys.

[Spicoli]

Steve Forbes,

Im still reeling from his win over francesco Bojado.
Bojado was in good shape to get in contentions, but Forbes brought his 'A' game.

I also wanted to say Keith Mullings, but i think he was a tomato can that stopped Terry Norris.

Good call on Forbes. Mullings was in the right place at the right time but earned that shot after a very shady "loss" vs Marquez and all on two weeks notice. He put himself in line for the De La Hoya sweepstakes but fortunately for him came in flat against Castillejo(?).