Fighters who exceeded their potential?

[Rumsfeld]

Curious to see a list of fighters who wound up exceeding their potential/expectations. No real criteria for this, just curious to hear some names and justifications.

For example, I think Tomasz Adamek would qualify. When he first squared off against Paul Briggs on the untelevised Brewster-Golota under card, he was a 4 to 1 underdog who was never expected to amount to much beyond contender status. He won the title, successfully defended it twice, and has since moved up to cruiserweight where he has looked sensational (for the most part). In my mind, this clearly constitutes a fighter who did more than what was expected of him in his career.

Curious to hear some other examples sited.
:good

[GPater11093]

antonio margarito he wasnt going to beat cotto and be recognised as best WW

carlos baldomir beat judah and became champ and was really a journy man who fought out of his skin

gavin rees just a 1 dimensional brawler who won a world title with a great performance

[natonic]

Kelvin Seabrooks pops to mind.

[dav8d777]

Jim Braddock

[mr. magoo]

Oliver McCall?

[zadfrak]

John Ruiz comes to mind. So do other heavies like Renaldo Snipes/Scott Ledoux/Frans Botha/Oliver McCall/Ron Stander.

[Russell]

Rocky Marciano

[janitor]

Primo Carnera.

Not becauyse he benefited from fixed fights but because of his sweat and focus.

[mr. magoo]

Primo Carnera.

Not becauyse he benefited from fixed fights but because of his sweat and focus.


He fullfilled more potential than any benefactor of fixed fights ever has:good

Good post.

[BritInvasion]

Mike Tyson. Seriously. He was always gonna be a bit of a like, oddball. Caught up with him later than really should have been expected.

[GPater11093]

marcianos a good shout

when he first started boxing his trainer said he was falling over his feet

[booradley]

I think the guy in my avatar gets a shout on this thread. Danny just wasn't all that talented, but his punching ability, courage, and let it all hang out style, made him a huge fan favorite. He was WBC featherweight champion through 7 defenses. Arguello vacated the WBA title and moved up to 130 about 1 month after Danny won the WBC title from David Kotey. From that point until he ultimately lost to Salvador Sanchez Danny was widely considered the man at 126. Not bad for a slugger with leaky defense and mediocre speed.

[GPater11093]

steve collins comes to my mind

[la-califa]

Randall "Tex" Cobb. had a decent pro career. Aside from the title shot with Holmes. Troy Dorsey had a good career & stuck around for awhile.

[natonic]

Tracy Harris Patterson. Floyd's adopted son, so you can't chalk it up to genes. I think he exceeded his physical ability and won 2 world titles at 122 (skipped 126) and 130. Sure the divisions had already been watered down woth titles but he turned out to be a very good fighter.

[janitor]

Mike Tyson. Seriously. He was always gonna be a bit of a like, oddball. Caught up with him later than really should have been expected.

An interesting way of looking at it.

[Russell]

Tracy Harris Patterson. Floyd's adopted son, so you can't chalk it up to genes. I think he exceeded his physical ability and won 2 world titles at 122 (skipped 126) and 130. Sure the divisions had already been watered down woth titles but he turned out to be a very good fighter.

Very underrated fighter.

[mr. magoo]

Mike Tyson. Seriously. He was always gonna be a bit of a like, oddball. Caught up with him later than really should have been expected.

I don't know if I agree with this pick. Cus D'Amato came to visit him at a jevenile detention center when Mike was 13 years old and never having a single amateur fight. Cus saw him shaddow boxing, and said " That's the next heavyweight champion of the world ". Obviously, he had potential, and what he did with it, was incredible.

[GPater11093]

I don't know if I agree with this pick. Cus D'Amato came to visit him at a jevenile detention center when Mike was 13 years old and never having a single amateur fight. Cus saw him shaddow boxing, and said " That's the next heavyweight champion of the world ". Obviously, he had potential, and what he did with it, was incredible.

in tysons early amatuer career people didnt think much of him according to teddy atlas and a lot of people said he was just big with no skill and said cus was crazy,

cus saw something in him that others never

[My dinner with Conteh]

Vito Antuofermo.

[mr. magoo]

in tysons early amatuer career people didnt think much of him according to teddy atlas and a lot of people said he was just big with no skill and said cus was crazy,

cus saw something in him that others never

The point is, the potential was there, and it was noticed before he ever even had a single amateur fight.

[janitor]

in tysons early amatuer career people didnt think much of him according to teddy atlas and a lot of people said he was just big with no skill and said cus was crazy,

cus saw something in him that others never

The same is true of Joe Louis and his early managers.

They made an offer to manage Louis as a profesional (something that no amateur ever got back then) after a fight which he had lost, to his considerable surprize.

[TBooze]

If in 88/89 you had said Holyfield would was going to be an all-time top 10-15 Heavy, few would of agreed.

From the moment he turned pro most were expectiong Oscar de la Hoya to fail ala Breland; he did not, and showed his true potential....

[Rebel-INS]

I'm sure not many expected Manny Pacquiao to do even half of what he has.

[My2Sense]

Eric Lucas. Who would've thought after seeing his loss to Bryant Brannon that he would ever amount to anything, even if only briefly. Personally, I still can't believe it.

[TBooze]

Eric Lucas. Who would've thought after seeing his loss to Bryant Brannon that he would ever amount to anything, even if only briefly. Personally, I still can't believe it.


Going one and one with Glen Catley amounts to something now?;)

[McGrain]

Primo Carnera.

Not becauyse he benefited from fixed fights but because of his sweat and focus.


Sweat and focus are tangibles.

My position - nobody has excelled their potential.

[TBooze]

My position - nobody has excelled their potential.

Fair point, perhaps the title should be seeming potential?

[JohnThomas1]

Some will argue, but i will nominate Barkley.

[McGrain]

Fair point, perhaps the title should be seeming potential?

Exceeded our expectations based on early performances would be the best way of putting it IMO.

[Dempsey1238]

Not sure I put Marciano. Most people kinda of guess he was the next big thing after he was blasting out the likes of Layne, Matthews, and other contenders. I mean Marciano was a favor over Walcott and ALL his title fights. No one relly belive Moore' yelling that he was going to ko Marciano right?

[heehoo]

Michael Bentt.

Was written off as a contender and upset Tommy Morrison.

(yeah yeah I know... WBO Belt...) but still, it was a huge accomplishment.

[Vantage_West]

terry norris
his nature was as true as his career. unassuming and staggered. after a 3 losses he fights a faded but still solid john mugabi. blasts him out in a round and starts to pull a winning streak unheard from low powered management team


p4p material

[mcvey]

Curious to see a list of fighters who wound up exceeding their potential/expectations. No real criteria for this, just curious to hear some names and justifications.

For example, I think Tomasz Adamek would qualify. When he first squared off against Paul Briggs on the untelevised Brewster-Golota under card, he was a 4 to 1 underdog who was never expected to amount to much beyond contender status. He won the title, successfully defended it twice, and has since moved up to cruiserweight where he has looked sensational (for the most part). In my mind, this clearly constitutes a fighter who did more than what was expected of him in his career.

Curious to hear some other examples sited.
:good Dennis Andries and his some time opponent Jeff Harding

[Jazzo]

Ruiz. I think I am one of the few who admires him.

[flamengo]

The big mothed kid from Louisville, Kentucky. The press of the day constantly questioned him, as did the sports writer, as did the fighters, as did the modern man of the day, as did the modern mans dogs..

Ali became more than any person who had an opinion in 62-63 expected. The judgement of the times was rather white-sided and ignorant..

Who would have guessed what that Clay machine would evolve into????

No-one.

[JohnThomas1]

Ali became more than any person who had an opinion in 62-63 expected. The judgement of the times was rather white-sided and ignorant..


I think he had his share of detractors both colors actually. It was as much his brashness as anything i would have thought. Many found it hard to accept at that time.

[flamengo]

I think he had his share of detractors both colors actually. It was as much his brashness as anything i would have thought. Many found it hard to accept at that time.

mate, in the closing credits of an ali vid ..he qoutes "Sonny Liston, knock that ****** out"..... referring to his first bout in Miami, against Liston, suggesting a white man in the front row, making a request towards Sonny.

Isnt it strange, that in todays standards, the Devil has turned white!!

[Dempsey1238]

Well Ali did have what?? ten or so white millionnairs sponser Ali, that has never happen to any pre heavyweight champ. Didnt happen to Louis, or Marciano or even Patterson.

So I suppose these guys saw something in Ali. I also think people over rated Liston base on the Patterson fights.

Fraizer did have say something.

Look at my corner, and there is all black guys, look at Clay's, and most of em are white.

[Russell]

How about ol' Hercules, Mike Weaver?

[Dempsey1238]

Not sure about Weaver, I felt he was one of thsos guys that should have done a lot more than he did. I think he didnt reach even half of his potential.

[Adaptation]

Glen Johnson.

[COULDHAVEBEEN]

Jim Braddock

Good post and one I don't disagree with.....

.........other than to say that Braddock was an outstanding light heavyweight with a long list of early KOs, and 35 wins, 5 losses & 6 draws up until he fought Tommy Loughran for the light heavyweight title.

He certainly more than fulfilled his potential later as a heavyweight, a fabulous boxing/life story, but many forget he was no bum starting out either.

[FromWithin]

Eric Lucas
Glen Johnson
Iran Barkley

[john garfield]

Paddy DeMarco
Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson
Paul Pender
Vito Antufermo

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[ozziebattler]

The big mothed kid from Louisville, Kentucky. The press of the day constantly questioned him, as did the sports writer, as did the fighters, as did the modern man of the day, as did the modern mans dogs..

Ali became more than any person who had an opinion in 62-63 expected. The judgement of the times was rather white-sided and ignorant..

Who would have guessed what that Clay machine would evolve into????

No-one.

He was a olympic gold medallist...Obviously had a shit load of potential going into the pro ranks.