i nominate Lucia Rijker <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/giRXW4dfUXw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/giRXW4dfUXw&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1i4bIc6NjA&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K1i4bIc6NjA&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> and save me the video of she getting ko'ed by the guy...the bitch was the shit...fights better that many boxers today....
Tony Ayala (and a waste of sperm as well) Ike Ibeabuchi (likewise) Hector Camacho Sr. Riddick Bowe Michael Nunn Ricardo Williams Ponchito Bojado Ricky Womack
I'm surprised you put Camacho Sr. on that list. I think he wasted his personal life. But his boxing carreer was pretty good. He won alot of tittles and beat some damn good fighters.
Yeah, but he could have/should have been better. Too much partying. He did give one of the more creative excuses for a poor performance though (Rosario fight). "I was still scared from the mean look my mother gave me in the locker room". That's up there Foreman's "I was about to knock Ali out but I got distracted because I saw a disloyal friend in the audience cheering for Ali".
Funny though I have never seen Camacho/Roasario. I've always heard that it was the fight that turned him into a punk as far as his style.
Depends on what you mean by waste. Theres some guys that coulda been HOFmers, or at least very good, yet never accomplished it. Then theres guys that wasted alot of talent, yet STILL had very good/great careers. Guys who wasted thier talent include: Nunn: Had the talent to be one of the best ever at 160. Only put it all together in ONE fight.. when he dismantled Tate. On that night he woulda given ANY middle in history a difficult fight. Tony Ayala Crazy Ike Bowe: Like Nunn... he was only great for one night. Golota Eddie Mustafa Muhammed Tua Howard Davis Judah Jose Luis Lopez Bojado Guys who never lived up to thier full potential, yet still had great careers: Tyson: Mike is actually a bit iffy. It can be argued that Mike wasnt a waste... in 87-88 he probably reached his full potential. Then he fizzled quickly. Perhaps if he never fired Rooney, or never had as many distractions his prime woulda lasted longer. But we'll never know. Benitez Donald Curry: Same situation as Tyson. Was great for a short period of time, then fell off hard. Only Curry fell off even harder than Tyson. Coulda had a longer prime had he not drained himself down to 147. James Toney Camacho Sr.
Nunn obviously didn't show that as much of his all-around game/talent against Kalambay since it ended so quickly, but I think that was his best win.
Yeah quality wise it was. Kalambay was a tremendous fighter. Very underrated today. Nunn waxing him with one punch was highly impressive, if not kinda flukish. Nunn would clean house at 160 today. I wouldnt give Pavlik a snow ball's chance in hell at beating the Nunn from the Tate fight. Shit Pavlik wouldnt even beat Kalambay, nevermind Nunn.
Prince Naseem. This guy was blessed with so much natural raw ability but wasn't taught the fundamentals. Remember my other thread about the "Four natural attributes"? Well Naz had all of them, in abundance: speed, chin (he was knocked down by balance shots mainly), power and strength, he also had alot of heart. Just goes to show that these are useless without the right groundings and teachings and a lack of dedication in later years. For the majority of his career he got by on just insane natural ability and questionable opposition (although some was actually very good and he doesn't get enough credit for beating them), and when the inevitable physical decline started to set in he didn't have the fundamentals to fall back on. Brendan Ingles style is entertaining but set to fail at the very top level, I can't help but think if someone like Roach had been Hameds trainer from the beginning his career could have been very very different.
I don't see how James Toney was a waste of talent. The guy is for sure going to be in the hall of fame. And fought won titles in multiple divisions and schooled the crap out of the stinkiest fighter there ever lived - Ruiz. And was otherwise a competitive opponent at heavy-weight, having moved there from middle-weight. I think his accomplishments are astounding. What more did you expect of him and his career that you would call him a waste of talent? And he knocked out Micheal Nunn, someone you said yourself was an extraordinary middle-weight.
Bowe - I don't think he was a waste of talent - I just think he was never the same after the Golota fight. I think he was over-rated going into the Golota fights and his lack of boxing accumen was exposed and he paid for it with two vicious beatings.
His career from 1995 thru 2002 makes him an underachiever. He had the ability to do more, win more meaningful fights, than he did during that 8 year period. Plus the fact that the Ruiz fight was a NC as Toney was on Deca.
Understood that it was a NC against Ruiz. And that he had lulls in his career. But even with the 8 year period which you're referring to, he still managed to win titles in multiple divisions and fight competitively long into his career, sometimes against guys twice his size. I think you could call him an under-achiever. But that's different than calling him a waste of talent.
Quite a Few Fights R EXAGGERATED & Trumped Up Over Time, but in the Case of Camacho-Rosario, U Could LITERALLY SEE Camacho Making a CAREER ALTERING SHIFT in his Fighting Style... It's 1 Thing to Get KO'ed &/or Beaten & THEN Drastically Change, but U Could SEE Camacho Doing this DURING the Fight... REED:mj:
Yep. I swear Camacho didn't take a forward step in a fight from when he was rocked by Rosario until he fought Ray Leonard. ::
Jeez, what about Emmanuel Burton/Augustus? I know he's everybody's favorite underdog but it's not because of lack of skills, it's because he's trained on Ganja his entire career and has no apparent problem pissing fights away...............just because. :dunno:
Sergio Gabriel Martinez I knew he'd KO Cintron before they fought and he'll do the same to Margarito. lazy bastards who seems not to push for big fights. Mike Tyson - only has himself to blame. Roy Jones - Should've taken out Tarver and Calzaghe before he moved up to heavy (or should've stayed and ended his career at heavy. fucked up his own legacy).