a. Combatting a gimmick fighter b. Is there such a thing as a gimmick fighter? c. Eventuality of a gimmick fighter d. Typical trajectory of a gimmick fighter e. Examples of gimmick fighters f. Examples of fighters you think of as opposite of gimmick fighters
Butterbean was a gimmick fighter. His trajectory was pretty flat, he never really progressed, he just...was His eventuality was that he got himself a payday with Larry Holmes. The opposite of Butterbean would be Frans Botha, an erstwhile fat whitey with ample blubber who seriously tried to be for real, fighting Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield, Briggs, Schultz, Wlad Klitschko, Michael Moorer. He didn't win any of those fights, Bar Schultz, but he won enough of rounds to be competitive, notably against Moorer, Schultz, Tyson and Holyfield.
Shannon Briggs...for the most part, he was a 1-2 round fighter with a lot of muscle and very poor stamina, who relied on getting to his opponents early and scoring quick knockouts (mostly against subpar opposition). When fighters began extending him rounds, he struggled badly. Briggs did manage to win a title later in his career, and did so with a late stoppage, and I think a big reason why he was able to do that (besides Liakhovich's apparent mediocrity) is that he was more experienced - and in this way, he's somewhat similar to Golota, who nearly won a title twice late in his career - and while he didn't end the fight with an early knockout, he was able to hurt Liakhovich early. Part of that was Liakhovich not being smart enough to play it very safe early on and wait Briggs out. Instead, Briggs got the White Wolf's respect and allowed him to fight at a pace and manner his nearly 270-pound frame could handle.
I don't know if I'd call Ben Tackie a gimmick fighter, but I think Tszyu showed how a fighter with the ability to box and punch can switch up his style, take away an opponent's best opportunity to win or even be competitive, and make what could have been a tough fight a very easy one. Lennox Lewis against Tommy Morrison is another example of making a tough fight an easy one...the way he kept his hand up and used his left (and left hook) to dominate the fight.
a) With boxing gloves if we're talking strictly boxing. b) Yes. c) It's already happened: "The King of the Four Rounders". d) Peak, cash in, repeat, become stepping stone, take a number of beatings, retire. e) Butterbean, Jorge Paez, Vinny Pazienza. f) What is the opposite of a gimmick fighter? A non-gimmick fighter? A fighter who fights gimmicks? The person in the opposite corner from a gimmick fighter?
Paez is a perfect example !!! Also, Chavez Jr. is a gimmick fighter until further notice. As is every other son of a champion who's tried unsuccessfully to parlay his father's success into his own. Camacho.