Been watching all I can on him recently, and looking around for what little info I can find online. It’s crazy how a guy like Mims, controlled by the mob and always on the wrong side of Split Decisions to the elites (or those with the proper backing) can fall through the cracks over time. There was essentially nothing separating him from a guy like Joey Giardello, among others, ability and skill wise. 14 of his 28 career losses (27 by Decision) came by either SD or MD. Only 8 of his 55 Decision wins came as such. That alone says something to me about how unfairly he was treated, to the point of being used. His lone stoppage loss came from a brutal clash of heads which should’ve resulted in the fight going to a TD. As usual, no one raised a fuss or spoke up for him, though. I think he was a genuinely great fighter. The prototype for “no school like the old school”. He knew every trick in the book and how to respond to every situation. Apart from late career bouts in his mid 30s against Griffith and Rodriguez, (two young all-timers in their prime) every loss I’ve seen of his has been an either way type of affair. If you want to watch skilled infighting at its best, check out some of his stuff.
Someone once said Billy Graham was (roughly quoted) "as good as a fighter can be without being truly great." I think that same principle may apply to Mims as well. There's no question he was a nightmare for nearly everyone he fought, but I think the argument could be made that he falls short of being a true great because he wasn't able to go the extra mile and pull away from his opponent in so many big fights. For example, I remember seeing his fight with Bobby Boyd in which he troubled Boyd early, but Boyd overwhelmed (and dropped) him over the 2nd half of the fight to decisively erase Mims' early advantage. Having said that, I will admit that I consider his "loss" to Joey Archer to be one of the worst decisions I've ever seen.
