Top Ten Journeymen

You know who they are and you always presumed they were going to lose; but without these quality fighters that are just a notch below elite, you'd never know how good your prospects really are...because these journeymen are a cut above and if your boy's got a weakness, they will find it and expose the next big thing as merely the next. Pick any weight class you want or go pound-4-pound; but these warriors deserve to be recongized. I'm going to go with the best Journeymen Heavyweights of the last thirty years. 1.-Oliver McCall..so good he actually won a championship 2.-Bert Cooper....hot and cold; but when he was hot, look out 3.-Mike Hunter....so good he was avoided by most 4.-Ross Purity...beat Joe Hipp, Wladimir Klisthko, and drew with Tommy Morrison 5.-James Tillis...slick when he was on, many a contender met the "Punching Cowboy" in the ring to earn his rep 6.-Tyrell Biggs...this former Olympian was always oh-so close to the top and gave nearly everyone a tough go; but lacked the stamina and mentality to close the big shows 7.-Art Tucker....a bit chinny; but he could take you out with one shot 8.-Jesse Ferguson...A staple in the heavyweight division for nearly 10 years; there are very few who made it to the top without getting by "The Boogeyman". 9.-Jose Ribalta...took Tyson into the tenth; and everybody wanted a piece of Jose for the rest of his career....a must stop for any contender in the late-80's and early 90's 10.-Wimpy Halstead...this tough S.O.B. was no wimp That's my list...what's yours?

Comments (20)

KDOGG

Here, if this will help define where a journeyman fits in the pantheon of things: 1.-Champions 2.-Contenders 3.-Fringe Contenders 4.-Journeymen 5.-Trial Horses 6.-Ham-n-Eggers 7.-Palookas Palookas are what you'd call the no hopers that prospects face in their first few fights usually. Ham-n-Eggers are guys who have long lost their real hope for winning a championship; but still love fighting professionally. Trial-Horses are usually comprised of older former contenders, fringe-contenders, journeymen, and even some champions who have lost most of their sting; but are still good enough to beat a green prospect on a good night. Most of the time, though, they fight just good enough to give the young man a good fight. Journeymen are guys with enough talent to actually potentially be champions; but due to either bad management, fighting on short notice, not taking the sport seriously enough to get the most out of their abilities...most of the time, they never quite make it. Fringe Contenders are just a shade above journeymen; the main difference being, they usually take better match-ups for themselves, which make them appear better...and they are a better name for a young fighter to have on his resume. Contenders, well you know who these guys are. Champions says it all. Hope that helps.....least, that's how I define the different classes of fighters.

19y ago

KDOGG

Jerry Quarry Quarry was a contender. He was never used to bolster a younger fighter's credentials. Chuvalo, I think, is more of what you're looking for when using the word "journeyman". This is the simplest definition I could find that seemed to fit. Journeyman: The terms jack and knave are sometimes used as informal words for journeyman. Hence 'jack of all trades, master of none' True, it's a partial definition from Wikipedia; but I wanted to keep it simple. A journeyman hasn't mastered his craft; but is good enough to beat an apprentice or a kid who's still too "green". Hope that helps a little.

19y ago

The_Coagulator

Jerry Quarry

19y ago

Left2body

Well Id use a diffrent definition.Most fighters are below that elite level,I mean Id call the elite level, fighters that have broken into the top10 p4p at one time or another,that leaves alot of fighters on the outs. I agree too, I was just going by the parameter of the thread starter. I think top 10 p4p is a fair way of judging Elite fighters althought there are exceptions. I'm not sure if Corrales ever broke into the Top 10 p4p but I would consider him an Elite fighter.

19y ago

Mech

I'm taking the definition of Journeyman from the thread starter K-Dogg While it is a fine line, I do consider some guys that are excellent fighters just below that "ELITE" level. Well Id use a diffrent definition.Most fighters are below that elite level,I mean Id call the elite level, fighters that have broken into the top10 p4p at one time or another,that leaves alot of fighters on the outs.

19y ago

Left2body

Yeah def not a journeyman either,maybe a guy whos past his prime,but I have a hard time considering Casa a journeyman. I'm taking the definition of Journeyman from the thread starter K-Dogg You know who they are and you always presumed they were going to lose; but without these quality fighters that are just a notch below elite, you'd never know how good your prospects really are...because these journeymen are a cut above and if your boy's got a weakness, they will find it and expose the next big thing as merely the next. While it is a fine line, I do consider some guys that are excellent fighters just below that "ELITE" level. I think Jesse James Leija might be another one, while having a career he can be very proud of I think he falls shy of Elite. I also think Gatti falls in that list too.

19y ago

JDizzle79

Carlos Baldomir...double digit losses and has a championship belt...Corrie Sanders was good for a journeyman also.

19y ago

xzworks

bobby pacquiao and Emmanuel Augustus

19y ago

TheGreat1

wald was dominating the fight until then he did not go down his corner threw in the towel So ross wasn't hitting Wlad at all? Wlad got tired and his corner threw in the towel?

19y ago

Dye

wald was dominating the fight until then he did not go down his corner threw in the towel

19y ago

TheGreat1

Did you see that fight? nah, i'm just Fucking with you. what happen?

19y ago

Run8964

People do not like the fact that Wlad can't take a punce, and will not admit when he is KO'd. Did you see that fight? Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

19y ago

Dye

i guess your right

19y ago

RaneEx54

Glen Johnson was surely a journey men, everytime before he beat Tarver & Roy Jones he was known as one.

19y ago

TheGreat1

Yeah, it was a monumental collapse. Puritty was getting reamed seriously before Wlad ran out of gas and was stumbling around the ring. He went down on his own, and actually not from Puritty's punches....because they were hitting his gloves. He gassed out, and his legs turned to pure rubber. That seemed to happend to him when he used to throw alot of punches. People do not like the fact that Wlad can't take a punce, and will not admit when he is KO'd.

19y ago

Dye

glen johnson's not a journymen most of those losses were bad decisons

19y ago

Dye

glen johnson's not a journymen

19y ago

RaneEx54

Glen Johnson!!

19y ago

Run8964

ross purrity was great he could have beat most people if he had an amatuer background he got a tko win over Wlady Yeah, it was a monumental collapse. Puritty was getting reamed seriously before Wlad ran out of gas and was stumbling around the ring. He went down on his own, and actually not from Puritty's punches....because they were hitting his gloves. He gassed out, and his legs turned to pure rubber. That seemed to happend to him when he used to throw alot of punches. Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

19y ago

Dye

and he got a draw with my favorite boxer and the man in my avatar Tommy(The Duke)Morrison

19y ago