What kept these men from becoming great boxers?

Frank Bruno, Donovan Ruddock, and Trevor Berbick? Besides losing to Mike Tyson what made them go down hill they were all good and had abilities to become great what kept them from progressing into someone to remember? Bruno: Couldn't handle the pressure of a big/tough fight. He had plenty of heart; but mentally, I think he panicked a little on the inside sometimes.....Smith, Witherspoon, Tyson. Against Lewis, I thought he was doing fine till that big left hook caught him. Ruddock: Sheer bullheadedness. As soon as he found out he could punch, he forgot all that boxing crap. If he'd stuck to his skills and honed them, he'd have done much better. Instead, he got caught up with "The Smash", made himself a one-dimensional, one-armed, one-punch fighter and thus, easier to figure out and defeat. Berbick: Awkwardness and mental instability would be my guess. His in-ring style was just off-beat. He was good; but that's all he was ever going to be.

Those guys never had the ability to become great. My feelings too.

To be honest I think Bruno did just fine. I watched his career from Day One & his problem was 'fight fitness'. Like David price today he loaded up on muscle but didn't learn how to breathe - how to properly breathe & relax - during a fight. In Ruddocks case he was the reverse of Tyson. He learnt early on that he has THE HOOK (or whatever his signature punch was called) to kayo most people so he never really learnt how to box. As for Berbick. He over achieved to the max. He beat Muhammad Ali for Focks sake He beat a piss poor, PD riddled Ali, in a close fight too. Berbick never had the tools to be great. The same goes for Bruna, he didn't have the tools to be great, he in fact over achieved throughout his career. Rudduck was possibly the best of the lot, had good power as you mentioned and got addicted to it a tad bit. Other than that, he too lacked the tools of a great fighter.

Frank Bruno, Donovan Ruddock, and Trevor Berbick? Besides losing to Mike Tyson what made them go down hill they were all good and had abilities to become great what kept them from progressing into someone to remember? Their Chin and stamina

Frank Bruno, Donovan Ruddock, and Trevor Berbick? Besides losing to Mike Tyson what made them go down hill they were all good and had abilities to become great what kept them from progressing into someone to remember?Those guys never had the ability to become great. Now Tim Witherspoon was a guy who could've become great imo.

To be honest I think Bruno did just fine. I watched his career from Day One & his problem was 'fight fitness'. Like David price today he loaded up on muscle but didn't learn how to breathe - how to properly breathe & relax - during a fight. In Ruddocks case he was the reverse of Tyson. He learnt early on that he has THE HOOK (or whatever his signature punch was called) to kayo most people so he never really learnt how to box. As for Berbick. He over achieved to the max. He beat Muhammad Ali for Focks sake