Biggest Waste Of Potential/Talent EVER?

[SBleeder]

Most of us believe Mike Tyson's talent would have made him the GOAT had he stayed on course with his original team.

"Us" being Tyson nuthuggers.

People living in reality disagree. He had top 10 heavyweight potential, that's about it.

[Dynamite76]

Prince Naz... It seemed as though that one loss to Barrera caused him to give up too easily. He could have come back stronger and accomplished more if he wanted to IMO... Most of us believe Mike Tyson's talent would have made him the GOAT had he stayed on course with his original team.. Even Bowe and Douglas could've been better than they were.. Roy Jones in his prime was almost like "The Ultimate Boxer!" But for some reason he couldn't sustain it in his later years. It was sad to see Sugar Ray lose to a much lesser fighter in Camacho.. We all know that was a product of all the ring rust he had...

'

Ray was 41 years old when he met Hector, and ring rust was part of it, Camacho was more active, and pretty good still, to some degree, at that time.All that comebacking crap was going to catch up to that smug jerk at some point.

[TysonBomb]

"Us" being Tyson nuthuggers.

People living in reality disagree. He had top 10 heavyweight potential, that's about it.

lol everyone who has the slightest knowledge of boxing and its history knows that Tyson was a once in a life time talent and was well on his way to becoming the greatest boxer of all time

Nas is another guy who I don't think fully lived up to his potential but he still accomplished a lot

[JAB5239]

lol everyone who has the slightest knowledge of boxing and its history knows that Tyson was a once in a life time talent and was well on his way to becoming the greatest boxer of all time

Nas is another guy who I don't think fully lived up to his potential but he still accomplished a lot

I loved watching Tyson and rate him in my top 10 heavyweights, but he wasn't ever going to be the best as he just didn't have the head to stay focused to achieve such a lofty status at heavyweight let alone p4p.

[Scott9945]

lol everyone who has the slightest knowledge of boxing and its history knows that Tyson was a once in a life time talent and was well on his way to becoming the greatest boxer of all time

Well at least you didn't resort to ridiculous hyperbole.

[rightsideup]

charly burley

[JAB5239]

charly burley

Burley didn't waste his talent nor squander his potential. I would agree that because of the times and people avoiding him he missed out on the opportunity to be greater than he was, but that is no fault of his own.

[Anthony342]

(Buster Douglas) His heart was never really in it

I've heard and read the same said of Michael Grant. True or not, in your guys' opinion?

[Anthony342]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hamed. For me he represents the biggest waste of natural talent in my lifetime.

I watched him (aged 20/21) win his first belt against a very solid champion - Steve Robinson - and he was phenomenal. Mesmerising speed, brutal power and a ruthless killer instinct. I honestly believed he would go on to dominate perhaps two or three divisions and cement an unquestionable legacy as the greatest ever British fighter.

Yes, he pretty much unified his division and entertained a lot of people in the process. But there should have been so much more. His love of fame, money and the high-life turned him into a shot fighter by the age of 26. The Hamed that destroyed Robinson would have wiped the floor with Kevin Kelley. Watching him receive a boxing lesson against Barrera was, for me, tragic. Barrera was a great champion - but the Hamed he comprehensively defeated was a shadow of the hungry assassin that first emerged onto the world boxing scene.

Nothing infuriates me more than seeing genuine talent nonchalantly pissed away. And Hamed is the epitome of wasted talent.

True, but I never liked Hamed, so I still found the Barrera fight quite satisfying to watch.

[Welsh Jon]

I'm gonna go for James Toney. Will still be remembered as one of the best of his generation but could have been so much more.