Your favorite underappreciated fighters?

[CletusVanDamme]

I mean some guys you like that weren't really great, but you were a fan anyhow. My all time favorite non champ is Ray "Sucra" Olivera. I watched him twice this week on ESPN Classic against Tackie and Phillips after not thinking about him for a while.

I mean his management got him great exposure for just being a pretty good fighter. I started seeing him in the early nineties on ESPN, and I would bet he has close to the most boxing apperances ever on the network. He recieved two televised title shots on ESPN against 140 WBO Champ Zack Padilla (a fight that set compubox records at the time) and against 140 IBF Champ Jake Rodriquez only to lose both. But for a good ten years he was on ESPN a couple times a year if not more.

He had little power but was a true workhorse, but I was always pulling for him. He just made me like him.

[jamesbrown]

augustus count

[Randall_Hopkirk]

Floyd Mayweather. When will people realize this kid has got potential.

[scap]

For the longest time I was an advocate of Juan Manuel Marquez 10 years ago I thought he was the best most skilled Mexican fighter, yes better then Morales or Barerra!

I still like JMM but now that he has gotten a lot of credit and exposure I have backed off but for the longest time he was truly an elite fighter who was getting almost no credit!

[scap]

BTW-When people talk about the middleweight/supermiddleweight era of the late early ninties, the Jones, Hopkins, Benn, Nunn, McClellan, EUBANK, Jackson, etc...

I always think back to a fighter named Lamar Parks who was young and upcoming when he came down with HIV...Lamar was an EXCELLENT fighter and at the time of his EARLY retirement he was every bit as good as a Bernard Hopkins was.

Lamar Parks-get a hold of some tape on this underappreciated fighter. He has long since been forgotten but I would bet you if you talk to his peers they would tell you he was an up and coming beast!

[Kayjay's Ghost]

augustus count

Augustus in interesting but he wouldn't count to my mind as 'underappreciated'. He has in fact more fans than any 20-loss fighter ever.

Oliveira is a good choice, Buddy, the Tackie fight is rightfully in the ESPN regular rotation.

[CletusVanDamme]

BTW-When people talk about the middleweight/supermiddleweight era of the late early ninties, the Jones, Hopkins, Benn, Nunn, McClellan, EUBANK, Jackson, etc...

I always think back to a fighter named Lamar Parks who was young and upcoming when he came down with HIV...Lamar was an EXCELLENT fighter and at the time of his EARLY retirement he was every bit as good as a Bernard Hopkins was.

Lamar Parks-get a hold of some tape on this underappreciated fighter. He has long since been forgotten but I would bet you if you talk to his peers they would tell you he was an up and coming beast!

KidFire Parks had some hammers in his gloves and I seen him on Tuesday night fights regularly. He barely lost to Reggie Johnson I think, but the guy had more power the guy may have hit harder than all you mentioned. He was also from South Carolina where you seldom see world class fighters coming out of the South minus Pensacola.

[scap]

KidFire Parks had some hammers in his gloves and I seen him on Tuesday night fights regularly. He barely lost to Reggie Johnson I think, but the guy had more power the guy may have hit harder than all you mentioned. He was also from South Carolina where you seldom see world class fighters coming out of the South minus Pensacola.

Lamar did have alot of power but I'll take Julian Jackson over anybody anyday in regards to stragith up power.

I think McClellan may have a slight edge as well but it is close.

[CletusVanDamme]

Lamar did have alot of power but I'll take Julian Jackson over anybody anyday in regards to stragith up power.

I think McClellan may have a slight edge as well but it is close.

From what I remember Lamar had a good chin and had a tendency to get hit too much. Maybe too in love with his power. He was only like 5'8 or so I think, His right hand imo was better than Geralds but GMan had him in the hook and bodyshot department. It would have been a shootout because I doubt Lamar would have been intimidated by GMan like alot of opponents were.

As far as Jackson yeah I didn't actually notice him on your list. Jackson is unequaled in power.

[CletusVanDamme]

http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=4787

This has parks listed at 5'7 1/2 which is about what I remember. His two late round kayos are kinda impressive to me, but I think watching him is required to appreciate his power. The kayo percentage is misleading.