Tweet
There are many fighters that for one reason or another, never reached their full potential.
5. Andrew Golata - Had all the skills to be a world champ but due to a lack of a stable mind, wasted away his prime years.
4. Gerald McClellan - Was said to be THE guy to beat Roy Jones in his prime but unfortunately, never made it to that fight due to his tragic last fight with Nigel Benn. I think that fight should have been stopped when Benn was knocked through the ropes in the first round.
3. Stanley Ketchel - A remarkable fighter who accomplished a lot in his short career that spanned 7 years (although he did have 63 fights in that time). He fought and actually knocked down the heavyweight champ as a middleweight among fighting and beating some of the best fighters in his weight class. He was just getting into his prime when he was tragically murdered at the very young age of 24.
2. Meldrick Taylor - He was an Olympic gold medalist as well as an undefeated IBF welterweight champ. He was faster than Floyd Mayweather, and had better foot work than Ray Leonard along with great combination punching and amazing stamina. Then he fought Julio Cesar Chavez. He was clearly winning the fight but also taking quiet a beating. But what destroyed him as a fighter for ever was Richard Steele stopping the fight with 2 seconds to go after he was knocked down in the final seconds of the 12th round. After that, Taylor was never even close to being the same. That fight mentally killed him. He went 14 wins with 7 loses since that fight along with fighting and losing on very small cards to no name fighters with losing records. A sad story indeed.
1. Salvador Sanchez - Perhaps the best featherweight of all time! He defeated many great fighters with his natural boxing and punching ability. He knocked out both legends Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson, both of whom were in their prime at the time. Sanchez tragically died in a car crash after his fight with Azumah Nelson at the young age of 23.
5. Andrew Golata - Had all the skills to be a world champ but due to a lack of a stable mind, wasted away his prime years.
4. Gerald McClellan - Was said to be THE guy to beat Roy Jones in his prime but unfortunately, never made it to that fight due to his tragic last fight with Nigel Benn. I think that fight should have been stopped when Benn was knocked through the ropes in the first round.
3. Stanley Ketchel - A remarkable fighter who accomplished a lot in his short career that spanned 7 years (although he did have 63 fights in that time). He fought and actually knocked down the heavyweight champ as a middleweight among fighting and beating some of the best fighters in his weight class. He was just getting into his prime when he was tragically murdered at the very young age of 24.
2. Meldrick Taylor - He was an Olympic gold medalist as well as an undefeated IBF welterweight champ. He was faster than Floyd Mayweather, and had better foot work than Ray Leonard along with great combination punching and amazing stamina. Then he fought Julio Cesar Chavez. He was clearly winning the fight but also taking quiet a beating. But what destroyed him as a fighter for ever was Richard Steele stopping the fight with 2 seconds to go after he was knocked down in the final seconds of the 12th round. After that, Taylor was never even close to being the same. That fight mentally killed him. He went 14 wins with 7 loses since that fight along with fighting and losing on very small cards to no name fighters with losing records. A sad story indeed.
1. Salvador Sanchez - Perhaps the best featherweight of all time! He defeated many great fighters with his natural boxing and punching ability. He knocked out both legends Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson, both of whom were in their prime at the time. Sanchez tragically died in a car crash after his fight with Azumah Nelson at the young age of 23.
Comment