By Alphonso Costello

Disappointment is an emotion of dissatisfaction that results when one’s expectations remain unfilled. The number of  underachievers that didn’t fulfill their potential in the ring is infinite. Many promoters, television executives, trainers and ring observers have been disappointed by fighters that failed to deliver exciting fights and win world championships.

The following list is made up of fighters that didn’t live up to the hype or were complete and utter failures.

1. Oba Carr (54-6-1, 31 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight

Career: 1989-2002

Accomplishments: Appeared in a K-Swiss commercial and was labeled as the #4 ranked welterweight in the world

Dubious Achievements: None

Remarks: Carr was a supremely talented fighter who never made it over the hump against primed opposition. He was 0-3 in world title fights against the “Holy Trinity” of Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey and Oscar De La Hoya. Despite his short comings, Carr showed the courage to fight the absolute best when other fistic “greats” ran away from a tough challenge.

2. Hedgemon Lewis (53-7-3, 26 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight

Career: 1966-1976

Accomplishments: 2006 California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee

Dubious Achievements: 0-3 in world title fights

Remarks: Lewis was Sugar Ray Leonard before Sugar Ray Leonard came along, minus the fanfare. He fought frequently at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles were his spirited battles against Ernie Lopez and Carlos Palomino took place. But his claim to fame was dropping a pair of world title fights to welterweight champion Jose Angel Napoles.

3. David Reid (17-2, 7 KO’s)

Weight Class: Junior Middleweight

Career: 1997-2001

Accomplishments: Captured a junior middleweight title in his 12th professional bout

Dubious Achievements: Retired after his 19th professional bout

Remarks: Reid’s career is a classic case of “too much too soon.” He was supposed to be the Dusty Rhodes of boxing. “The American Dream” was one of boxing’s brightest prospects in 1996 after winning the junior middleweight Olympic gold medal. However Felix Trinidad’s “plaster of Paris” derailed Reid’s bright future. A detached retina led to his untimely retirement.

4. Leon Spinks (26-17-3, 14 KO’s)

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Career: 1977-1995

Accomplishments: Fastest fighter to win world heavyweight championship

 

Dubious Achievements: Father of former welterweight champion Cory Spinks

Remarks: The highlight of his career was defeating Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight championship. The second highlight of his career was losing the title back to Ali in the rematch.

5. Yory Boy Campas (91-10, 73 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight, Junior Middleweight, Middleweight

Career: 1990-Present

Accomplishments: Junior middleweight titleholder

Dubious Achievements: Dropping a lopsided unanimous decision to a guy who lost to Sergio Mora

Remarks: The expectations heaped onto Campas were monumental. He was expected to be the heir to Julio Cesar Chavez’s throne as Mexico’s greatest fighter. Knockout losses to Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya proved otherwise. Although his fighting days are not over yet he never lived up to those lofty expectations. When he’s not in the gym training for his next fight you could find him enjoying his mid-summer Sunday afternoons in the left field bleachers at Dodger Stadium.

6. Michael Grant (43-3, 33 KO’s)

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Career: 1994-Present

Accomplishments: None

Dubious Achievements: None

Remarks: None

7. Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KO’s)

Weight Class: Junior Middleweight

Career: 1997-2007

Accomplishments: Youngest junior middleweight titleholder

Dubious Achievements: Juiced up on steroids and still got knocked out

Remarks: Boxing observers say fighting Felix Trinidad just shy of his 23rd birthday was too much too soon. Vargas was never the same after that fight, but that’s what happens when you take 5 crunching blows to the testicles.

8. King Tut (87-28-3, 51 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight

Career: 1925-1939

Accomplishments: Kayoed Babe Ruth in one round

Dubious Achievements: Was born in Wisconsin as some guy named Henry R. Tuttle

Remarks: Let’s face it an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh shouldn’t have the same amount of losses as Emanuel Augustus.

9. Ike Ibeabuchi (20-0, 15 KO’s)

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Career: 1994-1999

Accomplishments: None

Dubious Achievements: Surpassed Mike Tyson’s 1992 prison sentence with his very own rape conviction

Remarks: He was on the road to heavyweight gold with wins over David Tua and Chris Byrd. Unfortunately for Ibeabuchi those championship aspirations vanished when he went bat-$#!t crazy.

10. Tony Ayala Jr. (31-2, 27 KO’s)

Weight Class: Junior Middleweight, Super Middleweight

Career: 1980-1982, 1999-2003

Accomplishments: None

Dubious Achievements: None

Remarks: Ayala was on the fast track to superstardom with his fierce and unsportsmanlike fighting style. But this genius derailed his promising career by burglarizing and raping his next door neighbor. This piece of underachievement once scored a win wearing an ankle monitor.

11. Audley Harrison (21-3, 16 KO’s)

Weight Class: Heavyweight

Career: 2001-Present

Accomplishments: 2000 super heavyweight Olympic gold medalist

Dubious Achievements: See below

Remarks: Harrison was expected to be the next dominant super heavyweight champion. He was to fill the shoes of Lennox Lewis, but his shoe size proved to be a few sizes too small. At the moment, Harrison is either waiting tables in a London tea shop or driving a double-decker bus.

12. Terry Norris (47-9, 31 KO’s)

Weight Class: Junior Middleweight

Career: 1986-1998

Accomplishments: International Boxing Hall of Famer, 3-time junior middleweight titleholder

Dubious Achievements: Crushed a shot Meldrick Taylor and battered a past his prime Sugar Ray Leonard

Remarks: Yes, Norris is a hall of famer and former world champion, but he still didn’t reach his full potential. Weed out the shot and over the hill fighters he defeated and his resume has a bunch of no names. Just like the guest list at his retirement party in downtown San Diego.

13. David Tua (49-3-1, 42 KO’s)

Weight Class: Heavyweight 

Career: 1992-Present

Accomplishments: 1992 Olympic bronze medal winner

Dubious Achievements: Allowed Ike Ibeabuchi to throw a CompuBox heavyweight record of 975 punches in their 1997 slugfest

Remarks: Tua led many to believe he was the Samoan version of Mike Tyson. He fell way short of that expectation by ducking such vices as gold digging actresses, cocaine and ear lobes.

14. Ricardo Williams Jr. (10-2, 6 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight

Career: 2001-2005

Accomplishments: Became the first fighter from the 2000 Olympic Games to be sentenced to prison

Dubious Achievements: Lost the 2000 junior welterweight Olympic gold medal and had to settle for a silver medal instead

Remarks: It was apparent in his half-assed defeat to Juan “El Pollo” Valenzuela that Williams was a waste of talent. Think about it, he lost to a guy named El Pollo.

15. Francisco “Panchito” Bojado (18-3, 12 KO’s)

Weight Class: Welterweight

Career: 2001-Present

Accomplishments: Served as Oscar De La Hoya’s sparring partner in preparation for De La Hoya’s mega-bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Dubious Achievements: Pissed away a lucrative television deal to be Showtime’s “Golden Boy” because of a lack of focus and dedication

Remarks: Okay is career is not over yet and he’s only 24-years old, but at this stage in his life he has more comebacks than world title belts.

SHAPE UP OR BE WRITTEN UP:

Jermain Taylor, Joel Julio, Rocky Juarez, Jeff Lacy, Andre Ward, Zahir Raheem