Napoles

 

 

Ten Famous Name Boxers Who Fought in The Wrong Division

RCM Historical Boxing

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 

Here is my list of ten famous name boxers who fought in the wrong weight class:

 

Number One: Bob Foster. The Albuquerque, New Mexico native failed against such heavyweights as Doug Jones, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Zora Folley, but reigned as perhaps the greatest light heavyweight champion of all-time.

Final Record: 56-8-1 with 46 knockouts.

 

Bob Foster knocked out by Joe Frazier Highlights, 1970 WBC-WBA Heavyweight Title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rewbK0QmSoE

 

Number Two: Kevin Rooney. One of the world’s finest boxing trainers won his first 19 consecutive bouts at welterweight, with one loss to unbeaten future WBA World Junior Middleweight champion Davey Moore in the wrong weight class. The Moore fight should have been Rooney’s wake up call to remain in the 147 pound welterweight division where he was dominant and perhaps could have won a world title. After four more impressive wins, Rooney strangely went down in weight to fight the legendary Alexis Arguello in a CBS television bout at 140 pounds and got knocked out in 1982. A Rooney comeback attempt 1984-1985 resulted in two wins, a loss and a draw at junior middleweight.

Final record: 21-4-1 with seven knockouts.

 

Kevin Rooney knocked out by Alexis Arguello, 1982 CBS Highlights of the knockout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIUQ1mcZ_U

 

Number Three: Chris Byrd. Michigan’s dominant southpaw International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight champion, Byrd dropped 38 pounds and got stopped in by light heavyweight Shaun George in 2009, two weight classes below his normal weight.

Final Record:  41-5-1 with 22 knockouts.

 

Chris Byrd gets stopped by Shaun George at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDW85DHdYPw

 

Number Four: Steve Cunningham. One of the greatest cruiserweight fighters ever, Cunningham got brutally knocked out in Madison Square Garden in 2013 by Tyson Fury, who at 254 pounds is a bona fide super heavyweight and outweighed Steve by 44 pounds.

Final Record: 25-6, 12 Knockouts

 

Tyson Fury knock outs Steve Cunningham, May 2013 at Madison Square Garden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeTe1x7zKoI

 

Number Five: Wayne Braithwaite. The southpaw former world cruiserweight champion made a foolish venture into the heavyweight division in his native Guyana and got knocked out in the first round by Shawn Cox, then lost a bout to Sean Corbin.

Final Record: 24-6 with 20 Knockouts

 

Heavyweight Shawn Cox knocks out Wayne Braithwaite in Georgetown, Guyana, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26ompoM3tCM

 

Number Six: Felix Trinidad. Three years and 10 pounds removed from his last world title,  Trinidad, the famed Puerto Rican multi division world champion, won only one or two rounds on the scorecards in his 2008 bout against light heavyweight Roy Jones Jr. and never fought again.

Final Record: 42-3 with 35 Knockouts

 

Roy Jones Jr. Defeats Felix Trinidad Video Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlJa38tiKbs

 

Number Seven: Alexis Arguello. After losing twice to Aaron Pryor Jr., Arguello eventually lost his killer instinct, fell into the trap of drug abuse, and later tried a comeback at 147 pounds eight years later. Arguello appeared to be a shell of his former self, losing a televised ten rounder to Scott ‘Pink Cat’ Walker in 1995, getting badly outworked.

Final Record: 89-8, with 70 Knockouts

 

Scott Walker Decisions and Retires Alexis Arguello on ESPN Top Rank Boxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fSMI_0U3vY

 

Number Eight: William Joppy. The former WBA Middleweight champion failed in attempts to win the IBF Super Middleweight title and the WBA Light Heavyweight title.

Final Record: 40-7-2 with 30 Knockouts.

 

WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov Knocks Out William Joppy in 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbJGnDtNI3E

 

Number Nine: Kelly Pavlik. The world middleweight champion, who lost to Sergio Gabriel Martinez, took a beating from Bernard Hopkins in a strange attempt to enter the light heavyweight division. Pavlik lacked world title talent in the 168 to 175 pound divisions.

Final Record: 40-2, with 35 Knockouts.

 

Bernard Hopkins Decisions Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic   City, Highlights, October 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu9AXWp1jYY

 

Number Ten: Jose Napoles. Mexico’s famed world welterweight champion ‘La Mantequilla’, weighing a bloated 153 pounds, got stopped on cuts in six rounds in a hopeless attempt to wrest the world middleweight title from legendary Carlos Monzon of Argentina. Napoles did not weigh enough to fight Monzon, but the bout happened anyway.

Final Record: 81-7, with 54 Knockouts

 

Carlos Monzon versus Jose Napoles Highlights February 1974 Middleweight Title Bout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxdg8auGsv8

 

 

Share

COMMENTS

COMMENTS