Boxing has a long history and it has seen many legendary boxers become world champions not just once but multiple times. The legendary Manny Pacquiao became champion in eight divisions during his iconic career. However, not every great boxer becomes a champion. In the huge history of this combat sport, there have been some outstanding fighters who never captured the world title. In this article, we will have a look at those 10 fighters who were unable to do so.
10) Gerry Cooney
Gerry Cooney was one of the stars in the heavyweight division of boxing in the 1980s. He picked up some great wins in his early career, dismantling older fighters such as Ken Norton and Ron Lyle. Coney had amazing strength and a great heart. However, he was not at the highest level of the game. This was reflected in his three career losses against Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and George Foreman. “Gentleman” retired in 1990 after his loss to Foreman, hence never winning a world title.
9) Lucas Matthysse
Lucas Matthysse’s boxing career began in 2004 and he was generally considered one of the best boxers at light-welterweight for nearly a decade. However, Lucas never captured the world title. He had a good career, but his title fights were against fighters like Manny Pacquiao, Zab Judah, Danny Garcia and many more. “The Machine” retired with a record of 39 wins and 5 losses.
8) Earnie Shavers
Earnie Shavers is considered the hardest puncher in the history of boxing. He won 70 of his 76 victories via knockout, which is an incredible number. However, “The Black Destroyer” was unsuccessful in his two title opportunities against Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes. But he did knock down both boxers, displaying his exceptional power.
7) Donovan Ruddock
Donovan Ruddock was one of the most amazing boxers of his time. He is known for his fights with legends like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Unfortunately, the heavyweight never held a world title in his boxing career. “Razor” won many regional titles during his career and defeated former champions like Michael Doakes. However, Donovan never won the gold and didn’t get his hands on actual world titles. He retired with a record of 40 wins and six losses.
6) Andrew Golota
Andrew Golota began his boxing career in 1992 and was undefeated until 1996. The “Powerful Pole” had several title shots and he was one of the best heavyweights for a long time. But the Polish boxer could not capture the gold. He famously received title shots against John Ruiz, Lamon Brewster, Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis, but he did not win any of those matches.
5) David Tua
David Tua was an extremely talented Samoan boxer who was on the rise in the 90s and fought some of the best boxers. In 2000, “Tuamanator” had a great win streak and momentum that was enough to earn a title shot. Unfortunately, Tua faced the legend Lennox Lewis and was dominated throughout the fight, eventually losing via unanimous decision. That was Tua’s one and only shot at the world title.
4) Herol Graham
Herol is arguably the greatest British boxer to never become a world champion and it’s understandable why. He won several regional titles and had many shots at world championships. In 1989, when Herol faced Mike McCallum for the WBA Middleweight title, he was very close to becoming a titleholder. Graham was only one scorecard away from defeating WBC middleweight champion Julian Jackson in 1990.
3) Ruben Castillo
Ruben Castillo was an extremely talented Mexican-American boxer who was great in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions. He got four title shots during his career but faced tough opponents. “Conquistador” faced Hall of Famers Salvador Sanchez, Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Jr. and Juan Laporte. He wasn’t totally dominated by these boxers, but he just fell short.
2) Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry’s boxing career began in 1965 and he fought in the 70s era of heavyweight boxing. “The Bellflower Bomber” was at its prime between 1968 and 1971. He even fought Muhammad Ali not once but twice. Quarry also fought boxing greats like Joe Frazier and defeated boxers like Floyd Patterson. Unfortunately, Jerry could never win the world title.
1) Sam Langford
Sam Langford is one of the greatest boxers of all time. He competed at lightweight and heavyweight. “The Boston Tar Baby” was explosive for his era. However, due to racism in the boxing world during this era, Langford could not fight for world titles. He won the ceremonial colored heavyweight title in 1917, but that was it for him. Sam reportedly fought a total of 314 fights in his entire career, winning 178 of them.
Also Read: 10 Interesting Facts About Boxing People Should Know
