Who are your top 10 fighters never to win a World Championship?

Question

Here is a list in no particular order of some fighters that never did win a title.

Sam Langford

Sam McVey

Harry Wills

Joe Jeanette

Kid Norfolk

Sailor Tom Sharkey

Tommy Gibbons

Mike Gibbons

Billy Petrolle

Billy Graham

Laszlo Papp

Ralph Tiger Jones

Charley Burley

Earnie Shavers

Lew Tendler

Answer 1

I couldn't name 10, but I'd have Ken Norton in there for sure.  Yes he was WBC heavyweight champ for a while but the belt was "awarded" to him.  He never won it.

Answer 2

not a top 10 by any stretch of the imagination, but just a few for fun..........couldn't top that list if i tried.

harold brazier (105-18-1, 64 ko's), lost a split decision to roger mayweather in '88

herol graham, one of the u k's finest ever boxers, froze against mike mc callum but dominated julian jackson before the latter landed one bomb to finish it.

tyrone trice, gave simon brown two tough battles.

Answer 3

It is amazing that Laszlo Papp never won a world title, your list is almost flawless.  The only one you missed, was the best Cuban fighter who ever lived.

Tefelo Stevenson.  Great Question, but you answered it so well, there isn't much more to add.

Answer 4

i could only think of 1 "charley burley" burley was so good that no champions wanted any part of him..burley was a natural welter weight able to beat heavyweights...even sugar ray robinson avoided burley!

Answer 5

Butterbean, Doug DeWitt, Joe Hipp, Yaqui Lopez, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Lyle Alzado, Ed Too Tall Jones, Mickey Rourke, Bernard Taylor and Ed Hopson.

Answer 6

Great list Toughguy (I'm voting yours as best answer.)

The only one I might add is p***y McFarland.

p***y had a 104 bouts losing only one (When he was 16 yrs. old.) a 11 yr. string of unbroken victories. p***y was a tremendous puncher, but was also a VERY clever boxer with brilliant footwork, and could frustrate even the brighest and best boxers.

He was a great stylist and cunning, and had that special talent of hitting without getting hit.(one of the reasons many of the light champs did not want to fight p***y and avoided him like the plague.)

Another obstacle p***y faced was he had a hard time making the lightweight limit. His best was around 138-140 lbs. Yet there was no junior welterweight  during his time.

Toughguy ,you mentioned Mike Gibbons in your list. p***y and the great Gibbons fought in 1915, in the day of newspaper decisions. Some gave the bout To Mike, however many gave the fight to p***y, saying he had the better and cleaner scoring. But what speaks loudly of McFarlands  skills in this bout was p***y was semi-retired and coming off a two year lay-off.(Imagine the outcome if p***y had still been active up to this point?)

Sad that p***y McFarland is not remembered better today. Here was a top fighter who had it all skillwise and beat them all back then. And I feel who would still be beating them all if alive today.

And by the way toughguy, it's hard for me to pick 10 when you already took a least 9 of mine.

Maybe the next question would be, could these great and fabulous fighters hold a title today?

I feel several could and would.

Great question, sheds light on some greats who could....