NAme some fighters that wasted their talent because of jail, drugs, lack of motivation etc. etc.
First name that comes to mind for me is Ike Ibeauchi (sp?). Would he be the world champion had he not gone to jail?
Tony Ayala
Tyson, Bowe, Rudick, just to name a few. There are
also several who could have been greater or been at
the top longer if it hadn't been for drugs.
David Tua and Shannon Briggs
I'm not so sure about Tua. A guy that's only 5'9"
in the Heavyweights who's made it as far as he has,
has done pretty well for himself.
Wilfredo benitez
Tua is a complete waste of talent. His problem is 90% his mindset and only 10% his height.
I don't think Tua really had the talent to waste.
He had power, and it took him about as far as he was
going to go. I like him, but his skills were always
average at best. It's not like he was some virtuoso
like Ali or Jones who dazzled people with stunning
displays of skill.
People like Taylor, Ali, Jones, Robinson, all had
some sort of natural ability. Great natural athletes
blessed with physical gifts. Power and tennacity
are different for me.
Power, good handspeed (when he was lighter) and a granite chin. I am one of those people that considers punching power and a great chin a "talent" though, maybe not everyone does that.
Speaking of both waste of talent and of Tyson & Tua in the same breath, I would still pay good PPV money to see those two square off....
Take a (reasonably) decent shape Tua like when he face (overmatched and scared) Moorer against a present day Tyson and you would have a pretty good bout for about two rounds.... The "lack of head movement anymore with lowered hand speed" Tyson versus the "left hook only" Tua would be interesting since they have the same strategy and body type now... Short and stocky heavyweights...
APM
Showdownboxing.ca
Don't forget, Tua had a decent amount of amateur experience. He was 78-6 as an amateur and won a bronze medal in the Olympics. He has/had a lot of talent but it hasn't been showing itself lately.