Duane Bobick thread

[joseph5620]

Perhaps he knew Bobick had beaten Teofilo Stevenson, who he dreaded. And he gave Stevenson a brave fight before being stopped in the rematch.

Bobick was also knocked unconscious for minutes by Ron Lyle in the amateurs. Stop trying to make Bobick into something he wasn't. There was nothing about him that Ali needed to fear. Nothing.



And you making claims that Ali was afraid of what a fighter did in a three round amateur fight is pathetic.

[Pastrano]

Bobick was also knocked unconscious for minutes by Ron Lyle in the amateurs. Stop trying to make Bobick into something he wasn't. There was nothing about him that Ali needed to fear. Nothing.



And you making claims that Ali was afraid of what a fighter did in a three round amateur fight is pathetic.

You can't turn Bobick's amateur achievements into nothing, you can't deny them. The fact is, he beat LARRY HOLMES and TEOFILO STEVENSON, that he got iced by one of the biggest punchers of all times means zero.

[JAB5239]

Perhaps he knew Bobick had beaten Teofilo Stevenson, who he dreaded. And he gave Stevenson a brave fight before being stopped in the rematch.

Why would Ali dread Stevenson? He was a 3 round amateur who never faced a polished and experienced pro, let allone a heavyweight world champion.

Pete Radamacher was a heavyweight gold medalist, look what happened to him when he was fed to a world champion and top contender while having no profession experience.

[JAB5239]

You can't turn Bobick's amateur achievements into nothing, you can't deny them. The fact is, he beat LARRY HOLMES and TEOFILO STEVENSON, that he got iced by one of the biggest punchers of all times means zero.

Differencce is that amateur successs does't always translate into professional succcess. Bobick, Radamacher, Biggs and many others are proof of this.

[NChristo]

Differencce is that amateur successs does't always translate into professional succcess. Bobick, Radamacher, Biggs and many others are proof of this.

The one that always had me was Vince S****, his amateur credentials are phenomenal, outstanding, just ridiculous but as soon as he went pro he was losing to people who shouldn't have been fit to hold his spit bucket. Courage Tshabalala as well, lost his 1st amateur bout then won his next 72 bouts all by 1st round KO, whatever they had figured out in the amateurs sure didn't work in the pro.

Edit: Just double checked Courage's pro record, turned out he did better then I thought, still got nowhere though.

[joseph5620]

You can't turn Bobick's amateur achievements into nothing, you can't deny them. The fact is, he beat LARRY HOLMES and TEOFILO STEVENSON, that he got iced by one of the biggest punchers of all times means zero.

What he did in the amateurs doesn't mean a damn thing in the pros. Bobick didn't even win a Gold medal. Kent Green stopped Ali in the amateurs. You probably don't even know who he is. Randy Shields beat Leonard in the amateurs. How did that work out for him in the pro's? And Stevenson never had one pro fight. There is a big difference between bigger gloves, head gear, three rounds, and a championship fight in the pro's. But you can go ahead and play ****** if you want to.




Ali managed to fight Liston twice, Norton three times, Frazier three times, Foreman, Lyle, Quarry twice, but he "ducks" Bobick. That's just ******ity and there is no other way to put it.

[joseph5620]

Differencce is that amateur successs does't always translate into professional succcess. Bobick, Radamacher, Biggs and many others are proof of this.

Exactly. Howard Davis is one of the best amateur fighters of all time. But he never won a world title.

[Scott9945]

In the book Only the Ring Was Square it was claimed that Ali actually ducked Bobick who was 36-0 or something at that point.

Too bad Bobick never lived upto the hype.

If Bobick beat Norton, the Ali fight was all but made. It would have been by far the biggest payday for Ali at that time.

[Pastrano]

Why would Ali dread Stevenson? He was a 3 round amateur who never faced a polished and experienced pro, let allone a heavyweight world champion.

Pete Radamacher was a heavyweight gold medalist, look what happened to him when he was fed to a world champion and top contender while having no profession experience.

Because Stevenson was both bigger, stronger and at least as talented as Ali, if not more. He could throw great combinations or blow you out with single punches. Ali couldn't do the latter.

[Dubblechin]

If Bobick beat Norton, the Ali fight was all but made. It would have been by far the biggest payday for Ali at that time.

Exactly. Bobick had the size and the strength and the backing (with Frazier as his promoter) to make it big at heavyweight. When he entered the top 10, Frazier was gone, Quarry was gone, Foreman was retiring, Ali was falling off badly. If Bobick had defeated Ken Norton, he had a clear shot. In 1977 and 1978, Ali was very vulnerable. He looked awful against Evangelista. Shavers hammered him. Spinks (with a 6-0-1 record) beat him. Bobick did have a real shot had he gotten Ali at that time.

The problem was Bobick seemed to regress after turning pro. He didn't take training seriously. If you look at him as an amateur, against the likes of Holmes and Stevenson, he is fit and dangerous. Four years later, against a journeyman like Young Sanford, Bobick looks soft and unsculpted. He has no muscle tone at all. I heard he was a drinker. That probably had a lot to do with it.

Bobick also couldn't slip punches. He never worked on his defense. Norton showed that he was a sucker for an overhand right. I remember before Bobick fought John Tate, ABC did a big profile on how Bobick was finally committed to training and he was fit and strong again. Totally committed. But Tate just started launching overhand rights, and Bobick was stopped in one round again.

Bobick's fall had a lot to do with his lack of commitment as a pro, his failure to work on his defense, his failure to take training seriously. Because he had the raw talent to win. When he and Holmes turned pro, Bobick was miles ahead of Holmes. By the late 70s, Holmes had developed his skills to the point he could go 15 with Norton, and Bobick couldn't last one minute with him. Bobick only has himself to blame.