Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

[Skav]

Miguel Cotto has to be one of the most overrated of the modern era. He's a fantastic warrior with a big heart but people rave about him too much when he's showed his limits of being a fringe elite fighter. I have to say, the only fight of his that really ever got me pumped was the first Margarito fight when I thought that was going to be a barn burner but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

 

Calzaghe isn't overrated as he has plenty of critics. So does Mayweather and Pacquiao, so neither are overrated.

 

Mike Tyson springs to mind. People are more obsessed with his mentality than his boxing, so it seems. Back in his hay day he beat the type of fighters that the Klits are now, yet people hate on the K2 brothers. I guess the method of victories means everything to the public.

 

I will also have to say Henry Cooper. He was a great ambassador for British boxing but is more famous for knocking down Clay than anything else he has done but it seems he is only overrated in England.

 

Oh, Ricky Hatton. He wasn't "garbage" like many Americans think he was but perhaps he gets too much love.

[McBride]

Any of them if you dont like them. None of the ones you do.

[chaconfan]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

I have always believed Tyson was overrated simply because you dont lose to everyone who fights you back the way he did. ( And I simply dont believe the feeble excuses about he was past his prime ) A 23 year old who's had 37 fights and only boxed less than 130 rounds in building that record is NOT past his prime.

 

As for Pakow I agree with Gav, the guy is brilliant, and talented, and disciplined otherwise he wouldn't have been able to boil down to 130 for as long as he did. Its this catchweight horseshit that I cant stand, and the " titles " he is awarded for fighting them. Its become more boring than when Leonard did it now.

 

Another one for me is Hopkins. Calls himself the " executioner " with a stoppage rate of just over 50%. Spoils, is boring to watch, and never stops telling the world how great he is, when he was comfortably beaten on more than one occasion.

 

Good post. I don't think leonard was ever boring though.

[chaconfan]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

I would like to put forth Rocky Marciano. Reasons are already listed on the thread entitled, "being unbeaten does not make you the best", which was threatened with being taken down, whilst this thread is apparently fine. Yet again, different treatment for me, but there you go!

There are other admin or mods that are Tyson fans, so I know I will inspire even more hatred, but it is merely my opinion, and I would name him as another of my choices.

Holmes was past it, Spinks was a light heavy with bad knees, Thomas was a drug addict, as was Biggs, who was thrown in at the deep end too quickly, before he blew his career with them, Williams had a very weak chin but still wasn't actually ko'd, Seldon was terrified and took a dive, Tillis was past his best, but fought a close fight with him, yet Witherspoon fought a peak Tillis and blew him out in one round.

Pacquiao is more difficult to agree to add to this list, because he has beaten some excellent fighters. Surely anyone with Bradley, Mosley, Marquez, Margarito, Cotto, De La Hoya, Hatton, Diaz, Solis, Morales, Barrera and many others is something special? Yes De La Hoya and Mosley were past their best, but it is still an impressive list, specially when you take in the fact that it was through multi divisions.

Edited March 28, 2017 by chaconfan

[davemurphy]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

Tyson. What really good fighter in their prime did he ever beat? He beat all the "temp champs" that ran through the eighties, many of whom had seen better days. Had he not been from NYC, he wouldn't have gotten half-the-attention he did IMO.

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

--- C'mon dave, Tyson the youngest champ ever knocking out all them guys Tubby Lar ducked to unify a division tubby Lar split up.

 

Then the feel good backstory of kid ghetto thug making good after Cus adopted him to live and train with Cus' family not to mention blindingly fast and spectacular KOs. Don't have to like him to know the truth.

[gavpowell]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

--- C'mon dave, Tyson the youngest champ ever knocking out all them guys Tubby Lar ducked to unify a division tubby Lar split up.

 

He did qualify it with the words "really good" - how many 80s heavyweights fit that criterion?

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

--- All a fighter can do is fight in his era, and Yupsir, the fighters he dispatched in his never seen before unification of titles were seen as an extraordinary talented era.

 

I'd pick Tony Tucker as a HOFer over big dummy Bowe, and he beat the two that would go on to first beat Tyson and Lewis. Tyson's advantage over tucker wasn't talent, it was having the best mentors in the biz, Cus, Jacobs, and Cayton. All tucker had was his dad who ran off with his entire hit it big tyson purse and King who controlled his fighters with copious access to the nose candy and always ready whores.

[gavpowell]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

--- All a fighter can do is fight in his era, and Yupsir, the fighters he dispatched in his never seen before unification of titles were seen as an extraordinary talented era.

Are you saying Tyson was the first man to unify all the titles?I've never seen that mentioned before,I suppose because it's overshadowed by the youngest champ thing.

[LondonRingRules]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

Are you saying Tyson was the first man to unify all the titles?I've never seen that mentioned before,I suppose because it's overshadowed by the youngest champ thing.

 

--- Yer slippin' into adipose ennui gavvy.

 

Tyson won the WBC, WBA, IBF, Ring, and lineal titles in 4 separate bouts mentioned thousands of times in every media source. Since then, Wlad minus the WBC belt Vitali held added the WBO and IBO to that unified list. And no gavvy, I never despised you, I just felt sorry for you when you entered into premature grumpy oldmandom.

[gavpowell]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

--- Yer slippin' into adipose ennui gavvy.

 

Tyson won the WBC, WBA, IBF, Ring, and lineal titles in 4 separate bouts mentioned thousands of times in every media source. Since then, Wlad minus the WBC belt Vitali held added the WBO and IBO to that unified list. And no gavvy, I never despised you, I just felt sorry for you when you entered into premature grumpy oldmandom.

 

I wasn't suggesting it had never been mentioned, just that I'd never seen it, presumably because the youngest champ thing is more public-friendly.I can assure you I didn't enter into grumpyoldmandom, it's pathological. I enjoy my grumpiness, don't feel sorry for me.

[chaconfan]

Re: Who are the most Overrated boxers in history any why?

 

He did qualify it with the words "really good" - how many 80s heavyweights fit that criterion?

 

Hi Gav.

There were some great heavies in the 80's. Lots of them would be able to win the title today.

Witherspoon, career ruined by King.

Page ; laugh if you like, but he was a great boxer

Dokes, awesome combination punches thrown with great speed

Coetzee, tough and very fit

Weaver. Big puncher and able to go 15 rds and ko you in that last rd.

Snipes. Big puncher able to mix it up with the best around.

Thomas. The one Tyson beat, was into drugs.

Unfortunately Tyson fought none of them, as I wouldn't even count that version of Thomas.

He did beat Tubbs, Berbick and Tucker though, who genuinely were decent.