Who was the most overrated heavyweight boxer of all time?

He was just half a pound over the welterweight limit when he lost his middleweight title to Fitzsimmons.
Jesus Christ you are ****ing thick aren't you!

 

In my opinion, some recent heavyweight champs are greatly overrated, but I think that is understandable. Everybody always has the guys of their generation as being superior to those that came before. I won't list any of those guys unless they're thought of the same a few decades from now - and I'm still alive to give my views, of course. Two from years gone by that come to mind for me are James Jeffries and George Foreman (in their respective eras). But that is just my opinion - and is arguable.

 

Schmeling beat Young Stribling, which legitimized his championship, and got robbed in the Sharkey rematch. Not to mention he beat Louis.

Baer was all wrong for Schmeling and fought a much better than in any of his other big fights.

Schmeling was a lot better than Baer.

 

The Welterweight limit at that time was 142.

 

All of them.

 

At that time.
ps Dempsey made 142lbs in his last fight against Tommy Ryan in1895!

 

Yeah but his health had really declined by that point, Ryan said he was in no state to fight.

 

Watch the fight again. He deflected most of those punches and was ahead on the cards when he dropped him. That wouldn't have been possible if all he was doing was getting beat up. Being the same height he could see the shots to his head and was countering most of them beautifully. No disrespect but that's the take on the fight of somebody who has never watched it. No boxer could let an oxe like George Foreman just tee off on them for eight rounds without deflecting most of the shots. They would get seriously injured or worse.

 

I seem to get flack for pointing out something that became more obvious to me each time I watched the fight: Ali mostly dominated Foreman in Zaire. There were precious few shots Foreman landed flush, and Ali PUNISHED him in excess for each. Yes, Foreman got tired, but he was also frustrated and humiliated. It helps to read articles and books on the subject as well, there is a well written book by Norman Mailer, for instance.

 

Most but not all of the head shots missed. Most but not all of the body shots were deflected by his elbows. And how about the round where Ali hit with him five straight jabs right to the kisser. That had to be humiliating and had to hurt too. Just a beautiful fight.

 

Foreman got embarrassed from the first round on. The lead rights completely astonished him....which is strange, as George should have been familiar with Ali's predilection to throw them from watching his fights. I think George was experiencing apprehension from the end of the 1st round on.

 

And the point Mailer made about Ali coming out of the gate throwing straight rights which is dangerous for a fighter because it takes longer to land had to be disorienting and a bit humiliating to Big George was a good one.

 

Shavers had the most ridiculously powerful right hand in history. However, it can be argued Wilder wasn't far from his level in that regard...in fact, I wouldn't enthusiastically argue against the idea that Deontay matched it. Tough call...I personally measure it according the quality of jaws Earnie rocked. I still think for overall power Foreman was matchless...unbelievably intense power in both hands.

 

That would have been a great time for him to retire because it's the fights after that that really damaged him and that's where the gift decisions come up. He would have been 45-2 and avenged every defeat he had. With clever marketing and investments he could have made more money than he ever did in the ring. Big George did it.

 

I have always thought the idea of Ali retiring after George was a damn good one...except the Thrilla was pretty great.