Underrated technicians?

Some other superbly underrated boxers

Jack johnson probably best skilled heavy on film

Tommy Burns , not the slickest but offensively hes superb

Jack dempsey peak dempsey had some sophistication to him offensively and defensively

Jimmy Mclarnin a perfect pressure fighter on film rarely gets talked about!

 

Excellent, subtle defence too IMO.

 

George foreman I do not see his underrated skill at all, if any thing hes overrated.

 

Ali himself admitted that George's footwork caused him problems and made him change gameplan mid round.

It's clear on film .. Ali bounces both directions and then catches George with the lead right hand. Ali tried to move and found that George was there so he had to engage. His beating of George and controlling the important parts of the fight, assisted by the ref allowing him to pull down on George's head doesn't negate George's footwork in the bout.

Naturally, as George gets more tired, his footwork isn't as clean but the fundamentals of footplacement and direction are all there. I'm not going to defend Peralta - it is what it is - I can show plenty of examples of fighters doing things horribly in fights against lesser opposition whilst doing them exceptionally well against a better/different style of opponent.

 

Ali was going to the ropes. He watched the Peralta fight for the idea. It is a myth he tells himself to enhance his legacy.

 

Ali went to the ropes long before the Peralta fight.

I too believe that he hyped up the rope a dope cos what I saw was controlled boxing, blocking, parrying, even a shoulder roll or two, not some punching bag letting a man punch himself out.

I still believe that George's presence pushed Ali to retreat to the ropes sooner than he would have planned to do so.

 

The idea for using it on Foreman stemmed from the Peralta fight. I think once Ali was on the ropes he realised how easily he could handle George.

 

Honestly, this sounds weird ... everytime I watch the fight, I can't shake the feeling that Ali toyed with him, within reason and as much as any man can hope to toy with Big George.

I just can't see Ali being troubled to the point where he's having to rely on anything over than know-how and ability, as opposed to other fights between ATGs where fighters have had to swallow their own blood, fight with one eye, get up from brutal knock-downs to come back and win, show incredible chins and willpower to turn the tide etc.

At the same time, I'm happy that Ali found Foreman quicker and better than he expected with his footspeed and movement.

 

I think there were a number of smaller fighters from around this era that were rock solid technically, too, namely Martin Castillo, Edgar Sosa, and Eric Morel. Yuri Arbachakov was my favorite technician of the day. Very sharp all-around.

I'm not sure he is underrated, but Harold Johnson was excellent. Tippy Larkin, as well. Go watch him outbox Billy Graham.

 

Terry McGovern?

 

Victor Galindez