What are some examples you can think of concerning a fighter or a fighter's specific attribute (chin, stamina, etc.) that in one period of time (or perhaps by a certain type of fan) was genuinely underrated, but during this sort of collective realization, has started to drift the other way and become overrated? A decent example for me would be Tyson's jab (especially in his early career) . It was educated, as well as possessing both speed and power, giving it snap. He also knew how to use it well to control distance, not so much to keep away, which was obviously never his style, but to measure distance and begin closing it. There isn't really much bad to say about his jab. Not too many people noticed it much, probably because there was so much more about him as a fighter that commanded attention. His rushing style and preference to fight in mid to close range also makes it easier to write off his jab somewhat. However, when he began neglecting it in his second career, it was one of the many things that cost him. With that being said, in the past few years his jab has become more appreciated and recognized (although I couldn't pinpoint when exactly), to the point where in the present, it's quite common for forum posters or writers to give it a certain level of respect. However, occasionally I see it being rated with the best jabs in the history of the division, which is honestly a bit ridiculous to me, and would make it overrated. His jab was great and even deceptive because many fighters with his size and style lacked in that punch, and his hooks and uppercuts were always more flashy. However, it was at least a step below the greatest heavyweight jabs (Ex. Holmes, Liston, Lewis, Ali, Klit, Etc.). For those fighters, the jab could almost win them fights by itself, and fighters with jabs of this quality pretty much built their fighting styles around it. Comparing Tyson's jab to theirs would be, in my opinion, like comparing one of their decent, less utilized punches, like Ali's hook, and comparing it to Tyson's (Although for the record I think Tyson had a better jab than Ali's hook). So do you have any examples? Am I off base with Tyson's jab?
