Fighters whose greatness may be overrated

I see him as a top 3 heavyweight of all time but he has achieved a status by some fans which really no fighter
deserves, which makes it impossible to discuss with those guys because they can't see him lose under any
circumstances, ATG doesn't mean unbeatable, there's some fighters who could have beaten him on a regular basis.

 

I dont see many guys defeating him on a regualr basis bc you need certain things to defeat Lewis at his best.Really only M.Tyson /joshua and Vitali are the best bets against him. Outside Wlad klitchko level too at his best i wouldnt favor anyone else.

 

I had the same guys on my mind who could have done the job and i would give a few guys underdog chances but i wouldn't favor them, certainly no Ali, Frazier, Louis or Dempsey...lol.

 

I can live with Lewis at #3, but he is by no means a lock for the position.

He was the only top ten all time heavyweight who go stopped by a single punch, and that has to give you pause for thought.

 

Wlad turned pro in 1996 and Lewis retired in 2003.

Remind me at what point during those years was Wlad ever on the same level as Lewis?

Vitali lost to old Lewis . Exactly how is he on his level?

 

Hearns fought everyone, and prior to Hagler, which was his prime, he was not hurt very often and beat Cuevas for his first title. Benitez for his second. Duran as a defense at 154 and wars with Hagler and Ray.. He fought them all. Pryor cannot compare to Hearns. Tommy was tired in the 12th, but so was Ray.. Tommy would have done well in 13 this time and might have knocked out Ray.. Ray is the one who went to the hospital after the rematch, not Tommy.

 

At 147 he was troubles by Harold Weston before a thumb helped him win, he was extended by Randy Shields and looked far from unbeatable and then lost decisively to Leonard .. not just lost but how .. seriously deflated by a hook to the body that changed the Hitman into the hit and grab man .. then stopped. I agree 154 was his best weight and he should ahem stayed there although I doubt he would have survived McCallum it would have been a classic .. MY point is at all of these weights Hearns has a shaky chin and stamina which are what made his fights so exciting .. Aaron, at his best weight was to me a more complete fighter .. he had speed, stamina, chin, heart and power all on exceptional levels ..

 

Tommy was not prime when he fought Weston, and he beat Shields easily. decisive? Not really. Tommy stays on his feet and is more experienced, he beats Ray in 1981. I think Tommyoutboxes Mike at 154. Tommy lost 2 times up to 1988, 11 years into this career. Most great fighters lost that much in an 11 year time, if they fight everyone. Pryor is not as great as Hearns. Maybes and what ifs do not make it in the history books , he had a short career and Tommy had a long one. And put in there Virgil Hill after all those fights in the 1980s. Pryor is not close.

 

Aaron did not fight the greats Hearns did. Had he, he would have lost many times.

 

To me Lewis is top 5.

Ali
Louis
Holmes
Lewis
Foreman

 

I could not put Lennox or Foreman top 5.. Foreman lost to Morrison in his comeback and to Evander. He finally won on his 3rd try with a guy who moved up from light heavyweight. I put Tyson ahead of Foreman because of his 3 1/2 years on top. And Evander a head of Lewis.. Not as dominant, but a better resume.

 

Taking his entire career as a whole Foreman rates top five. Coming back after 20 years from losing the worlds championship to rewin that championship was the single greatest feat in sports history. George over and above this was a human force of nature in his prime. Great jab, incredible power in both fists, good speed, physically extremely strong but more importantly he had the will to win, durability, drive and determination that only an ATG fighter possesses.

 

George Foreman is difficult to rate. My take was he had two careers, one rather good but failing ultimately to reach top level because of losses to Ali and Young. The second career was ordinary or even sub-par for a champion. But the longevity factor is awesome. Still, when all is said and done, it is a very padded resume. The Boxing Register lists only seven victories over men who were rated when he fought them (Peralta, Chuvalo, Frazier (2), Norton, Lyle, Moorer). For a man with a 28 year career and twice champion, this is a bit mind-boggling.

For me, the great achievement of winning titles twenty years apart puts Foreman in the top 10, but the lack of wins over top men and the striking failures in both careers keeps him out of the top five.