footage of the most underrated fighter- 1908- Tommy Burns vs Billy Squires

pretty damn good footage for 1908.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muieDRuXIlY

Tommy Burns (most underated fighter ever, shame people just remember him as the bum that Johson whupped for the title when in reality he holds wins over the best MW's and LHW's of his day including the consensus 3rd greatest LHW ever in Philadephia Jack O'brien and a few guys ranked amongt the top 20 MW's of all time.....not to mention he held the Heavyweight title defending it a record 11 times weighing as a LHW.

The guy pioneered alot of the modern training methods and was scientific boxer who could bang as well as pick people apart with technical prowess. He beat some very good heavyweights as well, like KOing Jim Flynn who KO'd Dempsey! The guy was a beast and he was smeared as a shitty champ by the racist media to discredit Johnson's accomplishments and while years later Johnson was recognized as truly great and the media discrediting of him was recognized as racism, Burns wasn't afforded a 2nd look and the damage done by the media to his rep was never erased so as a result people consider him one of the worst HW champs ever and don't even bother to examine his excellent career.

The guy would have gone down as one of the greatest MW's ever but he had big balls, a big punch and wanted the big money the heavyweight division provided so despite still being a MW he fought at heavy and became champ. BEAST, Period.

 

and look at who he fought! philadelphia jack o'brien (1-1-1 vs one of the greatest LHW's ever a guy who stopped bob fitzsimmons), jack twin sullivan (draw and close pts loss), fireman jim flynn (ko'd him at HW), jack johnson (probably would have gotten stopped if it wasn't for the intervention but Burns acquitted himself as well as anyone else during johnsons reign)