Most overrated fighter in history?

excellent post

 

It wasnt that long ago that one of the posters here tried to con me, telling me that Tyson was ripe for a defeat to Douglas, pointing to a physical decline

 

Tyson & Mayweather

 

Aaron Pryor tops my list. After that Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones, Ken Norton, Jack Johnson, Jim Jeffries, Hagler and several more.

 

Casuals don't really count because their casuals. They don't know any better

 

I don’t think there is only one who is the “ most “ overrated to be honest. The sport is full of overrated and underrated fighters.

 

Also depends on WHOSE rating (and their specific criteria) you're referring to when deciding if it's over, under or on the money - because, even for the one fighter, you'll find opinion(s) that will fall into ALL 3 categories. Even the claim that MOST pundits feel this way or that about certain fighters is often open to debate.

 

If anything Dempsey was underrated. Well ahead of his time in terms of boxing style and defense. He single-handedly resurrected the sport and helped boxing surpass baseball as the number one spectator sport.

Overrated implies that a fighter is receiving more praise than deserved. Perhaps by fighting has-beens, up and comers, or over-matched, smaller opponents. Mayweather fits that description perfectly. A great defensive fighter who managed to catch big name opponents on their way down or on their way up. Never fought an elite level opponent at their best. People calling him TBE or the GOAT are woefully biased or uninformed.

Ali gets more praise for his fighting ability than deserved. But like Dempsey, he resurrected the sport during a time when television was killing the small boxing venues all over the country. He was technically flawed and because of who he was he received quite a few gift decisions during his career. I would argue a fix here and there. He had the influence of Howard Cosell, sports writers and other networks who loved him, behind him all the way.

 

They couldn't beat him LEGITIMATELY in the ring due to a lack of stones they had to railroad him & destroy his career & good name. That's your so called TBE & such for you
For me Mayweather jr is by far the most overated EVER!!

 

Dempsey was regarded by many as being better than Ali for an embarrassingly long time. He didn’t fight Wills due to racism, rarely fought at all, and when he did, it was often against blown up light heavyweights, two of whom beat him twice.

He’s way overrated unless we’re rating fame and a bunch of abstract criteria that make the rose tinted crew get teary eyed.

 

Aaron Pryor is all smoke and mirrors. Tough guy but not what he’s become. Not close to the best 140lber “H2H”-Tszyu who many say would he overwhelmed would absolutely splatter someone as uneven as “The Hawk”

 

For the HWs it’s Ken Norton by a LONG shot, Followed by Big GF.

 

Ali by a country mile. Too many clueless people and casuals rate him as the GOAT when guys like SRR, Armstrong, Greb, Duran, Pac, FMJ etc are miles above him.

 

Tyson is the most underrated.

 

He signed contracts to fight Wills on more than one occasion. Money promised to him in advance was never delivered. Lost on a long count to Tunney when he was clearly washed up. Ali got a gift versus Doug Jones, beat up on smaller, older Moore and Patterson, had fights fixed in his favor versus Liston, got gifts against Norton 2x, Jimmy Young and Ernie Shavers. Fought a long string of no-hopers and smaller fighters during his run.