Most overrated HW of all time.

I think marciano is a very unusual to rank as he had very good attributes of power,stamina,heart,was probably very awkward to fight and beat all the men put in front of him....However his opposition cannot be said to be stellar/prime or against big men so his resume is lacking and how he would do against the big atg heavies is somewhat unknown....Did he ever beat a big world class heavyweight contendor? Im talking 6 ft 3 225 and athletic? Its hard to say as he seemed an extremely determined and awkward guy and sometimes that can make all the difference....Any modern heavy that fought marciano would be fighting a style that they probably would never have faced before. Marciano could also have added a bit more functional weight with some weight training/advanced nutrition.....If frazier can be successful at 5ft 11 and 205 then maybe marciano can,rocky was more two fisted than frazier....

 

Your description, 6' 3" and 225 lbs and very athletic--I would point out that no one at all defeated anyone who really fits this bill prior to the 1970's. The only one who might come close to such a discription is Jeffries, and only Johnson beat him when he was washed up. This amounts to saying that modern heavys have grown larger and so we should dismiss all old-timers. There is not much point in studying the history of the sport then.
Joe Louis, whom Marciano did defeat as an old man, was, in my judgement, the best big heavy (over 200 lbs) prior to Ali.
By the way, why not dismiss Ali by pointing out he never defeated anyone at least 6' 5" and over 240 lbs at all, let alone someone very athletic, such as Lewis or Wlad Klitschko?

 

Ok,i will clarify my point a little more. Even 6ft 3 and 210 of athletic muscle would be fine...
Ali did beat athletic guys of this range such as terrell,williams,foreman etc....When we get to 6 ft 5 and 240 there arent that many athletic guys,maybe lewis,bowe and a few others....I wouldnt even mind if we had seen marciano against a 6ft plus 210 powerhouse like liston....My point being its hard to tell if the rock could hang with these types of athletic big guys....Maybe some knowledgable posters could discuss the size and athleticism of marcianos opponents?
Finally,if you say that heavies pre 70s did not defeat athletic guys of this size than i will say that does make comparison somewhat hard between eras,it doesnt mean i am dismissing old timers,the films can show us who could box well,with ali he was big and athletic enough to beat bigger guys than himself,and i think this is quite obvious and proven....

 

I dont think its only your keys you lost.

 

Most over rated of all time? Simple: Ali

 

1 Lennox Lewis
2 Lennox Lewis
3 Lennox Lewis
4 Lennox Lewis
5 Lennox Lewis

 

Overated? Marciano, his lack of top class opponents isn't his fault but its still a fact.

 

look at marciano's footwork when he knocked out walcott, sweet. when he stopped lastarza he hit him with a left then ducked, adjusted his feet and put him through the ropes with a right. beautiful.

he also could make himself a smaller target and had very good upper body movement although i think it wasn't quite as good at the end due to his back.

 

how is Jack Dempsey not being discussed? he is CLEARLY the most overrated heavy champ....he was popular, but did little to earn that popularity.

 

I mentioned him earlier. I also mentioned Jack Johnson and Ali. If I were to pick between the three, it would have to be Johnson. Unless you have one of those Marciano fanatics around.

 

Seems a bit harsh.

He beat two fighters generaly regarded as top 20 all time heavyweights in Walcott and Charles.

Heb eat two pound for pound greats in Charles and Moore.

Louis might have been old but he would probably still have beaten anybody else outside Walcott and Charles at this point in time.

How many heavyweights can boast a similar level of competition?

 

I think that he is generaly under rated.

Especialy head to head.

 

Completley agree.
If it wasn't for the Tyson fight no one would even be talking about him in terms of the heavyweights.