Overrated/ underrated fighters here on ESB

Well, he revenged his only two losses and otherwise won the key fights of his career against the best fighters of his era if and when they were willing to get into the ring with him. There's not much more he could have done.

 

The best you had on him was he was dropped by 2 people, and by 2 right hands that would have KO'd most other people. Other than that, you have nothing.

 

The most overrated fighter on this site, bar none, is Lennox Lewis. He's the ONLY top level HW champ to get taken out early twice by ordinary contenders when he held the title and yet many people rate him higher than Holyfield and Tyson, even though he fought them both when their skills had noticeably diminished.

Bowe has actually become somewhat underrated. People seem to have forgotten just how talented he was at his peak, however brief it may have been. In fact, he may have had the most natural talent of all four of the top guys of the era - he just had the least dedication. But at his best, he was a great fighter, far greater than he gets credit for in some quarters.

 

Underrated: Tony Ayala. Given his immense raw talent and a rage to match, that guy was unstoppable.

 

Never one to knock Larry's unreal recuperation, but the Snipes right hand wouldn't have ko'ed jack**** let alone "most other people". Snipes barely ever stopped anyone with one punch, certainly not to my memory and definitely not a top opponent. He did sit Berbick on his ass, which tells us his best right can certainly sit people down, but KO? Not likely.

 

most overrated fighter here on esb?

whitaker without a doubt (thanks to 2 or 3 major nut hugger posters here)

 

Luigi, I used to feel the same way, but I've slowly and grudgingly come to realize that the Pea was never really beaten in his prime, and that he did indeed beat Julio Cesar Chavez and WAS outrageously robbed of the victory that night. I've been watching alot of his fights on ESPNClassic lately, and it seems that he beat whoever they put in front of him, slugger or sytlist, it made no difference. Of course, in my opinion, aside from Chavez and De la Hoya, there were not many greats of the level of Duran, Leonard, Hearns, etc., on his resume, but that cannot be held against him, because he fought who was there, and available. It wasn't his jabbing, or any other punch in his arsenal that was his strong suit, but that uncanny defense that drove everyone crazy. I still fell that Duran would have hunted him down with his crazy, animal blend of speed, intensity, power, relentless stamina and killer instinct. Anyone short of Duran he was the master of. Benitez-era Sugar Ray Leonard would have been another potential crisis for the Pea, but to hell with all of that, just judge him on the basis of how he did aginst the guys that he fought and that genius for defense that he had.

 

come on man pernell never gets light on anything he is usually the smaller man type fighters an people will easily say oh the other guy.

i think he is amazing to watch beat great comp and when he did lose he lost in a way that he didnt look bad.and i mean it there.

 

Buddy McGirt may not have been a star name when Whitaker fought him, but he was consistently ranked in the top three "pound for pound" over 2-3 years.

Another very underrated win on Whitaker's record, his 12 round decision against Vasquez. Who was arguably a top five light-middleweight during the whole period of the 90's, maybe even top three. He made around 10 defenses of the WBA title over a two year period before Whitaker boxed his ears off. Probably the best win was his UD over Wright, although an inexperienced and unseasoned Wright.

 

I think I sort of agree with luigi here, whitaker fought everyone he couldve fought in his time and did great but he's definitely overrated head to head. I remember seeing on an earlier form that he would beat srr p4p and people seem to think that no matter what style faces whether its a boxer, slugger, swarmer, or some versatile mix like duran that whitaker will just outslick them to a decision no matter what.

 

Anyone who thinks Whitaker would be unbeatable at welterweight is living in an unreal world. I'd take Leonard and Hearns both to beat him, and maybe even Curry among others.

However, Whitaker beats anyone at lightweight, including Duran.

 

Duran would get his ears boxed off by whitaker, he aint gonna knock him out. I agree that most top tier welterweights would beat him and the fighters of his style would give him a good fight, but pressure fighters with average power or brawlers would get a paint job done to them by whitaker.

 

Are you implying that Duran was a pressure fighter with average power or a brawler?