Ruben Olivares: Does he get seriously Underratted and Overlooked?

His power at those weights can't be denied and his fights with larger, great fighters Alexis Arguello and Danny Lopez were fantastic. Ruben may have fell short in some of the great fights he was involved in, but it should also be mentioned that he was also generally smaller and still managed to do very well.

I don't think he gets mentioned as often as he should.

 

At his peak he had everything-1 punch knockout power on par with Julian Jackson, Ketchel, McGovern etc, sublime boxing skills, tiddy footwork and perfect timing, good head movement, underrated speed etc.On the downside his stamina suffered from a lack of discpline and that tender skin around his eyes.

On a side note his 2nd round demolition of Chacon is an outstanding scalp.

 

The LA Forum fights in late 60's & early 70's with Olivares, Chacon, Castillo, & Ramos, plus international contenders, were all terrific shoot-outs.

Olivares was right there at the top.

 

I wouldn't say he gets overlooked. You just have to look in the right threads. An all time great by any standard, even if he wasn't the most consistently dedicated.

 

He is my no 2 at Bantam ,just behind Jofre.

 

I think he does, actually. In fact, I actually think he gets a slight bit overrated specifically because of his excitement/explosiveness.

If you compare him to other ATG bantams like Jofre, Ortiz, Brown, and Dixon, he really didn't have quite the dominance, consistency, longevity, or even toughness/resilience that they did. And yet, he's probably more celebrated and well-known today than any of them.

 

Ruben Olivares does tend to get overlooked at times. He was one seriously destructive force and his record reflects that.

 

He gets mentioned pretty consistently whenever talk of the great Bantamweights comes up.

 

It's true he wasn't the most consistant, but IMO the Olivares that took the crown from Rose would have beaten any bantamweight...you care to name.

 

Former bantamweight handed Chacon his first two defeats, and by knockout at that, was winning after 12 against Arguello, and reached 56-0-1 before Chucho Castillo finally stopped him in 14 on a butt induced cut in an even fight. His 68-1-1 when Rafael Herrera handed him his first really conclusive defeat could have just as easily have been 70-0-0. Arguello could have finished him, yet he takes Chacon in two to win a final title. He was 31 years old, ancient by the standards of his career and lifestyle, when he handed Jose Luis Ramirez the only knockout defeat of Ramirez's 111 fight career. Ramirez might be a future HOFer.

No, I don't believe Ruben gets either underrated or overlooked. His proper place is just taken for granted, perhaps as it should be. His head would be a permanent fixture of a bantamweight Mount Rushmore if there was such an edifice. Getting into the IBHOF class of 1991 was a suitably early reflection of his stature, although making him a charter member would also have been appropriate.

 

I know a number of people share that sentiment, but I can't agree with it myself. As much as I had been impressed with Rose heading into the Olivares fight, he still was just one particular style of fighter (and as it happens, his one glaring weakness throughout his career was against big punchers who simply let their hands fly). The same approach that Olivares used to overpower/overwhelm a slick, speedy boxer/mover like Rose could've made him vulnerable to an aggressive technician who could get inside his wider punchers and work him over on the inside - which, as it happens, is how Raf Herrera beat him in both their fights. I think the Olivares that fought Rose would've been tailor made for someone like Jofre, who was strong and sturdy enough to withstand his early blitzkrieg and then pick him apart over the later rounds. I also think Raul Macias and Carlos Zarate would've had good styles for beating him H2H, even though I rate Olivares higher on all-time lists because of his greater achievements.

 

I agree with you on jofre.

Rose was a masterful fighter, but he couldn't punch his way out of a paper bag, was never safety first or overly durable to compensate for that and his legs had largely gone from having trouble weightmaking by the Olivares fight.It was a bout he should never have taken.