was gerald mcclellan overrated?

G-Man was for real. How can you even question that? Later in his career he had issues with health (prior to his last fight), but before that... Man, I wonder how good would he have been with proper coaching? With someone more competent in his corner than "Yes-Man" Stan Johnson during his last years?

Gerald was no finished product - his defence being the biggest issue, but the base - jab, right cross, left to the body and chin - was as solid as it gets. Yes, his biggest win is beating Jackson (twice) and one can argue that Hawk's style simply suited G-Man, but still - first time around he beat one of the top P4P fighters in the world. And one year later he demolished him in even more emphatic style. To me that speaks volumes about his quality.

Other great fights are big "what ifs". Just a reminder - he was scheduled to fight Lamar Parks in 1993, but few days before the fight Parks was diagnosed with HIV and G-Man faced journeyman Baptist instead. Shame it never happened, Parks was no slouch back then... There are tapes of his gym wars with Toney - James (surprise, surprise) argues that he would've schooled McClellan in the ring, but I doubt that. Roy Jones? From what Steward said it seems that Gerald might have had RJJ's number, but it's a travesty they never met. McCallum? Boy what a fight would it be...

Concluding - G-Man was in no way overrated. He was in some ways untested, but hey, he was just 27 when he went to face Benn on his soil. The best was still yet to come by this point. From what we know McClellan clearly passed the eye test with ease (his left hook to the liver is one the best punches to the body in the history). All the tools were there to make him one of the best P4P fighters of the 90s.

 

Plus weight cutting I reckon. If he cut as much as they said, he was blatantly in the wrong weight division. His frame was huge for a middle.

 

He was a legit LHW, IMHO.

 

Some hold his early defeats against him, but Milton and Ward were capable operators, and the green version of McClellan (though already a noted puncher) can't be compared to the epically destructive championship edition. Having said that, his problem was that he was off the rails, so he never really put it all together the way he should've, even on his best nights.

His personal and professional lives were in equal disarray by the time he fought Benn, and he was already carrying damage he should've sought professional medical attention for. Highly legitimate talent and tools, though. A waste of tremendous potential.

 

The Parks fight would've definitely helped us get a better gauge of him had it came off. Shame that Parks got HIV.

As for the proper coaching, if he'd bought in 100% to Steward, the sky could've been the limit for him. Tough to convince some guys the value of a great trainer if they're stopping everyone, but it's rare to see the quality dip as large from a HOF trainer like Manny to the crew he went to. That's the kind of move guys make when they think they've got it all figured out. The hubris inevitably catches up and bites them.

Heck, Wlad was as disciplined and well schooled as it got, and the dropoff was noticeable as time went on from Manny's death....and that was with a Steward disciple. G-man, a championship fighter with P4P aspirations, had no business with the team he wound up with.

 

That's right and the fight with Benn proved it. With Steward this would've never happened - he confirmed that. G-Man had no one he respected in his corner. He had to do everything by himself. No one was capable of saying "well, that's enough, I'm throwing in the towel". And truth be told - Gerald was responsible for that. Everything was coming too easy for him at that point. His relationship with Manny ended over money, McClellan also felt neglected. Was he really expecting Steward to leave all his Kronk guys and coach him exclusively? It's a shame no one was guiding him at this point.