Who are your most misunderstood fighters?

Oh, one more. That Ray Robinson wasn't a great middleweight. That always makes me laugh. Granted he was better at welter, but he was that much better at welter that it's pretty much agreed he is the best ever. I also think he would quite handily beat Monzon, Hagler, Hopkins etc at middleweight as well. (It might take him 2 fights to get past Hagler though).

 

Manny Pacquiao, without a doubt. Because he is aggressive, he is viewed as being unskilled. Because he used to be basic and one-dimensional, his improvements go largely unrecognized. If a defensive fighter with a more conventional, aesthetically pleasing style dropped Hatton and Cotto with accurate, powerful shots that they didn't even see coming, people would be falling over themselves to hail the skill. But since it's Pacquiao, it's chalked up to him being "awkward" or just being brute-aggressive, over-reliant on the physical, blah blah blah. In time, people will appreciate his awesome offensive abilities far more than they do now.

 

Based on the win over Cotto, I rate Manny as P4P number 1, simply because that's the best I've seen a fighter look against a top opponent in this generation of boxers. By some distance. He looked like an all time great. (please no responses about PED's - I don't want this to turn into another thread based on hearsay and rumours).

 

:good:good

 

I want to say that Morales gets underrated on here for effectiveness. Instead of analysing faults etc, people should just look at the fact he was a force of nature. In his prime, i always knew he would win evrery fight guaranteed, except for when he fought Barrera, i always thought Barrera would beat him because of the nature of the grudge, and Barrera was my favourite fighter back then (active). But on the contrary, whilst i never doubted Morales going into bouts, i was never quite sure wether Barrera would come up with the goods, there was always that worrying aspect of being a Marco fan. I didn't doubt Morales one tiny bit going into the Pacquiao fight (first time), then it just blew my mind when Morales started to lose. That's what happens when a legend nears the end of the road, it astonishes you.

 

I agree with this, but it depends who you're discussing the Pacman with. Some people tend to exaggerate the improvement in his technical proficiency. To me it's not a pure improvement in technical brilliance, not technical brilliance. He just looks more composed and rather than not thinking, he takes a moment, looks at his opponent, and then smashes them to bits. He doesn't smother them with straight lefts anymore like a wild man, he pivots on his toes and ruins them with that great right hook. There are definitely improvements.

Like you say, some people don't rate it enough, but like i say, some people rate it too much.

Not to get at Pac, he's a truly great fighter in our lifetime.

 

I was just going to say, it occurred to me to flag Pacquiao as misunderstood by those who consider him in his latter career to be a textbook cutie pie worth deconstructing as a model of fundamentals for future generations.

He has improved technically over time, but he's still one of those guys who largely remains effective due to his unique physical attributes and natural abilities. Very little of what he does, if mimicked by a young novice, would be (or should be) endorsed by a responsible coach.

Kids trying to be like Manny, who themselves aren't Manny (or reasonable facsimiles thereof), are going to get themselves KTFO.

 

If you ask the hoi polloi, the Mosley clan's "powerboxing" style is a barren wasteland with miles of sand as far as the eye can see and not a drop of jab...

Ho hum.

This is a nearly 40 year old Shane, coming off a performance that drew scathing criticisms of his love affair with his own power and even intimations of physical inability to box conventionally behind a jab at this age.
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In the first 30 seconds of Round 8, I count 11 jabs (nine to the head, two to the body; three to the head land as do both to the body for a connect rate of 5/11) - some of them in pairs. Some are lazy flicks of the wrist, while the few that land are forceful and gained him some purchase.

He doesn't use the jab as a crutch, as lighter hitters often must. He also doesn't have the best jab in the business. It isn't his favorite weapon by any means. To imply that he either doesn't have one in his arsenal, however, or that he doesn't have one worth employing at times to set up his offense or control distance - is madness.

There are a good many mad men.

 

It's a myth that Little Red was just a slugger. It's true that his right hand was his best weapon, but it was a far cry from his only weapon. The right hand was devastating because Danny knew how to set it up. I used to love watching the way he'd snatch control from the jaws of defeat, poke and prod with his jab, create an opening, and then BANG -- fight over!

It's a myth that Kelly Pavlik is a one dimensional plodder. One dimensional plodders do not make the Olympic trials at a mere 17 years of age, nor do they become middleweight champion of the world at age 25.

 

My most misunderstood fighter ever was Mitch "Blood" Green.Even though I'm from the same city as he is,I could NEVER understand a word he said.