who's the most overrated past fighter ever?

I guess you should prepare for another ban soon then?

No, it's all good really. If you think they are overrated then that's your call. I would strongly suggest doing serious research though, so that at least your opinion is a considered one.

What research have you done on Greb for instance? Honest question.

 

Jack Dempsey, I like his style and i know he was great for his time but overall I don't see a tone of skill when I watch him or his opponents fight. I don't think he'd be able to handle the great heavyweights who'd come along after his time.

 

In Grebs era the sweet science was not even that - a science.

Most of the writings of him were by people who did not see what the sport would evolve into.
Broughton rules boxing was bar room brawling. He was probably great for his time. But that time was not when boxing was a science like it would become.

Thats just my opinion.

 

Certainly not fake. You ca see that in Jacks furious retaliation.

 

Plenty of fighters fight with there hands down, Roy Jones fought with his hands down, Ali fought with his hands down, Tommy Hearns kept his lead hand down at his waste at all times to fire his jab. That statement makes no sense. While there are many classic boxing stances that guard a fighter properly a lot of fighters go on what makes them feel comfortble. Many are unique like a batting stance in baseball lot of variety.
Many could make an argument that the Era you complain about is actually the best and hardest era in the sports history. It was a harsher time in America and boxing offered a way out of a harsh reality, there were gyms in every city far far more than today which means more competition to get to the top, then there were fewer divisions only 8 and only one true champ per division. Makes for a much tougher road to the title and makes the greats of that ERA truly shine.

 

I can also see the punch NOT LAND and Jack on his way down before Ketchel even misses that swing...

Either way its pretty ridiculous to claim Jack Johnson had bad balance.

And as for fighting with their hands down, big deal, they actually did something called feinting, and used footwork, and moved their heads. It didnt hurt that those old timers were ten times as tough as the pampered *****'s today. The sport was different theres no doubt about it but it didnt begin and end when guys started using a peakaboo style. In this era even low level journeyman typically had over 100 fights, you think in all of those fights, and all of that training, with all of that experience they didnt know how to fight? GTFO. Todays generation would do well to learn that good boxing didnt start with color tv... in fact it started to degrade around that time. Fighters today suck outside of a handful of examples.

 

Terrific post from as knowledgable a guy as is out there .. so many here actually think pre 1950 was a prehistoric age .. read it endlessly, time and again .. no doubt the training and strength conditioning along w the obvious drugs is superior today but this remains a terrific post.

 

Jerry Quarry, Sonny Liston, Jack Dempsey, Harry Greb

Liston, Dempsey, and Greb are all-time greats... but still overrated by a lot of people.

 

Cleveland Williams as well.

 

Number three coming up. Please God.:yep

 

Because I've had a couple fo beers and am feeling charitable I'll humour you.

NAME ONE FACET OF BOXING SKILLS THAT HAS IMPROVED IN THE LAST 50 YEARS