Your most overrated/underrated fighters

Calzaghe has minimal downside—no loses, no PEDs, no real controversy. He also packed his best work neatly into that decade and he caught Kessler and Lacy at their peak plus Hopkins ended up having plenty left.

 

Tyson is underrated, not overrated.

 

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Muhammad Ali (no.1 most overrated by a mile), Sugar Ray Leonard, Bob Fitzimmons, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Anthony Joshua, Ken Norton

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Mike Tyson, Marvin Hagler (was clearly better than the cowardly ***** runner Leonard), Roy Jones Junior, Sonny Liston, Riddick Bowe

 

Kessler and Hopkins are his two best wins - and those are strong wins, but Barrera has Hamed and Morales. Morales has Barrera and Pacquiao. Tarver has Roy and Glen...
Plus the Hopkins victory was hardly clean. It easily could've gone to Hopkins.

Then it would take a bit more detailed analysis, but I think Joe's resume beyond those 2 fights is pretty average (I wouldn't mention Lacy among his 5 best wins though).

If one values undefeated record, I understand - but to me, being undefeated is overrated in itself.

 

Off the top of my head, Floyd and Pac are the only two who are clearly ahead. Morales and Barrera both fell off during that decade and Ward did a lot of his work later.

Who was number three?

 

B-Hop.

 

I think Calzaghe lost to Robin Reid; it was very controversial at the time in Britain and definitely should have had a rematch. His wins over Lacy, Kessler, and Hopkins are excellent, though. Still an amazing fighter.

 

Intrigued how you think Ali is overrated and Liston is underrated when Ali made Liston look like a novice for 6 rounds.

 

Wrong decade.

 

He didn't look like a novice. In fact, it was a pretty close fight in which the injured Liston looked quite good. I think neither of them were in their prime, and their fights were disappointing. Despite all this, I think Ali is overrated, but he's still deservedly number one, but not as great. Liston, on the other hand, is underrated by many, and your post is proof. You're describing a close and controversial fight as if he were outclassed. Many people perceive it that way, but that's not true. Liston is underrated because people remember his tragic fights with Ali better than fights with Williams, Patterson, Foley, or Harris.

 

Great fighter,but something of a weight bully.

 

Hi Buddy.
Interesting that you find undefeated fighters overrated, not seen many posters and pundits put that out there, I would have thought the opposite might apply, fair play to you with that thought process, so of all the thousands of boxers from say Sullivan to date, there are not that many % wise that remained undefeated, when you think the likes of SRR, Greb, Langford, Armstrong, Duran, etc, all have losses on their record, some with plenty, I would have thought if a fighter went through his whole career without a blemish, that would amount to something, so would be interested in your reasoning, and seeing as it's you, I am expecting a thought provoking and intelligent retort.
stay safe Mastrangelo, chat soon buddy.
Mike.

 

@Mike Cannon
Hey Mike. I think undefeated record creates illusion of invincibility and - to me - is always a result of smart out of the ring decisions, moreso than inside the ring abilities.

Let's say Calzaghe decided to stick around for one more fight - and fought Chad Dawson after Roy, the one fight people were still calling for him to take at that point, win would obviously add to his legacy, but had He lost, would that make him any less of a fighter?
It wouldn't really make sense since it would not have changed anything He did and accomplished prior to that and what leads to him being rated as highly as He is today, but in my view, adding a defeat at the end of his illustrious career would make majority of people change their perception of him quite significantly.
Similarly, if one of the two close decisions He had - against Reid and Hopkins - went against him, I think it would change the way He is perceived significantly also. Would that make sense? Again, not really. Same fight was fought, just this time 2 judges went against him rather than for him - but He's not an unbeaten Joe anymore. B-Hop didn't let no White Boy beat him.

To me, your resume in boxing is about who You beat and when You beat them. What matters is wins, not avoiding losses - and while it seems obvious, many careers in boxing today are managed with the latter being the priority. Fighters avoid opportunities to do achieve great things out of fear that loss would set them back too much.
If You stumble before, after or inbetween accomplishing some great things in boxing, I don't see it as very significant. Every fighter would be undefeated if They did not take the fights They ended up losing.

Not sure how insightfull that is, but that's my point of view on the matter.

 

Overrated: Margarito.
Underrated: Hamed

 

Hi Buddy.
Thanks for your polite, informative,and hard to argue with reply, I am now on board.
stay safe M, chat soon.
Mike.