''Official Poll'' Is Jack Johnson Overrated?

[Perfect Plex]

Does Jack Johnson greatness get overrated and is he overrated?

[Barn]

In my opinion, Yes. Some have him at 3 undeservedly in my opinion.

[T.Horton]

In my opinion, Yes. Some have him at 3 undeservedly in my opinion.

guilty ^^^

[IronDanHamza]

Not particularly.

[Terry A]

I've always felt that JJ was the 2nd most over-rated boxer ever so I voted "Yes".

It's my opinion that he does NOT belong in any all-time top 10 list of greatest heavyweights.

In no particular order, Ali, Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, V & V Klitschko's, Holyfield, etc would all be my picks over JJ.

Marvin Hart (!) beat him, he won the title from a 168 lb (super-middleweight by today's standards) Tommy Burns, the great middleweight Stanley Ketchel dropped him with a punch on the chin, and I'll not even go into how old & little many of his opponants were.

Who's his greatest win over? Sam Langford when Sam weighed all of 156 lbs?
How about the old, unretired Jim Jeffries? He fought a draw with Jack O'Brien, who weighed in for that fight at about 163 lbs to JJ's 205.

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, somebody said that Jack Johnson was a defensive wizzard, an unbeatable all-time great heavyweight! And like a legend or fairy tale passed down over the generations, people hear that same story and then they tell someone & then that person tells someone and the band-wagon keeps getting more crowded.

When that was said, here's who had been the heavyweight champion of the world...
John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Marvin Hart, James J. Jeffries & Lil' Tommy Burns. Then came Jack.

And compared to THAT bunch, he WAS great. But an honest look at all the really great heavyweights over the last 100 years shows a slew of fighters who would or could beat the much balleyhooed Jack Johnson.

The existing, very limited film of him really impressed you who have him in your top 10 that much? What books about him have you studied to familiarize yourself with him? "WHY" is he rated so high??? What DO you know about him?

I too have seen him listed anywhere from #1 on down thru 10. But on what basis???

Respectfully, I don't get it.

[MRBOOMER]

I've always felt that JJ was the 2nd most over-rated boxer ever so I voted "Yes".

It's my opinion that he does NOT belong in any all-time top 10 list of greatest heavyweights.

In no particular order, Ali, Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, V & V Klitschko's, Holyfield, etc would all be my picks over JJ.

Marvin Hart (!) beat him, he won the title from a 168 lb (super-middleweight by today's standards) Tommy Burns, the great middleweight Stanley Ketchel dropped him with a punch on the chin, and I'll not even go into how old & little many of his opponants were.

Who's his greatest win over? Sam Langford when Sam weighed all of 156 lbs?
How about the old, unretired Jim Jeffries? He fought a draw with Jack O'Brien, who weighed in for that fight at about 163 lbs to JJ's 205.

Once upon a time, many, many years ago, somebody said that Jack Johnson was a defensive wizzard, an unbeatable all-time great heavyweight! And like a legend or fairy tale passed down over the generations, people hear that same story and then they tell someone & then that person tells someone and the band-wagon keeps getting more crowded.

When that was said, here's who had been the heavyweight champion of the world...
John L. Sullivan, James J. Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, Marvin Hart, James J. Jeffries & Lil' Tommy Burns. Then came Jack.

And compared to THAT bunch, he WAS great. But an honest look at all the really great heavyweights over the last 100 years shows a slew of fighters who would or could beat the much balleyhooed Jack Johnson.

The existing, very limited film of him really impressed you who have him in your top 10 that much? What books about him have you studied to familiarize yourself with him? "WHY" is he rated so high??? What DO you know about him?

I too have seen him listed anywhere from #1 on down thru 10. But on what basis???

Respectfully, I don't get it.

Great post...
But not to be racist even tho I'm black it's cause the whole first african American champion thing people get stuck on that just saying.

[Forza]

As a boxer he wasn't that great, not his fault most white guys ducked him though.

As an athlete he set the bar for african americans.

[kendom]

No

I feel many highy underrate him because he was an old timer he had incredible talent the greatest blocking and feinting ability amongst the heavyweights.

[New England]

he had a very modern style
and he was huge.

the guy fought over a century ago


at his best he was a very dominant HW champion and i don't have a problem with him in anybody's HW top ten in terms of accomplishments


h2h i'd say he might be a tad overrated

[Control-]

Yes, he gets rated highly because of being more skilled than he predecessors and because he was the first black champ. But his competition was not that great and I don't see his style working as well against the best heavyweights of the past 100 years.