Sorry, but this boxers were /are incredibly overrated.

[iamboxing]

Its sad to see this section of the site become a "stir the pot" zone!
Starting threads that degrade and attack past champions is only to get a reaction. Theres no real interest in these bashing threads and thats been proven over & over again by the young fellows who were posting here daily just to promote hate.

To the OP you make comparisons of opponents but you mention no techniques or methodology used by Tyson, Leonard or Pacman.

I personally had Holmes winning close over "a scared blown up cruiser Spinks". Spinks very much like Holmes was when fighting Tyson was not in a good position to win but he was one of the greatest Lightheavy chapions and I don't think he fought at cruiser ever!

I place the fellows you mentioned in the top tweny of their divisions. If you think about all the fighters of distinction who competed in the same division you'll agree being a top twenty placement is a very high rating.

ok, go on with your "hate fest" you forgot to mention Floyd or Wlad!!!!!!

Ray.

So true. No need for it really. Serves no purpose other than pissing on another mans achievements.

[Johnny Steele]

Duran II is heavily tainted. Leonard fooled Duran and his team. Sorry, folks, but that is not boxing. I find myself interested in and respect what happens inside the ring, not before it is entered.

What do you mean old man?

[Johnny Steele]

Ray Leonard wins;

Benitez - Prime
Hearns - Prime
Duran - Prime
Hagler - slightly post prime but still one if, not not the best fighter in the world.

No more needs to be said really. Don't even need to go into anything else he did.

And a "prime" Leonard lost to Terry fcukin Norris and bum @ss Camacho.

Leonard does not hold a win over a prime duran but is a fabulous boxer

He's full of sh'it.

If That was A prime Duran then Clay was in his prime when he quit against Holmes.
And hype job Joe was prime when Rock tore him to shreds.

[ShoulderRoll]

I actually got Rocky as #1 heavyweight a perfect career and 3/4 of a century later his record had not been broken in his division.. Coincidence? No way!!

How can Marciano be the #1 heavyweight?

Did he have the best skill set of all the heavys in history? No.

How about the best resume? No.

The most power? The best ring generalship? The best defense? The best chin? No.

I just don't see it.

[Willy Wanker]

Leonard and Pac have a lot of fanboys that overrate them, but they aren't overrated in general.

Tyson is little overrated, but not much.

Marciano is only one I would consider overrated. People look into the fact that he retired as an undefeated heavyweight champion and he gets too much credit for that. Some even rank him as a top 5 heavyweight. Guys like Klitschko, Lewis, Foreman, Frazier should all rank higher.

No disrespect to Marciano, still an ATG in my book, but he gets ranked way too high compared to the other great heavyweights.

[USMCer]

Muhammad Ali -
You'd think the man went undefeated or something


Rocky Marciano -
You'd think the man lapped the field or something

[GaMo]

Marciano and Tyson

[Joe Beamish]

Nobody really puts Marciano in the top 5. Most don't put him in the top 10.

Anyway, Leonard is a different story. You can't diss Leonard. Because it doesn't matter. Everybody knows how great he was. Wins over prime Benitez, prime Hearns, near-prime Duran and ANY version of Hagler make for a superb resume.

Nobody in his right mind thinks PRIME Leonard lost to anybody except the first Duran...who is, in many, many people's lists, a top 5 all time boxer.

[GhostofDempsey]

To be overrated, there has to be a large contingent of fans, media or colleagues who place you on some mythical pedestal without truly breaking down their career and accomplishments.

Ali, Mayweather and Hopkins top my list of most overrated. That doesn't mean I don't acknowledge their talents. They are talented fighters in their respective divisions, but their resumes, skills and accomplishments don't measure up to the credit and praise they are given by fans, some media members and themselves.

Ali was a media sensation. Love him or hate him he got ratings, put asses in seats and really stirred things up. He came along at a time when boxing's popularity was waning. He was a good fighter but not great. He did a lot of things wrong in the ring...fought with hands at his sides, leaned back from punches, rarely through body punches, dropped his right to far when throwing an uppercut, etc. But, he was big and fast for a HW and he could get away with using his reflexes, footwork and speed against slower, lumbering HWs. He also fought a lot of opponents who were much smaller. He was a big HW and had clear size advantages over opponents such as Patterson, Moore, Jones, Cooper, Chuvalo, Quarry, Bonavena, Blin, Coopman, Foster just to name a few. He was the beneficiary of two fixes versus Liston, got gifts against Jones, Norton, Young, and Shavers.

Hopkins hid out at 160 so he could pad his record and break Monzon's title defense streak at 160. Fought guys like Robert Allen three times and a bunch of long forgotten never-was no-hopers, never fought overseas to face Benn, Collins, Calzaghe or Eubank, his biggest wins came over blown up WW in Tito and DLH. His best career win was Tarver. But, he fought into and beyond middle age and the media gave him accolades for competing at such an advanced age. He stunk it up in the rematch with Jones trying to draw fouls and hoping for a DQ win with his acting antics. He was dirty, somewhat boring and his reign at 160 has a lot of holes. He avoided the move to 168 so he wouldn't have to face a prime Jones in a rematch or James Toney.

Mayweather is the ultimate smoke and mirrors champion. Never fought one ELITE level fighter in their prime or at their best. Waited out opponents until they weren't at their best, retired when things got hot at 147, and admitted that he avoided Pacquiao in his prime by "marinating" the fight for a few years in order to make it a bigger PPV success. Had JMM come up two weight classes for a catch weight he demanded, then doesn't make weight. Rarely fought guys bigger than him and always put them at a disadvantage so they wouldn't be at their best. Similar to Ali, he chants he is TBE to the casual media and the moniker sticks among his fans and non-boxing sportswriters. He has created this era of money first, titles second, and cherry-picking in order to preserve that "0" that is ever so popular today. He got gifts versus Castillo I, DLH and Maidana I.

Let the hate flow, I can already hear the angry fingers on the keyboards typing up hostile replies. Ha!

[GaMo]

Says the guy who has a picture of Hagler.
The most incompetent middleweeight champion in history

You joker, just because I have a picture of him in my avatar that does not mean I think he’s the greatest fighter of all time. However, Hagler won 13 title fights whereas Rocky only won 7 so he almost doubled Rocky’s run as Champion. Tyson won 12 so again Marvin is more successful at championship level. Class dismissed.