Most Under-rated Heavyweight Champion Ever...

As with the thread inspiring this one, let's keep this one linear/l.

Who? I say Ezz Charles would be one of the better nominations, for sure.

 

Tommy Burns! 11 title defences. :nono:

Kidding.

Around here, I'd say Joe Frazier. But Charles is a good one. Fabulous fighter.

 

Possibly JJ Jeffries, who fought and beat good black fighters, and went 15 rounds with a fresh and motivated Jack Johnson, having ballooned to 300lbs after a 6 year lay off.

His motivations for fighting Johnson may well have been political, racial, financial etc but those are not strict pugilistic matters.

The man was teak tough, 6'2" 220lbs, and fought and beat better men than Jack Dempsey, who never fought black fighters, had 2 and 3 year gaps in his career, MAY have cheated vs Willard, was helped back into the ring vs Firpo and was dropped by Gene Tunney.

How this guy Dempsey gets the nod over Jeffries is quite beyond me.

 

Dare I say, Lennox Lewis. It took for the present form of the heavyweight division for a lot of fans to truly appreciate just how dominant he was in a fairly solid era.

 

...........yep, turned pro and fought Bowe, Tyson and Holyfield soon after. ::

 

Mike Tyson, believe it or not. People have forgotten how good he was in his prime.

 

:bears: Lennox was the man.

 

I hated Lemmon but I'd vote for him as well. If he were around today he'd be the undisputed champion with both Klitschko scalps on his mantle.

 

Lennox Lewis WAS underrated, early in his career, but not so much anymore.

I was always on the Lewis bandwagon though, to be honest, since he won Olympic Gold.

 

Ezzard Charles is probably the most underrated fighter ever, full stop. Underrated heavyweight? Nah, dude was 181lb.

 

Marciano.

He beat the fuck out of Ezz Charles twice, Walcott twice and remained undefeated and still gets no credit. Loses virtually every MM.

 

Charles was quite a few years past prime to be fair (and like say Roy Jones, he declined quickly and was losing as many as he won in no time). The Charles that beat Louis beats Marciano too, IMHO.

 

Frazier by a country mile

 

Wallcott was right at the end of the line too, of course....:scared2: I think fightbeat has him about right, tbh.

 

BS.

The limited chinny left-hooker is badly OVERRATED

He beat Ali and that's it.

 

Fixed

 

haha.

Good one.

 

He beat Walcott three from four (most accounts of their fourth fight), & Walcott gets loads of praise. He beat a fairly long list of top Heavies, some very good, yet I hardly ever see Charles praised as a HW Champ. I think there aren't many better mentions, to be honest.

 

I do not agree at all with the criticisms of Dempsey (and the Willard comment is merely a slur), but it is good to see mentioning Jeffries didnt fall to me, because he is one of the finest examples. For so few fights, his victim list simply staggers me.

 

Muhammad Ali. Nobody remembers him even though he was fairly solid

 

I personally am not convinced that he did anything untoward with Willard- Williard was an easy-to-hit guy who had no real boxing acumen, even by the standards of the time.

Much of Jeffries being underrated is derived from his implication in the racially-charged bitterness of the Johnson era, and the modern interpretation of same by writers who might have strong sociology or political-science backgrounds but who know nothing of boxing.

For Jeffries to get down from 300lbs after 6 years of inactivity which were spent mainly boozing and eating as he saw fit, is a remarkable indication of his innate natural fitness and strength. To go 15 rounds with the champion merely adds to that.

People want to make out that Ray Leonard did a big thing by coming back after 5 years out to beat a flagging Hagler. So be it. But Leonard had never been out of shape and 12 split-rounds with Hagler is not 15 with a motivated Jack Johnson.

Jeffries was a legitimate tough guy. Of all the divisions, the Heavyweight division is the least talent-oriented, and is the only division where fitness and toughness can regularly overcome a talent deficiency.

 

Fixed again!

 

Lemmon's value has appreciated due to the shit the division is today.

 

Not particularly a fan of Lennox, but he is an ATG heavy regardless of the current HW situation.

 

The "Lewis is Great, Look At Todays Lot" is an American fabrication which they seem capable of hefting about despite the fact that they, for years, paid Lewis no regard at all, and were more than happy to look past the fact that Bowe and Tyson wanted no part of him.

Lewis was good when Lewis was active. He hasn't gotten any better, figuratively or literally, since his retirement.

 

Such nonsense

every word of it

 

Never seen a more one-dimensional highly touted fighter than Joe Frazier.

Left hook, left hook, left hook to the body, left hook, little jab, left hook, left hook, right ot the body, left hook, left hook, left hook.

Just repeat that pattern 1000 times and you've covered all his fights in his career.

 

and you've beaten Muhammad Ali, lost a boring one and showed an obscene level of determination and toughness in maybe the most brutal, punishing heavyweight fight in history... Ali unhesitatingly calls you his toughest foe

you've also beaten Quarry (2x), Bonavena (2x), Jimmy Ellis, been the first to stop George Chuvalo and you beat Joe Bugner after everybody said you were washed up

you've emphatically battered any of the pretenders and your only decisive "there's no way it could ever be any different" defeats are to a guy who might have been drawn up on paper as the most perfect guy to deal with you, the ultimate bogeyman for you as a fighter

Frazier was an outstanding attacking fighter, excellent head movement, terrific body puncher and the left hook was automatic and nearly impossible to defend against... he was absolutely tremendous

 

Agreed. Jeffries earned a reputation for (among other gifts) obscene toughness, even by the standards of his day, & deservedly so. It is just remarkable who he beat, however, for such a brief career. I would not honestly think it possible, had it not taken place.

 

You mean like the 167 lbs Bob Fitsimmons (though size does not matter), old 185 lbs Jim Corbett (although it must be pointed out that size does not matter here), old 185 lbs Tom Sharkey (not pointing at his weight) and very old and fat 195 lbs Peter Jackson (against whom the 20 pound weight difference was not meaningful)?