Heavyweight - Gene Tunney. He toyed with the Mauler for 19 rounds (the long count round being the obvious exception.) I think Tunney would have done well against any pre-Ali champ. I can imagine him out pointing both Marciano and Louis.
Light Heavyweight - Gene Tunney. I'm a broken record but I think his success as a heavyweight has obscured his remarkable record as a Light Heavyweight.
Middleweight - Sam Langford. I know what you're thinking. Sam was a heavy weight. Wrong. He fought mostly heavyweights but if we could magically do an all time greatest tournament Sam, at 165, would fight middle weight. When he fought guys more his size he was brutal. Witness the first round knock outs against Kid Norfolk and Tiger Flowers. He was a MW who spent his career fighting HWs and doing pretty well. Impressive.
Welterweight - Mickey Walker. Some of the same logic here as with Sam. Mickey won the Welter title and them moved up to Middle which is what most people think of him as. He then kept going all the way up to Heavy, fighting an impressive draw with Jack Sharkey. If he had stayed at Welter for a decade I think his record would have been very, very impressive.
Lightweight - Jack McAullife. I know I'm going way back here but the guy was undefeated and had a legendary reputaion in his time but today he's all but fogotten.
Most underrated in each division
Great post Sharkey
I agree with you about Tunney he rarely gets mentioned. I'd say the same for Schmeling who was not quite at that level but is really only remembered for being blown away by Louis even though he was well past his prime then.
Walker is an interesting case as is Langford. There's no doubt that everyone on this site knows all about Langford and what he achieved and might have been capable of.
On a p4p basis I really believe Ezzard Charles gets overlooked. His achievements are phenomenal and if RJJ had held the unfiied HW title for as long as Charles people would be listing him as the greatest to ever lace on a glove.
I agree with you about Tunney he rarely gets mentioned. I'd say the same for Schmeling who was not quite at that level but is really only remembered for being blown away by Louis even though he was well past his prime then.
Walker is an interesting case as is Langford. There's no doubt that everyone on this site knows all about Langford and what he achieved and might have been capable of.
On a p4p basis I really believe Ezzard Charles gets overlooked. His achievements are phenomenal and if RJJ had held the unfiied HW title for as long as Charles people would be listing him as the greatest to ever lace on a glove.
Well thought out post, sharkeysboy. I agree with 3 of the 5.
I agree about Tunney at light heavy, but not at heavyweight. He only fought 6 or 7 fights at heavyweight, and with the Long Count fight in people's minds (everyone knows that while Tunney went down, he dominated the fight) I think he gets the credit he deserves. The underrated heavyweight champ in my opinion would be James J. Corbett. Not only did he beat Sullivan in the famous fight, he fought on even terms with Peter Jackson and only lost bouts to the champs and he was leading in every bout he lost. If fights were even 20 rounds, he would have regained the heavyweight championship from Jeffries (KO'd in 23rd) and as a 2-time champ he would have been looked at much differently. He was the first modern boxer with all the skills and tools you could want and he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
Also, while McAuliffe had that gaudy undefeated record, he clearly lost to Jem Carney and his supporters stormed the ring after he was hurt and knocked down and the referee called it a draw. If anything, Jem Carney is the unknown, overlooked one. What chance did he have to win the undisputed lightweight championship over an Irish-American near Boston as an Englishman? Not much, as it turned out. He was also robbed due to a phantom foul to lose his British lightweight title to Dick Burge.
I agree about Tunney at light heavy, but not at heavyweight. He only fought 6 or 7 fights at heavyweight, and with the Long Count fight in people's minds (everyone knows that while Tunney went down, he dominated the fight) I think he gets the credit he deserves. The underrated heavyweight champ in my opinion would be James J. Corbett. Not only did he beat Sullivan in the famous fight, he fought on even terms with Peter Jackson and only lost bouts to the champs and he was leading in every bout he lost. If fights were even 20 rounds, he would have regained the heavyweight championship from Jeffries (KO'd in 23rd) and as a 2-time champ he would have been looked at much differently. He was the first modern boxer with all the skills and tools you could want and he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
Also, while McAuliffe had that gaudy undefeated record, he clearly lost to Jem Carney and his supporters stormed the ring after he was hurt and knocked down and the referee called it a draw. If anything, Jem Carney is the unknown, overlooked one. What chance did he have to win the undisputed lightweight championship over an Irish-American near Boston as an Englishman? Not much, as it turned out. He was also robbed due to a phantom foul to lose his British lightweight title to Dick Burge.