Jersey Joe Walcott
its sad cuz hes one of the best Heavyweights any would have seen but nobody even noticed him. He got robbed against champ Joe Louis, (dropping the brown bomber twice), KOd Champ Ezzard Charles, and floored iron chinned Rocky Marciano and held a lead going into the 13th round. he beat 3 hall of famers, could box and punch, and was a top 10 all time heavy but nobody knows it
I have to give more thought to the most underrated fighter of all time, but just today I was talking to someone about how underrated Holmes was as far as heavies goes. Liston, after his bad history, became greatly underrated as Mike Tyson probably will (deservedly so)
I personally consider Vicente Saldivar an all-time great fighter but you dont hear much about him so I think he is very under rated. Same goes for Jeff Chandler.
It is hard to think of any heavyweight champion as the most underrated because at least people talk about them.
I'd suggest Jimmy Bivins and Lloyd Marshall, although they are getting some consideration lately,Bivins more than Marshall. Us real fans know their worth, but virtually unknown to even many of the boxing writers of today. so few of us saw Eder Jofre...at least I know I didn't, but with that record you'd think there'd more written about him. Truth to be told, though, the most underrated fighters probably haven't even been seen by many of us and may never have been in the spotlight. I know this is true for Tiger JackFox, and Jack Chase, a California middleweight whom Archie Moore said was one of the great ones.
I would have put my all-time favorite fighter,Ezzard Charles first on the list, but I think he's been getting better recognition of late. At the time he was fighting, though, when he was heavyweight champ, he got put down badly, even by the so-called knoweledgable sports writers. He predicted some day in the future he'd get his proper evaluation, and I think time is proving him right.
Sandy Saddler: greatest featherweight ever
It always bugs me when Willie Pep is rated as "the best featherweight of all time......over his three time conquerer
The rest of his record is outstanding as well....he fought in an era when black fighters didn't get any breaks
Just look at the record....Saddler stopped him in three out of four fights..
and Willie had to fight the fight of his life to win the one he did
I'm not saying Willie Pep isn't one of the best ever....he is..... it's just that Saddler was better and proved it in the ring
Easily the most underrated and underappreciated fighter was Archie Moore. He won the lightheavy title when he was 36 and held it for 10 years!! He wouldv'e been middleweight champ for God only knows how long if he hadn;t been shut out of the picture for his first 16 years as a pro. 229 fights, 141 ko's, floored The Rock and gave him hell for 9 rounds and people STILL doubt him as the best lightHeavy....
Now that, as I wrote,Ezzard is getting better appreciation, I think Gene Tunney is a good candidate as a highly underrated fighter.Can't remember the last time I saw him in any top ten heavyweightlist, where I think he belongs, at least in the era before the later big big guys. Very good chin, better than average puncher (which is where he's most underrated...he had a right hand to the heart that made guys grunt), fine boxer with determination and always in top condition.
If you want to read a good analysis and appreciation of Sandy Saddler, look for A.J. Liebling's THE SWEET SCIENCE, a collection of pieces he wrote for the New Yorker. I don't agree with him on a lot of fighters...he overrates Marciano and underrates Charles,and is tad provincial in that if it didn't happen in New York it might as well not have happened at all.
But he's an excellent writer and a search for this in paperback will probably find it.
Jaclem, Thanks for the heads up on the "Sweet Science"..I've seen it down at the public library I'll think i'll go check it out tomorrow..
I think a recent "Sports Illustrated" article called it the best sports book of all time..not just boxing book ... but best sports book period...
Also I agree with your take on Gene Tunney he was a really terrific fighter who excelled at all facets of boxing Gene doesn't get his rightful props...the guys record was tremendous all those battles with Harry Greb
"Sweet Science" is a good book. I am currently reading "In This corner" by Peter Heller. Very interesting book in my opinion. Most under rated? How about Jackie Fields, Welterweight Champion, 71-9-2. And Olympic Champ.
oscar bonavena and james quick tillis are two of the most underrated boxers of all time....
I just finished reading James Tillis' story 'Thinkin Big', it is interesting but sad....
A heavyweight contender should not be struggling to fill the fridge with food each week....
How about the Jamaican born but resident of Brooklyn, NY Mike McCallum? I believe that this guy must be THE MOST UNDERRATED FIGHTER OF ALL TIME!!! I believe that also great boxers like Gene Tunney, Luis Manuel Rodriguez, and Sandy Saddler were GREATLY UNDER-APPRECIATED!!!
Since a number of underrated fighters have been named I'll name one that has'nt, Larry Holmes. Larry had all the qualities of a top fighter. He also had some fights in his early championship days where he had to had to dig deep and show his champiopnship heart, Norton, Shavers, Snipes. Unfotunately he did what number of good fighters do stay around to long. I believe Larry in his day would have given any Heavyweight a competetive tough fight, Larry Holmes underrated.
TKOTOM wrote:Since a number of underrated fighters have been named I'll name one that has'nt, Larry Holmes. Larry had all the qualities of a top fighter. He also had some fights in his early championship days where he had to had to dig deep and show his champiopnship heart, Norton, Shavers, Snipes. Unfotunately he did what number of good fighters do stay around to long. I believe Larry in his day would have given any Heavyweight a competetive tough fight, Larry Holmes underrated.
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU TKOTOM. Not only Holmes WAS UNDERRATED, but he proved that he was one of the alltime best!. To me, HE HAD THE BEST JAB IN BOXING HISTORY. And also not only he had heart, but EXTRAORDINARY BOXING SKILLS AND RING GENERALSHIP. In my opinion, Holmes would have beat any heavyweight today, INCLUDING HOLYFIELD, TYSON AND LEWIS!!!
i guess I took too much for granted in not mentioning Holmes. No question terribly underrated. Good in all departments, outstanding in some. I folowed his career from the time I saw him in a prelim fight in Cleveland.
Undasputed....definitely two of the greatest and one Ezzard, terribly out downin his time and two, Burley, virtually unknown to the casual fan. However, I did comment in tihs post earlier that Ezzard has finally been getting his just acclaim. Very happy to see this for my favorite all time fighter and one I was blessed to know personally. Very sad that it didn't happen in his lifetime. It is a little reassuring that he, this most modest of men, had no doubt that he'd be recognized as "one of the better ones" (in his words) in the future. He often made the Stephen Foster analogy..."Unknown and died broke, but now he's a legend." I have difficulty to this day when I think of the long terrible illness of his last years.
Flex....glad you "rember" Walcott kayoing Charles. Shows you have some mental faculties left. Maybe you also "rember" fight four, which many writers gave Charles as many as 11 rounds but Wacott won decision. Also "rember" referee Clayton cheering Walcott on with cries of "Come on Pappy:", clearly heard via the microphone. By the way, Walcott was one of my favorite fighters. But you missed my point. (Surprise!!!!!) Ezzard's career before he won the heavyweight title is one of the greatest of all time. He was a good heavyweight champion, but prime was earlier.and yes, he is SOME hero!
Jersey Joe Walcott
