Fighters that you (controversially) think are overrated

[El Kabong]

I think Bowe is OK vs fighters with less power and in that instance I think he'd match up well vs Larry Holmes or Ali (I use Ken Norton as a precedent)but when you look at how Riddick handled Holyfield (or didn't) the pressure, the combinations, the power...(even Evander's power!) You've got to figure that a bigger puncher would have flattened Bowe. Bowe was lazy as shit on defense and if Briggs can catch Lennox Lewis good and basically knock him down (it should have been scored a knockdown because the ropes held him up) then you've got to figure he'd catch Bowe.

I think Morrison and Mercer would be very difficult for Bowe. If Rudduck was more consistent I would say he'd be a sure thing to beat Bowe.

[CutMeMick]

As I opened this thread I said if anyone fucken dares to put Alexis or "Finito" I will fucken lose it... Thankfully all of you know your shit.

Where's Taeth? Why hasn't he added Duran to this thread...

Any fighter in history there is little footage of. Fact. Unless you're a hardcore creationist how can you possibly judge fighters you haven't actually seen? And if you haven't seen them then how can you possibly rate their opposition, who are even more obscure by association?

(this post was in no way shape or form intended to rile Marblehead. fact.)

[laughing]. By this ridiculous standard, a military historian can make no assessment of Julius Cesar or Alexander the great or Napoleon as a general. After all, there is no footage! Nobody cvan make a judgement on Shakespeare's plays either as we have no footage of them being performed the way he wanted them performed.

It is a world class DUMB point of view. How the hell do you think history gets studied exactly?

On the other hand

The only post 1900 fighter of significance I have found NO footage of is Greb. That's it. Gans? Got him, Jeffries? Got him. Dixon, McGovern, Fitzsimmons, O'Brien, Ketchell? Got'em all.

Oh, and Greb's "more obsucre opposition?" Men like Loughran and Tunney and Walker? Plenty of footage on them.

You have footage from all those fighters? Wow! Some collection you must have.
Can you check your Index/Fight List and see if you have Foster-DePaula?

Riddick Bowe - thinnest resume of any true heavyweight champion...maybe in the history of boxing when you look at who he could have fought and who he chose to fight.

Damn you! I always roll out with this one...

[Spicoli]

I think Bowe is OK vs fighters with less power and in that instance I think he'd match up well vs Larry Holmes or Ali (I use Ken Norton as a precedent)but when you look at how Riddick handled Holyfield (or didn't) the pressure, the combinations, the power...(even Evander's power!) You've got to figure that a bigger puncher would have flattened Bowe. Bowe was lazy as shit on defense and if Briggs can catch Lennox Lewis good and basically knock him down (it should have been scored a knockdown because the ropes held him up) then you've got to figure he'd catch Bowe.

I think Morrison and Mercer would be very difficult for Bowe. If Rudduck was more consistent I would say he'd be a sure thing to beat Bowe.

I hear you on power and the number of concussive hitters Bowe faced, rather the lack of. But again its a two way street and while Briggs tagged Lewis (frankly thats his "moment" and has become his tag line) but you can't forget the trouble he got himself into after, sloppily and the fact that Lewis WON? Its just not one hit and guy fall down, Briggs was erratic and very easy to find...if anything Bowe was a big man with very good infighting and a potent jab and right. These guys were on two different levels of intinsity...Briggs too much so, and Bowe at times lackadaisical.

I think your spot on about Mercer. Man I wish that would have happened. He was a hard nut with a killer short jab and had the tenacity and volume inside to make Bowe shit bricks I think. I still think he let ol' Larry get in his head and was reading his own press clipping going in.

I gotta think Bowe gets Morrison late. If Purity and Carl Williams are snapping him with jabs and long rights Bowe wouldn't get careless with that left hook and had too much punch selection for Morrison who had high frequent flyer to the canvas and could be busted up.

[El Kabong]

Fair enough Spicoli, now to be honest I didn't say with certainty Briggs would 100% win vs Bowe but I do think Briggs had the gunslinger style and power to hurt damn near anyone. Briggs wasn't mentally tough enough to dominate a top tier heavyweight, but hell a prime Briggs vs Wlad would be scary for Wlad and that's no disrespect to Wlad its just Briggs had game changing power and good delivery left hook or right cross.

What do you think about Bowe vs Ruddock?

Bowe vs Wlad would have been a decent scrap, but Wlad is more refined and technically dedicated (if that makes sense...he makes fewer mistakes).

Vitali would massacre Bowe as would Lewis.

I am also interested in what Norton, Lyle, Foreman, and Frazier would do vs Bowe, maybe Rahman. Also let me know how a Tyson vs Bowe fight goes

Remember Bowe got hurt by Holyfield and SCHOOLED by Golota, both of whom didn't pack a huge punch. Bowe was an exciting fighter though, wish we had more like him.