Fighters who never got the respect they deserved

[O_oliver]

Let’s talk underrated boxers.
Who comes to mind when you think of fighters with heart, skill, or insane records — but barely any mainstream recognition?
Would love to read some names and stories I might’ve missed.

[max baer]

I always felt sorry for ken norton he felt robbed against ali and felt so cheated by the fight game. I recall seeing a boxing program on one of those review of the century around 1999 and ken was talking about how he felt so hurt by the way he was robbed and cheated by dodgy boxing people. He died in 2013 at 70.

from wikipedia.
Across the boxing world, tributes were paid, with Foreman calling him "the fairest of them all" and Holmes saying that he "will be incredibly missed in the boxing world and by many."
He deserves more respect than he received I think.

[The D3vil]

Jimmy Young should be a Hall of Fame fighter.

He beat Foreman & Lyle.

Got robbed against Ali, Norton, & Shavers,

[Ben Bolt]

I welcome this thread and hope it grows big.
Having been a member of boxingscene since 2010, I'm rather tired of the same fighters
- generally the big champions - being discussed over and over again.

The first guy that pops up in my mind is James Broad, who never hesitated to face the best.
A heavyweight that entertained me in lots of big battles, but most of the time came out on the losing side.

His reward in the end was to become a demented, homeless beggar in the city of opportunities Las Vegas.
No one deserves such a fate after trying their best.

c-1980s-james-broad-vintage-boxing-photo-2-heavyweight-contender-greensboro-27.jpg

[billeau2]

Jimmy Young should be a Hall of Fame fighter.

He beat Foreman & Lyle.

Got robbed against Ali, Norton, & Shavers,

Amen! Young is the standard for me about those that were disrespected. I would also put a vote in for Liston.

[GhostofDempsey]

There were a lot of great and very good fighters who never became champion during the one title per eight weight class era. Had there been four major titles and 17 weight classes I can think of dozens of underrated fighters who would be champions. Jimmy Bivins, Billy Graham, Yaqui Lopez, George Benton, Spider Webb, Yvon Durelle to name a few.

[JeBron Lamez]

New angle: if a bot posts more bot BS but it's boxing related like this bot post here...

[Anomalocaris]

As far as heavies go -

Not amongst boxing fans, but the general public only know Sonny from that ****ing 1st minute, 1st round poster.

Max S, Ken and Jimmy were all excellent fighters too.

[travestyny]

Harry Wills. Didn't get the title shot he deserved. One of the best HW resumes. Did great head to head vs. greats like Langford, McVea, Jeannette.

[Willow The Wisp]

I always felt sorry for ken norton he felt robbed against ali and felt so cheated by the fight game. I recall seeing a boxing program on one of those review of the century around 1999 and ken was talking about how he felt so hurt by the way he was robbed and cheated by dodgy boxing people. He died in 2013 at 70.

from wikipedia.
Across the boxing world, tributes were paid, with Foreman calling him "the fairest of them all" and Holmes saying that he "will be incredibly missed in the boxing world and by many."
He deserves more respect than he received I think.

He did get robbed a time or two, but in the 70s he was a superstar of the highest order. Everybody knew him. Movie star, magazine covers, millionaire; the whole enchilada.