Spectators love heavyweight boxers as their powerful hits seem to sometimes punch the opponents out of their boxing shoes, therefore providing great entertainment. Their fights are often vicious and only a good timer for boxing and a fast referee can separate them. They train hard, using high-quality training gear and sheer force to punch the heavy bags during practice, so that their performance when fighting in the ring can be outstanding and impressive.
During his career from 1990 to 2008, Felix cemented himself as being of the greatest boxers of all-time in his weight class. He started his career at the young age of 17 and won five national amateur Championships in Puerto Rico. As a professional boxer, Felix made his first impact in 1993 by defeating Maurice Blocker to win the IBF welterweight. Pound for pound Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest boxer of all time his record wins in professional and amateur speak for themselves. He was officially never knocked out by any fighter and he fought until he was 45 years old. The man won boxing titles in welter and middle weight divisions. Nicknamed 'Brown Bomber' for his fearsome fists, Joe Louis is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time. In an era when segregation was still legal, Louis' athleticism made him one of the few African-American celebrities of his time. After a standout amateur career, he turned pro in 1934. Active fighters are included and of course subject to change over time. Trophy for Outstanding boxer. Recognized as the greatest Cruiserweight fight of all-time by Ring.
Here is a list of 10 of the most famous heavyweight boxers that ever entered the ring.
Mike Tyson
He retired in 1949. The International Boxing Research Organization named Joe Louis in 2005 the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Cassius Marcellus Clay adopted the name Muhammad Ali in 1964. He is easily the most recognized figure in boxing and perhaps in the world of sports.
Out of 58 fights that Mike Tyson had fought during his career, he won 50 of them, 44 out of which were by KO. He fought for over 20 years between 1985 to 2005 and he would have had even more fights if he wouldn't have served time in the early 1990s.
In 1986 Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of the sport. Unfortunately, a lot of his actions outside the gym and ring will always cast a shadow over his achievements. He is also known for biting Evander Holyfield's ear off during a match with him.
Evander Holyfield
This fighter won his first title in 1990 by knocking out Buster Douglas. He will always be remembered for his matches against Riddick Bowe, a fellow heavyweight boxer that defeated him in the year 1992. However, Evander Holyfield managed to regain the title by defeating him just one year later.
In the year 1996 Evander regained the WBA Heavyweight title after knocking out Mike Tyson in the eleventh round of the match. After that, a series of disputes followed between the two boxers and led to the well-known ear bite that stunned everybody in this sport.
Larry Holmes
His boxing career spanned for almost 30 years between 1973 and 2002. He fought 75 matches and won 69 out of them, 44 by KO. His first heavyweight title was won by split decision after a match against Ken Norton that lasted for 15 rounds in 1978.
Larry Holmes managed to defend his title 20 times. His record was of 48 wins to 0 losses before losing to Michael Spinks. The decision came down to points. Larry came out of his retirement to fight occasionally, but during his reign, he was considered to be one of the best heavyweight boxing champions.
Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier competed in professional boxing between the years 1965 and 1981. He had a professional career record of 32 wins to 4 losses, 27 of his wins ending by knockout. His 4 losses were to Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Joe won his title by defeating Jimmy Ellis and because Muhammad Ali was suspended for refusing the draft. They fought on the 8th of March 1971 in what came to be known as the 'Fight of the Century'. Two years later he lost his title to George Foreman, then lost another time to the same opponent. This led to his retirement in 1976.
George Foreman
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George Foreman's career lasted for 28 years between 1969 and 1997. In 1973 he defeated Joe Frazier by KO in the second round and earned his first heavyweight title. One of his best matches was against Muhammad Ali in Zaire in the year 1974.
On the 5th of November 1994, he won by KO against Michael Moorer and at the age of 45 became the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in the sports' history. During his career, George Foreman won 76 matches and lost only 5. Out of all his victories, 68 were by KO.
Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey, also known as the 'Manassa Mauler' dominated the sport of boxing between 1924 and 1927. At the time, the world of sport was ruled by baseball, but he managed to bring popularity to boxing. He was one of the first famous boxers.
This boxer managed to draw a lot of spectators and won his first title by defeating Jess Willard and breaking his jawbone in the process. Jack's professional career included 61 victories and 6 losses. 50 of his victories were achieved by the means of KO.
Rocky Marciano
Rocky was a boxer loved by his fans. His career lasted from 1947 to 1956 and he retired with a perfect professional record of 49 wins and 0 losses. Out of these wins, 43 were by knockout. He won his heavyweight title in Philadelphia by defeating Joe Walcott in 1952.
Rocky still holds the record for the longest winning streak by a heavyweight in boxing.
Jack Johnson
Known as the 'Galveston Giant', Johnson fought between 1897 and 1928 and had a professional record of 77 wins, 13 losses, and 13 draws. He won by knockout 48 times.
He has won the heavyweight title by defeating Tommy Burns in 1908 and defended the title for seven years until Jess Willard took it from him in 1915. Jack Johnson was the first African American heavyweight champion and opened the way for other African American boxers. Although he had to deal with racism, he became one of the greatest boxers of his time.
Joe Louis
Joe Louis fought during WW2 and his career lasted from 1934 to 1951. During this period he reached a record of 68 wins to 3 losses, out of which 54 were won by KO. Known as the Brown Bomber, he put the spotlight back on boxing after Jack Dempsey's era.
Joe Louis won his first heavyweight title in 1937 and defended it 25 times during a period of eleven years and eight months. He retired in 1949. The International Boxing Research Organization named Joe Louis in 2005 the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
Muhammad Ali
Cassius Marcellus Clay adopted the name Muhammad Ali in 1964. He is easily the most recognized figure in boxing and perhaps in the world of sports. He was a three-time heavyweight champion of the world and won the gold medal during the Summer Olympic Games in 1960 in the light heavyweight division.
His professional career spanned between 1960 to 1981, during the most competitive period of boxing as a sport. His record was of 56 victories with 5 losses and 37 KOs.
Whether he was criticized or worshiped, this boxer managed to define what it means to be a great heavyweight champion of the world.
Bibliography:
2019 supercontest payouts. 1) ‘Real deal' memories of the bite fight
2) George Foreman Vs Joe Frazier 1/22/1973
3) Jack Johnson
4) Muhammad Ali
Boxing is without doubt one of the hardest sports to compare achievements and rank the all-time greats.. but that doesn't stop people trying relentlessly.
Most recently, Floyd Mayweather claimed that he was a better boxer than Muhammad Ali and should be rated more highly.
Despite stating how difficult it is to rank boxing greats, here's a list of the top 25 boxers in history, which has been put together by Yard Barker.
If you don't agree, or you're annoyed by the rankings, just remember, it's an opinion, which we're all allowed.
25. Sandy Saddler
Sadler starts the list and is arguably one of the hardest hitting boxers of all time. Best known for being the only boxer to defeat Willie Pep in his prime.
24. Rocky Marciano
The Rock from Brockton was a hugely popular boxer in the 40's and 50's and knocked out 88% of his opponents. The fighter had an excellent career and was also partially the inspiration for the Sylvester Stallone classic.
23. George Foreman
With 68 of his 76 career wins being knockouts, the Olympic gold medallist has an impressive 89.5% knockout rate. The main blemish on the heavyweight's record is his loss to Muhammed Ali in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle'.
22. Julio Cesar Chavez
The popular Mexican fighter began his career with 88 straight wins and has beaten some impressive opposition.
21. Jack Dempsey
The American boxer held the heavyweight title for seven years, the second longest of all time.
20. Gene Tunney
Tunney is one of the most famous boxers of all time. His fights with Jack Dempsey drew over 100,000 spectators. Tunney has also been recognised for his military service in the first world war.
19. Barney Ross
A strong activist for Jewish-Americans during the build-up to World War 2, Ross' legacy extends beyond the ring. Only the third fighter to win titles in three weight classes, his legacy in the ring is also a lasting one.
18. Joe Gans
Gans made history as the first black American to win a boxing world title and is an inspiration to many boxers today. Unfortunately, Gans died of tuberculosis.
17. Floyd Mayweather Jr
Despite ranking himself as the greatest of all time, most don't. His attachment to his unbeaten record means he rarely tests himself against the best.
Top 10 Most Famous Boxers Of All Time
16. Pernell Whittaker
An Olympic gold medallist in 1984 and an exceptional fighter earns Pernell the 18th spot.
15. Archie Moore
One of the first fighters to be named in the international boxing Hall of Fame, Moore has the second highest number of knockouts in the sport's history. Moore also held the light heavyweight title for 10 straight years.
14. Ezzard Charles
Charles started his career with a record of 70-6 but had a more unsuccessful later career. Charles is in the boxing hall of fame and commemorated on a postage stamp.
13. Manny Pacquiao
Only one man has ever won more titles in more than six weight divisions, an impressive record to hold. Despite losing to Mayweather, the 40-year-old makes it into the top 15.
12. Sam Langford
Langford suffered racial discrimination throughout his career, and as a result, one of the most dominant fighters of his generation never had the opportunity for a title fight.
11. Jack Johnson
Following in Joe Gan's footsteps, Johnson was the first black boxer to be crowned world heavyweight champion. Despite the racial abuse the fighter received in the press and throughout his career, to this day he is undoubtedly a legend.
10. Marvin Hagler
Declared the greatest middleweight ever by many fans, Hagler just makes it into the top 10.
9. Sugar Ray Leonard
Despite only 40 fights, Leonard won an Olympic gold medal and 12 world titles in five divisions. Without an eye injury ending his career early, Leonard would have climbed even higher on this list.
8. Benny Leonard
Most Famous Boxers Of All Time In America
Leonard makes the top 10 of almost all pound-for-pound boxing rankings and for good reason.
7. Joe Louis
The longest reigning heavyweight title holder in history, as well as defending the title a record 25 times, earns Louis a top spot. In a huge cultural moment, Louis defeated German boxer Max Schmeling in 1938 during the Nazi era.
6. Roberto Duran
Duran was the dominant boxer of the 70's. His unmatched 41-fight win streak led him to the welterweight title.
5. Willie Pep
The highest number of official wins in history and having fought nearly 2,000 rounds of boxing in his career. Pep has earned a spot in the top five on everyone's list.
4. Harry Greb
Greb has one of the most respected boxing records of the entire list and is the only fighter to beat Gene Tunney. If newspaper decisions at the time are included, Greb has more wins than any other boxer in history.
3. Henry Armstrong
Being the only boxer to hold world titles in three weight divisions simultaneously is only the tip of the iceberg of achievements of Armstrong. His 27-0 run to win the welterweight world title in 1937 is one of his most memorable streaks.
2. Muhammad Ali
When someone mentions boxing, Muhammad Ali's name is not far behind. His quotes and legacy have extended further beyond the ring than any boxer before or after him. Little needs to be said to justify his place at number two.
Who Are The 10 Greatest Boxers Of All Time
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
The top spot is an easy pick. Sugar Ray Robinson is the main reason that the pound-for-pound rating system was ever used to compare boxers. Called 'the king, my master, my idol' by Muhammad Ali himself says it better than most could. The five-time world middleweight champion is ranked number one on almost all lists for a reason.
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