Whether you like to watch them on television or are a fan of the sport, you know that the best boxers of all time have won championships and fought against incredibly tough opponents. Some of these names include Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Muhammad Ali
During his illustrious career, Muhammad Ali won 56 of 61 professional fights. This made him the best heavyweight boxer of all time. He also won three world titles. In 1990, Ali became the first person inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2005, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
As a boxer, Ali showed great ability in avoiding punches and using speed and power to win matches. He was renowned for his colorful description of fights and his ability to taunt opponents. He also was known for his unorthodox style of fighting. For example, he did not use a high arm guard or use his hands to protect his face or hips.
He was a boxing champion and an inspiration for millions of people all over the world. Ali was a freedom fighter who fought against racism and the Vietnam War. He was also a member of the Nation of Islam. Many people were outraged at the Nation’s racist beliefs.
He also was a member of the United Nations. In 2002, he traveled to Afghanistan as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 1990, he met with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In the 1970s, he converted to orthodox Islam.
Sugar Ray Robinson
Throughout his career, Sugar Ray Robinson won five middleweight world championships, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He was a natural lighter boxer and won many of his fights by knockout. He also fought many Hall of Famers, and his record against them is nearly impeccable.
He was the first to win five world titles in divisions other than light heavyweight. His best years were during the 1950s, when he won two weight classes in consecutive calendar years.
He was also the first African-American to become a major star outside of sports. He appeared on television, was part of the Sinatra era, and owned a nightclub. He had a large entourage of trainers, dancers, and entertainers.
He started his professional boxing career at the age of 19 in 1940. He became a two-time world welterweight champion in 1951, and later went on to hold the world middleweight title for five years. He defeated a number of great prizefighters, including Henry Armstrong.
He won four more middleweight titles in 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1965. He was the only boxer to ever regain the middleweight title he handed to Gene Fullmer in 1957.
Rocky Marciano
Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano, was a legendary boxer who became a cultural icon in the 1950’s. The only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire undefeated, he is also regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Marciano began his boxing career in 1947 at the age of 23. He was recruited by Alli Colombo and entered an amateur tournament in Portland, Oregon. He won the New England title and was offered a professional contract with Al Weill’s New York fight team. He signed and made his professional debut in 1947.
Marciano’s style of fighting was adapted for the pro game, using leverage and power shots. He won many of his fights by knockout. He was often a target of sub-par opposition, but was able to compensate for those limitations with strength and endurance.
Marciano was a quick and hard puncher. He had an impressive chin and huge heart. He had 27 knockouts in his career. He was a favorite of boxing legends such as Joe Louis, Archie Moore, and Roland La Starza.
When Marciano was about to leave the ring, Archie stepped up the ante. He asked Marciano to come back in for his birthday on September 1. He said that Marciano would take his final shot. During the bout, Marciano’s right hand was injured with a sharp pain.
Joe Louis
During his professional boxing career, Joe Louis held the heavyweight title for a record twelve years. In the process, he won 68 fights and was able to successfully defend the title 25 times. He is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Joe Louis was born in Lafayette, Alabama in 1914. He was the seventh of eight children in a sharecropping family. In 1926, the family moved to Detroit.
At age ten, the family relocated to the Black Bottom Neighborhood of Detroit. Louis developed an interest in boxing while working for an ice company. He began boxing as an amateur and won the AAU national title in 1934.
After his professional career ended, he became a sports broadcaster and an entrepreneur. He owned several businesses including a horse farm and a softball team, the Brown Bombers. He also worked as a greeter for Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
Louis also served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He received the Legion of Merit medal for his contribution to the morale of the soldiers.
Despite his success, he faced financial difficulties in later years. He also struggled with cocaine addiction. He was hospitalized once after he collapsed on the streets of New York City. In 1977, he underwent heart surgery that left him in a wheelchair.
Manny Pacquiao
Probably the most famous contemporary boxer, Manny Pacquiao has earned a reputation as one of the best fighters of all time. The Filipino is a multiple-time world champion and a cultural icon in the Philippines. He is known for his flamboyant style and spectacular knockouts, regardless of weight class. He has won more than 60 bouts.
The 32-year-old was born in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines. He began his professional career at the age of sixteen. He fought in the welterweight division, earning a record of 62 wins and seven losses. He moved up in weight classes throughout his career, ultimately settling back to 147 pounds. His career has spanned two decades. He is the only boxer in history to have won major titles in eight weight classes.
At the twilight of his career, Manny Pacquiao settled back to 147 pounds. In his last three bouts, he won in convincing fashion. He beat Antonio Margarito, Antonio Barrera, and Marco Antonio Barrera. His last fight was against Yordenis Ugas, who replaced Errol Spence Jr.
In August of 2021, Manny Pacquiao will take on welterweight champion Errol Spence. The fight will be held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. The winner will claim the welterweight title.
Henry Armstrong
During the 1930s, Henry Armstrong was the first to hold world championships in three weight classes at the same time. He also exhibited a rapid-fire attack that overwhelmed opponents.
The “Hammerin’ Henry” was the undisputed champion of the featherweight and welterweight divisions. He won all but one of his bouts by knockout. He beat Petey Sarron in a rousing sixth-round knockout in October 1937.
Henry Armstrong, the boxing great, died at age 75 in 1988. He was survived by his wife and daughter. The first of his children, Arthur, was ordained a Baptist minister. He died in Los Angeles.
The Henry Armstrong Youth Foundation was a youth outreach program designed to combat juvenile delinquency. He also trained young boxers.
The most dazzling thing about the ‘Hammerin’ Henry’ was his heart. It was the third largest in the human body. This allowed him to fight for four more years than most other pugilists. He could have fought a 20-round bout.
The most impressive accomplishment was the fact that he won more than half of his fights by knockout. He had a remarkable 152 victories in 181 bouts. This made him the all-time record holder in the number of fights won by a boxer.
Thomas Hearns
Throughout his 30-year career, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns was a boxer who dominated a variety of weight classes. His success in the welterweight and light heavyweight divisions was impressive, and he was able to defeat many of the best boxers of his time. Hearns’ punches were devastating, and he was a great athlete. Hearns had a powerful jab and a long reach. Hearns is known as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Hearns was born on October 18, 1958, in Memphis, Tennessee. Hearns’ family moved to Detroit, Michigan when he was five years old. His mother was a single parent, and his father worked as a car mechanic. Hearns began his boxing career at the Kronk Gym in Detroit. Hearns was coached by legendary trainer Emanuel Steward. Hearns had a good amateur record. Hearns won the National Golden Gloves welterweight title in 1977. Hearns defeated Jose,,Pipino” Cuevas in 1980.
Hearns won the WBC light heavyweight and middleweight titles in 1987. Hearns was the first fighter to win major world titles in four weight classes. Hearns made three successful defenses of his titles. Hearns was voted the ‘The Ring’ magazine Fighter of the Year in 1984 and 1987.
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