Throughout the years, there have been some of the greatest boxers ever to compete in the sport. Some of them include Sonny Liston, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, and Manny Pacquiao. These men have all been able to beat their opponents with confidence and skill, which made them some of the best athletes of all time.
Muhammad Ali
Throughout his career, Muhammad Ali won 56 bouts and was a three-time world heavyweight champion. He fought many of the best boxers of his time and had a unique style of fighting that helped him win matches.
Muhammad Ali was also a controversial figure during his career. He was convicted of draft evasion in 1967. He was also a critic of American society and was a staunch anti-war activist. He refused to fight in the Vietnam War. He was also banned from boxing by every state athletic commission in the U.S. for three and a half years.
In addition to his boxing, Ali was a political activist, and his anti-war stance helped shape the culture. He was also an Olympic gold medalist. He was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Muhammad Ali was a flamboyant and charismatic figure. He loved to answer questions and challenged his interviewers. He also liked to use a lot of media to advertise himself. He even created his own eating regimen.
He was also known for his speed. He was able to dodge a lot of punches. He also used his hands to shield his hips.
Evander Holyfield
Throughout his career, Evander Holyfield has made a mark as one of the greatest boxers of all time. His style is one that is admired by boxing fans around the world. He is considered the best modern heavyweight in boxing. He has an incredible record of 44 wins and 29 losses.
Evander Holyfield is the only athlete to successfully defend the world heavyweight title four times. His record is 38-6-2 with 25 knockouts. He is also known for his head butts. He is nicknamed the Real Deal.
Evander Holyfield is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He was born October 19, 1962. He was the youngest of nine children. He turned professional in 1984. He was a part of the American boxing Dream Team in 1984. He went on to win the National Golden Gloves Championship in 1984.
Evander Holyfield was part of the ‘Golden Age’ of heavyweight boxing in the 1990s. His wins over Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis made him a global superstar.
Evander Holyfield was the youngest of nine children. He entered boxing at age eight and became a professional in 1984. He moved up to heavyweight in 1988. He won his first world championship at cruiserweight in 1985.
Sonny Liston
Known for his strength and imposing physical appearance, Sonny Liston was one of the greatest boxers of all time. Despite his impressive record, he was a controversial figure. He racked up a criminal record including assault, robbery and larceny.
He began his boxing career while in prison. He was released on parole in 1952. However, he returned to prison after being accused of beating up a police officer. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, but served only six months. He was also convicted of two counts of first degree robbery.
The police discovered packets of heroin in his home. He also faced charges of assaulting a policeman. He pleaded guilty to both charges. He was sentenced to two years of a five-year prison sentence.
Liston became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1962. In 1965, he lost his title to Cassius Clay. In 1969, he lost a brutal fight to Leotis Martin.
Liston was a menacing figure in his neighborhood. He hung out with drug dealers and reprobates. He was nicknamed the Yellow Shirt Bandit. He was arrested twenty times.
Rocky Marciano
Rocco Francis Marchegiano, known as Rocky Marciano, was born on March 17th, 1916, in Brockton, Massachusetts. His parents were emigrants from Italy. During his childhood, Marciano contracted pneumonia and was reliant on homemade weightlifting equipment. After graduating from high school, Marciano enrolled in an amateur boxing tournament in Portland, Oregon.
Despite his limited range, Marciano made an impact in the ring. His best opponent was Jersey Joe Walcott, who weighed 38 to 39 years old. In the second round, Walcott dropped Marciano.
Marciano’s other notable feat was knocking out Lee Epperson in three rounds. Marciano drew praise for his endurance and ability to land the right hook.
He was a fan of Joe Louis, whom he helped when Louis was injured. The two became friends. Marciano’s last career bout was against Louis. He knocked out Louis in the eighth round.
Marciano is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He was also the only heavyweight to retire undefeated.
Marciano had an unorthodox style of boxing. He waited for an opening to land a punch. He was also a slugger. He often took punches from his opponents, but his physical condition helped him avoid getting hurt.
Manny Pacquiao
Having a career that has spanned over two decades and eight weight classes, Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest boxers of all time. Aside from his eight world titles, Pacquiao also holds Ring Magazine titles in five weight classes, and he is ranked ninth in the magazine’s top 100 boxers of all time.
He is a four-time World Boxing Association (WBA) light middleweight champion, and he also held the Ring featherweight title from 2003 to 2005. As a result of his achievements, Pacquiao is considered one of the top fighters of this generation. He is also the only Filipino to crack the top 100.
He is a fan favorite in the Philippines, and he holds a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts. He is the only Filipino to win world titles in eight different weight classes.
Aside from his eight world titles, Manny Pacquiao also has three Ring Magazine championships, and he is the only Filipino to be ranked among the top 100 boxers of all time. He is also one of the best fighters in the history of the Philippines, and has been called the country’s best athlete.
Stanley Ketchel
During the early twentieth century, Stanley Ketchel was one of the best boxers to ever fight. He had a storied career that included six years as a middleweight champion. He also made a name for himself as the “Michigan Assassin,” winning fight after fight with the same uncanny ability to finish them.
Ketchel grew up near Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a young teenager, he ran away from home and became a hobo. He lived in tough camps in the west and learned to survive with his fists.
When Ketchel was 21, he became a weight class champion. He defeated Philadelphia Jack O’Brien in three rounds. He won a rematch three months later.
He moved to California in 1907 and challenged a number of high profile fighters. He won a series of high profile knockouts against the Sullivan Twins and the Sullivan brothers. He was the first two time middleweight champion. He lost his title briefly to Billy Papke.
Stanley Ketchel went on to win 46 knockouts in 61 bouts. He was named the greatest middleweight of all time by Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer.
Jake LaMotta
Whether you know him as Jake LaMotta or the Bronx Bull, this great fighter is one of the most compelling and unforgettable figures in boxing history. With an extraordinary chin, a violent streak, and an uncanny ability to absorb and neutralize punches, LaMotta made boxing a roaringly exciting sport.
A former boxer, LaMotta served a jail sentence in 1957 for enabling the prostitution of a minor. He also was convicted of corrupting a minor’s morals.
LaMotta’s father, a former boxer, encouraged LaMotta to set up fights in the streets. As LaMotta grew up, he began to develop a style that was difficult for other fighters to beat. He used his jab, his strength, and his uncanny ability to absorb and neutralize opponents’ punches.
In his career, LaMotta fought 106 times, compiling an 83-19-4 record. He finished his career with 30 knockouts and was ranked as one of the greatest middleweight champions of all time by Ring Magazine. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
After his retirement, LaMotta rekindled his boxing career and made sporadic appearances at IBHF festivities. He also was a successful stage actor and comedian, appearing in more than 15 films. He was married to Denise Baker and had four daughters. In recent weeks, LaMotta was in hospice care.
Bernard Hopkins
During his career, Bernard Hopkins has proven that he’s one of the greatest boxers of his generation. With a career spanning over three decades, the Philadelphia native has fought against some of the best of multiple generations. He was a world champion in two weight classes.
In 2013, he became the oldest boxer to win a major championship. He also became the oldest fighter to win a title in the light heavyweight division.
Bernard Hopkins started out as a street kid running the streets of Philadelphia. He was a violent street criminal who racked up nine felonies by age seventeen. During his time in prison, Hopkins witnessed rapes, murder, and a variety of other crimes.
When he was released, Hopkins went on to make his mark in the boxing world. He’s still a force to be reckoned with, and has won a long string of high-profile fights over top-flight competition.
Bernard Hopkins was a boxer, but he was also an iconoclastic figure within the boxing industry. He was outspoken in his efforts to reform the boxing industry, and he was a rabid advocate of reforming the boxing system itself.
To learn more about great boxers click here.