His overall professional record was 56 – 5 with 37 knockout wins. He later would knock out Sonny Liston in 1964 and become the world heavyweight champion. Known For: His outspoken ways and historic fights.īorn Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., Muhammad Ali dubbed hiimself “The Greatest.” He won an Olympic gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. While in prison, Carter wrote a book about his innocence entitled “The 16th Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472.” He was eventually freed in 1985. The ensuing investigation was not conducted professionally and many believe that Carter was framed. He and a friend were wrongfully accused of a triple homocide in June of 1966. Ruben “The Hurricane” Carter was known for his incredibly fast punches, but even more well-known for his struggles to be freed from prison. Known For: Being wrongfully convicted of murder and put in prison for almost two decades. Nicknamed “The Big Bear,” Liston had a professional record of 50 – 4, with 39 knockouts. He became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson in the very first round. Liston was known to struggle with alcohol addiction, but his physical skills still allowed him to shine in the ring. “Sonny” Liston was a gifted boxer who lived a very troubled life. Known For: Learning how to box while in jail.Ĭharles L. Marciano was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Tragically, he died in a plane crash the day before his 46th birthday. He was not known to have an accurate punch however, when he landed a blow it was usually devastating. Rocky Marciano went 49 and 0, including 43 wins by knockout during his time spent as a professional boxer. Known For: Was undefeated for his entire professional career. He was only knocked out one time in his 100-plus fight career and only lost 9 times. He was known for being able to take a beating and still continue fighting. He was the first boxer to ever beat Sugar Ray Robinson. Jake Lamotta was the inspiration behind the movie “Raging Bull” that starred Robert De Niro. Known For: His legendary fights with Sugar Ray Robinson. He even had a streak of 91 wins in a row that lasted for 8 years between 19. He had an astonishing record of 175 wins – 110 of which were knockouts – and only 19 losses. After becoming pro in 1940, he won his first 40 bouts in a row. Originally named Walker Smith Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson got his name after using the Amateur Athletic Union card of a fellow boxer named Ray Robinson. Known For: Often argued to be the greatest boxer of all time. He was later named a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1982 Louis was posthumously honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. He was known as being a very generous and kind man – even donating his winnings twice to military rellief during World War II. Known For: Being the world heavyweight champion for almost 12 years (longest in history).Ĭalled the “Brown Bomber,” Joe Louis successfully defended his world heavyweight championship title 25 times. Additionally, The Associated Press named Dempsey as being the best boxer to fight during the span of 1900 to 1950. His fights drew in large crowds, often setting attendance records. Dempsey was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Of his 65 recorded wins in the ring, 51 were by knockout. Jack Dempsey was known as “The Manasa Mauler” and was celebrated for his offensive style and powerful blows. Known For: Holding the world heavyweight boxing champion title 1919 through 1926 Racism ran deep at that time and when Johnson became world heavyweight boxing champion, many whites were furious. In fact, both of his parents had been slaves. Notably, Johnson had his success during the time period when Jim Crow laws were still in effect. Nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” Jack Johnson was widely considered to be the most famous African American on the planet for more than a decade as he dominated the world of boxing. Known For: First African American to be the world heavyweight boxing champion. It is highly debated who was the greatest of all time, but one thing is for sure: the following list of boxers certainly includes the best of the best. Each boxer on this list made a solid name for himself in the ring. There have been many great athletes in the sport of boxing over the decades.
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