21 Greatest Boxers Who Came From Humble Beginnings
Boxing is one of the biggest sporting events in the world today. It has drawn millions of fans all over the world. We all know how the sport works but are we aware of its history? I bet you don’t! Let’s take a brief journey around boxing’s history. We hope that it will give you a new admiration for the sport that you have grown to love.
Boxing became an Olympic event in the 23rd Olympiad. It's around 688 BCE. But there was earlier evidence that proves the sport existed long before. A sculpture from the Egyptian Thebes shows two boxers and spectators. It dates back to 1350 BCE. But it was the Greeks who created the first rules. The early games don't have a fixed number of rounds. The game continues until one man is knock-out unconscious or surrenders. Boxing at the time was the most destructive sport in ancient Greece. Historians found this inscription, “A boxer’s victory is gained in blood.” The inscription dates back in the first century. Boxing has been around for a long time. With a deep respect for the great boxers who contributed to what it became today, here are the greatest boxers who transformed the sport into a household name.
Muhammad Ali
56 Wins; 5 Losses (37 KO)
He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2016 the world mourned when news came out that the titan of boxing died at 74 years old. He became the heavyweight champion after defeating Sonny Liston in 1964.
Ali was first introduced to boxing thanks to police officer Joe Martin. When Ali was 12 his bike was stolen. He went to the police officer saying he’ll beat up whoever took his bike. The police officer simply replied, “Well, you better learn to fight before you start challenging people.” Luckily, the police officer was training local boxers at the local gym. Ali would, later on, become one of the greatest boxers in history.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
50 Wins; O Loss (27 KO)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. His father Floyd Mayweather Sr. is known for his great defensive skills and overall boxing strategy. Floyd Mayweather Jr. started training for the sport at such a young age. In 1998, he became the super featherweight champion. Only two years after he turned into a professional boxer. He went to win more championship titles in three different weight categories. He is also famous for sold-out arenas. In 2015, his bout against another boxing great Manny Pacquiao became the most viewed fight in boxing history.
Manny Pacquiao
57 Wins 6 Losses (38 KO)
Manny Pacquiao, also known as Pac-Man, started his career in 1995. He is the only boxer to win twelve titles in eight weight categories. And he didn't stop there. In 2019, he broke another world record when he defeated Keith Thurman. He became the oldest welterweight champion at the age of 41. Pacquiao received the Fighter Of The Decade Award in 2000 by the BWAA. Aside from boxing, he is also a senator.
Mike Tyson
50 wins; 6 losses (44 KO)
Known as “Iron Mike,” he was born on June 30, 1966, in New York City. The soft-voiced heavyweight champion is one of the most vicious fighters in the world. He was deemed by boxing fans and rivals as the most intimidating boxer. They say he would be able to win his fights just by staring at his opponents. Iron Mike was a true knock-out artist. His record shows 50 wins, 44 won by a knock-out. A lot of his opponents have admitted that they are afraid of going against him. He admitted it was only Cus D’Amato that could horrify him. It must be out of respect since Cus was the person who helped turn his life around.
Joe Frazier
32 wins; 4 losses (27 KO)
Joe Frazier was born in Beaufort, South Carolina on January 12, 1944. He became the heavyweight champion when he knocked down Jimmy Ellis. The two-part match happened on February 16, 1970, and January 22, 1973. In 1964, he lost in the Olympic trials to Buster Mathis. Mathis suffered a hand injury prompting Frazier to become his replacement. Frazier knocked out his Russian opponent on the second round. Despite being shorter for about 12 centimeters, he won with an injured thumb. Frazier would later on become one of boxing's greatest fighters. He died on November 7, 2011, in Pennsylvania.
George Foreman
76 wins; 5 losses (68 KO)
Born George Edward Foreman he became the world heavyweight champion twice. He regained the title at an amazing age of 45. It made him the oldest world champion in the history of boxing. Nicknamed “Big George,” he started as an Olympic athlete. He would later become the oldest heavyweight champion in 1977. In 1994, the 45-year-old Big George came back to the ring. He won against 26 years old Michael Moorer.
Bernard Hopkins
55 wins; 8 losses (2 KO)
Bernard’s journey to greatness started in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He worked as a dishwasher to support his love of boxing. He later dominated the middleweight division with his combination of quickness and accuracy. That's how he got his nickname “The Executioner.” Fortunately for Hopkins, his unmatched counter-punching skills helped him fight until the age of 49. A feat only a rare few were able to accomplish.
Julio Cesar Chavez
107 wins; 6 losses (86 KO)
Julio Cesar Chavez is a famous Mexican boxer. He was known for being a former world lightweight champion. He got introduced to boxing by his elder brothers who took him to the gym where they used to train. Chavez is one of the leading figures in boxing during his 25-year career. He started in 1980 until he retired in 2005. He becomes the junior lightweight champion from 1984 to 1988. Chavez later moved up to the welterweight division. In 1990, he became the welterweight division champion in the International Boxing Federation. One of his famous fights was when he knocked out Meldrick Taylor.
Sugar Ray Leonard
36 wins; 3 losses (25 KO)
Ray Charles Leonard started as an Olympic athlete. He won gold in the 1976 games in Montreal. His career lasted for twenty years, from 1977 to 1997. He fought in five weight categories. He fought in three weight divisions fighting in the lineal championship. He was known as the undisputed welterweight champion. He later became part of “The Fabulous Four.” These are the group of boxers who fought each other in the 1980s. They are Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, and Roberto Duran.
Sugar Ray Robinson
128 wins; 2 losses (84 KO)
Sugar Ray Robinson defended his world welterweight championship title from 1946 to 1951. In 1958, he became the first boxer to defend the title five times. Born Walker Smith Jr, his amateur record boasts of 89 wins and no loss. Sports analysts and historians alike said that Robinson seemed unstoppable. He won 40 fights before losing to Jake LaMotta. He later moved up to middleweight where he became the champion five times from 1951 to 1960.
Joe Louis
50 wins; 3 losses (43 KO)
Joe Louis was popular as an accurate, but economic knockout puncher. He was a highly revered boxer. He became the longest-reigning heavyweight champion. In fact, he defended the championship title for 12 years. His career was disrupted by World War II when he enlisted in the army in 1942. But because he was African-American, he was commissioned in the segregated unit.
Archie Moore
199 wins; 8 losses (145 KO)
Otherwise known as the “Old Mongoose.” Archie Moore was a charismatic and colorful character. The world champion was loved by fans but he was feared by his challengers. He was avoided by contenders in the middleweight and light-heavyweight champions. That's because they consider him an impregnable contender. In the years 1936 to 1963, he fought a total of 229 fights. He won 194 fights with 141wins by way of knockout. He was forced to fight in the heavyweight division. He fought for the title against Rocky Marciano in 1955 and Floyd Patterson in 1956. Unfortunately, he lost to Muhammad Ali in 1964 via knockout.
Emile Griffith
85 wins; 24 losses (23 KO)
He was born Emile Alphonse Griffith in St. Tomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. During his career, he became the three-time welterweight champion. And a two-time middleweight champion. He didn’t have the desire to become a boxer. While working in a hat factory he took off his shirt. His boss noticed his body build and offered him training. His finest moment was his match against Benny Parret in 1962. Parret publicly taunted Griffit for being gay. Griffit, on the other hand, did not retaliate but waited until the fight. He knocked down Parret in the 12th round. Parret died 10 days later because of his injuries.
Harry Greb
261 wins; 17 losses (48 KO)
Born Edward Henry Greb, he became famous for the nickname “The Human Windmill.” He was born on June 6, 1894, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Greb died on October 22, 1926, in New York. The American boxer was known as a clever and colorful fighter. In fact, the nickname was influenced by his nonstop fighting style. His fame in boxing was stained by his private life. He was reported to prefer partying and womanizing than training. He had an amazing number of matches that reached more than 400.
Rocky Marciano
49 wins; 0 losses (43 KO)
Born Rocco Francis Marchegianoe he was nicknamed “The Brockton Blockbuster." He was born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts, USA. He later died on August 31, 1969, in Iowa. It’s said that while he was awaiting discharge after World War II, Rocky was already fighting in the ring. That’s because he was representing his unit in amateur boxing tournaments organized by the Army. In 1946, he won the Amateur Armed Forces Boxing Tournament. However, Marciano became pro a year later where he won 49 straight fights. The greatest moment in his boxing career happened in 1952. He won against Jersey Joe Walcott as the world heavyweight champion.
Jimmy Wilde
131 wins; 3 losses (99 KO)
Nicknamed Mighty Atom, Jimmy Wilde is a Welsh flyweight champion. He had a total of 143 professional fights during his seven-career. He became the first flyweight champion after he won against two flyweight champions in two separate fights. The two former flyweight champions were an American and a European. Aside from an amazing 143 professional fights, Wilde had a lot of unrecorded amateur fights. He was known for fighting opponents much larger than him. He didn’t back down to any of his opponents and beat them unfairly.
Sam Langford
214 wins; 44 losses (138 KO)
Sam Langford is regarded as the greatest fighter from Canada. Langford is among the greatest black heavyweights who were denied of the great opportunity. That was because of racial discrimination. Sam Langford has gone into boxing’s history as one of the greatest. He was a versatile fighter. Langford competed in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions. Unfortunately, his career ended suddenly because of visual problems. In one of his later fights, he stayed close to his opponents even using the ropes as a guide. Fans and boxing enthusiasts alike thought of him highly that they began to raise funds. The funds were enough that he was able to lead a comfortable life after retirement.
Willie Pep
229 wins; 11 losses (65 KO)
Born Guglielmo Papaleo he got the nickname Will o’ the Wisp. He was born on September 19, 1992, in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. He has a boxing record of 229 wins from 1,956 rounds. Pep has won two featherweight championship titles. He was a highly commended boxer. In fact, it’s said that he won a match without throwing a single punch. Additionally, Pep was known for being extra-protective with his hands. He even said, “If he starts hurting me, I’ll have to get him out of there. But I never try to knock guys out because it busts up my hands.” He died on November 23, 2006, in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Joe Gans
145 wins; 10 losses (100 KO)
Originally named Joseph Gaines. He was born on November 25, 1874, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Moreover, he was known in the boxing world as the “Old Master.” Joe Gans was also said to be the greatest lightweight fighter in history. Unfortunately, he was also a victim of racial discrimination. As an African-American, there’s no denying that he was one of the best boxers of his generation. He was able to overcome discrimination in some of his fights. However, it’s saddening to know that there were promoters who tried to threaten him with a ban if he tries to win against his weaker white opponents. Despite his unfair situation, Joe was able to succeed when he became the lightweight champion. At 28, years old he knocked out Frank Erne in the first round.
Henry Armstrong
152 wins; 21 losses (101 KO)
Born Henry Jackson, he was born on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. He died on October 24, 1988, in Los Angeles, California. Henry Armstrong’s boxing career is a rare case. Armstrong was the only boxer to become world champions in the featherweight, welterweight, and lightweight divisions. This amazing boxer defended his lightweight title 19 times in a span of three years.
Carlos Monzon
87 wins; 3 losses (59 KO)
He was considered the greatest boxer from Argentina. Monzon was known for his calculated aggression. his aggression often leads to his opponents knocked out. However, his intense life in boxing was mirrored with his unstable personal life. While in his prime in the 1970s he was often accompanied by other famous celebrities. However, that didn't affect his boxing career. In fact, he was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame as one of the greatest boxers in the world.