In any sport, it is difficult to determine which athletes are the best the sport has ever known. Partly this is because there is no way to truly compare the fighters from different eras and partly because people have strong opinions about athletes they love or hate. To select the greatest boxers of all time, one must use variables that include overall records and the quality of their competition as well as more subjective areas, such as showmanship.
It is not difficult to make a case for Muhammad Ali as the greatest boxer in history, and Ali himself would probably agree. His amateur career included 100 wins and just five losses, as well as taking the gold medal in the light heavyweight division during the 1960 summer Olympic games in Rome. As a pro, he won 56 fights and lost just five bouts, three of them coming at the end of his career. He also defeated some of boxing's toughest competitors, including George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and Floyd Patterson.
Ali is certainly a beloved figure, but Joe Louis was equally beloved during his years as a fighter, and his 1938 re-match against German Max Schmeling was easily one of the greatest bouts of all time. Not only were the two seasoned athletes, it was a considered a huge victory against Nazism. Overall, Louis only lost two other fights and won 69, including 57 wins via knockout. He also held the world heavyweight title for 12 years, which is longer than any other boxer in history, another impressive feat.
Boxers typically don't want for self-confidence, after all Muhammad Ali called himself the "Greatest." However, even he admitted that he thought the best boxer in the world was Sugar Ray Robinson, calling this esteemed fighter his idol. Robinson won 173 of his 200 fights, and if that was not impressive enough, more than 100 of those fights ended with him knocking out his opponent. Robinson was both welterweight and middleweight champion, defeating everyone from Jake La Motta to Rocky Graziano.
Rocky Marciano certainly deserves at least a mention when one is discussing the world's best and toughest boxers. After all, not only did he end his career undefeated, all but six of his 49 pro bouts ended in knockout. Typically, he is not considered the greatest of all time simply because his competition was not at the same level as Ali, Louis and the like.
The 19th century and the turn of the 20th century were not particularly easy time for African Americans, even for top athletes. Sports were segregated and even when black fighters faced white opponents, they were treated with scorn. Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion, certainly faced much opposition until his 1910 win over the former heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries. After that victory, Johnson's critics fell silent, bowing to his undeniable skill as a boxer. Johnson won an impressive 80 fights, 45 of them via knockout.
It is not difficult to make a case for Muhammad Ali as the greatest boxer in history, and Ali himself would probably agree. His amateur career included 100 wins and just five losses, as well as taking the gold medal in the light heavyweight division during the 1960 summer Olympic games in Rome. As a pro, he won 56 fights and lost just five bouts, three of them coming at the end of his career. He also defeated some of boxing's toughest competitors, including George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and Floyd Patterson.
Ali is certainly a beloved figure, but Joe Louis was equally beloved during his years as a fighter, and his 1938 re-match against German Max Schmeling was easily one of the greatest bouts of all time. Not only were the two seasoned athletes, it was a considered a huge victory against Nazism. Overall, Louis only lost two other fights and won 69, including 57 wins via knockout. He also held the world heavyweight title for 12 years, which is longer than any other boxer in history, another impressive feat.
Boxers typically don't want for self-confidence, after all Muhammad Ali called himself the "Greatest." However, even he admitted that he thought the best boxer in the world was Sugar Ray Robinson, calling this esteemed fighter his idol. Robinson won 173 of his 200 fights, and if that was not impressive enough, more than 100 of those fights ended with him knocking out his opponent. Robinson was both welterweight and middleweight champion, defeating everyone from Jake La Motta to Rocky Graziano.
Rocky Marciano certainly deserves at least a mention when one is discussing the world's best and toughest boxers. After all, not only did he end his career undefeated, all but six of his 49 pro bouts ended in knockout. Typically, he is not considered the greatest of all time simply because his competition was not at the same level as Ali, Louis and the like.
The 19th century and the turn of the 20th century were not particularly easy time for African Americans, even for top athletes. Sports were segregated and even when black fighters faced white opponents, they were treated with scorn. Jack Johnson, the first African American heavyweight champion, certainly faced much opposition until his 1910 win over the former heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries. After that victory, Johnson's critics fell silent, bowing to his undeniable skill as a boxer. Johnson won an impressive 80 fights, 45 of them via knockout.
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Nolan Barias loves blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. To get more details about a boxing club San Diego or to find mixed martial arts lessons in San Diego, check out The Arena MMA.com now.
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