Although boxing has been consigned to specialty status in the United States, it is so firmly rooted in America’s sporting consciousness that the country continues to produce myriad world champions to complement the sport’s robust history of legendary figures. Here, are the top 10 boxing stars of United States.
1. Freddie Steele
Freddie “Tacoma Assassin” Steele was the recognized Middleweight Champion between 1936 and 1938, and his noteworthy ring record included just two defeats amid the main decade of his profession. A skilled boxer with legitimate pop, Steele would go 6-1 in middleweight title fights, all while facing multiple elite contenders in bouts held before and in between.
As champion, Steele defeated Babe Risko (to win the title in 1936 and again in a guard in 1937), Gorilla Jones, Frank Battaglia, Ken Overlin and Carmen Bath. At the point when Steele lost his title by means of first-round knockout to Al Hostak with Jack Dempsey refereeing, his competing accomplice, Davey Ward, claimed that Steele had entered the ring with a cracked breastbone, which prevented him from keeping a responsible high guard. Still, this stunning loss could not erase all that Steele had accomplished as champion and during his resume-building years.
2. Christy Martin
Christy Martin was one of the most famous and respected female boxers in the world, appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated in April of 1996. This came after her Showtime-televised victory over Deirdre Gogarty, which earned Martin the WBC’s “nominal” Female Lightweight Championship (the WBC did not offer belts for ladies’ open rivalry at the time).
Interestingly, Martin got into boxing on a challenge in the wake of being influenced to enter a Tough Woman competition while still attending university on a basketball scholarship. Martin’s profession as a prizefighter would see her face fellow trailblazers Mia St. John (they split a pair of fights), former world boxing and MMA champion Holly Holm and Laila Ali. Later, Martin would fight for the NABF middleweight strap and win the WBC super welterweight title.
3. Tyrone Trice
Trice unsuccessfully challenged for world titles on three occasions, but he did hold the WBA Americas welterweight title and IBC strap at 154 pounds. He is likewise associated with his quarrel with multi-weight champion James Toney, despite the fact that they never fought.
Trice twice faced Simon Brown for the IBF welterweight title, in 1988 and 1990, losing on the two events by means recently stoppage. His third and final crack at world honors would come against WBO junior middleweight champion John David Jackson, who would best Trice in a fairly competitive bout by scores of 116-111 (twice) and 117-110. Interestingly, six of Trice’s 10 career losses would come after the Jackson fight,meaning all but one of his prior defeats came in bouts for major championships. Trice holds solid wins over Kevin Pompey and Rafael Williams, amongst others.
4. Young Firpo
Through the span of his career, Firpo faced the likes of John Henry Lewis, Tiger Jack Fox, Wesley Ketchell, George Manley, Leo Lomski and George Courtney. He likewise held the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Title for an amazing six-fight keep running in 1933-34. In 1934, at the culmination of this regional title reign, Firpo signed to challenge the Rosenbloom, yet a disagreement about Firpo’s level of the live gate was sufficiently intense to crash the battle; unfortunately for Firpo, he sustained injuries in a car accident shortly after.
There was still enthusiasm for a Rosenbloom fight because of the captivating style matchup, however a proposed non-title affair once Firpo healed did not happen. Even John Henry Lewis, who it is claimed Firpo appeared to best even though their bout was ruled draw, showed little interest in a rematch once he became champion. Although the fact that Firpo never handled a portion of the fight his ability justified, despite everything he produced a momentous heritage
5. Chuck Wepner
At first look, Chuck Wepner might appear to be a strange inclusion for a list like this one. The fringe heavyweight contender from the 1970s is unquestionably the slightest well known and fulfilled name on this list. But, Wepner’s 1975 Round 15 TKO loss to Muhammad Ali gave the motivation to Sylvester Stallone’s content for Rocky, the motion picture establishment that would go ahead to wind up plainly about synonymous with the game for some individuals from many members of the general public.
The primary Rocky film made Stallone a noteworthy Hollywood player, subsequently modifying motion picture history. Wepner’s 1976 match with proficient wrestler Andre the Giant also looks quite similar to the scene starring Hulk Hogan in Rocky III, when Hogan portrayed the fictional wrestling champion Thunderlips.
6. Pernell Whitaker
After winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker would set out on an expert profession that saw him turn into a four-weight champion and one of the best lightweights ever (and an awesome welterweight), all while building up another standard for elusive, defensive boxing that figured out how to both befuddle opponents and leave audiences in awe. At his peak, around 1993-94, Whitaker was recognized as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Whitaker amassed a record of 19-3-1 (4 KOs) in world title battles with a 14-3-1 (4 KOs) mark against other champions. Interestingly, Whitaker lost his first offer for a noteworthy title when, in just his sixteenth challenge, he tested 106-fight veteran Jose Luis Ramirez and dropped a split verdict However, Whitaker would win the IBF title only two fights later and then exact revenge on Ramirez, triumphing in a unification fight via dominant unanimous decision — a result that became as assured as death and taxes during Whitaker’s career.
7. Joe Louis
It’s fitting that the individual entries on this list begin with legendary heavyweight champion Joe Louis, one of the best fighter in boxing history and a man who transcended sports to become an icon and inspiration to African-Americans,as well as a unifying force on the precipice of World War II.
Louis’ records and awards represent themselves: 25 back to back resistances of his title — a record that still holds up to this day as the standard for any division in boxing; an about 12-year rule as heavyweight champion — likewise a record; he was named The Ring’s Fighter of the Year on four events (1936, 1938, 1939 and 1941); and he is generally regarded as one of boxing’s greatest pure power punchers.
8. George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American former professional boxer who contended from 1969 to 1977, and from 1987 to 1997. Nicknamed “Big George”, he is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Outside the game he is an ordained minister, author, and entrepreneur.
Following what he alluded to as a religious epiphany, Foreman turned into an appointed Christian pastor. After ten years he declared a rebound and, in 1994 at age 45, he recovered a part of the heavyweight title by thumping out 27-year-old Michael Moorer to win the bound together WBA, IBF, and lineal titles. Foreman remains the most seasoned world heavyweight champion ever, and the second most seasoned in any weight class after Bernard Hopkins (at light heavyweight). He resigned in 1997 at 48 years old, with a last record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and 5 losses.
9. Ray Charles Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard best known as “Sugar” Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Regularly viewed as one of the best boxers ever, he contended from 1977 to 1997, winning world titles in five weight divisions; the lineal title in three weight divisions;and in addition the undisputed welterweight title. Leonard was a piece of “The Fabulous Four”, a gathering of boxers who all battled each other all through the 1980s, comprising of himself, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
“The Fabulous Four” made a rush of prominence in the lower weight classes that continued enclosing applicable the post-Muhammad Ali period, amid which Leonard crushed future kindred International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Hearns, Durán, Hagler, and Wilfred Benítez. Leonard was additionally the principal boxer to acquire more than $100 million in satchels, and was named “Boxer of the Decade” in the 1980s. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1979 and 1981, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1976, 1979, and 1981. In 2002, Leonard was voted by The Ring magazine as the ninth most noteworthy warrior of the last 80 years. He as of now holds 44th place in BoxRec positioning of the best pound for pound boxers of all time.
10. Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Humphrey Hopkins Jr. (conceived January 15, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed middleweight title from 2004 to 2005, and the lineal light heavyweight title from 2011 to 2012.
Hopkins initially became a world champion by winning the IBF middleweight title in 1995. He would go ahead to gather 20 resistances, which remains a divisional record. In 2001 he effectively bound together the middleweight division by overcoming Félix Trinidad to win the WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal titles. A triumph over Oscar De La Hoya for the WBO title in 2004 established Hopkins’ status as undisputed champion, while likewise making him the fist male boxer to at the same time hold world titles by each of the four noteworthy boxing endorsing bodies . In 2011, The Ring positioned Hopkins as third on their list of the “10 best middleweight title holders of the last 50 years.” He is positioned by BoxRec as the fifth most prominent boxer ever, pound for pound.
