What 5 Boxers meant the most to the sport (since 1950)

[caldo2025]

From 1950 to present, what is your list for the 5 most important, influential and polarizing boxers to grace the ring. This list should contain those boxers that inspired younger boxers to take up the sport, build the sport's fan base and also successfully crossover to main stream popularity worldwide. The kind of people that if they were deleted from history and their careers never happened, would have serious ramifications to where the sport is now. I'm sure there were just as important figures prior to 1950 too but i'd like to keep it more recent due to the lack of tape available on the legends prior.

Please list your top 5 boxers and a short explanation as to why you selected each boxer. Feel free to also notate any honorable mentions below your list as well.

[Ezzard]

Ali is clearly #1

Ray Leonard has to be in the top 5.
Duran or Chavez must have been hugely influential in the Latino nations.
The Klitschkos seem to have been the standard bearers for the current wave of talent from Eastern Europe.
Pac must have had a massive impact on Asia.

[littlepug]

Robinson
Marciano
Ali
Leonard
Tyson
mayweather

[stevedoc]

Off the top of my head

Ali
Sugar ray Robinson
Marciano
Duran
Leonard
Tyson
Chavez
Manny
Floyd
Hagler

[Syntax Error]

Muhammad Ali - No brainer: the most influential boxer of all-time & arguably the biggest sports person in history.

Sugar Ray Robinson - So influential that he inspired many of the greats of boxing, Muhammad Ali included.

Sugar Ray Leonard - He was boxing in the 80s (at least until Tyson emerged & then he had to share top billing) & the ultimate golden goose of his era

Floyd Mayweather Jr - Ditto as SRL, but two decades later.

Mike Tyson - At one point in his career, his fame was arguably greater than Ali's due to a latter day media age. Even now, most lay people know who he is & will say things like, "I feel like I've been 12 rounds with Mike Tyson"! Quite remarkable when you consider he hasn't been in his prime in around a quarter of a century & hasn't boxed in over ten years.

[Rexob]

Robinson
Tyson
Marciano
Ali
Hagler
Mayweather

In the Uk
Lennox Lewis
Benn
Eubank
Hatton
Hamed

[littlepug]

Robinson
Tyson
Marciano
Ali
Hagler
Mayweather

In the Uk
Lennox Lewis
Benn
Eubank
Hatton
Hamed

Think Bruno deserves a shout for the brits

[stevedoc]

Robinson
Tyson
Marciano
Ali
Hagler
Mayweather

In the Uk
Lennox Lewis
Benn
Eubank
Hatton
Hamed

Think Bruno deserves a shout for the brits

And Henry cooper

[Rexob]

Robinson
Tyson
Marciano
Ali
Hagler
Mayweather

In the Uk
Lennox Lewis
Benn
Eubank
Hatton
Hamed

Think Bruno deserves a shout for the brits

And Henry cooper

Yes, either could have gone in to be fair.

[dr_devious]

Robinson
Ali
Leonard
Duran
Mayweather

[BoxBuzz]

I can't see a list without Duran in it. 4 are locked. Ali, Robinson, Leonard Duran. Number 5 can be nebulous. Mayweather is a decent call, and maybe a lock as well.


Others in the #5 competition.....Marciano,Tyson,..........Hagler

We are not talking the best....we are talking the names that most important to the sport. The weakest of the fighters mentioned is Tyson...but he's almost a lock on that # 5 spot. IMHO.


Great fighters who just don't make THIS list that might surprise you

Frazier
Lewis
Holyfield
Hearns
Holmes
Monzon
Foreman

[elmersalsa]

Muhammad Ali
Sugar Ray Robinson
Roberto Duran
Sugar Ray Leonard
Mike Tyson

These 5, got to be the most influential champions of the last 65 years in my book.

[davie]

Muhammad Ali - No brainer: the most influential boxer of all-time & arguably the biggest sports person in history.

Sugar Ray Robinson - So influential that he inspired many of the greats of boxing, Muhammad Ali included.

Sugar Ray Leonard - He was boxing in the 80s (at least until Tyson emerged & then he had to share top billing) & the ultimate golden goose of his era

Floyd Mayweather Jr - Ditto as SRL, but two decades later.

Mike Tyson - At one point in his career, his fame was arguably greater than Ali's due to a latter day media age. Even now, most lay people know who he is & will say things like, "I feel like I've been 12 rounds with Mike Tyson"! Quite remarkable when you consider he hasn't been in his prime in around a quarter of a century & hasn't boxed in over ten years.

These were the first 5 names that sprang to mind for me.
The biggest earners, the most media attention and some of the most successful.
but are we too focused on the impact these guys have had in the west?

As Ezzard says Duran or Chavez impact in Latino nations. The Klitschkos impact in Eastern Europe & Pacquiaos impact on Asia can't be underestimated

Have they created the financial interest that the biggest names in America have? no
We haven't perhaps felt the mania that these guys cause in their respective nations, which is why we automatically list the names that made the big stir in New York and Vegas.
But Mexican, Filipino and Ukrainian fans take a national holiday when these guys fight. and just look at the fighters coming out of the regions where these guys have had their success. They have been an inspiration to huge numbers of people and there are no doubt countless top pros from the Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia that will list the above fighters as their main inspiration and the very reason the laced up the gloves.

[Syntax Error]

Muhammad Ali - No brainer: the most influential boxer of all-time & arguably the biggest sports person in history.

Sugar Ray Robinson - So influential that he inspired many of the greats of boxing, Muhammad Ali included.

Sugar Ray Leonard - He was boxing in the 80s (at least until Tyson emerged & then he had to share top billing) & the ultimate golden goose of his era

Floyd Mayweather Jr - Ditto as SRL, but two decades later.

Mike Tyson - At one point in his career, his fame was arguably greater than Ali's due to a latter day media age. Even now, most lay people know who he is & will say things like, "I feel like I've been 12 rounds with Mike Tyson"! Quite remarkable when you consider he hasn't been in his prime in around a quarter of a century & hasn't boxed in over ten years.

These were the first 5 names that sprang to mind for me.
The biggest earners, the most media attention and some of the most successful.
but are we too focused on the impact these guys have had in the west?

As Ezzard says Duran or Chavez impact in Latino nations. The Klitschkos impact in Eastern Europe & Pacquiaos impact on Asia can't be underestimated

Have they created the financial interest that the biggest names in America have? no
We haven't perhaps felt the mania that these guys cause in their respective nations, which is why we automatically list the names that made the big stir in New York and Vegas.
But Mexican, Filipino and Ukrainian fans take a national holiday when these guys fight. and just look at the fighters coming out of the regions where these guys have had their success. They have been an inspiration to huge numbers of people and there are no doubt countless top pros from the Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia that will list the above fighters as their main inspiration and the very reason the laced up the gloves.

Good points.

Julio Cesar Chavez was Mr Mexico for many years & Manny Pacquiao is still Mr Philippines & they are both equally as big as the five guys I picked out.

Also, Wladimir & Vitali have captivated & carried boxing in Eastern Europe for 15 years & are partly responsible for the rise of great boxing talent from Eastern Europe, namely, Golovkin & Kovalev to name but two.

[Ezzard]

Robinson was really of the 40s so I didn't include him.

Tyson is a good shout. Marciano maybe... Hagler, Holmes and Mayweather I don't really see as being in this argument.

[stevedoc]

Robinson was really of the 40s so I didn't include him.

Tyson is a good shout. Marciano maybe... Hagler, Holmes and Mayweather I don't really see as being in this argument.

While Robinson was at his peak in the 40s he was still the 5x middle champ in the 50s so still very important

[caldo2025]

#1- Muhammad Ali- No brainer

#2-Sugar Ray Robinson- Even Ali called SRR the greatest so that pretty much says it all. Over 100 KO's, come on. Even white America loved SRR in a time of extreme racism and segregation. Jackie Robinson the most famous athlete to contribute to equality in America but SRR deserves his due.

#3- Mike Tyson- no one since Ali has been more polarizing. Most of it has been negative but he was on top of the world.

#4- Sugar Ray Leonard- America's darling since that big smile graced our TV's during the Olympics. Every company wanted him as their spokesman. He inspired millions of kids to take up boxing and his place in boxing was instrumental to success today.

#5- Rocky Marciano- Unblemished Champion that was the most popular athlete during his time at the top. Marciano's life was cut way too short but in his short time here, he inspired with his blue collar work in the ring and heart. He was often the smallest guy in the ring but it never stopped him and defying those odds gave life to a lot of people. Anything was now possible.

Honorable Mention: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not on my list because even though his fights have grossed the most in history, I think that it will take many years to fix the damage he's done to the sport. Boxing would actually be a better place if Floyd never laced up a glove so he's not getting on my list.

[keithmoonhangover]

I'm not qualified enough to talk about Robinson's impact, so I'll stick to Ali onwards.

I'm basing it on worldwide impact and the appeal to non-boxing fans.

1. Ali - No words needed.
2. Tyson - the day he lost, he shared the front page of the newspaper with Nelson Mandela's release from prison - DOWN and OUT was the headline. Name me any other boxer since that would have shared that front page.
3. Leonard - when I was a kid, everyone wanted to be him. Boxing gyms were filled with people trying to be him. Much like Tyson and Ali.
4. Mayweather - like him or not, he is the same as the fighter's above. Mass appeal. Box office. Like Ali, some people show up to see him get beat. Obviously he meant so much because of the mass media he had available to him.
5. Frazier - Mostly because of his rivalry with Ali. Everyone knew his name. He was the ying to Ali's yang. Walk into any bar in the world and ask anyone who Joe Frazier is and chance are they'll know. Couldn't say that about Duran, Hagler or Chavez IMO.

An all time list would be interesting. Off the top of my head, it'd be....

1. Ali
2. Dempsey
3. Robinson
4. Tyson
5. Louis

[palooka]

Because of the pre eminence of the heavyweight division there could be a top 5 heavy list and 5 from the other divisions. Keith has a good list with 4 out of the 5 heavyweights.

[Ambling Alp II]

#1- Muhammad Ali- No brainer

#2-Sugar Ray Robinson- Even Ali called SRR the greatest so that pretty much says it all. Over 100 KO's, come on. Even white America loved SRR in a time of extreme racism and segregation. Jackie Robinson the most famous athlete to contribute to equality in America but SRR deserves his due.

#3- Mike Tyson- no one since Ali has been more polarizing. Most of it has been negative but he was on top of the world.

#4- Sugar Ray Leonard- America's darling since that big smile graced our TV's during the Olympics. Every company wanted him as their spokesman. He inspired millions of kids to take up boxing and his place in boxing was instrumental to success today.

#5- Rocky Marciano- Unblemished Champion that was the most popular athlete during his time at the top. Marciano's life was cut way too short but in his short time here, he inspired with his blue collar work in the ring and heart. He was often the smallest guy in the ring but it never stopped him and defying those odds gave life to a lot of people. Anything was now possible.

Honorable Mention: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not on my list because even though his fights have grossed the most in history, I think that it will take many years to fix the damage he's done to the sport. Boxing would actually be a better place if Floyd never laced up a glove so he's not getting on my list.

Your top 5 is great! Obviously Ali has to be #1, and the other four were very deserving. Mayweather hurt the sport which was already in major trouble.
Foreman would be pretty close. During his comeback was a breath of fresh air which helped the sport.

[BoxBuzz]

I think much of the "world" is missed, if you don't include Duran. So when I'm hearing "the world" in this conversation I'm hearing U.S. and Europe.....I think Duran was big there as well, and he had another stage which is why I think he might be included.

[gilgamesh]

Muhammad Ali - No brainer: the most influential boxer of all-time & arguably the biggest sports person in history.

Sugar Ray Robinson - So influential that he inspired many of the greats of boxing, Muhammad Ali included.

Sugar Ray Leonard - He was boxing in the 80s (at least until Tyson emerged & then he had to share top billing) & the ultimate golden goose of his era

Floyd Mayweather Jr - Ditto as SRL, but two decades later.

Mike Tyson - At one point in his career, his fame was arguably greater than Ali's due to a latter day media age. Even now, most lay people know who he is & will say things like, "I feel like I've been 12 rounds with Mike Tyson"! Quite remarkable when you consider he hasn't been in his prime in around a quarter of a century & hasn't boxed in over ten years.

I would've went with the same 5 you did.

[Ambling Alp II]

Don't see why Mayweather is important. Made a ton of money, but what did he do for the sport?
There are probably some guys that we are overlooking.
Floyd Patterson was the first to to win the heavyweight title twice and was a great guy.
How about Archie Moore? Maybe some more of those middleweights who were involved in all those great middleweight fights in the 1950s and 1960s.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

1-ALI
2-MARCIANO
3-SUGAR RAY ROBINSON
4-PACMAN
5-MAYWEATHER

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Don't see why Mayweather is important. Made a ton of money, but what did he do for the sport?
There are probably some guys that we are overlooking.
Floyd Patterson was the first to to win the heavyweight title twice and was a great guy.
How about Archie Moore? Maybe some more of those middleweights who were involved in all those great middleweight fights in the 1950s and 1960s.

IT'S THE MONEY........................EVERY GOOD FIGHTER CAN MAKE THE CASH IF THEIR GOOD ENOUGH EVEN IF THE GENERAL FAN'S CAN'T STAND YA.