Most influenctial boxer

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Jack Johnson for me.

He was so good that black men were not allowed to fight for the HW title for 20 years!

He also taught other fighters that followed, that you need not be subservient, that you could could be boastful & do pretty much what you wanted. 8)

Without JJ, there probably would not have been a Cassius Clay as we knew him.

[elmersalsa]

A very simple answer.Jack Dempsey was the fighter who brought more fans to live gates than any other fighter in history.

Dempsey's exciting style coupled with his killer instinct and natural charisma took boxing to its highest pedestal in terms of fan numbers attending fights and crossover appeal.Everything else worldwide was a knock on effect of Dempseys impact on the game.

Dempsey set the foundations for superstardom and in insuring boxing as the top sport from the 20's to 60's ,not only in the U.S but worldwide

Dempsey was the FIRST SUPERSTAR OF BOXING.
Other guys that influenced the sport are: Panama Al Brown, Joe Brown and Carlos Monzon

[elmersalsa]

Joe Gans to me was very influential

[Chuck1052]

Jack Dempsey is no. 2 on my list of influential boxers.
While Dempsey was in the limelight as a fighter, boxing
reached its peak in terms of popularity and so many
states legalized the professional version of the sport.
Muhammad Ali was an important figure in sports,
but boxing had only a fraction of its former popularity
during the second half of the Twentieth Century.

- Chuck Johnston