My greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time
There have been many great heavyweight boxers and we all have our own opinion as to who was or has been the best. These are my top three.
■ Joe Louis is my first choice. Born in Alabama, USA in May 1914, he was a professional from 1934 to 1951, reigning as world champion from 1937 to 1949. Nicknamed the ‘Brown Bomber’ Louis was the world’s number one for 140 consecutive months, during which he had 26 championship fights, recording 25 consecutive title defenses. During his professional career Louis won 66 of his 69 heavyweight fights, 52 by a knock-out. Widely regarded as the first person of AfricanAmerican descent to achieve the status of a national hero within the USA, he was a focal point of anti-Nazi sentiment leading up to and during World War II and also instrumental in integrating the game of golf, breaking the sport's colour barrier in America by appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a PGA event in 1952. Many ex-boxers, commentators and fight reporters have said that Louis was the greatest heavyweight of all time. Indeed, The International Boxing Research Organisation and The Ring magazine both voted him as the world’s all-time great. He died in Nevada in April 1981, aged 66.
■ My second choice is Muhammad Ali. Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky in January 1942 and ultimately nicknamed ‘The Greatest’ he was regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and no doubt is one of the greatest boxers ever. An amateur fighter from the age 12, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Olympics when he was 18, turning professional that same year. After becoming a Muslim in 1961, he adopted the name Muhammad Ali and having taken the world heavyweight title from Sonny Liston in a major upset in 1964 and again in 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was arrested, found guilty of draft evasion, and stripped of his boxing titles.
The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 1971 but as a result, he lost four years of his boxing life. However, his actions as a conscientious objector to the war made him an icon for the larger counterculture generation and he was a high-profile figure of racial pride for African Americans during the civil rights movement, supporting racial integration like his former mentor Malcolm X. Back in the ring, his joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight crown and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years.
His career record as a ‘pro’ was 61 fights, 56 wins and five losses with 37 k.o’s. Ali is the only boxer to be named ‘Fighter of the Year’ six times by The Ring magazine.
Voted the greatest athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated, he was also named as the BBC Sports Personality of the Century, and the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN Sports.
There were many historic bouts and feuds involving Ali, most notably his fights with Joe Frazier (The Thrilla in Manila) and George Foreman (The Rumble in the Jungle) which were both watched by a billion TV viewers worldwide. Ali thrived in the spotlight, and was often provocative and outlandish, being known for trashtalking, his free-style rhyming schemes, his word poetry and elements of hip hop. Outside the ring, Ali attained success as a musician, receiving two Grammy nominations, featured as an actor and writer and released two autobiographies. After retiring in 1981, he focused on religion and in 1984, made public his diagnosis of Parkinson's syndrome, which some reports attribute to boxing-related injuries, although he and his specialist physicians disputed this. Remaining an active figure globally, I had the pleasure of meeting him in the late 1970s when he came over to Birmingham to open a Caribbean community social club centre, but in later years he made very few public appearances as his health deteriorated. Sadly, he died in Arizona in June, 2016, aged 74.
■ Thirdly I choose ‘Rocky’ Marciano. Born Rocco Francis Marchegiano in Massachucettes in September 1923, he was a ‘pro’ from 1947 to 1956, holding the world heavyweight title for the last four years. The only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated, winning all of his 49 fights, 43 by a knock-out, he defended his title six times, against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Britain’s Don Cockell and Archie Moore. Known for his relentless fighting style, formidable punching power, stamina, and exceptionally durable chin, Marciano is rated by boxing historians and BoxRec magazine as being one of the greatest boxers of all time. His knockout-to-win percentage of 87.76% is the highest in heavyweight boxing history. Marciano died in Iowa in August, 1969, aged 45.