Throughout the years, there have been some outstanding boxers who have gone on to achieve greatness in the sport. Some of these greats include: Marvin Hagler, Edwin Valero, Wilfredo Gomez, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano.
Rocky Marciano
Rocco Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano, was a boxer. His first professional fight was in 1947. He was born in Brockton, Massachusetts. He had a poor upbringing. He was raised as an Italian American and made his living as a shoemaker. He had two brothers.
Marciano was a talented puncher, and his left hook was almost as crushing as Joe Louis’s. He had a strong Fordian work ethic and worked hard to achieve his goals. Despite harassment from critics, Marciano continued to win. He was a major contender in the heavyweight division, and became one of the boxing greats.
He had a 68-inch reach. He was 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 185 pounds. He possessed an iron will and had a bulldozer style. He also had a bad back.
He was a modest heavyweight, but had the reach of a champion. He fought under the guidance of top trainer Charley Goldman and became a contender in the heavyweight division. He was a major fan favorite in Providence, Rhode Island. He was nicknamed the “Great White Hope” by locals.
He was a fan favorite and won several bouts in the Boston area. He had a strong amateur record, with an 11-3 record. He competed in the AAU Olympic tryouts in Boston Garden.
Wilfredo Gomez
Described as the greatest Puerto Rican fighter of all time, Wilfredo Gomez was a three time world champion. His career spanned over two decades and he holds the record for the most knockouts in boxing history. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Wilfredo Gomez made his professional debut against Jacinto Fuentes on November 16, 1974. He went on to win the first of his three world titles in his seventeenth professional fight in 1977. He then campaigned in the junior featherweight division, but the lack of a title shot led him to the super bantamweight division.
Gomez defeated Juan LaPorte in 1984, then lost a close decision to Alfredo Layne. He was then lured into a fight against great featherweight champion Salvador Sanchez. The two met in San Juan in December 1984. In the second round, Gomez won two non-title bouts. However, his title reign was short-lived. Azumah Nelson knocked him out in the 11th round.
Gomez retired in 1989 with a record of 44-3-1. He had been on an eight-fight knockout streak. He was a world champion in three different weight classes, but he never enjoyed a long reign as a world champion.
Edwin Valero
Despite his short but explosive career, Edwin Valero is considered to be one of the boxing greats. He is a two-weight world champion, and has fought in more than twenty countries. He is also known for his ability to knock out his opponents. He has 27 KOs from 27 fights. He also won three national championships.
Edwin Valero was born in 1981. He was raised in a poor family. He dropped out of school at a young age. During his teens, he was homeless. He would often find a place to live in a boxing gym. He was also involved in street fights.
Edwin Valero turned professional in July 2002. He won all of his professional bouts by knockout. He was also the first boxer from Venezuela to win a world title in a lightweight division.
When Edwin Valero was a teenager, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with a fractured skull. He was in hospital for thirteen days, and he was told to wait six months before he could resume his career.
Edwin Valero’s story is one that has been told many times before, and many of the details of his life are similar to that of other children born into poverty. He was left homeless when he was twelve, and he was left without a mother.
Edwin Duran
During his career, Edwin Duran fought 26 times. He fought in four different weight classes. He was known for his speed and punching power. He was also famous for his relentless style. He was one of the best boxers of his time.
He began his career when he was just sixteen years old. He trained under legendary boxing trainer Ray Arcel. In 1977, Duran became a World Lightweight Champion. He went on to defend that title 12 times. His other titles included the WBA light middleweight, WBA welterweight, and World Middleweight Championships. He was also voted by the Associated Press as the best lightweight of the twentieth century.
Duran’s first defeat came when he was forced to quit in the eighth round of a fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard was upset at Duran’s comments about him. Leonard won the rematch, earning revenge. In 1982, Duran lost a decision to Wilfred Benitez.
Duran’s last fight was against Esteban De Jesus. He defeated De Jesus twice, both times by knockout. He lost a non-title fight to Esteban De Jesus in 1974. He also fought Davey Moore, who was undefeated at the time. Hearns knocked him down three times in the second round.
Joe Louis
During the “Golden Age” of boxing, Joe Louis was arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time. Joe Louis was known for his powerful punches and his ability to hit harder than anyone else. He won a professional heavyweight title in 1937 and defended it twenty times in four years.
Louis was born on May 13, 1914, in LaFayette, Alabama. His family moved to Detroit when he was ten. His mother was a farmer.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942. After Pearl Harbor, Louis was sent on exhibition matches for the troops.
In 1934, Louis won the Detroit Golden Gloves light heavyweight title. He also won the national Amateur Athletic Union championship that year.
When he was 21, Joe Louis was the most famous African American in the United States. He was known for his speed, strength, and powerful punches. He was also known for his generosity. He donated twice to the Navy Relief Fund.
After his boxing career, Louis had a brief stint in professional wrestling. He also worked as a celebrity greeter at the Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas. In addition, he was a big proponent of desegregating the armed forces. He also served as an official referee for wrestling matches.
Marvin Hagler
During his storied career, Marvin Hagler was one of the most legendary boxers of all time. He became undisputed middleweight champion in 1980 and won the title for a decade. Hagler defended the title 12 times, making him one of the most successful champions in boxing history. In addition to his title wins, Hagler was also twice named Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. In 1985, The Ring magazine named him the fourth-best middleweight of all time, behind Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran.
Hagler won 26 professional fights and was unbeaten in his first three years in the ring. He won the 1973 Amateur Athletic Union middleweight title, and then defeated British middleweight Kevin Finnegan in 1977.
Hagler was also an accomplished actor, appearing in Italian westerns. He was one of the top athletes at Top Rank. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Hagler also earned two Fighter of the Decade awards (1980s) by Boxing Illustrated magazine.
In 1983, Hagler fought Roberto Duran in what many observers thought was a draw. Hagler reclaimed the title in the rematch with a second round knockout.
Tyson Tyson
During the late 1980s, Mike Tyson was one of the most popular sports stars in the world. He was a heavyweight boxer and one of the youngest heavyweight champions in history. He was ranked 16th on The Ring magazine’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. He was also inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Michael Tyson was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, into a family with little means. His mother, Lorna, took care of him. As a child, he was involved in a number of crime. His father, Michael, died when Tyson was eight. His mother, Lorna, was involved in a number of incidents and allegedly physically abused Tyson.
Michael Tyson started boxing at the age of seven. He won a gold medal at the Junior Olympic Games. He was also involved in a number of incidents and was jailed several times by the age of thirteen. He also claimed to be $34 million in debt.
Tyson was known for his aggressive and intimidating boxing style. He would attack opponents from a number of angles they weren’t expecting. He was known for his ability to slip punches and also for his footwork. He would always want to end the fight early and do serious damage. He also had a unique technique of brushing his knuckles with his glove before using it on his opponent.
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