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Boxing – The Best Boxers of All Time, Pound For Pound

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With boxing being a world renowned sport, it has had some of the best boxers ever enter the ring and this article has been written to mention 3 of the all time best ever boxers, pound for pound.

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad (The Greatest) Ali, born 17th January 1942, is hands down the best American heavyweight boxer of all time. Muhammad Ali is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion and is one of the top sports personalities around the world. Ali started his professional career in the 1960s which was when he impressed fans with his record of 19 wins, 15 of these being knockouts. In the year 1964 Ali attempted to get in to the U.S Armed Forces but failed due to his poor writing and spelling skills. It was in the year 1965 that Ali won his first title and in this same year he converted to Islam and changed his name from Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr to Muhammad Ali. Ali had defeated every heavyweight boxer in his time and was named the fighter of the year and is one of three boxers to be named sportsman of the year. In 1984 Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome and also retired in this year. Muhammad Ali is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time which gives him the nickname “The Greatest” and he has an impressive record of 61 fights, winning 56, 37 by knockout and only loosing 5.

Joe Calzaghe

Joe (The Italian Dragon) Calzaghe, born 23rd March 1972, is without doubt one of the best light heavyweight boxers to enter the ring, due to the fact he has had an undefeated career winning all his 46 fights, 32 of them by knockout. Joe Calzaghe began boxing at the age of nine and won many fights as a schoolboy. It was in the year 1993 that Calzaghe started boxing professionally by signing a contract and made his debut in that same year. In 1995 Calzaghe was voted Young Boxer of the Year. Calzaghe also became BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2007 making him the first Welsh winner since 1960. Joe Calzaghe started his boxing career in the middleweight class but eventually made his way up to the light heavyweight category in 2008 after winning fights and training hard. It wasn’t until 2009 that Calzaghe announced that he was retiring from professional boxing finishing undefeated with a total of 46 winning fights.

Chris Eubank

Chris (Simply the Best) Eubank, born 8th August 1966, is one of the best English middleweight boxers to have entered the sport. Chris Eubank was world champion for over five years and undefeated as a middleweight boxer. Eubank started his life in England but moved to New York when he was 16 to live with his mum. It was here that he realized his talent for boxing when he trained in his spare time at his local boxing club. Chris Eubank wanted to improve his skills at boxing so trained seven days a week which resulted in him becoming an amateur boxer. Eubank’s made his professional debut in America just after his 19th birthday and in 1988 he returned to England to live with his brothers. While in England Eubank continued with his career in boxing and was rapidly winning fights against many top boxers. Chris Eubank eventually quit boxing with a credible 45 wins and 5 losses. Outside of boxing Eubank’s has won many awards to do with his clothes as he has received Britain’s Best Dressed Man award and Best Dressed Sportsman award. Eubank is also religious as he converted to Islam as an Adult.

This article is my personal view of who I think are the top 3 best boxers of all time, pound for pound. Boxing is a combat sport and martial art in which two people fight using their fists. Boxing is typically supervised by a referee, during a series of one to three minute intervals called rounds and the boxers are generally of similar weight.

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The Tallest Of The Giants Of Boxing

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The first giant of boxing was the bare knuckled champion, John L. Sullivan. Also known as The Boston Strong Boy, John L. is generally acknowledged as the first modern day world’s champion. His impressive record was 35 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, including 30 wins by knockout. Many of his fights went over 20 rounds. John L. lost his title to the slimmer and quicker Gentleman Jim Corbett on September 7, 1892 in a 21 round boxing match.

Rocky Marciano was the only boxer in any weight class to retire as an undefeated champion and stay retired. The heavyweight knocked out 43 of his 49 opponents. He was knocked to the canvas for the first time during the same match in September 1952 when he won the world’s heavyweight championship from Jersey Joe Walcott. It’s even more amazing considering he was one of the lightest heavyweights at 184 pounds.

Muhammad Ali was another boxing giant. Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. and took a Moslem name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964. Clay won a gold medal for the United States in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and beat Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964 to become the world’s heavyweight champion. Ali refused induction in the US army and was stripped of his title in 1967. He was prosecuted by the government and convicted of a felony. The US Supreme overturned his conviction 3 /2 years later. Ali would regain the world’s heavyweight championship on 2 separate occasions and had 3 of the most memorable fights of all time with Joe Frazier. Laila Ali continues the family boxing tradition.

One of the most charismatic boxers of all time was Sugar Ray Robinson. The 25 year old Robinson won the world’s welterweight championship in 1946. He once won 91 straight fights. After reigning as champion for five years, Sugar Ray moved into the middleweight division and won the title 5 times during the 1950’s. Sugar Ray’s fought 201 times and finished with a career record of 175-19-6. Many boxing experts still believe that the best boxer pound for pound, of all time was Sugar Ray Robinson.

Floyd Patterson, at the age of 17, won an Olympic boxing gold medal. In November 1956, he became the youngest world’s heavyweight champion by knocking out Archie Moore. Patterson became the first man to successfully regain the world’s heavyweight championship by knocking out the man he lost to in 1959, Ingemar Johansson. As Johansson’s laid unconscious, Patterson saw his left leg was twitching in spasms. Patterson knelt at Johansson’s side and held him in his arms until the doctors got to the ring. Photos of that event were printed in newspapers throughout the world and earned him the nickname the Gentleman of Boxing.

Boxing Styles The Three Main Types

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There are three main types of styles that boxers fall into when boxing. These reflect how they move and how they punch. It is generally thought that the styles are a lot like rock, paper, scissors in that one style beats another while it will generally lose to the third. However, this has been disproved many times and is only accepted as true.

The first style we will mention is the Brawler. This type of boxer will generally throw single and powerful punches against their opponent. A lot of brawlers are able to throw a punch which can knock out an opponent in a single blow. The biggest problem with this fighting technique is how slow the boxers usually are to punch. By being so slow they can be countered a lot more easily.

The next type of style is that of the Inside Fighter. This type of style is usually played very aggressively and incorporates an in your face type of play. The idea is for the boxer to get and stay close to his opponent and knock him out with multiple fast punches. This is a great class to be used by medium weight boxers.

The final type of style is that of the Outside Fighter. Boxers who use this style type will generally stay toward the outside of the ring and work on keeping their opponents away from them. The idea is to wear out your opponent rather than knock him out. This style is usually played by lighter class boxers who don’t have the strength for heavy punches.

There are some boxers who have become good at using all of these styles to their advantage. By using multiple style types they can keep their opponent off balance as to how they will play. Some of the best are the Brawlers who can also use good footwork and speed.

Boxing Bags to Maintain a Healthy Body

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While thinking about maintaining a healthy body the first preference should go to exercise than food and diet. Boxing is a good exercise with which we can attain a strong body. Experts suggest exercises with boxing bag and heavy bag to improve the stamina or our hands and legs and hence to reach physical fitness. In some cases to avoid mental stress physicians prefer boxing.

The first thing that should be considered while exercising with a boxing bag or heavy bag is the trainee should maintain good body balance. This is very important at the beginning it helps during the boxing sessions to avoid over exertion. The boxer has to stand with his rear foot half stepped behind his lead foot, and with leg and shoulder width apart for having a stance which is upright. By lifting the right heel and pointing both feet inward, you have to place the lead fist at eye level which is around six inches in front of the face. A rising and vertical punch with the rear hand is known as the uppercut, which must be practiced. Also punching the heavy bag with full energy, are very effective boxing exercises at home.

Defending punches is another important thing which can be improved with heavy bag training. Your elbow should be used to protect your body by positioning it against the ribcage and the position of the rear fist is besides your chin. By tucking the chin in your chest, you can protect yourself from hard hitting punches. The jabs, cross, uppercut and the hooks are the four types of punches which should be practiced in the boxing bag workouts at home. While practicing this punch, you will experience a movement of your hips and torso in a clockwise direction. Cross is a punch which is quite powerful, but with the rear hand while the hook is a punch targeting the opponents head in a semi-circular way.

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Overview On Boxing Handwraps

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Handwraps are one of the most important boxing equipment. Any boxer or martial artist who uses a heavy bag needs to wrap the hands to reduce injuries and prevent sprains or fractures of the bones in the hand and wrist. Wearing boxing Hand wraps while punching isnt enough, you should also wear boxing gloves. A proper wraps should be snug and not tight. An improper wrap can abrade the skin during practice, leading to painful blisters and sores. If you dont know how to wrap your hands, ask your coach to help you. Various types of hand wraps are used in boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts etc.

-> Cotton Hand Wraps

-> Mexican Style Hand Wraps

-> Boxing Gel Wraps

-> Gauze

Cotton hand wraps are used by most of the boxers around the world. It is considered one of the best choices for boxers or martial artists who train often. They are available in different lengths from hundred inches to 180 inches. Hundred inches are meant for children and boxers and up to 180 inches for heavyweight boxers with large fists.

If you notice Mexican style hand wraps are elasticized. Due to its elasticity, hand wraps can be applied easily without the assistance of a training partner. Professional boxers prefer this kind of hand wraps during their heavy bag workouts. This is slightly more expensive than traditional cotton wraps. But convenience is more important than price.

Gel wraps serve the needs of mixed martial artists. There are many online websites that sell this kind of boxing equipment. Gel wraps and mma gloves are perfect for use during light sparring sessions, but workouts on the punching bag should be conducted while wearing the safer boxing handwraps. Boxing hand wraps provide more protection than gel wraps or mma gloves and they are less expensive and long-lasting.

Both professional and amateur boxers wrap their hands with inelastic gauze and adhesive tape. As they are expensive, it is not a viable option for daily training or workouts at home.

Boxing hand wraps saves space, easy to store and apply. Unrolling the wrap around the hand is more convenient than wrestling with a long, tangled mess that wasnt stored properly. Never roll hand wrap immediately after use as it may become smelly and mildewed. There are some online websites that sell hand wrap sellers. They are easy to use and of modest cost.

Hand wraps should be washed. Machine washing is not recommended. A laundry or lingerie bag is designed for use in a washing machine. Hand wraps- essentially long strips of cloth-will become a tangled mass of knots unless washed in a mesh bag. Clean the hand wraps by hand washing in a sink with soap or liquid laundry detergent.