Many world champions have enjoyed their success off the back of solid amateur careers. Here are seven American boxers who won world titles as professionals, plus Olympic gold medals.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Campaigning as a top-quality professional, Sugar Ray Leonard boxed in the paid code from 1977 to 1997, winning world titles in five weight classes. Leonard fought all of his contemporaries and was part of the “Four Kings” era along with Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns.
Prior to his pro success Leonard claimed light-welterweight gold at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
Muhammad Ali
There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about the peerless ring genius that is heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, long before he converted to Islam, classy light-heavyweight Cassius Clay won gold.
Months after that Olympic triumph, Ali was busy turning professional and on the way to a 21-year career that saw the Kentucky man win world titles, fight and beat the best of his generation and transform and transcend the sport of boxing.
Joe Frazier
“Smokin’” Joe Frazier was a fearsome pocket rocket with a fight-ending left hook. He also mixed with the very best of his generation and his name became synonymous with heavyweight rival Muhammad Ali. The pair fought three times.
Frazier won gold at heavyweight in Tokyo, 1964, before later reigning as undisputed heavyweight champion for three years and became the first man to beat Ali.
Oscar De La Hoya
Winning a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona paved the way for America’s Golden Boy to cross over in to the professionals ranks and become a genuine Pay-Per-View attraction.
De La Hoya won world titles in six weight classes across a stellar 16-year career. He often just fell short on the very biggest occasions, but never ducked a challenge regardless of the opponent.
George Foreman
Affectionately known today as “Big George”, it was much later that Foreman became the cuddly father figure on HBO working alongside Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley. Early in his career Foreman was a heavy-handed destroyer who won gold at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Foreman laid waste to a string of quality fighters in his professional career before coming unstuck against Muhammad Ali and his infamous rope-a-dope strategy. Foreman returned to the ring in his 40s to dramatically reclaim the heavyweight title by knocking out Michael Moorer.
Andre Ward
Andre “S.O.G.” Ward won light-heavyweight gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and turned pro later that year. When he retired in 2017, Ward was a two-weight world champion and had declared dominance over his peers.
Some argue that he retired too soon and had more left to offer the sport. Now working as an analyst on ESPN, Ward endured lengthy court battles and pseudo retirements throughout his career. Winning the innovative World Super Six and twice defeating rival Sergey Kovalev were definitive highlights.
Pernell Whitaker
Widely recognised as one of the most defensively adept pugilists of all time, slippery southpaw Pernell Whitaker made a career of ducking and dodging his opponents’ shots while showcasing his own enigmatic skills.
Whitaker won lightweight gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics before going on to become a four-weight pro world champion, that including lineal and undisputed accolades. “Sweet Pea” fought a host of quality names and was still competing against the best right up until retirement.
