In our society, we hold athletes in high regard. We appreciate people who have the talent to do what most of us only dream of and the drive to take their talents to remarkable levels. We go to sites like Stackmagazine.com for informational articles about sports stars. We read Lottoland articles for inspirational stories, and even Forbes has published motivational sayings from our favorite team members.
Why are fighters so respected in society?
For generations, fighters have held a certain prestige. They were the original sports heroes. From the Roman Gladiators and the athletes of ancient Greece to the modern-day Olympians, boxers have an influence in society that transcends the ring.
We are going to try our best to highlight 4 of the most influential fighters of this generation. This is not an easy thing to do. There have been some very talented boxers from around the globe that deserve to be on this list. But, we are sharing with you, those that stand out as unique and impressive to us. We hope you will agree.
Most influential fighters
Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr. – USA
Roy Jones Jr. fought at super-middleweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight divisions, and excelled at all three. However, in the super-middleweight division, Roy Jones Jr. is considered one of the greatest fighters in history. He won multiple world championships. He represented the USA in the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning the Silver Medal in the most controversial Olympic decisions ever handed down. During his career, Jones had 66 wins and 9 losses. Of his 66 wins, 47 were knockouts.
Roy Jones Jr. was named Fighter of Year in 1994 and 2003. He was the winner of the Best Boxer ESPY Award in 1996, 2000, and 2003, and was named Fighter of the Decade for the 1990s.
He was the only boxer in history to begin his career as a junior middleweight, and go on to win a heavyweight title. For more information on his career including his record for holding seven belts at the same time, click here.
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis – Britain
Lennox Lewis spent his early childhood in England and then moved with his mother to Canada. While Lennox Lewis participated in several sports in his teenage years, he focused on boxing in his late high school years and developed into a highly skilled Canadian fighter.
Lewis won the gold medal in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, in the Super-Heavyweight division. Lewis went on to win several heavyweight championships. He had a massive frame for a boxer at 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) tall with a weight of 230-pound (104.3-kg). He also made it a habit of not fighting the mandatory opponents, causing an uproar in the world of boxing.
Lennox Lewis returned to England in 1989 to pursue his career. His first 22 bouts were undefeated. He had a fascinating career filled with unusual fights to gain and defend his championships. Click here for more details. In 1999 Lewis was made a Member of the order of the British Empire. He was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2002. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
Lennox Lewis retired in 2004, with a record of 41 wins (32 by knockout), 2 losses, and 1 draw.
Bob Fitzsimmons – Britain
Bob Fitzsimmons – UK
Bob Fitzsimmons is a name that is forever etched in the history channels of professional fighters. Robert (Bob) Fitzsimmons was born in Cornwall, England in May of 1863 and died in Oct. of 1917 in the United States. Throughout his amateur career, he traveled from Britain to New Zealand where he entered and won his first boxing tournament and at least six boxing competitions.
Fitzsimmons’ professional career began after a move to Australia. He would later move on to the United States to further his career. Bob Fitzsimmons was the world’s first-ever three-division world champion. He won the middleweight, heavyweight, and then light-heavyweight championships in his 27-year career. Fitzsimmons is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “Lightest Heavyweight Champion” in history. His name also comes up on the search for “Most heavyweight titles won by a former middleweight”.
For details of Fitzsimmons life and career, click here. You will find his story a long and colorful one. After he retired from boxing, he would follow another dream and try his hand at acting. Fitzsimmons became active in vaudeville. He would later die in the USA of pneumonia at the age of 54.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard – USA
Ray Charles Leonard, known as “Sugar Ray Leonard” was born on May 17, 1956, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Leonard was famous for his agility and finesse and showmanship. He boxed 40 professional matches in his career. He had 36 wins. Of the 36 wins, 25 were knockouts. He lost 3 matches and 1 was a draw. Many big names in the boxing industry believe Sugar Ray is one of the greatest fighters in history.
As an amateur, he won National Golden Glove championships in 1973 and 1974 by winning 145 out of 150 bouts. He then won two Amateur Athletic Union championships (1974, 1975), and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. Next Leonard won an Olympic gold medal in the light-welterweight class 1976 Games in Montreal.
Sugar Ray Leonard is said to have retired and unretired more than any other boxer in history. You may even read that he was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for this. If that is true, we found no proof of it. We do know that Leonard held 6-World Championship Titles in 5 weight classes throughout his impressive 24-year career. For more information on his career click here.
Great fighters show us the limitless possibilities of the human mind and body. They show us how to face challenges with dignity and grace, even through physical pain. They take us to a dimension we rarely travel to on our own. Perhaps that is why we need them. Regardless, they have always been honored members of our society. There is no reason to believe that will ever change. Nor should it, in our opinion.
