1. Muhammad ali
2. Jack johnson
3. Jack dempsey
They all had major influences outside the ring that impacted the sport.
Muhammad Ali
Joe Louis
Jack Johnson
Honarable Mentions:
Max Schemeling
Jack Dempsey
Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Manny Pacquiao
1.Muhammad Ali:He was a very charismatic boxer....The only boxer that could articulate very well, a first of this kind.....Back in the old days, boxers where known to be "not smart"...And alone came Ali, he was witty, smart, well spoken, good looks, basically what a boxer don't supposed to look like...Ali was also known for his refusal to be drafted...A well known issue that resonated all over America.
2.Mike Tyson:One of the most recognisable names in the world..his influence can be see within the ring as some boxers have nicknames like "Little Tyson","White Tyson"..and outside of the ring as he still get his own Tv shows..something which most 80s and 90s sportmen do not..Mike is without doubt the biggest ppv star in history
3.Manny Pacquaio:a legend in the ring..and a national hero outside it...Filipinos are willing to take bullets for him..should i say more?
All of the comments here lack historical knowledge.
Here is an educated list;
1. John L. Sullivan; He was the first boxing superstar and he made boxing popular in the USA. He also made trash-talking famous. He was also the boxer to make handwraps popular, the transition between bareknuckle boxing and gloves came with this man.
2. Joe Louis; He was the first black superstar, he opened the door for blacks in boxing, golf & the US army during his WW2 service. and left the doors open [unlike Jack Johnson]. He was loved by blacks, whites and everything inbetween.
3. Jack Johnson; He was the first black champion. He flaunted his wealth & mocked his opponents, this along with his skin color made whites hate him. After his wins there would be riots where people died, The Mann Act was passed by Congress with the purpose of arresting Jack Johnson for having while girlfriends. Everywhere Jack Johnson went there was controversy, in Mexico he rallied the masses and a couple generals to kick out an American restaurant who didn't serve racial minorities.
Muhammad Ali is a close but not a top 3 because while he did have a supreme court decision passed for his evasion of the draft and while he did talk allot, that's all he did. He rallied people but he didn't make fundamental changes outside the ring. He wasn't the first black champion, he didn't open the door for blacks in golf or in the army, he didn't cause major riots where people killed eachother, he didn't get Congress to pass racist laws against all blacks like the Mann Act, etc.
Duran was hero over his country, Ali all over the world, Pacman in his country, Klitschko in Ukraine, Floyd influenced Adrien Broner
There are no three, but only one.
There can only be one. And it's Muhammad Ali - He's arguably THE most famous athlete EVER. He was once more famous than Michael Jackson, his face recognizable to every corner of the world.
How?
