Who are the most famous non-American fighters of all-time?

[El_Presidente]

Name some of the most famous non-American fighters of all-time. Names that are common with the average sports fan.

[Caponecartels]

Duran
Lewis
Pacquiao
JCC (maybe?)

There's a few.

[Son of Gaul]

Name some of the most famous non-American fighters of all-time. Names that are common with the average sports fan.

Schmeling
JCC
Tiger
Bonavena
Monzon
Duran
Arguello

[Kingkazim]

Klit Bros are huge these days.
lennox lewis
calzaghe (not sure how big he is in USA)
hatton
Pacquiao
the mexican ring legends (chavez, barrerra, morales)
Trinidad & cotto

im sure there are more, but the old school ones werent that famous

edit: forgot to mention schmeling and duran

[bodhi]

Gustav "Bubi" Scholz was huge in Germany in the 50s/60s. Very huge, not just a boxer but THE symbol of the economic miracle. Made movies, recorded albums and so on.

Henry Maske in the 90s was als also huge. He also was a symbol. The symbol of the reunification of Germany.

Both never were as big as Max Schmeling though. But in terms of popularity those three were the biggest German fighters.

Nowadays the Klitschkos are big here. 15-18 million German housholds watch every Klitschko fight. Abraham is also big, with about 12-13 million watchers every fight.

Duran in Panama and Chavez in Mexico are obvious ones. Hatton in England. Pac in the Filipines. Monzon was big in Europe and South America in the 70s.

[Woller]

For varios reasons I suggest Ingemar Johansson (for knocking out Floyd Patterson), Nino Benvenuti (three fights against Emile Griffith) and Henry Cooper (for knocking deown a young Cassius Clay)

Woller

[Meast]

For varios reasons I suggest Ingemar Johansson (for knocking out Floyd Patterson),


Beat me to it!

[Son of Gaul]

For varios reasons I suggest Ingemar Johansson (for knocking out Floyd Patterson), Nino Benvenuti (three fights against Emile Griffith) and Henry Cooper (for knocking deown a young Cassius Clay)

Woller

Yeah Johansson was a pretty big deal back then...

[Unforgiven]

Primo Carnera.
He might not be known now to the average sports fan, but I daresay to older generations he was.

[Duodenum]

Inside the United States, Duran was popular enough to obtain nationally televised commercial endorsements for products like Pepsi. Arguello was comparable in public recognition from the time he dethroned Escalera.

Danny Lopez was easily the most widely known non heavyweight American champion before the rise of the 1976 US Olympic team in the professional ranks. Therefore, he was the perfect titlist for Sal Sanchez to upset in order to attain the visibility he did. Sal's untimely death made national network news, just as Schmeling's did.

Primo was able to make a good living in professional wrestling after his boxing days were over, most of this in the States.

McLarnin certainly qualifies, born in Ireland, resided in Vancouver. Gavilan deserves mention.

We could be at this for hours.

[essexboy]

Barbados Joe Walcott
Bob Fitzsimmons
Eder Jofre
Fighting Harada
Pancho Villa

Sam Langford and George Dixon if you're counting Canadians. Absolutely loads of Latinos, too many to mention.

[Squire]

The Klitschkos must be massive in Germany. I was talking to German guy a couple of years ago who was no huge boxing fan, but had a far better knowledge of the K's than anyone else I've met

Does ODLH count?

[mattdonnellon]

jimmy wilde

[Rock0052]

Koki Kameda.

Not because I felt like throwing the dude's name out for no apparent reason like it normally is, he actually fits this thread. His fights generate absolutely massive ratings in Japan.

[PhillyPhan69]

WOW! This is actually a difficult question! First I have to wonder, do you mean how many non-american fighters are known by the average american sports fan or globally? 2nd I don't believe the average sports fan necesarilly has a good grip on boxing as a whole. There are very few AMERICAN names that transcend the sport and are actually known to the average sports fan:

Muhammad Ali
Sugar Ray Robbinson
Sugar Ray Leonard
Joe Louis
Mike Tyson
Oscar De La Hoya

To a lesser degree:
Joe Frazier
Marvin Hagler
Thomas Hearns
Evander Holyfield
Larry Holmes

Outside of the US names are probably as sparse:

Roberto Duran
Julio Ceasar Chavez
Macho Camacho

to a lesser degree:
Trinidad
Pac
Floyd
maybe Hatton

the only ones that pop in my head:

I have several friends/aquantinces that love sports, and very few have any knowledge at all of boxing, and if I tried to talk to them about:

Sweet pea, Ken Buchanan, Salvador sanchez, Alexis Arguello, lennox lewis, Nigel benn, azumah nelson, jeff fenech, Wilfredo Gomez etc...I doubt very many would recognize any of the names.

So as far as the average American sports fan goes I don't many boxer names resonate very much with them at all!

[ricardinho]

Chavez, Duran, Kostya, Arguello, Tsyu, Lennox Lewis, Vitali, Vladimir, Kostya, Azumah Nelson, Benitez, Gomez, Salvador Sanchez, Barrera, Hamed, Fenech, Manny, Morales, and Marquez.

no particular order aside from Chavez.

[burt bienstock]

To serious boxing history buffs, a few...
Bob Fitzimmons
Jimmy Wilde
Ted kid Lewis
Freddie Welsh
Owen Moran
Battling Siki
Georges Carpentier
Marcel Cerdan
Max Schmeling
Dick Tiger
Ingemar Johanssen
Lennox Lewis

[bandido]

to non-Americans, the most well-known American boxers would probably be the following: Ali in the 70s, Leonard in the 80s, Tyson in the 90s, and Dela Hoya in the 00s.
Latin America: Chavez and Duran
Europe: Lewis
Asia: Pacquiao

[Stonehands89]

Battle Siki may well have outdone Roberto Duran had it not been for modern media. After distinguishing himself in WW I for bravery, his fame began after he knocked out Carpentier in a fight that wouldn't have been believed had it been fiction. The media set up a circus around him in Europe and later, America. He happily obliged their racist presumptions by walking through Central Park with a pet lion, posing with a monkee, drinking and acting the fool in public, and getting killed in the street while still young.

He was like a modern-day minstrel/rapper, without the black-face or the rap.

[bodhi]

to non-Americans, the most well-known American boxers would probably be the following: Ali in the 70s, Leonard in the 80s, Tyson in the 90s, and Dela Hoya in the 00s.
Latin America: Chavez and Duran
Europe: Lewis
Asia: Pacquiao

No.

[bandido]

No.

i had a hard time thinking of a name to put there. you're probably right but i still cannot think of another name.

[bodhi]

i had a hard time thinking of a name to put there. you're probably right but i still cannot think of another name.

There are plenty of names and most of them were already thrown out in here. Just read the thread.

[bandido]

There are plenty of names and most of them were already thrown out in here. Just read the thread.

hatton is the closest one mentioned but a lot of non-europeans would probably know lewis more than hatton.

[bodhi]

hatton is the closest one mentioned but a lot of non-europeans would probably know lewis more than hatton.

Schmeling
W. Klitschko
V. Klitschko
Scholz
Maske
Abraham
Johannson
Carnera
Fitzsimmons
Wilde
Ted "Kid" Lewis
Carpentier
Cerdan

are all Europeans who were more famous than Lewis and mentioned in this thread. Mostly due to the fact that boxing was more famous in there time.

[Brian123]

Bob Fitzsimmons
Max Schmeling

(now) W. Klitschko

[anarci]

Duran
Pac
Chavez
Trinidad
Mcguigan
Barrera
Morales
Cotto
Naseem
Hatton
Lewis
Benitez
Arguello
Sanchez
Galindez
GOmez
Monzon
Bonavena
Benvenuti
Griffith
Olivares
Fernandez- fought on regular Tv alot!!
Napoloes
Gavilan
Ingo
Schmeiling
Carnera
Fitzimmons

ORtiz and Camacho but they were raised in US same with Palomino

[anarci]

Bramble,Rosario, Pedroza,Boza,Bazooka Limon,Coetzee,Cuevas were sure on Regular TV alot in the late 70s and 80s

[turpinr]

max schmeling
randy turpin
benny lynch
ingemar johannson
jimmy wilde
jack kid berg
ted kid lewis
lennox lewis
eder jofre
nigel benn
ruben olivares
ken buchanan
alexis arguello
jimmy mclarnin
marcel cerdan
georges carpentier
primo carnera
nino bevenutti

all obviously from eras long ago.there are hundreds, or must be.

[turpinr]

Bramble,Rosario, Pedroza,Boza,Bazooka Limon,Coetzee,Cuevas were sure on Regular TV alot in the late 70s and 80ssome warriors there mate.add mr palomimo to that lot

[anarci]

some warriors there mate.add mr palomimo to that lot I did on post 26 included with Camacho and Carlos Ortiz but stated that even though they were all born outside the US all were raised and learned their craft in either New York, or Southern Cali.

[anarci]

Oh yeah i forgot about John Mugabi who was pretty popular in the US before he fought Hagler.

[Unforgiven]

Luis Firpo has a major football club named after him in El Salvador, and football's no small deal there.
That's fame.

[Only registered and activated users can see links]


NOTE FOR AMERICANS : "football" means "soccer".

[turpinr]

I did on post 26 included with Camacho and Carlos Ortiz but stated that even though they were all born outside the US all were raised and learned their craft in either New York, or Southern Cali.so you did :oops: d'oh.i'd forgotten that the thread said non-american

[Abdullah]

Bob Fitzsimmons, Manny Pacquiao and Roberto Duran were the first ones to come to my mind. I know there are many more.

[duranimal]

Joe Bugner

[john garfield]

These guys come to mind from the past:

Primo Carnera
Marcel Cerdan
George Carpentier
Kid Gavilan
Louie Firpo

[Son of Gaul]

Name some of the most famous non-American fighters of all-time. Names that are common with the average sports fan.

Is Schmeling a lemon all of a sudden? Wow, well I'd start the list with him. Then...

Carnera
Gavilan(not sure if many people know who this is)
Monzon
Duran
JCC
Lewis

[PunchOut]

Joe Fitzsimmons
JCC
and the PAcman

[bodhi]

Joe Fitzsimmons


:huh

[PunchOut]

:huh

sorry.... BOB .... hahaha i was watching a highlight of Joe Frazier, hahahahha sorry

[Brian123]

Is Schmeling a lemon all of a sudden? Wow, well I'd start the list with him. Then...

Carnera
Gavilan(not sure if many people know who this is)
Monzon
Duran
JCC
Lewis


I should hope Schmeling is just as popular as ever, anything less is a real damn shame.