Boxing is a fantastic sport. It is something that sets the real men apart from the boys; something which forever stays in the history books. Yes, there have been lots of boxing champs out there with all the appropriate skills and gears in boxing, but not all deserve quite as much attention as some others.
Some of the most impressive feats are those accomplished at a young age, at a time when nobody else thinks that it is possible. It might have something to do with what gloves they are wearing if you get the fuzz. If that’s the case, we can help you find best boxing gloves here.
Moving on, today we want to talk about some of the youngest boxing champs of all time.
- Muhammad Ali
Ok, so when it comes to the boxing greats of the world, there is no way we could possibly ignore Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was very big, he was strong, and he had the speed to make it all happen. Muhammad Ali actually began his career using the name Cassius Clay, which he would use to pummel his opponents left, right, and center. By the time Ali was 18 years old, he had over 100 victories under his belt, with just eight losses, and he had already captured two national Golden Glove titles.
In 1960, Ali won the gold medal at the Rome Olympics to further cement his legacy as one of the best in the world. Muhammad Ali won his first 19 fights, with a whopping 15 of those wins being knockout wins. On February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali received his first title shot, where he beat Sonny Liston to become the world heavyweight champion at the young age of 22.
Ali then managed to retain his title for the next 9 title defenses but was then marred in controversy due to his refusal to participate in the Vietnam War. In terms of famous fighters, Ali is of course the number one all-time great out there, and few would argue that there was or is anybody better.
- Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American professional boxer who was active from 1952 to 1972. Between 1956 and 1962, Floyd Patterson reigned twice as the world heavyweight champion of boxing.
First off, Patterson steadily rose through the ranks in the boxing world from a very young age, and one of his only early defeats was at the hands of light heavyweight champion Joey Maxim in 1954. However, Floyd Patterson did not give up and would soon become one of the biggest boxing greats that the world has ever seen.
It was on November 30, 1956, where Floyd Patterson would defeat Archie Moore for the world heavyweight championship. Patterson defeated Moore in 5 rounds, beating him via knockout. He was actually already an Olympic gold medalist at this point, and at 21 years of age, become the youngest man to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship.
What is also interesting is that Patterson did lose his title, but then also become the first and youngest man to ever regain the world heavyweight championship after having lost it. In his later years, Patterson began suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, something which often has been attributed to his years spent as a boxer.
- Mike Tyson
When it comes to the biggest boxing greats out there, Mike Tyson is certainly at the very top of the list. During his first 19 professional fights, all of which he won, a total of 12 were stopped via knockout in the first round. When it comes to knockout champs and the ability to take people out in the first round, especially with one big uppercut, there is truly nobody better out there than Mike Tyson.
At his time, Mike Tyson was the youngest man to ever become the world heavyweight champion at just 20 years old. Mike Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986 to become the youngest every undisputed world heavyweight champion.
In terms of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, Mike Tyson is ranked as number 14, and is ranked number 16 on the list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. Tyson would become one of the greatest all time boxers out there, and yes, there was a lot of controversy, but boy was he ever entertaining.
- Wilfred Benitez
The youngest all-time boxing champ out there is Wilfred Benitez. Wilfred Benitez was raised in the Bronx USA, with his hometown being San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was an African American boxer who was also known by the moniker “Bible of Boxing”, as well as “El Radar”. The reason he was named “El Radar”, was because he was a great defense boxer who could counter pretty much anybody out there.
On March 6, 1976, Wilfred Benitez became the youngest ever boxing champion at the young age of 17. He defeated Antonio Cervantes in a 15 round match to win the WBA junior welterweight championship. Unfortunately, Wilfred was stripped of the title only a few months later due to him being injured in a car accident and being unable to fight in his next title defense.
However, Benitez then came back on January 14, 1979, to win his second championship, the WBC welterweight championship at the age of 20. Wilfred Benitez has an outstanding record, with an 8 and 2 win–loss record in world title fights, and a 7 – 4 record against world titlists.
Wilfred Benitez has been ranked as the 5th greatest welterweight boxer of all time, as well as the 30th greatest fighter in the last 50 years. Benitez had to retire at a fairly young age, not much past the age of 30, due to severe brain damage caused by boxing.
Conclusion
There you have it folks, the youngest boxing champs of all time. There is no denying the fact that greats like Ali and Tyson will go down in the books and forever remain a part of boxing history. These great men managed to rise up out of nothing, beat the odds, and become the best in the world at what they do, at very young ages.
