Fiercest Fighters of All Time

‘You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!' Rocky Balbao (Sly Stallone)

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!

Boxing is undeniably one of the most physically grueling sports in the world. Boxers train like beasts. They are fitness personified, and when they're in top form, they have the ability to overcome fear more than anyone else. It takes tremendous guts and determination to step into a ring with somebody who is literally trying to knock your lights out, in front of tens of thousands of people baying for blood.

It's a gladiators’ arena, and only the toughest will survive this brutal sport. For boxing fans out there, like myself, we take comfort in the fact that these guys are professional athletes with boxing gloves, rules, referees, ringside doctors, and trainers. Sure, these guys take a beating, some never live to tell the tale like a boxer I followed, Brian Baronet in South Africa. Keep your guard up, stay light on your feet, and hit the target.

Let's get to it – the fiercest fighters of all time… and while you're at it, take a look at the best fight odds right here at 888sport!

Mike Tyson

Ask anybody, and chances are Mike Tyson's name is the first one to come up as one of the fiercest fighters of all time. Iron Mike – fists of steel – beat down his opponents worse than any man in the history of boxing. He exploded onto the scene as a teenager, and became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, by dint of his fighting prowess. Dubbed the ‘Baddest Man on The Planet’, he was into all sorts of things, and ultimately paid the price for his bad behavior. No doubt, he had a tumultuous career but he was one of the fiercest fighters to ever grace the stage. He was a street brawler with more rage and fire in his belly than anyone he came up against. Of course, skill matters since boxing is a technical sport and I'll get to that later on in this write-up. My favorite boxer of all time is also one of the man who put Mike Tyson in his place.

Let's check out some of Mike Tyson's most notorious knockouts:

* Atlantic City New Jersey, July 21, 1989 – TKO Carl Williams first-round
* Tokyo, March 21, 1988 – TKO Tony Tubbs second-round
* Las Vegas, Nevada, January 16, 1999 – KO Francois Botha fifth-round
* Atlantic City, New Jersey, January 22, 1988 – KO Larry Holmes fourth-round
* Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 27, 1988 – KO Michael Spinks first-round

Throughout his career, Tyson retired with a record of 50 wins and 6 defeats. In 2011 he was inducted into the International boxing Hall of Fame, with 44 KOs – now that's fierce!

Roberto Duran

Here is a name that we haven't heard for quite some time. Roberto Duran is a legendary Panamanian boxer who shot to fame in his early years. On 26 June 1972, he managed an impressive 13-round technical knockout of Ken Buchanan. The hard-fought victory against the Scotsman landed him the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight championship. In 1980, Roberto Duran went up against another legend of the boxing arena – Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran bested Leonard over 15 rounds to claim the WBC welterweight championship. If any boxer knows about longevity in his fighting career, it is Duran.

At the age of 49, he beat Pat Lawlor in a 12-round decision, claiming the super middleweight title. His last fight was in 2001 against Hector Camacho. Overall, this brawler posted an impressive career record of 103 wins, 16 losses, and no draws. That he managed 70 KOs is exceptional. If anybody was considered fierce in the ring, it was Roberto Duran. He was later inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006, and a year later into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Julio Cesar Chavez

Julio Cesar Chavez sports one of the most impressive fight records of all time. This Mexican pugilist is one of my favorites, he fought in the pro arena from 1985 through 2015, with a 30-year career of unbelievable fights. He has been deemed one of the toughest brawlers of all time, with the longest undefeated win-streak in all of boxing. That takes some doing! Chavez had an 89-0-1 record. Among the many opponents he went up against include Oscar De La Hoya, Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker, and Meldrick Taylor. Sure, he's a different boxer to Juan Manuel Marquez, who won titles in 4 different weight classes, but Chavez is definitely one of the fiercest fighters of all time.

Brian Mitchell

South African boxer Brian Mitchell is one of the most celebrated sportsmen of all time. His boxing career is impressive, with 45 wins, 21 KOs, 3 draws, and 1 loss. Brian Mitchell turned pro in 1981 and had his first fight on 15 August against Joseph Moneoane at Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, in Johannesburg. He fought against some fearsome opponents over the years, including Irving Mitchell in 1989 for the WBA World Super Featherweight Title, Tony Lopez in 1991 (March and September) for the IBF World Super Featherweight title and the WBA World Super Featherweight title. Other notable opponents include Jim McDonnell for the WBA World Super Featherweight title in 1988.

It is worth pointing out that Brian Mitchell only fought 1 of his world title fights in South Africa – the rest were fought overseas where his opponents had a home-ground advantage. We all know that boxing is a brutal sport, and one of the men that beat Brian Mitchell – Jacob Morake ended up dying as a result of injuries sustained in a rematch with Brian Mitchell. Perhaps the battle of the century took place when Mitchell traveled to Sacramento California to fight Tony ‘The Tiger’ Lopez. The judges were biased in the first match and decided to score it a draw. Mitchell, confident in his ability to win, gave up his own belt and decided to challenge Lopez instead. In their second meeting, Mitchell made it clear that he was the better fighter. Of all the fighters that Mitchell came up against, he pays tribute to Tony Lopez as his hardest opponent of all time. Mitchell was inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.

Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis is one of the most refined and celebrated heavyweights of all time. This British boxing legend is the man that tamed Mike Tyson once and for all. My personal heavyweight, Lewis sports a record that is the envy of his opposition. He had a total of 44 fights with 41 wins, and 32 by KO. Lewis lost 2 fights, once to Hasim Rahman in 2001, and another to Oliver McCall. He faced some of the toughest brawlers in history, including Frank Bruno, Ray Mercer, Evander Holyfield, Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson, Donovon Ruddock, Shannon Briggs, and Andrew Golota. As he neared the end of his career, there was nothing left to prove. Lewis dominated all of them. He shut Mike Tyson down once and for all. The rest is history…

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*Picture courtesy of Susan Walsh and AP