As per the title i had a discussion at work today and just how many Global household names have we really had in the sport? I'm not just talking about name recognition but those who would likely to be recognized walking down the street by the average Joe. I am talking about boxers who even your Grandma would know. SRR Louis Ali Tyson For me, the above 4 fit the criteria but who else can we include? Some may say Mayweather or Pacman and as far as their names go i could agree, but dress them in everyday clothes and get them to walk through a shopping centre anywhere in the world and just how many people would realise who they were? Obviously Ali & Tyson have an advantage over SRR & Louis due to much more TV exposure but that aside, they were also more distinctive in their appearance. So who else can we add to the list?
Jack Dempsey,i remember my great Grandfather telling me Dempsey was like a God in the 20s, everyone from New York to remote villages in Eastern Europe knew who he was.
As boxing has always been an international sport, and was popular over most of the globe as far back as the twenties, I would say there have been quite a few global superstars, Archie Moore and Carlos Ortiz fought over much of the glove. Of course, there have always been some places (China) where I suppose these men were not known.
True crossover stars? I don't see how Ortiz fits that bill. Only hardcore fans know who he is, as great as he was. Dempsey is a superb shout. Along with Babe Ruth, he helped define an era. Louis of course, Ali, Leonard needs to be mentioned. Tyson for sure......... Mayweather and Pacman don't count. No one would give them a second look on the street.
But dress Moore or Ortiz in jeans and t shirt and let them mingle among shoppers and very few would have any idea who they were.
Moore was a mystery guest back in the fifties on What's My Line and was guessed by the blindfolded panel. He had to have been well known in the USA, at least.
I don't believe that recognition by the current generation was part of the criteria. You just had to have been a crossover star in your day. At least as I understood it.
One is tempted to say a latter-day Foreman because of his nice-guy schtick and grill empire, but it's not the same. Duran never qualified because he never bothered to learn english. Sad that it matters, but it does.
Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Manny Pacquiao, possibly Floyd Mayweather, and that's about it.
