Elite boxers who also excelled at other sports?

In his book The Great HWs, Henry Cooper described himself as a handy golfer (can’t remember his handicap).

That wasn’t his point however, it was a lead in to say how he never knew Ali do have tried or participated in any other sport BUT boxing. A savant and we all know the story of the 12 yo and his stolen bicycle.

Then you had Norton with a number of sporting options open to him, as proven, settling on boxing as a relatively late starter.

He then goes on to give The Greatest hell over 3 fights. Norton had a lot going for him, including being multi optioned on vocations but he chooses to drop into Ali’s world and then eclipses the Champ. If I was Ali just for those facts and context, it would’ve pissed me off. LOL.

 

That is GOLD! Clearly Joes trunks weren’t colourful enough and, to be fair, it’s kinda hard to Smoke when your under water. Joe was a Champ, always.

Was that the same competition when Joe couldn’t quite manage 200 lbs in the bench press event?

 

I love Joe Frazier's attitude. He said to the reporter after the race that he didn't know if he could swim. When the reporter asked him why on earth he raced if he didn't know if he could swim Joe said "How was I to know I couldn't swim unless I tried it?"

 

Lucia Rijker was a world champion kickboxer before she started boxing. She was also a (junior) national level competitor in a couple of other sports I think. Katie Taylor played football for the national team. Curtis Woodhouse too - professional footballer and British champion.

 

Corrie Sanders was a scratch golfer good enough to at least contemplate trying to get a European or American PGA Tour card. He allegedly could hit a ball 320 yards off the tee, which ranks with the biggest pro hitters of his time, and played with many world-class pros at tournaments.

 

If snooker and shooting and archery are considered sports, then Lennox is apparently quite a good chess player.

 

I remember Jerry Quarry performing at a very high level in golf in the old Superstars competition.

 

Lol! Joe deserved the limelight just as much as that “other fella” - Joe could be a very clever and witty man.

 

Paul Berlenbach was famously an AAU champion wrestler prior to becoming an ATG LHW. (Think his opponents wanted to clinch with him?)

Jack Dempsey was a catch wrestler, and his 1942 military instruction manual, "How to Fight Tough" draws on some of that background.

The legendary Saensak Muangsurin is well known for having had countless Muay Thai bouts, becoming a champion in that discipline before dethroning Perico Fernandez. He had "only" 14 boxing wins, but he beat world champions Lion Furuyama 2X, Perico Fernandez 2X, Miguel Velasquez, Guts Ishimatsu and Saoul Mamby (albeit so controversially that even Muangsurin's home fans found it disturbing), so seven of his 14 career wins were over other champions. He defended against substantial contenders Monroe Brooks via 15 round stoppage, Jo Kimpuani in 14 and Francisco Moreno in 13. He defended over the Championship Distance three times, all over other past, present and future world champions. It wasn't exclusively home cooking for Muangsurin. He UDed Perico Fernandez on the latter's home turf in Madrid for their title rematch, and knocked out Guts in six at Tokyo.

Overall, ten wins for the WBC SLW Title, including two successful challenges. Lion Furuyama I wasn't for the title, but it got him to his successful challenge of Fernandez. He was stopped twice in his six defeats, in 13 by Kim Sang-Hyun in Seoul to lose the title the second and final time via TKO, then by Hearns in Detroit over three, also by TKO. His first title loss was via DQ to Velasquez. Two of his other three decision losses were via 10 round SD and a career ending 12 round MD.

Could 14-6 be enough for Canastota? He beat serious competition, including stoppages in Furuyama I, Fernandez I and Ishimatsu. His 14 wins are mostly over very pithy competition, and there appear to be no stiffs or tankers in his 20 bouts. How many champions did McGuigan defeat? Juan LaPorte in a non title ten rounder, and Pedroza before two successful defenses. (Let's face it. McGuigan was a social statement by HOF voters.)

Saensak could bring it in a single round (his boxing debut), two rounds (to gain his second reign), middle rounds (Fernandez I in eight and Guts in six, or the Championship Rounds (which he entered six times, something which nobody will ever do again). He was great at Muay Thai, and can be argued for as great in championship boxing.


Earnie Shavers was a fine high school gridiron lineman, and his lateral movement acquired from that experience was very much in evidence as he stuck and moved with his long arms in mid ring for Henry Clark I in Paris. (Foreman was never seen to box stylishly like that. Hope Shavers-Clark I pops up again on YouTube. The first time I saw it, I was amazed at how Earnie so cleanly and smartly outboxed a master craftsman like Clark.)

 

Sharmba Mitchell was a good football player

 

He was also an elite junior rugby player, who could go under 11 seconds for the 100 meters.

 

Crisanto Espana was supposedly a very good marathoner, supposedly placing 4th in the Caracas Marathon, but I never found a time for him.

Terry Norris was a very good baseball player coming out of Texas.

 

Tommy "The Duke" Morrison trained American football. Not an elite boxer, but he was WBO champion before that title meant much. He still beat Foreman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Morrison#Early_life_and_amateur_career

 

Kermit Cintron was a very good wrestler in high school. He wanted to fight Sean Sherk in MMA after Mayweather Jr. pulled out but the fight never got made. He said a few years ago that he would have loved to get into MMA but he didn't have any connections in the sport so didn't look into it and concentrated on boxing. With his boxing and wresting skills, I always thought that Cintron might have done fairly well in MMA in those days of the sport.

 

John L Sullivan was a semi-pro baseball player whilst also excelling at general thuggery.