"Highs – as well as post-season tournaments including the state tourney in 1953 & 1955. The Gardens has hosted a number of boxing matches, particularly several featuring prominent local & international fighters. Eventual Heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati defeated Joey Maxim in a heavyweight title contender fight on February 28, 1949, in the arena's first week. Cincinnatian Wallace ""Bud"" Smith defended his World Lightweight crown there on October 19, 1955. Numerous Golden Gloves competitions have drawn as many as 10,000+ fans, and a ""Super Brawl Sunday"" event was held in 2002. On August 30, 2008,"
"a well-known fighter. Known as ""The Cincinnati Cobra"", Charles fought many notable opponents in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, eventually winning the World Championship in the latter. Although he never won the Light Heavyweight title, ""The Ring"" has rated him as the greatest light heavyweight of all time. Charles started his career as a featherweight in the amateurs, where he had a record of 42–0. In 1938, he won the Diamond Belt Middleweight Championship. He followed this up in 1939 by winning the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament of champions. He won the national AAU Middleweight Championship in 1939."
"in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Nick Barone Carmen ""Nick"" Barone (June 6, 1926 – March 12, 2006) was an American boxer, a ranked contender in the light heavyweight division and heavyweight divisions during the late 1940s and 1950s. He was known as the ""Fighting Marine."" He is best known for his December, 1950 title fight against the world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in the Cincinnati Gardens. His record was 44 wins (21 ko's), 12 loses, 1 tie for a total of 57 bouts. During World War II, at the age of 16, Barone joined the United States Marine Corps"
"Thomas Hearns Thomas ""Tommy"" Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the ""Motor City Cobra"", and more famously ""The Hitman"", Hearns' tall and slender build allowed him to move up over fifty pounds in his career and become the first boxer in history to win world titles in four weight divisions: welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight. By later winning a super middleweight title, he also became the first to win world titles in five weight divisions. Hearns was named Fighter of the Year by ""The Ring"" magazine"
"Galindez was thus able to reclaim the championship. Rossman was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. Mike Rossman Mike Rossman (born Michael Albert DePiano on July 1, 1955) is an American former professional boxer who was the WBA light heavyweight champion of the world. He is of Jewish–Italian origin, which led to his monikers ""The Kosher Butcher"" and ""The Jewish Bomber"". Rossman was born in Turnersville, New Jersey as Michael Albert DePiano. Rossman is his mother's maiden name, which he uses rather than that of his father. Rossman's father was Italian, and his mother Jewish. He is"
"Pacquiao - Timothy Bradley title bout in Las Vegas, Nevada. István Kovács (boxer) István Kovács (born August 17, 1970), nicknamed Ko-Ko or sometimes The Cobra is a Hungarian retired world champion boxer. As an amateur he won the bantamweight gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and was a world champion at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships in flyweight and at the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships in featherweight. As a professional he was a world champion, holding the WBO featherweight belt in 2001. Kovács was born in Budapest and began his sports career as a football player, training"
"Nick Barone Carmen ""Nick"" Barone (June 6, 1926 – March 12, 2006) was an American boxer, a ranked contender in the light heavyweight division and heavyweight divisions during the late 1940s and 1950s. He was known as the ""Fighting Marine."" He is best known for his December, 1950 title fight against the world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles in the Cincinnati Gardens. His record was 44 wins (21 ko's), 12 loses, 1 tie for a total of 57 bouts. During World War II, at the age of 16, Barone joined the United States Marine Corps using his brother's name. He fought"
"Last 80 Years. In 2006, Ezzard Charles was named the 11th greatest fighter of all time by the IBRO (International Boxing Research Organisation). The ""Cincinnati Cobra"" was a master boxer of extraordinary skill and ability. He had speed, agility, fast hands and excellent footwork. Charles possessed a masterful jab and was a superb combination puncher. He was at his peak as a light-heavyweight. His record is quite impressive. Against top rate opposition like Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins, and Joey Maxim he was an impressive 16-2 combined. Despite being a natural light-heavy he won the heavyweight title"
"Deontay Wilder Deontay Leshun Wilder (born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2015, and in doing so became the first American world heavyweight champion in nine years, which was the longest period of time in boxing history without an American heavyweight champion. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 2008 Olympics. This led to his nickname of ""The Bronze Bomber"", which Wilder coined after Joe Louis, who was known by the nickname of ""The Brown Bomber"". Wilder is particularly known for his formidable"
"Randall ""Tex"" Cobb Randall Craig ""Tex"" Cobb (born May 7, 1950) is an American former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Widely considered to possess one of the greatest chins of all time, Cobb was a brawler who also packed considerable punching power. He began his fighting career in full contact kickboxing in 1975 before making the jump to professional boxing two years later. He challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title in November 1982, losing a one-sided unanimous decision. Cobb took wins over notable heavyweights of his era such as Bernardo Mercado, Earnie Shavers, and Leon"
"István Kovács (boxer) István Kovács (born August 17, 1970), nicknamed Ko-Ko or sometimes The Cobra is a Hungarian retired world champion boxer. As an amateur he won the bantamweight gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, and was a world champion at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships in flyweight and at the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships in featherweight. As a professional he was a world champion, holding the WBO featherweight belt in 2001. Kovács was born in Budapest and began his sports career as a football player, training among others in the youth team of MTK Budapest. He"
"Bakhtov, Johnathon Banks, Torsten May, Tye Fields, Sinan Şamil Sam, Grigory Drozd, and James Toney. Saúl Montana Saúl ""La Cobra"" Montana (born November 23, 1970 in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico) is a retired professional boxer. Montana is the former Mexican National Champion at Light heavyweight, IBA, NABA, WBC Mundo Hispano, WBC Continental Americas Champion at Cruiserweight, NBA, and Mexican National Champion at Heavyweight. Montana turned pro in 1988 and won the Mexican Light heavyweight Championship by knocking out an undefeated Isaias Lucero es negro(21-0). In November 1993, Saul lost a shot at WBA Light heavyweight Champion, Virgil Hill in 1993. The"
"Cleveland Williams Cleveland ""Big Cat"" Williams (June 6, 1933 – September 3, 1999) was an American heavyweight boxer who fought in the 1950s through the 1970s. A ""Ring Magazine"" poll once rated him as one of the finest boxers never to win a title. He made an imposing figure, tall with an impressive athletic broad shouldered build. Williams turned professional in 1951 and fought many of the best heavyweights of his era. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the 6 ft 3 in Williams was a top-rated heavyweight. His quest to obtain a title fight, however, was consistently derailed."
"Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist. Nicknamed ""The Greatest"", he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest boxers of all time. He was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, then turned professional later"
"Mike Rossman Mike Rossman (born Michael Albert DePiano on July 1, 1955) is an American former professional boxer who was the WBA light heavyweight champion of the world. He is of Jewish–Italian origin, which led to his monikers ""The Kosher Butcher"" and ""The Jewish Bomber"". Rossman was born in Turnersville, New Jersey as Michael Albert DePiano. Rossman is his mother's maiden name, which he uses rather than that of his father. Rossman's father was Italian, and his mother Jewish. He is Jewish, and boxed with a Star of David on his shorts. He began boxing at 14 and turned pro"
"George Takano George Takano(ジョージ高野) (born June 23, 1958) is a Japanese retired professional wrestler who was billed from Uganda under the alias The Cobra, a masked wrestler persona. He worked for various Japanese and American wrestling promotions from the late 1970s to early 1990s. He is the older brother of Shunji Takano. Takano debuted in 1977 and worked for Stampede Wrestling, winning its British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Championship in September 1983. A mere two months later, he defeated Davey Boy Smith for the vacated NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Still working under the ringname The Cobra, Takano performed in the World"
"Celestino Caballero. Seminole Warriors Boxing Seminole Warriors Boxing, usually shortened to ""Warriors Boxing"" is one of the USA's leading boxing promoters. Launched in 2003 and based in Hollywood, Florida, the company amassed veterans like Oliver McCall, Lance Whitaker, and prospects like Danny O'Connor, Roman Greenberg, Wilmer Vasquez, Carl Davis Drummond and Jonathan González. O'Neil Bell briefly held the undisputed cruiserweight title. Sultan Ibragimov, Glen Jonhson and Celestino Caballero have also managed to win a world title. Vadim Tokarev and Krzysztof Włodarczyk are also Cruiserweights. In the mid to lower weightclasses the company promotes Glen Johnson, Edison Miranda, Sechew Powell Khabib"
"World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a first-class inductee in 1990. Harry Greb Edward Henry Greb (June 6, 1894 – October 22, 1926) was an American professional boxer. Nicknamed ""The Pittsburgh Windmill"", he was the American light heavyweight champion from 1922 to 1923 and world middleweight champion from 1923 to 1926. He fought a recorded 298 times in his 13 year-career, which began at around 140 pounds. He fought against the best opposition the talent-rich 1910s and 20s could provide him, frequently squaring off against light heavyweights and even heavyweights. Greb"
"Mark Coleman Mark Daniel ""The Hammer"" Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is a retired American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, former NCAA collegiate wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler. Known as The Hammer, he was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride Fighting Championships 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix champion. At UFC 82 Coleman was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. At the age of retirement he was taking 150,000 USD salary per year. Coleman is credited with proving the ability of wrestlers to dominate in the developing sport of"
"James J. Corbett James John Corbett (September 1, 1866 – February 18, 1933) was an American professional boxer and a World Heavyweight Champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. Despite a career spanning only 20 bouts, Corbett faced the best competition his era had to offer; squaring off with a total of 9 fighters who would later be enshrined alongside him in the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 1854, Jim's father, Patrick Corbett, had emigrated from Ballycusheen, Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland to the US. James Corbett returned to Ballinrobe in 1894, and among"
"Young Corbett III Ralph Giordano (born Raffaele Giordano, May 27, 1905 – July 15, 1993), better known as Young Corbett III, was an Italian-born American boxer. He was the World Welterweight Champion in 1933 and the NYSAC Middleweight champion in 1938. A tough southpaw, he did not have strong punching power but was known for his great speed and determination. Corbett is considered one of the greatest southpaws of all time and one of the all-time great counterpunchers. He was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1959, the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1982,"
"Happy Humphrey William Joseph Cobb (July 16, 1926 – March 14, 1989), best known by his ring and screen names of Happy Humphrey, Happy Farmer Humphrey, and ""Squasher"" Humphrey, was an American professional wrestler and the heaviest professional wrestler of all time. His most active period was in the 1950s and 1960s when he billed himself as ""the world's largest wrestler"". Humphrey averaged during his career. Several times, he weighed in at over , and on one occasion he weighed over Cobb was born on July 16, 1926, the son of Ralph Ernest Cobb (1894–1972) and Etta Dover (1894–1967). He"
"His younger son Joshua pursued a short career as a boxer. Randall ""Tex"" Cobb Randall Craig ""Tex"" Cobb (born May 7, 1950) is an American former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division. Widely considered to possess one of the greatest chins of all time, Cobb was a brawler who also packed considerable punching power. He began his fighting career in full contact kickboxing in 1975 before making the jump to professional boxing two years later. He challenged Larry Holmes for the WBC heavyweight title in November 1982, losing a one-sided unanimous decision. Cobb took wins over notable heavyweights"
"and physique. On February 8, 1966, Williams got a standing ovation from Houston fans as he returned to the ring, and knocked out Ben Black in the first round. In 1999, Cleveland Williams was tragically killed in a hit and run accident. Cleveland Williams Cleveland ""Big Cat"" Williams (June 6, 1933 – September 3, 1999) was an American heavyweight boxer who fought in the 1950s through the 1970s. A ""Ring Magazine"" poll once rated him as one of the finest boxers never to win a title. He made an imposing figure, tall with an impressive athletic broad shouldered build. Williams"
"Ken Norton Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981, and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. He is best known for his trilogy with Muhammad Ali, in which Norton won the first fight by split decision, and controversially lost the latter two fights by split and unanimous decision, respectively. Norton also fought a slugfest with Larry Holmes in 1978, narrowly losing a split decision. Having officially retired from boxing in 1981, Norton was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992. Norton"
"is also a professional boxer, and currently fights in the cruiserweight division. Deontay Wilder Deontay Leshun Wilder (born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2015, and in doing so became the first American world heavyweight champion in nine years, which was the longest period of time in boxing history without an American heavyweight champion. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 2008 Olympics. This led to his nickname of ""The Bronze Bomber"", which Wilder coined after Joe Louis, who was known by the"
"Alvin Lewis (boxer) Alvin Lewis, also known as Al Lewis, (born in Detroit, Michigan on 12 November 1942) was a United States professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division under the alias """"Al ""Blue"" Lewis"""". Lewis was a long-term sparring partner of Muhammad Ali and is mentioned in Ali's autobiography. He was well-known as a powerful gym adversary. He also sparred with, among others, George Foreman before the champion's match with Ken Norton. Lewis died in Flint, Michigan on 21 January 2018, aged 75. His death was not significantly publicized. Lewis was born in Detroit and, after a troubled"
"Ricky Steamboat Richard Henry Blood Sr. (born February 28, 1953), better known by his ring name Ricky ""The Dragon"" Steamboat, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In JCP and WCW, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a four-time United States Heavyweight Champion, a four-time World Television Champion, a twelve-time World Tag Team Champion (eight-time under the WCW banner, one-time (though unofficial) under the NWA banner, and three-time under the Mid-Atlantic banner),"
"Jack Johnson (boxer) John Arthur Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), nicknamed the Galveston Giant, was an American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). Among the period's most dominant champions, Johnson remains a boxing legend, with his 1910 fight against James J. Jeffries dubbed the ""fight of the century"". According to filmmaker Ken Burns, ""for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on Earth"". Transcending boxing, he became part of the culture and the history of"
"Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, and is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Nicknamed the ""Brown Bomber"", Louis' championship reign lasted 140 consecutive months, during which he participated in 26 championship fights. The 27th fight, against Ezzard Charles in 1950, was a challenge for Charles' heavyweight title and so is not included in Louis' reign. He was victorious in 25"
"of a heart attack in January 2015. He was 66. Cedric Kushner Cedric Kushner (July 18, 1948 – January 29, 2015) was a South African-born American boxing promoter and manager. In the late 1990s he was one of the most significant promoters in the sport. Boxers he promoted and/or managed included Hasim Rahman, Shannon Briggs, Oleg Maskaev, Chris Byrd, Corrie Sanders, Ike Ibeabuchi and David Tua. The highlight of Kushner's career came in 2001 when he matched Rahman against Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight championship in his native South Africa. Rahman won, but rather than signing with Kushner after the"
"Donald Cerrone Donald Anthony Cerrone (; born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his ring name Cowboy, is an American mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer and bull rider. He is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and competes in their welterweight division. On November 10, 2018, Cerrone surpassed Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping for the most wins in UFC history with 21, and surpassed Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort for the most finishes in UFC history with 15. As of December 12, 2018, he is the #13 ranked contender in the official UFC welterweight rankings. Cerrone"
"Branko Cikatić Branko ""The Croatian Tiger"" Cikatić (born October 3, 1954) is a Croatian former heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian-born fighter to achieve international success. He was the first K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. The tournament was held on April 30, 1993 in Japan. Cikatić began his martial arts training at the age of 12 when he took up Taekwondo, and later Shotokan Karate at 16. He eventually earned a black belt in both of these disciplines, as well as a blue belt in Judo. When he was 18 years old, he took up boxing before switching to kickboxing. He"