While records are set to be broken to allow new ones to be set, some boxing records have proved difficult to break.
Despite new favorable rules in boxing like the reduction of match rounds from 15 to 12/10 rounds, depending on the level of the championship, and some other measures brought in to safeguard the fighters, one might think that our new generation fighters will easily smash these records.
Yet, we are still locked with these boxing records without having the closest inkling when these records will be broken.
With the above in mind, let us look at some of the top records in boxing that have proved difficult to match by fighters.
The Toughest Boxing Records to Break
10. Bernard Hopkins Becoming the Oldest World Champion
When a young and hungry fighter sets a new record, we look in admiration, clap, and nod because that is expected of the fighter at that age. But when a fighter, considered to have passed his prime, enters the ring and sets a new record by winning a world championship belt, it becomes a hot topic. Isn’t it?
That is exactly what Bernard Hopkins did at the age of 50. If we go down through the records of athletes in the world, most of them are done at 37. Few manage to push to their early 40s. But for a fighter aged 50, to beat an active opponent on the high stage speaks volumes of a record that may never be broken.
Until this record is broken, it will always get a mention when top records in boxing are considered.
9. Wilfredo Gomez’s Longest KO Streaks
This record may be subject to debate. However, we picked Gomez due to the level at which he competed and the level of opponents he faces in amassing 32 straight KO victories.
Having kicked off his professional debut with a draw, no one believed that Wilfredo Gomez would go on to win most of his opponents by stoppage victory; talk more of doing that a record 32 times!
With the way Gomez fought, you’d know from the round one that he took on fights intending to annihilate them in the early rounds. He was as ferocious as a hungry hyena.
Despite suffering a heavy loss in the hands of Salvador Sanchez when he moved up to a higher weight class, Wilfredo Gomes would go on the KO his other opponents.
8. Wilfred Benitez Becoming the Youngest World Champion
Wilfred Benitez is a name that rings a bell in the country of Puerto Rico. At the age of 17, in 1976, he became the youngest boxer in history to bag a world boxing championship in the Light Welterweight division.
Records have it that he was still in high school when he made this history with some of his high school classmates cheering him on from the arena.
Many would expect this record to be broken since many boxers in the flyweight division start early to compete for world titles, but this has become elusive. So the record still stands.
7. Manny Pacquiao’s Record as the Only Octuple Champion.
The Philippine boxer popularly referred to as “Pacman” is a familiar name not just to boxing fans but also to any sports lover in the world.
A valid contender for the pound-for-pound king, Manny has made exploits in boxing. One of his many exploits came by holding the record as the first boxer to win world titles in eight different divisions. In other words, this feat is technically referred to as the Octuple champion.
Manny Pacquaio started his career as a flyweight in 1998. He continued making weight for higher divisions and kept on crushing opponents thrown at him. In 2010, fighting as a Super Welterweight against Antonio Margarito, many were concerned about the difference in the fighters’ size. Still, Manny pulled it off, thereby becoming the only Octuple champion in boxing history.
6: Muhammad Ali’s Three-time Undisputed Heavyweight Champion
Being an undisputed champion of the heavyweight division is something every heavyweight boxer in the world wants to achieve.
Many boxers got to that point of becoming the world undisputed heavyweight champion in their career. However, none of them was able to do that three different times like Muhammad Ali.
Ali is still widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all time. To create a record of the world undisputed heavyweight champion, Ali had to beat Sony Liston in 1964, George Foreman in 1974, and Leon Spinks in 1978.
Some boxers such as Evander Holyfield and Lenox Lewis all came close to that record, but they could not match it.
5. Jimmy Wilde’s Longest Unbeaten Streak Record
If we talk about a boxer with the longest unbeaten record without considering the fighters’ caliber, then Jimmy is the man.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, the man who was later nicknamed (The Mighty Atom) crushed every opponent presented before him in his division.
From the time he made his professional debut in 1910 to his first loss in 1915, Jimmy amassed an unbeaten run of 103 fights.
Although many still argue that this record is flawed because he didn’t fight outside the UK, we still think it’s a very impressive record, one that would prove difficult to beat.
4. Len Wickwar’s Most Bouts & Career Wins Record
Some inaccuracies have trailed Wickwar’s record due to the time he fought as a professional boxer.
However, when we look at the pool of data available and most especially, the data with Boxrec on Len’s career, we will be left with little or nothing to doubt about his boxing career.
Using newspaper archives as a source of data, Boxrec has revealed that between the years 1928 and 1947, Wicker accumulated a record of 339 wins in 467 professional fights. That’s impressive.
Given the number of bouts fighters are willing to take these days, with fight promotion that spans many months before an actual bout, it will be challenging for our modern-day boxers to accumulate that number of fights.
3. Archie Moore’s Most Knockouts in a Career
Apart from his record as the boxer with most career knockouts, Archie is also remembered for being the only boxer who fought Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali.
His record comes in on an impressive 183 bouts, with 131 coming by way of Knockout. He gathered this record while fighting from the Middleweight division through the Heavyweight class.
Aside from this record, what left many impressed was that despite Archie not being a natural heavyweight or light heavyweight, he still carried his knockout power as he made those weight classes. That is a rare quality. Many boxers tend to lose their KO power as they climb to more massive weight classes.
Since his retirement, Archie’s record has not been matched, and it is doubtful that any boxer will do that in years to come.
2. Eric Crumble’s Thirtyone Straight Losses By KO
Have you heard of that saying that “we live by the dictates of our name”? That is precisely what Eric Crumble did as a professional boxer. He did nothing in the ring other than crumbling.
However, unlike many garbage boxers who try as much as possible to cherry-pick mediocre boxers to record a win on their resume, Crumble couldn’t even withstand Donnie Penelton. The latter had 95 losses in his bad record.
Eric Crumble made a ridiculous record by fighting 32 times and losing 31 at a stretch by way of Knockout, with his last bout ruled as a no contest.
I am not sure this is a record anyone would wish to break any time in the future.
1. George Foreman Two Decades Between World Title Reigns
George Forman is a big name in the history of boxing. He is famous for his total obliteration of Joe Frazier to win the WBA, WBA, and the Lineal Heavyweight Championship of the world in 1973.
However, in the following year, to the surprise of millions watching all over the world, George Forman was defeated by Muhammed Ali in what could best be described as an upset of the era.
In 1997, the ‘Big George’ retired after getting smashed by the unknown Jimmy Young. Notwithstanding his long absence from the ring, George Foreman made a shocking comeback to the ring in 1987.
He fought top contenders like Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison. In 1994, George earned himself a title shot against the reigning IBF, WBA, and Lineal Heavyweight champion, Michael Moorer.
Being 45 years at the time, the odds were largely against Foreman. But in what gave many goosebumps, Foreman pulled off a show and KO’d Moorer, thereby becoming a world champion 21 years after his first reign.
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Conclusion
There you have our list of unbreakable boxing records. Endeavor to share your thoughts with us in the comment section.