2. Muhammad Ali
3. Oscar De La Hoya
4. Manny Pacquiao
5. Sugar Ray Leonard
6. Evander Holyfield
7. Sugar Ray Robinson
8. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
9. Rocky Marciano
10. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
In chronological order:
1. John L. Sullivan
2. Jack Dempsey
3. Joe Louis
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Muhammad Ali
6. Roberto Duran
7. Sugar Ray Leonard
8. Mike Tyson
9. Oscar De La Hoya
10. Manny Pacquiao
The most famous boxing figure might be Rocky Balboa however, and he's not even a real boxer. How ironic is that now?
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Mike Tyson
3. Rocky Balboa (because the film franchise)
4. George Foreman (mostly because the grill;D)
5. Sugar Ray Robinson
6. The Klitschko Bros.
7. Evander Holyfield
8. Rocky Marciano
9. Joe Frazier
10. Sugar Ray Leonard
I'm basing my answer on the boxers that would first come to mind for someone who didn't know boxing, and therefore presumably the most well known and most popular.
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Mike Tyson
3. Joe Fraiser
4. George Foreman
5. Sugar Ray Robinson
6. Manny Pacquiao
7. Floyd Mayweather
8. Klitchko brothers
9. Evander Holyfield
10. Sugar Ray Leonard
1. Ali
2. Tyson
3. Sugar ray Leonard
4. Jack Johnson
5.George Foreman
6. Joe Louis
7. Sugar ray Robinson
8. Rocky Marciano
9. Manny pacquiao
10. Floyd Mayweather
Allot of people are mentioning boxers they know from recent eras but they ignore that in the past there were famous people that are forgotten today.
The heavyweights are the most intriguing, marketable and famous boxers ever [being famous and earning more money are 2 different things].
Sullivan made boxing mainstream but outside USA he wasn't very famous.
Globally famous; Jack Johnson, Dempsey [hype job], Joe Louis, Ali and Tyson These were men that were recognized anywhere and everywhere at their time.
The heavyweights bring the most fame, and usually when boxing is ''dead'' is when the heavyweight division is missing superstars and when lower weight classes bring the fame, but still not as much.
After Dempsey retired boxing was ''dead'' and men like Harry Greb were superstars.
After Joe Louis retired boxing was ''dead'' and people said Rocky Marciano was fighting in a weak era, thus Sugar Ray Robinson was the superstar.
After Ali boxing was ''dead'', this was when Larry Holmes was champion; Ray Leonard was the superstar.
Tyson was the last globally recognized champion. After Tysons prime, Oscar de la Hoya and Mayweather have been the superstars.
Remember, globally recognized champions are so famous that they fight abroad. Tyson first loss was in a fight held in Tokyo Japan, Ali fought everywhere, etc.
Mayweather is famous and a cash cow, but he is not globally famous. Many people stopped following boxing in this ''dead'' era. When was the last time Mayweather sold out a stadium in asia or europe?
1) Jack Dempsy
2) John L. Sullivan
3) Joe Louis
4) Sugar Ray Robinson
5) Sugar Ray Leonard
6) Muhammad Ali
7) Mike Tyson
8) Oscar DeLa Hoya
9) Floyd Mayweather
10) Evander Holyfield
Most popular not in order:
Ali
Frazier
Foreman
Tyson
Holyfield
Lennox lewis
Leonard
Hearns
Marciano
Dempsey
Also joe louis could make top 11.
Sugar Ray Leonard
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mike Tyson
Muhammed Ali
Sugar Ray Robinson
Manny Pacquiao
Those are off the top of my head
ali
tyson
de la hoya
hamed
robinson
leonard
mayweather jr
pacquaio
cotto
holyfield
Hmm, mike tyson and roy jones jr, are probably the most famous ones and the top 5
