Who are the Top Ranked Boxers of All-Time from Indiana?

For decades, boxing was considered among the pantheon of American sports. The history of boxing is one of the most unique and interesting of all the sports, featuring some of the toughest and most charismatic brawlers to ever grace a ring. Each state has its own native heroes, but Indiana boxing may have one of the most prolific backgrounds. Who are the best boxers to come out of the state of Indiana? Let’s get into the list of these prolific pugilists and you can find more information about Indiana’s sports scene here: https://www.youbet.com/states/indiana/ 

Indiana Boxing: Six of the Best

Indiana Boxing: Jack Dillon

Dillon came up at a time when being a boxer meant you had to be naturally tough. The Frankfort, IN native may have been somewhat diminutive at 5’7” but could fight anyone. After all, you don’t earn the nickname “Jack the Giant Killer” for nothing.

Dillon would claim the light heavyweight championship of the world, ultimately being named the #3 light heavyweight of all time by Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer and #2 overall by boxing promoter Charley Rose. Dillion became a member of the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1959 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Charles “Kid” McCoy

One of the more popular fighters around the turn of the century, McCoy is given credit for inventing the corkscrew punch. Though it cannot be verified, it is believed that the term “The Real McCoy” came from him as well because he would feign illness before bouts, leading reporters to ask, “Is this the real McCoy?”

McCoy’s biggest accomplishment came by winning the vacated middleweight title with a 15th round knockout of Dan Creedon in 1897. With 100 total fights to his record, McCoy is one of the most prolific boxers to ever come out of Indiana.

Marvin Johnson

A native of Indianapolis, Johnson came up through the ranks as a prolific amateur. He won the 1971 National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Championship, the 1971 North American Championship, and the 1972 Golden Gloves Middleweight Championship while also capturing a bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

After graduating to the pros, the southpaw amassed an impressive 43-6 record, winning 35 of those fights by knockout. Johnson would go on to become the first three-time winner of the WBA light heavyweight title, ultimately retiring after losing a re-match with Leslie Stewart.

Bud Taylor

The Blonde Terror of Terre Haute, Taylor became one of the featured names in the bantamweight division. Trained by Mark “the Flurry” Feider, Taylor made his debut at 16 years old, defeating Dave Templeton. He would amass more than 100 wins (116, to be exact), taking on all comers in 164 total fights.

Taylor held the NBA World Bantamweight Championship in 1927, was inducted into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame in 1986, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005. Taylor had legendary trilogies against Pancho Villa, Jimmy McLarnin, and Tony Canzoneri, the latter over the NBA bantamweight title.

Tony Zale

Born and raised in Gary, IN, Zale became known as the “Man of Steel”, partially because of Gary’s reputation as a steel town and mostly because he became known for taking serious punishment yet still finding a way to win most of the time. He was also a devastating body puncher, wearing opponents down before finishing them off.

His most notable bout came against Georgie Abrams in Madison Square Garden for the world middleweight championship, which Zale won. The two-time middleweight champion also had a three-bout feud with the legendary Rocky Graziano, some of the most brutal of all-time.

Tom Johnson

Tom “Boom Boom” Johnson, a native of Evansville, carved out an impressive career in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions. He turned professional in 1986, eventually earning an IBF featherweight title shot against Manuel Medina in 1991.

Though he lost the first bout, a split decision victory in the 1993 rematch saw him win the title. He would go on to defend the featherweight title an impressive 11 times before ultimately losing to Naseem Hamed. Johnson continued to fight, eventually retiring after a TKO loss to Jorge Paez in 2002.

Indiana Boxing: An Incredible Legacy

The above list is but a small sampling of the legendary fighters to come out of the Hoosier State. Though many are throwbacks to a time when boxers were tough as nails and could eat punches for days, they often used a knowledge of the sport to be better than their peers.

Though the current professional boxing landscape is a bit tenuous, there is no telling when the next great star from the Indiana boxing scene will emerge. Whoever that may be, they will have an uphill battle to catch several world champions and some of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the ring throughout their illustrious careers.