The Most Famous
BOXERS from Germany
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary German Boxers of all time. This list of famous German Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of German Boxers.
1. Max Schmeling (1905 - 2005)
With an HPI of 63.06, Max Schmeling is the most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages on wikipedia.
Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (German pronunciation: [maks ˈʃmeːlɪŋ], ; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cultural events because of their national associations. Schmeling is the only boxer to win the world heavyweight championship on a foul. Starting his professional career in 1924, Schmeling went to the United States in 1928 and, after a ninth-round technical knockout of Johnny Risko, became a sensation. He became the first to win the heavyweight championship (at that time vacant) by disqualification in 1930, after opponent Jack Sharkey knocked him down with a low blow in the fourth round. Schmeling retained his crown successfully in 1931 by a technical knockout victory over Young Stribling. A rematch in 1932 with Sharkey saw the American gaining the title from Schmeling by a controversial fifteen-round split decision. In 1933, Schmeling lost to Max Baer by a tenth-round technical knockout. The loss left people believing that Schmeling was past his prime. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party took over control in Germany, but Schmeling never joined the Party. The same year, he married Czech film actress Anny Ondra. In 1936, in their first fight, Schmeling knocked out American rising star Joe Louis, placing him as the number one contender for Jim Braddock's title, but Louis got the fight and knocked Braddock out to win the championship in 1937. Schmeling finally got a chance to regain his title in 1938 in the rematch, but Louis won by technical knockout in the first round. During World War II, Schmeling served with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) as a paratrooper (Fallschirmjäger). After the war, Schmeling mounted a comeback, but retired permanently in 1948. After retiring from boxing, Schmeling worked for The Coca-Cola Company. Schmeling became friends with Louis, and their friendship lasted until the latter's death in 1981. Schmeling died in 2005 aged 99, a sporting hero in his native Germany. Long after the Second World War, it was revealed that Schmeling had risked his life to save the lives of two Jewish children in 1938. At the age of 99, Schmeling was the longest living heavyweight boxing champion in history. In 2003, Schmeling was ranked 55 on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.
2. Herbert Runge (1913 - 1986)
With an HPI of 48.38, Herbert Runge is the 2nd most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Herbert Runge (23 January 1913 – 11 March 1986) was a German heavyweight boxer. He won the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He was born in Elberfeld, which later became part of Wuppertal, where he died as well.
3. Edgar Basel (1930 - 1977)
With an HPI of 45.66, Edgar Basel is the 3rd most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Edgar Basel (1 November 1930 in Mannheim — 7 September 1977) was a boxer from Germany, who won the silver medal in the flyweight division (– 51 kg) at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
4. Wolfgang Behrendt (b. 1936)
With an HPI of 43.58, Wolfgang Behrendt is the 4th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Wolfgang Behrendt (born 14 June 1936) was a bantamweight amateur boxer from East Germany, won the gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics for the United Team of Germany. He subsequently became the first Olympic champion for East Germany. He was born in Berlin.
5. Manfred Wolke (1943 - 2024)
With an HPI of 43.54, Manfred Wolke is the 5th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Manfred Wolke (14 January 1943 – 29 May 2024) was a German welterweight boxer. He was a member of the Armeesportsklub Vorwärts Frankfurt an der Oder. Wolke, representing East Germany, was the Welterweight Olympic gold medalist at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Wolke defeated Joseph Bessala of Cameroon on a 4–1 decision in the final. In 1972 he was knocked out by Cuba's Emilio Correa and did not win a medal. After his boxing career ended, Wolke became a trainer, most notably working with 1990s Heavyweight contender Axel Schulz and Henry Maske, and later with Francesco Pianeta. Wolke died on 29 May 2024, at the age of 81.
6. Henry Maske (b. 1964)
With an HPI of 42.95, Henry Maske is the 6th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Henry Maske (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛnʁi ˈmaskə], ; born 6 January 1964) is a German former professional boxer and one of Germany's most popular sports figures. He held the IBF light heavyweight title from 1993 until 1996.
7. Sven Ottke (b. 1967)
With an HPI of 39.90, Sven Ottke is the 7th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Sven Ottke (born 3 June 1967) is a German former professional boxer who competed from 1997 to 2004. He was a unified super-middleweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 1998 to 2004, and the WBA (Unified) title from 2003 to 2004. With 21 successful title defences, Ottke was the fourth European boxer to retire as an undefeated world champion, after Jack McAuliffe, Terry Marsh, and Michael Loewe; Joe Calzaghe later became the fifth. Ottke defended the title against 20 boxers, a record in the super-middleweight division shared with Joe Calzaghe. As an amateur, Ottke won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 1989 World Championships.
8. Felix Sturm (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 38.83, Felix Sturm is the 8th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Adnan Ćatić (born 31 January 1979), known as Felix Sturm, is a Bosnian-German professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in two weight classes, at middleweight and super-middleweight. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2000 European Championships in the light-middleweight division.
9. Sinan Şamil Sam (1974 - 2015)
With an HPI of 38.37, Sinan Şamil Sam is the 9th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Sinan Şamil Sam (23 June 1974 – 30 October 2015) was a Turkish heavyweight professional boxer As a professional boxer, Sam won the EBU, WBC international and WBC Mediterranean titles in the heavyweight division. According to his former managers, Sam died after battling liver and kidney failure.
10. Oktay Urkal (b. 1970)
With an HPI of 35.61, Oktay Urkal is the 10th most famous German Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Oktay Urkal (born 15 January 1970) is a German former professional boxer. He is a former European super lightweight and welterweight champion, and a multiple time world title challenger.
People
Pantheon has 13 people classified as German boxers born between 1905 and 1993. Of these 13, 7 (53.85%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living German boxers include Henry Maske, Sven Ottke, and Felix Sturm. The most famous deceased German boxers include Max Schmeling, Herbert Runge, and Edgar Basel. As of April 2024, 5 new German boxers have been added to Pantheon including Edgar Basel, Manfred Wolke, and Sven Ottke.
Living German Boxers
Go to all Rankings
Henry Maske
1964 - Present
HPI: 42.95
Sven Ottke
1967 - Present
HPI: 39.90
Felix Sturm
1979 - Present
HPI: 38.83
Oktay Urkal
1970 - Present
HPI: 35.61
Torsten May
1969 - Present
HPI: 34.40
Nadine Apetz
1986 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Ornella Wahner
1993 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Deceased German Boxers
Go to all RankingsMax Schmeling
1905 - 2005
HPI: 63.06
Herbert Runge
1913 - 1986
HPI: 48.38
Edgar Basel
1930 - 1977
HPI: 45.66
Wolfgang Behrendt
1936 - Present
HPI: 43.58
Manfred Wolke
1943 - 2024
HPI: 43.54
Sinan Şamil Sam
1974 - 2015
HPI: 38.37
Newly Added German Boxers (2024)
Go to all RankingsEdgar Basel
1930 - 1977
HPI: 45.66
Manfred Wolke
1943 - 2024
HPI: 43.54
Sven Ottke
1967 - Present
HPI: 39.90
Nadine Apetz
1986 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Ornella Wahner
1993 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Overlapping Lives
Which Boxers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Boxers since 1700.
