The Most Famous
BOXERS from Hungary
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Hungarian Boxers of all time. This list of famous Hungarian Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. László Papp (1926 - 2003)
With an HPI of 59.16, László Papp is the most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.
László Papp (25 March 1926 – 16 October 2003) was a Hungarian professional boxer from Budapest. He was left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, and the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia. In his final Olympic competition he became the first boxer in Olympic history to win three successive gold medals. He won 12 of his 13 Olympic fights without losing a round, dropping only one, in his last Olympic final, to American boxer José Torres. There was not another triple gold medalist for 20 years, when Cuba's Teófilo Stevenson won three, followed by another Cuban Félix Savón as the third of the three men to accomplish the feat.
2. Július Torma (1922 - 1991)
With an HPI of 47.79, Július Torma is the 2nd most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Július Torma (7 March 1922, Budapest – 23 October 1991, Prague) was an ethnic Slovakian boxer competing for Czechoslovakia. He won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1948 for Czechoslovakia in the category up to 67 kg. He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics (1948, 1952 and 1956). Torma defeated Hank Herring of the United States in the 1948 final. Torma also competed as a welterweight in 1952, losing in the quarterfinals; and in 1956, as a Middleweight. He was born in Budapest and died in Prague.
3. István Énekes (1911 - 1940)
With an HPI of 46.67, István Énekes is the 3rd most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
István Énekes (20 February 1911 – 2 January 1940) was a Hungarian boxer who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics.
4. Tibor Csík (1927 - 1976)
With an HPI of 42.67, Tibor Csík is the 4th most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Tibor Csík 2 September, 1927-22 June 1976(1976-06-22) (aged 48) was a bantamweight professional boxer from Hungary, who won the gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Jászberény into a poor family. He began boxing in featherweight and later changed to bantamweight. A two-time Hungarian champion from 1946 and 1948, his biggest success was the Olympic Games gold medal he won in London. Csik had an easy route to the semi-finals, as his first opponent was disqualified, and his quarter final opponent Jimmy Carruthers of Australia, was forced to withdraw due to an eye injury. In the final, Csik won a decision over Giovanni Zuddas of Italy, to win the gold medal. After his return to Hungary he was awarded the honorary citizenship of Jászberény. He actively participated in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, which eventually was struck down by the invading Soviet Army and Csík had to flee Hungary. He settled in Australia, where he died in 1976. He was buried in Sydney.
5. Antal Kocsis (1905 - 1994)
With an HPI of 42.51, Antal Kocsis is the 5th most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Antal Kocsis (17 November 1905 – 25 October 1994) was a Hungarian boxer who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics. In 1928 he won the gold medal in the flyweight class after winning the final against Armand Apell of France. He was born in Budapest-Kispest and died in Titusville, United States. His character plays a small but memorable role in Vilmos Kondor's 2012 novel Budapest Noir.
6. István Kovács (1970 - )
With an HPI of 34.17, István Kovács is the 6th most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
István Kovács (born August 17, 1970), nicknamed Ko-Ko or sometimes The Cobra, is a Hungarian retired world champion boxer. He is a Secretary General of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). 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. He was a world champion as a professional, winning the WBO featherweight title in 2001.
7. Zsolt Erdei (1974 - )
With an HPI of 33.86, Zsolt Erdei is the 7th most famous Hungarian Boxer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Zsolt Erdei (born 31 May 1974) is a Hungarian former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2014. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBO and lineal light-heavyweight titles from 2004 to 2009 (making eleven consecutive defences against ten different opponents), and the WBC cruiserweight title from 2009 to 2010. Erdei is the first boxer from Hungary to win world titles in two weight divisions. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2000 Olympics. He also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Pantheon has 7 people classified as boxers born between 1905 and 1974. Of these 7, 2 (28.57%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living boxers include István Kovács and Zsolt Erdei. The most famous deceased boxers include László Papp, Július Torma, and István Énekes. As of April 2022, 1 new boxers have been added to Pantheon including István Kovács.
Living Boxers
Go to all RankingsDeceased Boxers
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László Papp
1926 - 2003
HPI: 59.16
Július Torma
1922 - 1991
HPI: 47.79
István Énekes
1911 - 1940
HPI: 46.67
Tibor Csík
1927 - 1976
HPI: 42.67
Antal Kocsis
1905 - 1994
HPI: 42.51
Newly Added Boxers (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Boxers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Boxers since 1700.
