Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins and Tyson Fury are among the best in-ring performers of their eras – but they have also thrilled on their way to the squared circle with some quite dazzling entrances.
There’s two rules to talkSPORT’s list of greatest ring walks of all time. One: each fighter can only appear only once. Rule two: Apollo Creed’s George Washington-themed extravaganza before his exhibition with Ivan Drago is sadly ruled out because ‘The King of Sting’ was – apparently – fictional (no, we don’t believe it either).
Apart from that, the rules are out the window when it comes to counting down the craziest ring entrances ever seen.
10. George Groves (vs Carl Froch II), 2014
Before Anthony Joshua became king of the big Wembley ring entrance, ‘Saint George’ showed him the way by emerging for his rematch with Carl Froch on an open-top double-decker bus.
Accompanied by Kasabian’s ‘Underdog’, the Londoner strutted in front of 80,000 on the top deck as the pyro whirled around him.
Unfortunately for Groves, ‘The Cobra’ gave him a painful return ticket via his sledgehammer right-hand KO.
And he likes to remind fans when he can about it.
9. Terence Crawford (vs Errol Spence Jr.), 2023
Crawford claimed the undisputed welterweight world titles in July 2023 after dominating rival Errol Spence from start to finish.
Spence was dropped three times before the fight was stopped as the pair took to the ring in Las Vegas.
He was already seemingly on the back foot after the ring walks after Crawford pulled off one of the ‘greatest ever’ entrances.
Boxing fans were stunned as he emerged from the changing rooms alongside Eminem who rapped his iconic song ‘Lose Yourself’.
The collaboration was organised only days before the bout and it proved to be one of the best the sport has seen.
The rapper was on hand in August 2024 as a special performer ahead of Crawford’s win over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.
8. Bernard Hopkins (vs Roy Jones Jr II), 2010
The cheesy ring entrances of ‘The Executioner’, complete with hood or mask and occasionally axe-wielding henchmen, divided opinion.
None more so than for his rematch with Roy Jones Jr, which also featured a 68-year-old tone-deaf crooner belting out a version of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ with lyrics specially adapted to B-Hops’ career.
One more time: “But through it all, when there was doubt, he stepped in the ring, and knocked them out…”.
Hopkins was undoubtedly a legend, but as for Jones – widely regarded as one of the greatest ever – James Toney was the best he faced.
7. Wladimir Klitschko (vs David Haye), 2011
Klitschko ring entrances in Germany were all full-scale theatrical productions.
But let’s pick Wlad’s epic vs David Haye, which featured George Foreman as a hype man and Wladimir walking through a mocked-up London, a fake boxing gym and a packed cinema before he arrived in the ring to the strains of ‘Can’t Stop’ by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
All the while poor Haye was busy tramping around in the rain with his gammy toe wrapped in a plastic bag. He never stood a chance.
6. Ricky Hatton (vs Juan Lazcano), 2008
‘The Hitman’ needed no extras to create a spine-tingling entrance: just himself, a packed arena in Manchester and ‘Blue Moon’ blaring.
However, he added a dash of classic Hatton humour for his bout against Juan Lazcano when he came out in an inflatable fat suit, poking fun at the ‘Ricky Fatton’ jibes around how he blew up in weight between fights.
Let’s assume a baffled Lazcano spent the entire entrance wondering how Hatton had weighed in at 140lb just 24 hours earlier.
5. Tyson Fury (vs Francis Ngannou), 2023
Jaw-dropping. This was the second time the ‘Gypsy King’ had walked out into an arena donning a crown on a throne.
After arriving for his second bout with Deontay Wilder in the same fashion, this time he did so in Saudi Arabia before facing Ngannou.
He was revealed to the crowd with a crown on his head, as a goosebump-causing narration filled the stadium in the Middle East.
‘Pretty Woman’ then began playing as he waltzed around the stage surrounded by fire and raucous cheers from the attending fans.
Fury went on to beat former UFC star Ngannou in controversial circumstances before agreeing to fight Oleksandr Usyk in February 2024.
His unbeaten record came to an end then, but has the chance to exact revenge in December.
4. Floyd Mayweather (vs Oscar De La Hoya), 2007
Mayweather launched his brash, antagonistic ‘Money’ persona in the buildup to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya and the ring entrance hilariously played into that.
Wearing a sombrero and garish Mexican flag attire, Mayweather was on an audacious wind-up of the Mexican-American fans there to see their hero.
Accompanied by 50 Cent rapping his (then) amigo to ringside, the pair received a torrent of boos.
Exactly the reaction Mayweather wanted.
3. Mike Tyson (vs Michael Spinks), 1988
Tyson’s old-school ring walk – black shorts and boots, white towel, minimal fuss – was given an even more intimidating twist before his showdown with Michael Spinks.
Spinks’ manager Butch Lewis decided to play pre-fight mind games on Tyson by insisting that his hands be re-wrapped. It caused a lengthy delay, but ultimately backfired on him.
Those apparent mind games only seemed to agitate and fire-up an already bad-tempered Tyson. It was said he was punching holes in his dressing room wall as he waited.
‘Iron Mike’ emerged angry, bare-chested, dead-eyed and accompanied by no music but instead a sinister collection of metallic clanging and banging.
Soon it was Spinks’ turn to be banged about the ring as the lineal heavyweight champion was pulverised in 91 seconds. Tyson’s ring entrance lasted longer.
Warning to Jake Paul – don’t wind up a man nicknamed ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ when you step into the ring with him.
2. Chris Eubank (vs Graciano Rocchigiani), 1994
The originator of the spine-tingling entrance, Eubank was pre-fight box office with his elaborate strut to Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best’ and vault over the top rope.
He has numerous contenders for this list (including emerging on a Harley Davidson for his first fight with Steve Collins) but a perfect example is this night in Germany.
Eubank – muscles taut, stare imperious, nostrils flaring – soaks up the hate of the crowd before his victory over Graciano Rocchigiani.
Simply mesmerising.
1. Naseem Hamed (vs Wayne McCulloch), 1998
Flying carpets, thrones, convertible cadillacs: the leopard-skin trunked ‘Prince’ was the undisputed king of the gaudy ring walk.
His masterpiece, however, was the bad-taste classic of him dancing through a graveyard bearing the names of his former opponents (yikes), stopping to knock a gravestone over, to the tune of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ on Halloween.
All completed with the 5ft 2in power-puncher front flipping over the top rope. Prince Naz, we were not worthy.
