3. Bob Foster (56-8-1, 46 KO)

Born: Dec. 15, 1938

 

Without doubt one of the greatest light heavyweight champions in history, Bob Foster was a dangerous puncher with either hand.  He so dominated the 175 lbs division that he sought greater challenges from heavyweights.

 

Foster turned pro in 1961 and faced his first major opponent the following year in his 10th pro fight.  He met perennial contender Doug Jones who by then was a ranking heavyweight.  The result was a second-round knockout and Foster's first loss.

 

In 1968, Foster challenged for the light heavyweight title and knocked out Dick Tiger in the fourth round at Madison Square Garden.  He proceeded to dominate the division until he retired in 1974.  Along the way he scored knockout victories over Frankie DePaula, Andy Kendall, Hal Carroll, Tommy Hicks, Vicente Rondon, Mike Quarry and Chris Finnegan.

 

Bob Foster lost eight fights, but not one of them was to a light-heavyweight.  At 175 lbs., his best weight, he went through his entire career unbeaten.  His competition was not exceptional, but he was.  It can be argued that Foster is the single hardest puncher that has ever boxed, and whilst his division was not resplendent with talent, it was resplendent with iron chins.  Didn’t matter.  Foster was one of those freaky punchers, the kind of guys who seem to carry dynamite that has been blessed by a voodoo priest to destroy the opposition.

 

Seemingly too upright and too slouched at the same time, Foster appeared as some terrifying prehistoric bird all legs and feathers, both fragile and deadly.  That fragility was exposed up at heavyweight where all of Foster’s losses occurred and where he failed to turn in a single top-class scalp despite repeated opportunities.   Nevertheless he did beat something in the region of twenty fighters weighing in over the light-heavyweight limit.  But it is that incredible unbeaten run at light-heavyweight that locks him up, a run that include some sixteen victorious title fights.  Losses to Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier can’t be seen to hurt him much, and although losses to the lesser lights of Doug Jones, Mauro Mina, Ernie Terrell and Zora Folley may have an air of disappointment about them, they all occurred before he hit his absolute stride, during which time only all-time great heavyweights found a way to lay him low.

 

Foster announced his retirement from the ring after Jorge Ahumada fought him to a controversial draw in 1974.  He returned to the ring, won five straight fights, but retired for good after suffering a knockout loss in 1978.