Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will square off in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium in one of the most anticipated heavyweight clashes in recent history.
What has been a refreshing change ahead of the fight is the respect that the two boxers have shown each other.
Both have often been accused of being a bit boring but they let their fists do the talking for them, unlike plenty of other famous fighters of the past and present.
We’ve taken a look back at some of the most eccentric boxers of all time and, spoiler alert, Joshua and Klitschko won’t be included!
Chris Eubank Snr
Former middleweight and super-middleweight world champion Chris Eubank Snr was a fantastic boxer, one of the best that Britain have ever produced. However, despite being an amazing fighter, he was also known for his eccentricity. He was often pictured wearing a monocle and his interviews were quite often… well, interesting.
Muhammed Ali
The greatest boxer of all time and perhaps the greatest sports personality of all time too. Muhammed Ali was one of the most charismatic men to ever walk the Earth and nobody ever quite knew what he was going to say when he had a microphone in front of him!
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson, aka The Baddest Man on the Planet, was caught up in plenty of legal issues during his time as a fighter. He would often say anything he could to rile his opponents, such as when he told Lennox Lewis that he would eat his children!
Hector Camacho
Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho was a boxer from Puerto Rico known for his flamboyant style. Not only was he a three-weight world champion, he was also a professional singer!
Jorge Paez
Not only was Jorge Paez a featherweight world champion, he was also a circus performer! He was nicknamed El Maromero in honour of the somersault (referred to in Mexico as “maroma”) and he would often use his acrobatic skills in the ring.
Naseem Hamed
Prince Naseem Hamed was an unbelievably good fighter and a deserved world champion. However, he was also a massive character and would often dazzle the crowd with his unusual ring entrances. Amongst other things, he entered the ring on a flying carpet, a lift, and a palanquin, He also once re-enacted the video of Michael Jackson’s Thriller!
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson, quite remarkably, fought in 200 professional fights during his career, winning 173 of them. He was an amazing fighter but he was also quite the man outside of the ring too and is credited with being the originator of the modern sports entourage due to sheer number of people he had on his team.
David Haye
David Haye is a very clever man and he uses the media to his advantage. Whilst some fighters, like Joshua, will keep quiet before a fight, Haye likes to trash talk. He’s said some hugely controversial things in the build up to fights but more often than not, he’s backed his words up.
Ricardo Mayorga
Ricardo Mayorga is a Nicaraguan boxer and former MMA fighter. Branded ‘the craziest man in the sport’ by popular magazine The Ring, he is probably better known for his trash-talking and smoking and drinking habits than he is for his boxing ability, despite being a former two-weight world champion
Emanuel Augustus
Emanuel Augustus was a popular journeyman fighter known for his willingness to get in the ring with pretty much anybody, often at short notice. He was a tough fighter, but he was universally liked due to his odd behaviour in the ring, most notably his trademark string-puppet dance.