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Horrible: Prince Naseem Hamed knocked down tombstones on Halloween, but Mike Tyson was scary on his walk
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Horrible: Prince Naseem Hamed knocked down tombstones on Halloween, but Mike Tyson was scary on his walk

Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Bernard Hopkins and Tyson Fury are among the greatest in-ring performers of their eras, but they’ve also thrilled their way to the ring with some pretty dazzling entrances..

There are two rules on talkSPORT’s list of the best ring walks of all time. One: each fighter can only appear once. Rule Two: Apollo Creed’s George Washington-themed show before his show with Ivan Drago is sadly out of the question because ‘The King of Sting’ was – apparently – fictional (no, we don’t think so either).

Wild entries are good and bad. Deontay Wilder was probably tired before he even hit the ring in his elaborate suit that weighed 40 pounds for his fight with Tyson Fury.

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Wild entries are good and bad. Deontay Wilder was probably tired before he even hit the ring in his elaborate suit that weighed 40 pounds for his fight with Tyson Fury.Credit: MIkey Williams/Top Rank

Other than that, the rules are out of whack when it comes to counting the craziest ring entrances ever.

10. George Groves (vs. Carl Froch II), 2014

Before Antonio Joshua became the king of the grand entrance to the Wembley ring, ‘Saint George’ showed him the way by emerging for his rematch with Carl Froch in an open-top double-decker bus.

Accompanied by Kasabian’s ‘Underdog’, the Londoner strutted in front of 80,000 people on the upper deck as pyrotechnics swirled around him.

Unfortunately for Groves, ‘The Cobra’ gave him a painful return ticket through his right-handed mallet.

And he likes to remind fans when he can.

It was a spectacular entrance for Groves at Wembley

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It was a spectacular entrance for Groves at WembleyCredit: GETTY
Froch resolved the dispute with his KO in his second fight

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Froch resolved the dispute with his KO in his second fightCredit: Getty Images – Getty

9. Terence Crawford (vs. Errol Spence Jr.), 2023

Crawford claimed the undisputed world welterweight titles in July 2023 after dominant rival Errol Spence from start to finish.

Spence went down three times before the fight was stopped when the pair took to the ring in Las Vegas.

He was apparently already on the defensive after the ring walked after Crawford performed one of the The ‘biggest ever’ tickets.

Boxing fans were stunned when he emerged from the locker room alongside Eminem, who rapped his iconic song ‘Lose Yourself’.

The collaboration was organized just days before the fight and turned out to be one of the best the sport has seen.

The rapper was present in August 2024 as a special artist before Crawford’s victory over Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.

8. Bernard Hopkins (vs. Roy Jones Jr II), 2010

‘The Executioner’s’ campy ring entrances, complete with hood or mask and occasional axe-wielding henchmen, divided opinion.

Especially for his revenge with Roy Jones Jr.which also featured a 68-year-old deaf singer singing a cover of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ with lyrics especially tailored to the B-Hops career.

Once again: “But despite everything, when there were doubts, he went into the ring and knocked them out…”

Hopkins was certainly a legend, but as for Jones, widely considered one of the greatest of all time, James Toney was the best he faced.

7. Wladimir Klitschko (vs. David Haye), 2011

Klitschko’s ring entries in Germany were all large-scale theatrical productions.

But let’s choose Wlad’s epic vs. David Hayewho presented George Foreman as an exaggerated man and Wladimir walking through a simulated London, a fake boxing gym and a packed cinema before hitting the ring to the tune of ‘Can’t Stop’ by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Meanwhile, poor Haye was busy walking in the rain with his big toe wrapped in a plastic bag. He never had a chance.

You'd be in luck if you were in a Klitschko fight

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You’d be in luck if you were in a Klitschko fightCredit: Getty

6. Ricky Hatton (against Juan Lazcano), 2008

‘The Hitman’ didn’t need any extras to create a chilling entrance: just himself, a packed stadium in Manchester and ‘Blue Moon’ at full volume.

However, he added a dash of classic Hatton humor to his fight against Juan Lazcano when he came out in an inflatable fat suit, mocking ‘Ricky Fatton’s’ taunts about how he gained weight between fights.

Let’s assume that a bewildered Lazcano spent the entire inning wondering how Hatton had weighed 140 pounds just 24 hours earlier.

Hatton was and remains one of the most popular British boxers in history.

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Hatton was and remains one of the most popular British boxers in history.Credit: Getty

5. Tyson Fury (vs. Francis Ngannou), 2023

Awesome. This was the second time the ‘Gypsy King’ entered an arena with a crown on a throne.

After arriving for his second fight with Deontay Wilder In the same way, this time he did it in Saudi Arabia before facing Ngannou.

He was revealed to the crowd with a crown on his head, as a goosebump-inducing narration filled the stadium in the Middle East.

Then, ‘Pretty Woman’ began to play as she waltzed across the stage surrounded by fire and raucous cheers from the fans in attendance.

Fury went on to beat the 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 he has the chance to get revenge in December.

4. Floyd Mayweather (vs. Oscar De La Hoya), 2007

Mayweather launched his sassy and antagonistic ‘Dinero’ persona in the lead-up to his fight with Oscar De La Hoya and the ring entrance played a hilarious role in that.

Wearing a hat and a striking outfit featuring the Mexican flag, Mayweather boldly attacked the Mexican-American fans who were there to see their hero.

Accompanied by 50 Cent rapping to his (then) friend in the ring, 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 turn before his showdown with Michael Spinks.

Spinks’ manager Butch Lewis decided to play pre-fight mind games with Tyson by insisting that his hands be re-taped. It caused a long delay, but it ultimately backfired.

Those apparent mind games only seemed to agitate and inflame an already grumpy Tyson. It was said that it was making holes in his dressing room wall while he waited.

‘Iron Mike’ emerged angry, bare-chested, dead-eyed, and with no music but a sinister collection of metallic thumps and bangs.

It was soon Spinks’ turn to be beaten in the ring as the lineal heavyweight champion was pulverized in 91 seconds. Tyson’s ring entrance lasted longer.

Warning to Jake Paul: Don’t end up a man nicknamed ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ when you enter the ring with him.

Spinks was a dangerous heavyweight, but Tyson made easy work of him

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Spinks was a dangerous heavyweight, but Tyson made easy work of himCredit: Sports Illustrated – Getty

2. Chris Eubank (vs. Graciano Rocchigiani), 1994

Eubank, the creator of the chilling entrance, was at the box office before the fight with his elaborate strut to Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best’ and his leap over the top rope.

He has numerous contenders for this list (including showing up on a Harley Davidson for his first fight with Steve Collins), but a perfect example is tonight in Germany.

Eubank (tense muscles, imperious gaze, flared nostrils) absorbs the hatred of the crowd before his victory over Graciano Rocchigiani.

Simply fascinating.

1. Naseem Hamed (vs. Wayne McCulloch), 1998

Flying carpets, thrones, convertible Cadillacs: the leopard-skin trunked ‘Prince’ was the undisputed king of the flashy ring walk.

His masterpiece, however, was the tasteless classic in which he dances in a cemetery named after his former opponents (ouch!), pausing to knock over a tombstone, to the tune of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ on Halloween.

All completed with the front of the 5-foot-2-inch hitter flipping over the top rope. Prince Naz, we were not worthy.

Known to many as Prince Naseem, the legendary Brit entertained before, during and after fights.

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Known to many as Prince Naseem, the legendary Brit entertained before, during and after fights.Credit: Getty