19 Yearbook Photos of Famous Boxers over the Decades

Written by Mariano Montagna on
Side-by-side black and white photos: on the left, a young boy holds a telephone receiver to his ear; on the right, a young man in a suit and tie looks off to the side.

Every legend has a humble beginning, and for boxing’s greatest, it often started in the classroom. Before they stepped into the ring and became legends, many of boxing’s greatest champions were just students posing for their yearbook photos. From awkward teenage smiles to confident young stares, these snapshots capture the fighters long before the bright lights, roaring crowds, and championship belts.

1. Oscar De La Hoya

A young male boxer with short dark hair and a light mustache smiles at the camera, wearing a black tank top and holding a white and blue boxing glove in front of him against a blue background.
ElonMuskHeir/reddit.com

2. Muhammad Ali

A vintage trading card features a young Cassius Clay, wearing a white tank top, with a green background. The card is labeled "23. Cassius Clay" at the bottom.
deleted/reddit.com

3. Mike Tyson

Black-and-white photo of a young boy smiling, wearing a shiny, zippered jacket, standing in front of a vertical wooden panel background.
Detroitaa/reddit.com

4. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

A young couple poses closely together in front of a decorative backdrop. The woman wears a black dress and earrings, while the man stands behind her in a white suit, both smiling softly at the camera.
@MartinAchard/via X

5. Sugar Ray Leonard

A young child smiles confidently at the camera, dressed in a black tuxedo with a bow tie and white ruffled shirt, holding up a fist in a celebratory gesture.
sugarrayleaonard/via facebook.com

6. Canelo Álvarez

A young boy with light skin and reddish-brown hair is looking slightly past the camera. He is wearing a floral-patterned shirt, and the image has a blurry, vintage quality.
BoxingBasement/via facebook.com

7. George Foreman

A young boy in a white shirt holds an old-fashioned telephone receiver to his ear, looking slightly to the side with a gentle expression. The photo is in black and white.
georgeforeman/via facebook.com

8. Evander Holyfield

A black and white portrait of a young, shirtless man with short hair, a mustache, and a neutral expression, looking directly at the camera.
Aspasia ahs-pah-SEE-ah/ via pinterest.com

9. Manny Pacquiao

A young man with short dark hair and a mustache stands shirtless, holding his fists up in a boxing stance in front of a plain, vertical-striped background.
anonymous/reddit.com

10. Joe Frazier

A black and white, worn and creased portrait photo of a young boy in a collared shirt. The text at the bottom reads "School Days 1955-57.
anonymous/reddit.com

11. Ezzard Charles

Black and white yearbook photo of a young man in a light-colored suit and tie, looking slightly to the side. He has short hair and a serious expression. Part of three other portraits are visible around him.
matador96/reddit.com

12. Julio César Chávez

A grainy black-and-white photo shows a young boy with short, dark hair looking directly at the camera. The image is blurry and has a textured, aged appearance.
jcchavez115/reddit.com

13. Carlos Monzón

A man with dark hair wearing a suit and striped tie sits and smiles slightly, looking at the camera. Other people in suits are partially visible in the background.
Wikimedia Commons

14. Timothy Bradley

A young man with a shaved head smiles at the camera, wearing a white shirt and black tie, in front of a blue background. The words "Poppel eBay" are overlaid on the image.
anonymous/reddit.com

15. Rocky Marciano

Black and white portrait of a young man with dark hair, wearing a suit and tie. The photo includes a handwritten signature at the bottom right corner.
@MartinAchard/via X

16. Joe Louis

Black and white portrait of a young man with short curly hair, serious expression, and bare shoulders. Text at the bottom reads, “Joe Louis, Heavyweight Champion of the World.”
Wikimedia Commons

17. Lennox Lewis

A young boy with medium-dark skin and an afro hairstyle smiles at the camera. He is wearing a plaid collared shirt and a light-colored sweater. The background is plain and softly blurred.
via pinterest.com

18. Andre Ward

A young child with a shaved head smiles at the camera, wearing a dark shirt against a blue and white mottled backdrop, typical of school portrait photos.
deleted/reddit.com

19. Anthony Joshua

A young boy with short hair smiles widely, showing a gap between his front teeth. He is wearing a blue shirt and is pictured against a plain white background.
anonymous/reddit.com
Author
Mariano Montagna

Mariano holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and is a Show Production graduate. He is deeply passionate about pop culture and creativity, and believes in the power of storytelling to shape ideas and inspire people to enjoy the otherwise occasionally mundane slog of a typical workday just a bit more, with entertaining content. Find Mariano over on IG at @marianmontagna.