A new year will often bring change and new ideas and new looks.
For anyone wrestling with the idea of adding some facial foliage in 2019, you could do a lot worse than take inspiration from any of the boxers listed on our rundown of the 10 greatest moustaches in boxing history.
Though not as prevalent as it used to be, the moustache revolution is these days being led by an Irish middleweight and appears to be on the brink of a resurgence.
1) John L. Sullivan
Sullivan’s moustache, somewhere between a gunslinger and a Hungarian, went out and up at the ends, and is nowadays replicated by hipsters – whose attempts, admittedly, aren’t quite so manly.
2) Alexis Arguello
Arguello’s iconic painter’s brush moustache settled neatly beneath his nose and was every bit as straight as his famous right hand.
3) Laszlo Papp
Papp’s classic pencil moustache was superbly groomed throughout the course of his seven-year professional career and he never lost a pro fight with it.
4) Gerrie Coetzee
South African heavyweight Coetzee became WBA world heavyweight champion in 1983 and did so with the help of a solid and reliable cowboy moustache.
5) Yori Boy Campas
This fan-friendly Mexican stood out from the rest due to his relentless, all-action style and a wonderfully thick chevron moustache.
6) Aaron Pryor
Pryor’s walrus moustache curved beautifully to suit the shape of his mouth and helped him win tash battles with Alexis Arguello in 1982 and ‘83.
7) Danny Lopez
Making the most of ravishing red hair, Lopez, the WBC featherweight champion, briefly dabbled with the horseshoe moustache but otherwise made do with the cowboy.
8) Ron Lyle
No-nonsense heavyweight contender Lyle might not have won the ultimate prize, that of a world heavyweight title, but few could match him in the moustache stakes. He worked between the Dallas and the horseshoe and both helped his intimidation factor.
9) John Conteh
A classy box-puncher who was quite the style icon in his day, Conteh alternated between the natural moustache, the pencil, and the painter’s brush, wearing each with aplomb.
10) Spike O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan’s handlebar moustache, perfectly curled at the edges, is the undisputed number one moustache in boxing today and finely represents the Irishman’s offbeat personality.
