8 Wrestlers With A Boxing Background

Wrestling is something that requires extraordinary physical qualities, strength, endurance, agility, technique, among other things. In this sense, it is not surprising that many wrestlers practiced other sports before getting involved in this business, some used to play football like The Rock, baseball like Randy Savage or mixed martial arts, like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey.

Likewise, some wrestlers used to be boxers before beginning their wrestling careers. Certainly, these combat skills made it easier for them to get into wrestling, but to be successful throwing punches is not enough. Some of them managed to adapt and have had decent wrestling careers, but others were not so lucky.

8 King Corbin

You probably already knew that King Corbin was a pretty talented football player, being part of the Indianapolis Colts and the Arizona Cardinals, but maybe you didn't know that he has a boxing background.

Corbin is a two-time Amateur Kansas-Missouri Golden Gloves regional champion, which means he had a lot of potential, but as time passed, he decided he didn't want to be a professional boxer. However, it is clear that Corbin still has a passion for fighting, otherwise, he would not be a wrestler.

7 Roddy Piper

On April 7, 1986, at WrestleMania II, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper faced Mr. T in a boxing match. Piper lost, but it's true that he did have a boxing background. In fact, he says he won the Golden Gloves championship.

Throughout his career, Roddy Piper proved to be a tough guy, as he resisted countless punches and kicks, he had an interesting arsenal of moves and, if you add his charisma and persona, he was one of the greatest of all time, hands down.

6 Isla Dawn

Wrestler Isla Dawn has a boxing and kickboxing background. Killian Dain saw talent in her and convinced her to venture into wrestling and it was Dain himself who trained her. The 27-year-old Scotswoman currently wrestles in NXT UK, her goals are to win the NXT UK Women's Championship and become the face of the brand.

But that's not all, Isla Dawn is thinking big and wants to follow in the footsteps of her compatriots Nikki Cross and Drew McIntyre and establish herself on the main roster of WWE.

5 Marc Mero

The Marvelous Marc Mero had a decent wrestling career, in his stint in WWE he was an Intercontinental champion, he had some interesting feuds and some very good matches. But before that, he played hockey, football, and was even an amateur boxer.

In the 80s Marc Mero won the New York Golden Gloves tournament for three years in a row, with an undefeated record after 15 bouts. His boxing career looked promising but unfortunately Mero suffered an injury days before his first professional fight and decided to retire from boxing.

4 Elijah Burke

Believe or not, Elijah Burke had an insane win/loss record of 103-1, with 102 knockouts, as amateur boxer. As you can see, he was truly amazing in the ring, but for some reason, his dream was not to be a professional boxer but to be a wrestler for WWE.

Burke worked very hard and he actually managed to wrestle for WWE between 2006 and 2008. Sadly, his dream did not last long, as he did not get opportunities and he had to go to other promotions such as Ohio Valley Wrestling and TNA.

3 Ludvig Borga

Finnish wrestler Ludvig Borga worked for WWE between 1993 and 1994, but he didn't do very well as he is one of the biggest busts in the promotion's history. He also worked at New Japan Pro Wrestling and Catch Wrestling Association, where he was World Heavyweight Champion for 371 days, but only defended the title once.

Tony Halme (Ludvig Borga’s real name) has a boxing background. For just over six years as a professional boxer, he won 13 fights and lost six, also he managed to obtain the Finnish Heavyweight Title.

2 Orlando Jordan

Remember when Orlando Jordan defeated John Cena to win the United States Title on SmackDown? Well, that was the greatest achievement of his professional wrestling career, despite some fans calling his 173-day reign absolutely ridiculous.

Before debuting as a wrestler in 2000, Orlando Jordan was also an amateur boxer, supposedly very talented and reputable in Florida, but he never wanted to be a professional boxer and ended up dedicating his life to sports entertainment. Unfortunately, he was never among the best in this business.

1 TJ Perkins

TJ Perkins has always been a boxing fan, in fact, he grew up admiring Manny Pacquiao, so when he was 18, he started training in boxing.

However, his love for wrestling caused him to quit boxing. Curiously, it was precisely wrestling that made him famous and allowed him to meet his idol Pacquiao, with whom he trained on a couple of occasions.

He has had a decent career, he has worked for several companies, including NJPW, ROH, TNA and WWE, where he won the Cruiserweight Championship in 2016. Currently, TJ Perkins wrestles for Impact Wrestling, where he has won the Impact X-Division Title twice.

NEXT: 8 Best TNA X Division Wrestlers That Never Went To WWE