Skilled boxing has been around for the reason that nineteenth century, and since that point, numerous boxers have had such distinguishable careers inside the ring that they’ve transcended sports and turn into global superstars. One of the best of the very best in the case of prize-fighters shall be remembered without end, even when their fighting days were over a century ago.
Even to this present day, incredible boxers akin to Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and Tyson Fury are constructing their resumes and establishing themselves amongst the elites of all time in the case of boxing. In this text, though, we’re going to take a look at the best to ever do it. The highest 25 boxers ever were nearly unstoppable within the ring, and so they modified the game of boxing as we knew it.
This list is a pound-for-pound rating, meaning anyone from any weight class can appear. There are now 17 weight classes in skilled boxing, and while heavyweight is definitely essentially the most prestigious division, we aren’t going to discriminate against the lighter weight classes. Nevertheless, considering so many greats have fought at heavyweight, the best heavyweights ever definitely have incredibly impressive resumes that help their placement here.
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
It wasn’t easy picking who the best boxer of all time is, but Sugar Ray Robinson’s 174 wins are undeniable. Robinson won 94 straight boxing matches in the course of the height of his profession, and his championship reigns spanned 14 years.
Robinson was an ideal fighter. He had unmatched power however the speed to match. It led to relentless mixtures that left his opponents without a solution. Robinson has influenced generations of boxers to follow.
2. Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is one in every of the most important/most well-known/most respected/talented athletes in sports history, not only in boxing. Ali was such an enormous deal that he was arguably essentially the most superstar on the earth during his boxing profession, and there aren’t a whole lot of athletes throughout history who would even be in a discussion like that.
He was such a worldwide phenomenon for a wide range of reasons, but his skills within the boxing ring were definitely amongst them. In actual fact, there are those on the market who rank Ali as the best athlete ever no matter what sport they competed in, which makes his placement here because the second-greatest boxer ever painful for us.
Ali’s head movement, footwork, speed, and conditioning made him a defensive genius. He’d wear out his opponents by making them appear like child’s play before he’d capitalize and knock them out. This style is remembered by Ali’s famous quote, “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Ali’s impact on society and success within the ring will likely never be matched.
3. Henry Armstrong
Henry Armstrong was the simultaneous undisputed champion in three different weight classes, which is unheard of, and he did it at a time when there have been only eight weight classes. Meaning nearly half of the boxers on the earth needed to attempt to challenge Armstrong to turn into champion, and none of them had much of a probability.
While running through the featherweight, lightweight, and middleweight divisions, Armstrong racked up 149 wins. Reports suggest that Armstrong could have even won a championship in a fourth division, but he was robbed in a hard and fast fight.
Armstrong can be accountable for arguably the very best single yr/season in sports history, and that features every part outside of boxing. In 1937 alone, Armstrong went 27-0 and knocked out 26 of those opponents. That may be a record that many boxers would like to have in the higher chunk of their entire careers, let along in a single yr.
4. Joe Louis
Joe Louis’ resume within the heavyweight division is impressive. He has more title wins (27) in essentially the most prestigious division in boxing than anyone else. Fifty-two of Louis’ 66 wins got here via knockout because he could do all of it as a puncher. He had incredible hand speed, immense punching power, and immaculate timing.
Louis dominated during a very important time in world history, too. His victory in a revenge bout against Germany’s Max Schmeling got here in 1938, and it embodied the broader political conflicts of the time.
The longest-reigning Heavyweight Champion ever knocked out each of the five champions who held the title before him. The Brown Bomber reigned supreme as the very best fighter in the very best division for nearly 12 years, and that qualifies him as among the best pound-for-pound boxers ever.
A top-five rating for Floyd Mayweather is higher than most publications will rank him, but we predict the fighter nicknamed “Money” has been underrated due to the era wherein he boxed in. That’s an unfair critique, though, as twenty first century boxers are only faster, stronger, and higher athletes than they were back within the day.
Moreover, boxing purists have criticized Mayweather for hand picking his opponents to make sure an ideal record, however the five-division world champion does have loads of impressive wins to his name. Mayweather bested Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez, who were all amongst the very best of his era.
Mayweather’s bout against Pacquiao, particularly, generated more cash than another fight in combat sports history. He even beat one in every of the best MMA fighters ever in Conor McGregor. That fight only trailed the Pacquiao match for highest-generating fights ever, and it revolutionized boxing by paving the best way for more crossover bouts in the longer term.
At the top of the day, Mayweather has an ideal 50-0 record, and that’s arguably essentially the most impressive feat in boxing history. No boxer ever has more wins with out a loss. His Philly Shell/shoulder roll defense was next to inconceivable to penetrate, and he used his defensive prowess to land impressive counter mixtures. Mayweather wasn’t the very best knockout expert we have ever seen, but he didn’t need to be because no one could touch him.
6. Roberto Duran
Roberto Duran combined each an awesome prime and incredible longevity. He ruled supreme within the ’70s when he racked up 54 wins in 55 fights as among the best lightweights ever. Overall, in his profession that lasted until the twenty first century, Duran went 103-16, and his late-career revival saw him find success in several divisions.
Nicknamed “El Cholo” and “Hands of Steel,” Duran collected 70 TKOs/KOs in his profession. His most iconic win got here over Sugar Ray Leonard, a boxer only a couple of spots below Duran in these rankings. Duran’s victory handed Leonard is first profession defeat.
7. Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano’s reign at the highest wasn’t long, but he had an ideal profession, and he retired on top. The Heavyweight Champion called it quits after his forty ninth straight win (with none losses) while still holding the championship belt. Marciano could take a punch higher than anyone, and he had an unmatched will to win.
Those things led to gritty wins over the likes of fellow top 25 boxers akin to Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles (twice), and Joe Louis, the latter of whom suffered his first knockout loss in 25 years by the hands of Marciano and resulted in his retirement. The Brockton Blockbuster’s knockout of Jersey Joe Walcott was among the best knockouts in boxing history.
Marciano did not have the God-given traits that normally make a champion. His knockout power wasn’t as great as other heavyweights, and he had very short arms for the division. Marciano did what it took to win, though, and that made him respected amongst his peers and loved by his fans.
8. Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson is one of the vital necessary athletes in American sports history, whatever the sport. As an African American, Johnson was denied a probability at championship glory for years in the course of the height of the Jim Crow era. The Galveston Giant’s dominance was an excessive amount of to overlook, though, so he was finally awarded a title shot against Tommy Burns.
Johnson easily defeated the defending champion, and he’d go on to carry the title for years. Johnson fought in an era without round limits, so it took him 26 rounds to finally be defeated seven years after he was crowned champion.
Johnson helped break the colour barrier in boxing. He beat the very best black boxers before white boxers would take him on, and he beat the very best white boxers when he was champion. That included handing Jim Jeffries his only profession loss.
9. Sugar Ray Leonard
The second Sugar Ray on this list is Sugar Ray Leonard. After winning Olympic gold, Leonard was burdened with being the face of boxing after Muhammad Ali, and he greater than lived as much as the duty. Considering that, on the time, Olympic boxers were amateurs, Leonard was fighting in massive bouts from a young age.
He completed quite a bit, including world titles in five weight classes, before his profession was halted due to a watch injury. Nevertheless, Leonard found success even after coming back from retirement. Post-injury, he collected wins against Marvin Hagler (although controversial) and Roberto Duran, the latter of which concluded Leonard because the winner of a trilogy of fights.
Leonard was a master of finesse, but he combined that with great strategy and impressive athleticism. If Leonard’s prime had not been cut short, he may need ended up even higher on this list. Regardless, he fought in big matches throughout his entire profession, and he almost all the time walked away with a victory.
10. Harry Greb
Harry Greb’s resume is vast. He had 56 bouts against either world champions or Hall of Famers. This often included wins against heavyweights despite being a natural middleweight. Greb’s resume includes wins over Mickey Walker, Gene Tunney, and Tommy Loughran. Greb’s fighting style wasn’t all the time pretty, but it surely was effective. Greb did what it took to win, and he did so 105 times.
Mike Tyson is essentially the most famous boxer since Muhammad Ali. His ferocity and intimidation factor won him a whole lot of fights before the primary bell even rang, and his unmatched power led to him transcending the game and becoming a world superstar/celebrity.
Iron Mike was the youngest boxer to win the Heavyweight Champion, as he completed that feat freshly after turning 20 years old. He was directly accountable for revitalizing boxing and bringing it right into a recent golden era.
There have been some lowlights that prevented Tyson from becoming the boxing GOAT, like some thought he could turn into. Notably, nobody will forget when Tyson bit off the ear of Evander Holyfield. He also missed a great chunk of his prime due to a jail sentence. Still, in the event you were to ask essentially the most casual of boxing fans, and even non-boxing fans, who the primary boxer that involves their mind is, there’s a great probability they’d respond with Mike Tyson.
12. Willie Pep
Willie Pep saw boxing motion in 1,956 rounds. He won 229 total matches in his profession, and he only suffered 11 losses during that point. Will O’ The Wisp even only had one loss in his first 136 fights. Pep was a master on the defensive side of boxing. Pep was incredible at dodging punches, and it took a plane crash injury to sap him of a few of his specialness.
Pep was fleet of foot, he had incredible head movement, and he was super fast. Reports indicate that Pep once won a round without landing a punch, because his defense was that jaw-dropping. Pep’s rivalry with Sandy Saddler was also among the best in boxing history.
13. Sam Langford
Sam Langford was a pure fighter. He fought in every division from lightweight to heavyweight, and he won 179 bouts in the method. Langford is the very best non-champion ever, and he only never won a belt due to the racial prejudices on the time. Langford’s 129 profession knockouts are the second most ever, and he found that success against elite champions. Langford had 57 fights against Hall of Famers or champions.
14. Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao is the second-best boxer of the twenty first century, only trailing Floyd Mayweather, who he boxed (and lost to) in the most important event in combat sports history. Unfortunately, that match didn’t occur until after Pacquiao’s prime. In his prime, though, he was unstoppable, no matter what weight he was fighting at. Pacquiao became world champion in a record eight different divisions, and he competed at a high level in 10.
15. Julio Cesar Chavez
Quite a lot of boxers make their money going for knockout punches, but Julio Cesar Chavez was a master of the body attack. Mike Tyson was the most important name in boxing after Muhammad Ali, and it was Cesar Chavez who succeeded him on pound-for-pound lists. He began his profession 87-0, and he retired with 108 wins and only six losses. This got here in a time long after boxers were fighting that regularly.
Cesar Chavez perfectly embodied the Mexican fighting spirit. His left hook was one of the vital brutal moves we have ever seen inside the ring.
16. Roy Jones Jr.
There may be an enormous difference in weight, strength, and power from middleweights to heavyweights. That’s the reason Jones Jr.’s accession from Middleweight Champion to Heavyweight Champion is so impressive. Before Jones Jr., that feat hadn’t been completed in 106 years. Jones Jr. even won Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Championships in between.
Jones Jr.’s prime was within the ’90s and early 2000s, but we have seen him stay energetic since. Jones fought former UFC champion Anthony Pettis as recently as 2023. Captain Hook won 49 of his first 50 fights before father time began to catch as much as him.
17. Marvelous Marvin Hagler
With a nickname like Marvelous, you might have to be good. Marvin Hagler was a southpaw and one in every of the 4 kings of boxing within the ’80s. Hagler didn’t lose within the ’80s until his retirement bout against Sugar Ray Leonard.
18. George Foreman
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George Foreman is arguably the toughest hitter in boxing history. Thirty-eight of his first 40 wins were via knockout, and he ended his profession with an 84% knockout rate.
Foreman had a boxing record of 76-5. His only knockout loss got here to Muhammad Ali in 1974, and he lost to Evander Holyfield nearly 20 years later in 1991. Every little thing in between, before, and after, often led to a dominant Foreman victory, though. Foreman was a mountain of a person with scary power. He put fear within the eyes of his opponents, and he did it for a very long time.
Foreman became the Heavyweight Champion lower than 4 years into his profession, and at age 45, he became the oldest Heavyweight Champion ever. Before his return within the late ’80s, he was on a 10-year hiatus. While it’s impressive that Foreman returned to form while past what was speculated to be his prime, it also makes you wonder how high he could have ranked on this list had he never left the game in the primary place.
Although he was on the losing end of “The Rumble within the Jungle,” Foreman nearly defeated Ali in what’s arguably the most important boxing bout in history. It took a come-from-behind knockout victory for Ali to best Foreman.
19. Benny Leonard
High IQ, great technique, and unmatched speed made Benny Leonard a troublesome matchup for whoever he faced. Someway, he combined those skills with knockout power that put his opponents down in 70 of his 90 wins. Leonard was the longest-reigning Lightweight Champion ever.
20. Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey helped turn boxing around from only a sport to a legitimate business. He was the primary boxer ever to gate over $1,000,000 due to his entertaining style. Fans knew after they watched Dempsey that they were in for a show that would definitely end together with his opponent hitting the canvas. Dempsey’s victory over Jess Willard was one of the vital dominant championship bouts ever, as were most of Dempsey’s fights. He often ended matches in the primary round via knockout.
21. Archie Moore
Archie Moore is boxing’s knockout king. Only Billy Bird knocked out more opponents, but it surely took him 356 skilled bouts to rack up 139 TKOs/KOs. Meanwhile, Moore knocked out 132 of his opponents in 22o matches. It took too long for Moore to get a title shot, as he wasn’t afforded that chance until he was 39 years old.
Even so, would go on to carry a championship belt into his age-48 yr of fighting. The Ol’ Mongoose was among the best boxers for 30 years. He fought Ezzard Charles (thrice) within the ’40s, Rocky Marciano within the ’50s, and Muhammad Ali (who was still often called Cassius Clay) within the ’60s. Unfortunately, other legendary fighters were his kryptonite, as he lost all of those fights. The shortage of success at the best levels is what prevents Moore from rating higher on this list of all-time boxers.
22. Ezzard Charles
Ezzard Charles, nicknamed the Concainti Cobra, had numerous impressive victories over his profession at each light heavyweight and heavyweight, the previous of which he was arguably the very best boxer ever at. Charles had wins over Archie Moore, Jimmy Bivins, and Jersey Joe Walcott. His best victory, though, was a win over Joe Louis. Charles even lasted longer than anyone else (15 rounds) with Rocky Marciano.
23. Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier was the primary boxer to ever best Muhammad Ali. Their first fight, titled “The Fight of the Century,” was arguably essentially the most anticipated boxing bout of all time, even to this present day. It was a left hook that put Ali on his back in that fight, but Ali wasn’t the one boxer to fall victim to that punch. Frazier’s signature left hook was among the best punches in boxing history.
Smokin’ Joe eventually lost twice to Ali, and he lost twice to George Foreman as well, but those 4 losses got here near the top of his profession, and nobody else ever bested him.
24. Evander Holyfield
Mike Tyson and George Foreman are widely thought to be the 2 scariest boxers ever. Evander Holyfield beat each of them, the previous of which he bested twice. The later of those Tyson fights, in fact, got here after Tyson was disqualified for biting a component of Holyfield’s ear off. The incident went down as one of the vital infamous times in boxing history. It also displayed Holyfield’s poise, as his commanding performance over Tyson is what made the challenger disgruntled.
There was quite a bit more to Holyfield than simply memorable wins over Tyson, though. He’s the one four-time Heavyweight Champion ever, and he even had success before his heavyweight run. Holyfield was also champion at cruiserweight. He was the one undisputed champion in two divisions within the three-belt era until Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue completed that feat many years later.
25. Lennox Lewis
We just talked about Holyfield beating each Mike Tyson and George Foreman, but Lennox Lewis beat each Tyson and Holyfield. He knocked out 32 of his opponents in his 44 wins, and he only lost twice along the best way. The tip of Lewis’ profession saw wins, so as, against Holyfield, Michael Grant, Francois Botha, David Tua, Hasim Rahman, Tyson, and Vitali Klitschko, which is a reasonably impressive option to exit.
