These top 10 boxers of all time are chosen not only because of their household names but also because of their solid affirmation of their supremacy during the time of their reign as champions.
10. George Foreman
76 W, 5 L, 68 KO – born January 05, 1949. This fighter has always been haunted by his own ghost. After his triumphal rise to fame, his crashing defeat in the hands of Ali has left him devastated more on the spirit than on his physical side. He has named all five of his sons George because: “In this career, you have to prepare for long term brain damage.”
9. Sugar Ray Leonard
36 W, 3 L, 1 D, 25 KO – born May 17, 1956. He is an epitome of a scientific fighter and a genius on top of the ring. He can get into the minds of his opponent to inflict the most serious jabs to bring them to submission. One of the most memorable of all is the infamous “no mas” episode with Roberto Duran.
8. Marvin Hagler
62 W, 3 L, 2 D, 52 KO – born in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954. Because he felt that he did not receive enough credit for his accomplishments, Hagler legally changed his name to Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest middleweights of all time. Later in life he moved to Italy, where he made low budget movies.
7. Archie Moore
181 W, 24 L, 9 D, 1 NC, 145 KO – December 13, 1913 – December 9, 1998. If only for his impressive and superhuman career record, the Old mongoose could well have been the greatest. His fighting career spanned all four decades and has knocked out more fighters than any of the other great fighters in this top 10 list.
6. Roy Jones
49 W, 3 L, 38 KO – born January 16, 1969. His selection may raise not a few eyebrows as there are a lot of skeptics on the circumstances of his being propelled to championship status. Jones started his rap music career in 2001 with his successful album, titled Round One: The Album and the debut single, “You all Must’ve Forgot”.
5. Joe Louis
68 W, 3 L, 54 KO – Joseph Louis Barrow born May 13, 1914–April 12, 1981 nicknamed the Brown Bomber, he is considered to be one of the greatest in boxing history. Among his numerous victories Louis coined two of boxing’s most famous quotes: “He can run, but he can’t hide” and “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit.”
4. Julio Cesar Chavez
104 W, 5 L, 2 D, 80 KO – Julio Cesar Chavez was born on July 12, 1962 in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. He is the ultimate Mexican champion of all time. He began boxing as an amateur at the age of sixteen and had demolished practically all the top fighters during his time. He went on to fight for 13 years with a unblemished record.
3. Henry Armstrong
150 W, 21 L, 101 KO – Henry Jackson Jr., born December 12, 1912 was the only boxer to hold three world championships at the same time. These titles included the Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight crowns. He also defended the Welterweight championship more times than any other fighter.
2. Muhhamed Ali
56 W, 5 L, 37 KO – born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He had an unorthodox style for a heavyweight boxer relying on foot speed and quickness to avoid punches and carried his hands low. Muhammad will come down in boxing history as one of the greatest human being that has fought in the square canvas.
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
179 W, 19 L, 6 D, 2 NC, 109 KO – born Walker Smith Jr., May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989 made his professional debut on October 4, 1940. Sugar Ray Robinson is admittedly the hands down choice of top boxer of all time and to this date, no one comes close of surpassing or even equaling his achievement as a boxer.
