The greatest boxer of all-time is always a hotly contested debate, and of course incredibly subjective. But if there’s one opinion you’ll certainly take on board, it’s that of Ring Magazine.
Cliff Rold, writer at the magazine recently compiled his list of the top 10 boxers of the last 100 years in line with Ring rankings and it made for interesting reading, and perhaps a few surprise rankings.
So, without further ado, here are the rankings that Cliff put together…
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
He’s often considered the best of all time, and with a record of 174-19-6 he was one of the most prolific boxers in history. He was incredibly dominant during his active period, turning professional in late 1940 and becoming the number one contender just a year later. In total he enjoyed 14 wins over reigning champions or fighters ranked number one and he’s only one of three fighters to post 40-plus wins over Ring champions or contenders.
2. Joe Louis
The Brown Bomber is one of the greatest champions ever, securing a record 25 title defences. During his career he won a total of 66 fights, 52 of those by way of knockout and he held the Heavyweight belt for a total of 12 years. Most notably though, it was his cultural impact that impressed the most, with him widely regarded as the first African-American to become a national hero within the USA.
3. Muhammad Ali
Of course Ali was going to feature in this list. He’s the self-proclaimed Greatest and is certainly one of the most talked about and most loved fighters of all-time. He won the Ring heavyweight title a total of three times, the most in history, and was involved in some of the biggest fights of all time, such as the Thriller in Manilla and Rumble in the Jungle.
4. Tony Canzoneri
Canzoneri was a thrilling fighter across a number of weight divisions and he spent over a decade in the Ring rankings. He won a total of 137 fights across his career and was a Ring champion at both Featherweight and Lightweight. Outside of The Ring belts alone, he was a three-division world champion and held a total of five world titles across his career.
5. Emile Griffith
Griffith was at his pomp during the 1960s and 70s and won five world championships in a 111 fight career, in which he secured a total of 85 wins. Incredibly strong, the fighter enjoyed several exciting rivalries, most notably with Benny Paret, fighting three times in an astonishing trilogy. He also fought four times against Luis Rodriguez, as well as three bouts against Denny Moyer, coming out ahead in all three rivalries.
6. Floyd Mayweather
The first more modern day fighter on the list is Floyd “Money” Mayweather. He’s always been a huge box office attraction and is much known for his outside the ring activities as what he does in it. A known passionate gambler across sites like casino777.nl, he’s often found in the casinos of Las Vegas, sampling the delights of the slot games and progressive jackpots. However, gambling in the ring he did not. A master at judging the right punches and perfecting his tactics, Floyd finished his career 50-0 and quite rightfully sits alongside the greats.
7. Willie Pep
Willie Pep is one of the world’s most active fighters, having fought a staggering 241 times during his career. He won his first 62 fights, with the featherweight fighter enjoying an exciting rivalry with Sandy Saddler. Saddler won the series 3-1 and at one point ended a 73-fight unbeaten streak of Pep’s.
8. Ezzard Charles
Known as the Cincinnati Cobra, Charles was a truly elite fighter at heavyweight and had a mixed start to his career before going on to become one of the greats. Having missed a large chunk of his career due to World War II, he resumed his career in 1946 and went on to have one of the most impressive winning runs in the division’s history. He eventually finished his career on 95-25-1.
9. Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao is a real icon in his homeland of the Philippines and is comfortably one of the best fighters of the modern era. He hung up his gloves relatively recently and has since moved into politics, serving as the Senator of the Philippines since 2016. His son is looking to follow in his boxing footsteps, and recently won his first fight in San Francisco.
10. Archie Moore
Nicknamed Old Mongoose, it took Moore 17 years to get a chance at a world title and once he did he certainly kept hold of it, keeping hold of the Ring Light Heavyweight belt for a decade. He won a grand total of 186 fights during his career, losing just 23 and he faced everyone he possible could, dodging nobody.
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