There was a time when boxing was very popular in this country. During their peak, many of the best boxers of all time were considered among the biggest sporting stars of not only boxing, but the world. However, the last few years have seen a decline in the popularity of boxing. Whether that decline is due to increased awareness of brain injury or the rise of other combat sports such as mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing is no longer as popular as it used to be.
Boxing: Many legendary boxers ruled the boxing ring with their strength and power. Each era had its great heroes and villains who dominated the ring. There is no doubt that many of them are still remembered for their talents inside the square ring. Let’s take a look at the greatest boxers of all time today.
According to ChampionPeoples.com here is the list of best fighters in the boxing history.
Muhammad Ali
- Weight(s) category: Heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 37
Still known as Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali was the darling of the 1960 Games, won the gold medal at light heavyweight and charmed the media with his dominant personality. As a professional, Ali quickly built a solid heavyweight frame while retaining his light heavyweight quickness. Ali was unorthodox in style but got away with it because of his blinding speed.
Ali is my pick as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, but his cultural and historical significance far exceeds his sporting greatness. During one of the country’s most turbulent eras, Ali became a symbol.
Sugar Ray Robinson
- Weight(s) category: Lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 109
Born as Walker Smith, he became the supreme ring fighter Sugar Ray Robinson, winning world titles at welterweight and middleweight. The welterweight title came in December 1946 and he defended it four times before moving up to middleweight after one loss in 124 bouts.
He went on to become a five-time World Middleweight Champion by defeating such legends as Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta and Gene Fulmer. His only stoppage loss came when he lost to Joey Maxim for the world light-heavyweight title – a fight fought in such sweltering heat that the referee had to be changed in the 10th round.
Floyd Mayweather
- Weight(s) category: Super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 27
Floyd Mayweather Jr., who’s always been eager to come out of retirement to celebrate his 50-0-0 in the ring, quickly shared the Boxrec “Greatest of All Time” list on his Instagram page. “Statistics don’t lie and BoxRec tells the truth. Here it is,” read his caption. With a total of 2,256 points, Mayweather is more than 800 points ahead of second-place Pacquiao on the list. According to Forbes, Mayweather was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
Manny Pacquiao
- Weight(s) category: Flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 39
The Filipino icon made Ring Magazine’s Top 10 in four different decades from 1990 to 2020, with victories over defending champions or opponents ranked in the top two in every weight class from flyweight to welterweight.
Pacquiao entered the rankings at the age of 19 by defeating Chatchai Sasakul from behind to win his first major title. While Pacquiao was widely unknown when he received his second title shot against Lehlo Ledwaba at junior featherweight, it is easy to overlook that he was in The Ring’s junior featherweight top 10 for nearly two years prior to the fight. He would never again be unknown to anyone. Along with Ring magazine titles at featherweight, junior lightweight and junior welterweight, Pacquiao also held the No. 1-contender rankings at junior featherweight and welterweight, as well as the No. 1 ranking at flyweight in an era when The Ring did not recognize singles champions.
Joe Louis
- Weight(s) category: Heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 52
There may be other boxers who have won more world championships, but Joe Louis is the all-time undisputed heavyweight champion. He is the only boxer to hold the title six times, and he is known for his boxing style which was all about full power and knockouts. Joe Lewis was an inspiration to many including me. His legacy will never be forgotten, and boxing coaches continue to study his bouts to learn from his techniques and strategies.
Mike Tyson
- Weight(s) category: Heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 44
Mike Tyson is an American boxer, better known as “Iron Mike” and later known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet”, He is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, He has a record of 50 wins, 44 knockouts and 6 losses, He was the most famous boxer in the world after Muhammad Ali.
Roberto Duran
- Weight(s) category: Super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 70
Duran participated in a total of 119 fights in his career and during this time he won 103 of them. Along with his technical fighting style, the legendary legend is known for holding world championship titles in four different weight class categories.
Sugar Ray Leonard
- Weight(s) category: Lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 109
Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the top boxers in the world. After the retirement of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard took the boxing world by storm with his dominance. He won an Olympic medal in 1976 and made his professional boxing debut in the same year.
He won the middleweight title in 1979 and held a 1–1 record in two major matches with Roberto Durán. In later years, he moved up to the welterweight division. Being a top fighter, Sugar Ray Leonard became the Boxer of the Decade in 1980 and Fighter of the Year in 1981. Sugar Ray Leonard’s professional record was 36-3-1, 25 KOs.
Ezzard Charles
- Weight(s) category: Middleweight, light-heavyweight, heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 52
The ‘Cincinnati Cobra’ (95-25-1, 52 KOs) competed in the middleweight to heavyweight elite division for most of a decade without a title shot. After returning from World War II, from February 1946 until losing the heavyweight title to Jersey Joe Walcott in July 1951, Charles had a 39–1 record, including a 20–1 mark against opponents ranked in The Ring’s ‘Top 10’ at light heavyweight and heavyweight.
Archie Moore
- Weight(s) category: Middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight
- Record win(s) by knockout: 132
Archie Moore’s professional career was one of the longest in the history of boxing. He fought some of the best throughout his career, including Rocky Marciano and Cassius Clay. He is believed to have fought a total of 221 battles, perhaps more. He won 194 of them, and 145 of those 194 were by knockout, which is still the highest knockout score in the history of professional boxing. He lost 26 times and drew eight times.
