The 27 Best Boxers Of All-Time

Over an eight-year stretch, Robinson was unbeaten in 91 straight contests. A two-time fighter of the year, Robinson’s dominance in the sport was remarkable. A world welterweight and world middleweight champion, Robinson was just 5-11 but made up for his small size to win consistently throughout a career that saw him compete from 1940 to 1965.

A gold medalist in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Italy, you can’t say much about Muhammad Ali that hasn’t been said already. He won the world heavyweight championship at the ripe age of 22, after defeating Sonny Liston.

Besides his countless wins, Ali is known for his role in some of the vital boxing moments in history, including The Rumble In The Jungle with George Foreman and the Thrilla in Manila battle with Joe Frazier. Ali’s contributions in the boxing ring are dwarfed by his impact on society and culture.

Equally powerful and fast in the boxing ring, Joe Louis had himself a run with 140 consecutive months as heavyweight champion. Successful in 25 straight title defenses, Louis’ stretch of dominance is unparalleled. Over a 15-year stretch, Louis was 60-1 with 51 knockouts.

Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis’ two battles with German boxer Max Schmeling are memorable. After he lost to Schmeling in 1936, Louis knocked the German out in the opening round of their 1938 rematch. Here’s to the hopes that there will be a Joe Louis biopic coming soon.

A world heavyweight champion, Ezzard Charles is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time in many circles. Charles won the world heavyweight championship in June of 1949 and held on to the belt for 25 months after successfully defending the belt on eight different occasions. With wins against legends like Joe Louis and Archie Moore, Charles has one of the most exciting collections of signature fighting victories.

Named the 1937 Fighter of the Year by The Ring Magazine, Henry Armstrong had a stretch of fighting dominance where he was untouched by opponents. He knocked out 27 consecutive opponents, which is nearly unheard of when talking about the history of boxing. A winner of the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight championships, Armstrong successfully defended the welterweight belt on 18 different occasions, a world record.

An undisputed champion, Hopkins held championships in both the middleweight and light heavyweight classes. The 2001 Fighter of the Year, Hopkins’ longevity is astounding. An IBF middleweight title winner in 1995, Hopkins continued to be an important figure in the boxing world for more than two decades. He won the IBF light heavyweight title in 2013 after defeating Tavoris Cloud at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The first African-American world heavyweight boxing champion, Jack Johnson underwent numerous obstacles in the sport of boxing. He still excelled despite fighting during the Jim Crow era in the United States and still held on to the world heavyweight belt for over seven years.

Given the alias “The Manassa Mauler,” Jack Dempsey was the reigning world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. A member of the National Boxing Hall of Fame, Dempsey’s importance on being a cultural icon in the world of boxing, can’t go unnoticed. An aggressive attacker on offense, 53 of Dempsey’s 68 career wins were via knockout.

Evander Holyfield had a memorable boxing career. He’s the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two different weight classes. A cruiserweight in the 1980s and a heavyweight the following decade, Holyfield has notable wins against the likes of Buster Douglas, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes. In 1996, Holyfield arguably had the upset of the year, when he defeated Mike Tyson and won the WBA title.

Named the 1980 boxer of the decade, Leonard won titles in five different divisions throughout his pro boxing career. He cemented his career with a win over Roberto Duran where he won the WBC welterweight championship. Leonard had lost his prior matchup with Duran and had righted one of the rare losses in his career.

The fighter of the decade of the 2010s, Floyd Mayweather has become a cultural phenom in the sport. Known for his nickname “Money,” whenever Mayweather fights, there is instant interest and build-up to a matchup. Mayweather is a 15-time winner of major titles in the super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight championships. Mayweather has never lost any of his fights, and it would be a major shock or upset if he were to lose at this point.

A native New Yorker, Gene Tunney became world heavyweight champion in 1926 when he defeated Jack Dempsey by unanimous decision. Tunney is most remembered for the “Long Count” where he was knocked down and cut his time to get up extra close to the ten-second count limit. Still, Tunney ended up winning the battle and went on to hold the belt for over two years. Tunney was undefeated as a heavyweight. His one loss as a professional came as a light heavyweight to Harry Greb.

One of the greatest boxers of all time, Rocky Marciano had a relatively short, but unstoppable run in the boxing world. A fighter from 1947 to 1955, Marciano held the world heavyweight title for nearly four years.

After six successful championship defenses, Marciano retired as the only heavyweight champ to finish his career undefeated. Also, out of his 49 boxing wins, 43 were in the form of a Knockout. Plus, he inspired the name of one of the best lyricists in the game. You can’t go wrong with that.

A great fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez won six world titles in three separate weight classes. The Fighter of the Year in 1987 and 1990, Chavez’ run was long and consistent. Considered one of the greatest punchers of all time, he holds the record for most successful consecutive title defenses (27) of all-time in the sport.

Nicknamed “Smokin’ Joe,” Joe Frazier was a gold medalist as an amateur and a three-time Boxer of the Year during his professional career. Frazier became the undisputed champion in 1970 and he defeated Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision in the famed “Fight of the Century” in the following year. Frazier’s famed left hook is a classic punch that was devastating to his opponent.

With 131 wins in 163 total fights, Mickey Walker had a pretty successful boxing career in the early 1900s. A world middleweight champion, Walker held on to the title for five years, defending the belt on three different occasions over that time.

He also won the world welterweight championship in 1922. Walker’s post-career ventures might be just as impressive. A colorful personality in the boxing world, he opened a restaurant and was a painter with a collection of artwork featured across the globe.

A former World Middleweight Champion, Stanley Ketchel went by the nickname “The Michigan Assassin.” Ketchel was never formally trained as a boxer, but he excelled at the sport, winning 51 fights and losing just four in a seven-year boxing career. Though he lost, Ketchel’s battle with Jack Johnson for the heavyweight title in 1909 is a memorable bout that is remembered as a significant moment in the sport. Standing just 5’7”, Ketchel is pound for pound one of the best fighters of all time.

Foreman is a rarity in the boxing field. He won a gold medal as an amateur boxer in the heavyweight division of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. After he became a professional boxer, Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier in 1973 to capture the world heavyweight title. A member of both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame, Foreman had a great run in boxing. Those grills weren’t too bad either.

A lightweight champion, Benny Leonard won the belt in 1917 after he knocked out Freddie Welsh. Leonard held on to the title for nearly eight years before he retired from the sport in 1925. Standing just 5-5, Leonard is one of the smaller champions. Known for using his quickness and speed as a striker, Leonard’s run as champion is one of the best.

A Mississippi native, Moore was the master of the knockout. He recorded 145 KOs over the course of his 28-year run as one of the best boxers in his sport. A world light heavyweight champion in 1952, Moore is known as one of the greatest punchers ever. He held the belt for nearly a decade. Moore made nine-light heavyweight title defenses before being stripped of the belt in 1962.

A successful fighter across numerous weight classes, Manny Pacquiao was the first boxer to earn the lineal championship over five separate weight classes. Pacquiao has won 12 major world titles in the life of his pro boxing career. Though he’s had a world-class career in boxing, don’t expect him to win any awards for the sport of basketball.

The ultimate diminutive batter, Canzoneri stood just 5’4” as a boxer. He was dominant in the lightweight divisions. Canzoneri won titles in three divisions (Light Welterweight, World Lightweight, and World Featherweight championships) which was a feat accomplished by only 52 fighters ever. A product of New York City, Canzoneri knocked out Al Singer in 66 seconds during a fight in 1930. That was the fastest ending to a lightweight battle ever.

There might be no more popular phrase than “no más.” When he lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in New Orleans in November of 1980, Duran quit his match, uttering no más, meaning no more in Spanish. Though it’s a negative moment in Duran’s career, there’s no denying the Panamanian-born fighter’s success. A lightweight, light middleweight, welterweight, and middleweight champion, Duran had a really strong career as a fighter.

An aggressive attacker, Greb’s unique offensive attack earned him the nickname “The Pittsburgh Windmill.” In a 13-year career, Greb had 105 total wins. A willing fighter whose number of fights is unrivaled in the sport, Greb fought 48 times during the year 1919 alone. Also, Greb wasn’t just fighting a lot, he was also winning at a solid rate. Greb ended up holding the world middleweight championship from 1923 to 1926.

Known for his nickname, “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler was one of the more underrated fighters. A force to be reckoned with in the 1970s and 1980s, Hagler only lost three fights by a decision from 1973-1987. From Newark, New Jersey, Hagler defended the title successfully on 12 different occasions. The first seven of those defenses involved Hagler winning by knockout. Though his upset loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987 was a bad way to end his career, the southpaw deserves a spot on this list for his consistency.

Given the nickname “The Casablanca Clouter,” The french-born Marcel Cerdan became famous after he knocked out Tony Zale in 1948. With the KO, Cerdan won the middleweight championship and became the first non-American to win the belt in the 20th century. Sixty-six of Cerdan’s 113 career wins were via KO. Cerdan died in a plane crash at the age of 33. One can only wonder what Cerdan’s career would’ve looked like if it wasn’t cut short.