There are many different opinions on who is the greatest boxer of all time. Some people would say, Muhammad Ali, while others might put Mike Tyson at number one, However, there’s no way to know for sure what order they should be in because it depends on how a person feels about each specific boxer.
The list of the top 10 boxers of all time isn’t ordered as every individual has their own opinion and ranking system when trying to rank these champions based on skill level or popularity amongst other factors such as longevity. And importantly each of these 10 greatest boxers of all time has had a major impact or changed the sport of boxing forever.
Total Fights | Wins | Losses | Wins By KO | Years Active |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muhammad Ali | 61 | 56 | 5 | 37 | 1960 - 1981 |
Joe Louis | 69 | 66 | 3 | 52 | 1936 - 1949 |
Jack Dempsey | 84 | 62 | 22 | 51 | 1914 -1927 |
George Foreman | 81 | 76 | 5 | 68 | 1968 1997 |
Larry Holmes | 75 | 69 | 6 | 44 | 1972 - 2002 |
Mike Tyson | 58 | 50 | 6 | 44 | 1985 - 2005 |
Rocky Marciano | 49 | 49 | 0 | 43 | 1947 - 1956 |
Henry Cooper | 55 | 40 | 14 | 27 | 1954 - 1971 |
Lennox Lewis | 44 | 41 | 2 | 32 | 1989 - 2003 |
Sugar Ray Robinson. | 200 | 173 | 19 | 109 | 1940 - 1965 |
Floyd Mayweather Jr. | 50 | 50 | 0 | 27 | 1996 - 2017 |
Table of Contents
Muhammad Ali
Possibly the most talked-about boxer of all time is Muhammad Ali. He is not necessarily the best fighter in terms of just his wins or losses, but he has to be considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. In his fantastic 21-year career, Muhammad Ali never got knocked out. He was however sent to the canvas four times.
Muhammad Ali was a three-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, so he has that going for him too. He also happens to be one of the most iconic athletes in history with an illustrious career spanning over two decades
Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee said, “he didn’t have much talent but what he had was fast reflexes which would allow him to use his better opponents’ style against them.” His speed made up for his lack of power & technique because he could evade punches easily from fighters who were more powerful or skilled than himself
Muhammad Ali retired after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1981 at age 38 when many boxers are just getting into their prime, which is why so many people consider him to be the greatest of all time.
Joe Louis
Known for his awkward stance and powerful straight right, Joe Louis was a dominant champion during the 1930s and 1940s.
Louis possessed exceptional punching power with either hand; he is one of the few heavyweight champions to have had knock-outs in both hands
He went on to take down boxing legends Max Schmeling, Primo Carnera, Jim Braddock (twice), Tony Galento, King Levinsky
In 1946 he defeated Billy Conn for his second time by knocking him out in round eight
The following year he knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott at two minutes twenty seconds into rounds twelve
After losing his title to Rocky Marciano via knockout in 1955, Louis retired from professional boxing aged 37 ____Joe’s Boxing Style
Jack Dempsey
Nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, William Harrison “Jack” Dempsey was a professional boxer during the 1920s. Highly skilled in both boxing acumen and with a brutal fast punching style. Jack often competed for numerous rounds of brutal matches.
Because of his fight style, and sheer grit, I have to include him to be one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Jack’s Boxing Style was brutal, he was a powerful boxer with great stamina. One of Dempsey’s greatest attributes is his ability to continue fighting even when he is hurt, never giving up even after being knocked down. He would simply take a few seconds before rising up again
1919, Dempsey became the world heavyweight champion by defeating Jess Willard in a brutal and somewhat disputed match. Dempsey went held his world title until 1926 when he lost to Gene Tunney.
George Foreman
The well-known nemesis of Muhammad Ali, George Foreman was one of the best boxers to ever live. He has a high number of professional boxing matches with 210 wins and 20 losses. His main skill is his incredible punching power which he acquired from being an amateur boxer before turning pro,
He first won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 1973 after defeating Joe Frazier by knockout in two rounds of fighting. In 1974, Foreman defended this title against Ali and knocked him out in eight rounds for the second time—the only man who had done so up until that point. As champion, George defended his belt nine times over six years; most notably beating Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium on September 28th 1976 by knockout in round twelve – making him just about unbeatable during that period!
Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes AKA “the Easton Assassin” is definitely earned his place in the best boxer ever list. His main skill and fighting strength were his great power, footwork, head movement, timing and accuracy in punching.
He won 73 professional boxing matches with only 20 losses over 40 years as an active fighter (1960-2003). Larry had a very good punch from any angle which made him so successful. It is said that he could hit like a mule kick without moving much getting out of position or wasting energy; just steady pressure on his opponents to wear them down until they can’t take it anymore.
He accomplished many things in boxing, such as being named Ring Magazine’s 1985 World Heavyweight Champion after knocking out Michael Spinks for the WBA title in 1981.
Larry Holmes also has the bragging rights for having beaten Ali and being the only person still alive to have beaten him.
Mike Tyson
Growing up in the ’90s every kid looked up to Mike Tyson as a hero of the boxing world. He achieved his reputation as a street brawler with his relentless pressure style and arguably the most powerful punch seen in the ring, his overhand style was almost impossible to defend against and if landed was almost sure to end in a knockout, putting fear into his opponents, which is part of what made him so successful.
Mike Tyson was not the best boxer of all time because he had many professional boxing match losses but what makes Mike Tyson one of the greatest boxers of all time is that he was a great boxer who fought in the heavyweight division and his best skill was that he had an overhand punch “that knocked out almost everyone”.
Mike Tyson’s main strength as a boxer is that he has one of the deadliest punches ever. He lost many boxing matches but won 100% of them on knockouts with this type of punch.
He gained notoriety for both his ability to knock out his opponents and unfortunately biting their ears off (In case you have been hiding under a rock it was Evander Holyfield’s ear). Which made him very famous among children because he was such a powerful beast.
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano had a relatively short professional boxing career, He was the World Heavyweight Champion from 1952 to 1956, and he remains the first heavyweight champion to go unbeaten in his career. He also holds the best knockout victory percentage of any heavyweight champion, with knockouts deciding 85 percent of his championship fights.
Rocky Marciano is widely considered one of the best boxers to have ever lived.
Rocky had a relatively short professional boxing career, He was the World Heavyweight Champion from 1952-1956 and he remains the first heavyweight champion to go unbeaten in his career. He also holds the best knockout victory percentage of any heavyweight champion with knockouts deciding 85% of his championship fights. Rocky Marciano is widely considered one of the best boxers who has ever lived.
He fought in 95 professional bouts, winning 88 (89 including a technical draw) – 26 by KO; 40 losses and 19 draws (most coming early on). Highlights include victories over Jersey Joe Walcott for a world title at 20 years old, Archie Moore twice
Henry Cooper
It is no surprise that Henry Cooper has a place among the best boxers of all time. With 50 fights, 40 wins and 27 by knockout, he earns his spot in boxing history with ease.
Henry Cooper, the toughest fighter of his time and one of only a few men to ever knock Muhammad Ali down in a fight.
What made Henry’s fight style unique was he was left-handed but used an orthodox stance. His unorthodox style made him hard to defend against as it put his powerful left within striking distance which earned his left hook the nickname “Enry’s ‘Ammer”.
His boxing style was hard and fast, in his later years when asked about boxers of today, he would often comment that he missed when boxing was hard and fast like his own style. Henry often lamented how boxers nowadays don’t fight well and lack the style of his era. He was not a fan of the modern fighters’ tendency to “bulk” as he thought it made boxing boring to watch.
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis is a fighter with one of the most powerful punches in boxing history. His size and raw strength make him formidable to all opponents, but he also has an uncanny ability to win fights scientifically by breaking down his opponent’s defence through expert tactics and pinpoint accuracy.
Born with a talent for boxing and encouraged by his mother to focus solely on the sport after an early tragedy that could have potentially derailed Lennox’s career before it even began, he developed into one of the best fighters ever seen at heavyweight level.
Lewis first became World Heavyweight Champion in 1992, making him the first British champion of the 20th Century.
While Lewis was a classic upright boxer, he still had to work on his ability with the jab. His coach Emmanual Steward helped him improve from a mere distraction, into a dangerous weapon that would set up his signature punch, the straight right which became one of boxing’s most famous punches in history.
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson, one of the greatest boxers of the modern era. Remembered for his number of fights, he had a raw talent that made him one of the greatest boxers to ever live. He fought 200 professional fights in his career, winning 179 and of them 107 were won by knockout, and he only lost 19 times.
Sugar Ray Robinson’s perfect adaptability to any opponent made him a formidable foe. He could switch up his style on the fly, from being brawler and technical puncher or even turning into an agile dancer in the ring if he needed to. This lack of predictability left opponents wary about what was coming next, which gave Sugar Ray the edge he needed to win, time and time again.
One fight Sugar Ray is remembered for is his 1947 fight against Jimmy Doyle. In 1947. Doyle challenged Sugar RayRobinson for the World Welterweight Title. Robinson had an advantage in every round, except the sixth. In that round, he was staggered twice and received a cut over his right eye. A single left hook from Robinson ended the fight in the eighth round when Doyle fell backwards onto his back and couldn’t get up because of it.
The doctors tried to save Doyle’s life but he tragically died a few hours later. Doyle wanted to buy his mother a house. After Doyle died, Robinson gave the money he got from his next four fights to Doyle’s mother. She used that money and bought a house.
Accidental death from head injury is one reason amateur boxers now wear protective headgear.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
It’s hard to argue with the greatness of Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. Throughout his illustrious career, he dominated every opponent without a single setback and retired undefeated at 50-0. Winning 15 world titles during his career.
He stands at the top of boxing’s all-time pound for pound best list, an accolade he earned with his unrivalled masterful defensive skills. With a speed and agility that is unmatched in today’s game, Floyd could not be touched by any opponent who came before or after him.”
Mayweather has been named winner of the Joe Louis Fighter of the Decade award by the Boxing Writers Association of America and World Boxing Council (an award he also won in previous decades) and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2021. He holds world titles at five different weights: junior lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, light heavyweight, and super featherweight.”
His greatest win came against six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya on May Day 2007 when Mayweather was the undefeated four-division champion. There was so much hype around the fight, and with good reason. At the time it was the highest-grossing boxing match, bringing in over $130 million in revenue.
Floyd is a true modern master of the art of boxing, his technique makes him one of boxing’s most technical fighters. His power might not be what you notice first, he fought opponents with far more power than himself. But, he hits like nobody else because unlike other power hitters Floyd knows how to land precise punches in just the right spot.
CONCLUSION
Boxing is a great sport that has been around for centuries, and there are countless people with accomplishments who made it what it is today. However, these ten have had the most influence on boxing’s development over time.
Of course, there are so many more greats that we could have listed, but these ten are who I think are the most influential boxers of all time.
Each one had a different approach in their fighting style, but they each contributed something special to boxing and influenced it for generations.
This list is not ranked or sorted by any specific criteria, so who decides what makes someone great? It’s up to you! List your favorites below!”