Boxing has been around since the 1900s. What started as a matter of entertainment grew to become one of the most watched and followed sports. Boxing requires two players in a ring, each of them wearing protective gloves. They keep throwing punches at each other for a limited time. There have been standard rules set to ensure the fundamental safety of the players.
Boxers devoted their entire lives to the sport. As all other sports require discipline, boxing is no different. It calls for boxers to change their entire lifestyle. From what they eat to what time they sleep at night. Every single factor in their lives has a role to play in their career. The hardcore training and workout sessions that boxers go through to survive in the ring are unfathomable.
In Today’s article, we will be discussing the top 10 greatest boxers of all time. Not only those who have been great at their sport but also those who have put on nail-biting fights.
1. 'Sugar' Ray Robinson (USA)
Number one on our list of the greatest boxers of all time is Robinson. He had competed in four categories of weight including light, welter, middle and light heavy. What makes him come out on top is that he has been successfully declared the world champion five times for the middleweight category.
He won 175 of the 202 times that he entered the ring. He was declared the best by his peers and other legends including Muhammad Ali. Sugar has secured himself a place in the list of the very few fighters that have been able to knock out over 100 competitors. What makes him great is not just the number of his victories but also the personality that made him a crowd favorite.
2. Muhammad Ali (USA)
He is the Tiger Woods of Boxing. You might not know anything about boxing but you would know Muhammad Ali. Ali had a strong-willed nature that was ready to bring about a change. He did not limit his achievements to only boxing but also changed the view people had on his ethnicity and religion.
An Olympic gold medalist who has been a champion of heavy weight lifting, Ali is one of a kind.
He makes it to our list of greatest boxers because of his 56 wins and also his principles that did not let him fight during the Vietnam War. “ he flies like a butterfly and stings like a bee”, is the famous lyric from a song that was devoted to this legend. He is black, a Muslim, a champion boxer, he is Muhammad Ali.
3. Joe Louis (USA)
This heavyweight champion makes it to our list of greatest boxers regarding his 69 wins, and successful 55 knockouts. The ‘ Brown Bomber’ has held the title of the heavyweight champion for a whopping 11 years.
4. 'Iron' Mike Tyson (USA)
Known as the ‘ baddest man on the planet’ due to his questionable actions. These actions have found him hot water both in and out of the boxing zone.
He is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time due to his 55 wins out of the 58 matches he fought. He is a memorable boxer but his journey needs to be digested with a tinge of salt.
5. 'Sugar' Ray Leonard (USA)
He has fought against the great legends such as Roberto Duran which have marked their impact on the world of boxing. With 25 knockouts under his belt, Ray Leonard has been agreed upon as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
6. Roberto Duran (PAN)
Retired in 2002, Duran is one of the few boxers who have been able to fight in four decades in his career. He has been regarded as the one with ‘ hands of stone’ because of only losing to legends like the ones on this list. Losing a total of 16 fights with the first loss after his 32nd, he still stands as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
7. 'Big' George Foreman (USA)
Another gold holder from the Olympics was highly feared due to his huge stature. He was known for outdoing his opponent in a single blow. With 76 wins, 68 of which were knockouts, Foreman holds a rank in our list of greatest boxers of all time.
8. Rocky Marciano (USA)
With a knockout rate of 88%, Marciano is the only greatest boxer to have retired undefeated who has made it on our list. He has been put in the ring 49 times and he has walked out victorious all of those times.
It was the great Archie Moore that managed to push him to the brink once but he held his ground.
9. Archie Moore (USA)
Moore has the highest number of knockouts in professional boxing which is an outrageous 145 times. He has had a long career and has played against fantabulous boxers including Cassius Clay.
He is one of the greatest boxers of all time for not giving up till his age forced him to call it quits.
10. Roy Jones Jr. (USA)
Last on our list of greatest boxers of all time is Roy Jones Jr. He is a legendary boxer of the modern times. He is remembered for holding the heavyweight championship after being in the middleweight division all his life. Jones has lost only four times and has delivered 38 knockouts. Each is more memorable than the one it preceded.
He has managed to uplift 11 titles at once which is incredible. His upcoming fight with Joe Calazghe has the world on the edge of their seats.
Conclusion:
And those are our top 10 greatest boxers of all time with Muhammad Ali being a personal favourite because of his wit and grit. All the boxers have made their way on our list for not just winning championships but also making the sport progress and develop. They all have been proven to be revolutionary to Boxing.
We hope that you saw your favorite legends on the list and are glad to declare that the world of boxing has many more stars to come.
