The Top 100 All Time
I've been watching boxing for over four decades now and have been lucky enough to cover some of the biggest fights and the biggest fighters in the last 30 years. I've managed to rub shoulders with the likes of Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran....and so on. But in all those decades I have never once compiled a list of the 100 greatest fighters ever. I still hold that Bert Sugar's list is in many ways, one of the best I've ever read, and his book on the topic is highly fascinating.
I have, however, often listed the best fighters I have witnessed box in my own lifetime and the list is part of my latest book: The Sweet Science, Then and Now. It is currently in the process of editing and will contain my many articles on the sport and some original pieces. The list is an integral feature of my book and during the course of my research I started to spread my net farther and farther...till it started to include some of the most iconic names of an age even before mine. Names like Robinson, Louis and Pep were just far too irresistible. This is why I am, for the first time ever, unveiling my own 100 Greatest Fighters Ever.
The list is not perfect, far from it, but it is from the perspective of a boxing fan, who for many years of his life, managed to attain the dream of working within the sport he so dearly loves. An in depth look at each fighter will only be available in my book, but just for your enjoyment/debate/argument/criticism/ and possible praise, I present to you,
The List 100:
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Henry Armstrong
4. Willie Pep
5. Joe Louis
6. Benny Leonard
7. Sam Langford
8. Sugar Ray Leonard
9. Roberto Duran
10. Harry Greb
11. Joe Gans
12. Jimmy Wilde
13. Mickey Walker
14. Jack Dempsey
15. Ezzard Charles
16. Julio Cesar Chavez Sr
17. Rocky Marciano
18. Stanley Ketchel
19. Archie Moore
20. Gene Tunney
21. George Foreman
22. Barney Ross
23. Joe Frazier
24. Tony Canzoneri
25. Jimmy McLarnin
26. Sandy Saddler
27. Terry McGovern
28. Marcel Cerdan
29. Jake LaMotta
30. Billy Conn
31. Marvin Hagler
32. Eder Jofre
33. Emile Griffith
34. Carlos Monzon
35. Ruben Olivares
36. Pernell Whitaker
37. Jose Napoles
38. Tommy Hearns
39. Ted Kid Lewis
40. Bernard Hopkins
41. Jack Johnson
42. Nino Bienvenuti
43. Bob Foster
44. Larry Holmes
45. Michael Spinks
46. Alexis Arguello
47. Miguel Canto
48. Mike Tyson
49. Oscar De La Hoya
50. Evander Holyfield
51. Manny Pacquiao
52. Roy Jones Jr
53. Marco Antonio Barrera
54. Felix Trinidad
55. Aaron Pryor
56. Floyd Mayweather Jr
57. Wilfred Benitez
58. James Toney
59. Erik Morales
60. Shane Mosley
61. Lennox Lewis
62. Wilfredo Gomez
63. Salvador Sanchez
64. Nicolino Locche
65. Sonny Liston
66. Kid Gavilan
67. Joe Calzaghe
68. Barbados Joe Walcott
69. Bob Fitzsimmons
70. James J. Jeffries
71. Joey Maxim
72. Jersey Joe Walcott
73. Carmen Basilio
74. Bobo Olson
75. Dick Tiger
76. Gene Fullmer
77. Jose Torres
78. John L. Sullivan
79. Pancho Villa
80. Carlos Ortiz
81. Chris Eubank
82. Wladimir Klitschko
83. Naseem Hamed
84. Ricardo Lopez
85. Myung Woo Yuh
86. Fighting Harada
87. Vitali Klitschko
88. Dwight Muhammad Qawi
89. Tony Zale
90. Ricky Hatton
91. Riddick Bowe
92. Jung Koo-Chang
93. Rocky Graziano
94. James J. Corbett
95. Matthew Saad Muhammad
96. Kostya Tszyu
97. Hector Camacho
98. Mike McCallum
99. Nigel Benn
100. Jose Luis Castillo
For those of you wondering how I ranked these fighters, here is my criteria:
Boxing Attributes
Opposition Faced
Achievements when compared to other fighters in the division(s)
Title wins
Length of Title Reign(s)
Contribution to the popularity of the sport
Long term legacy
To break this down further
Boxing Attributes:
- Potency of Offence
- Defensive Ability
- Ability fighting at range
- In-fighting ability
- Adaptability
- Power, Speed, Punch Resistance, Combinations, Footwork, Reflexes, Timing
- Heart/Courage
Opposition Faced:
- How many top level opponents did the fighter in question face? Were they champions (former/current/future)? HOFers? Other fighters ranked as ATGs? And how close were these fighters to their best? Example: Holyfield's win over Tyson ranks higher than Lewis'
- Were there particular fights that should have happened but didn't? Were the replacement fights better or lesser?
Achievements when compared to other fighters in the division(s):
- Pretty self explanatory here, did the fighter in question achieve more or less than other fighters in the divisions he has fought in? Did he have more title wins? Better opponents? Etc. An example would be ranking Ali above Louis, both have exceptional heavyweight careers but Ali fought the better overall opponents and won more championships.
Title Wins:
- How many titles did the fighter win? How many were against legitimate champions and how many were vacant belts? Was the fighter in question ever indisputably regarded as the best in the division? Example: Marvin Hagler recognised as the best middleweight on the planet for much of the 80s.
Length of Title Reign(s):
- How long did the fighter in question hold the belts he had? Again quite self explanatory.
Contribution to the popularity of the sport:
- How did the fighter affect the sport, with both the casual and hard core fans? Did the fighter attract new fans to the sport? Did he have a largely positive or negative impact?
Long Term Legacy:
- How is the fighter remembered in the years following retirement? For example, when Jack Johnson retired from the sport, he was for a while regarded as the best heavyweight ever but boxers came along, such as Dempsey and Louis who superseded him in the regard. Thus decreasing Johnson's long term legacy. Other fighters have legacies enhanced after retirement, such as Robinson or Ali.