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Rankings

50 Greatest Boxers in History

The champions of the sweet science ranked across all eras.

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#AthleteSportWhy They Rank Here
1 Muhammad Ali
American · b.1942
Boxing The Greatest — three-time world heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medallist and…
2 Mike Tyson
American · b.1966
Boxing The youngest heavyweight champion in history at 20 years and 145 days — the most…
3 Floyd Mayweather Jr.
American · b.1977
Boxing 50-0 — the most financially successful boxer in history and the unbeaten defensi…
4 Manny Pacquiao
Filipino · b.1978
Boxing The only boxer in history to have won world titles in eight different weight div…
5 George Foreman
American · b.1949
Boxing Two-time world heavyweight champion who returned to boxing at 45 and became the …
6 Joe Frazier
American · b.1944
Boxing Olympic gold medallist and world heavyweight champion who defeated Muhammad Ali …
7 Rocky Marciano
American · b.1923
Boxing The only heavyweight champion in history to retire undefeated — a perfect 49-0 r…
8 Roberto Durán
Panamanian · b.1951
Boxing Four-division world champion from Panama — one of boxing's toughest and most fea…
9 Marvin Hagler
American · b.1954
Boxing Undisputed middleweight champion and one of the most fearsome fighters in boxing…
10 Thomas Hearns
American · b.1958
Boxing The Hitman — five-division world champion whose right hand was considered the mo…
11 Anthony Joshua
British · b.1989
Boxing Two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist who unified the h…
12 Tyson Fury
British · b.1988
Boxing The Gypsy King — undefeated WBC heavyweight champion whose remarkable comeback f…
13 Wladimir Klitschko
Ukrainian · b.1976
Boxing Ukraine's dominant heavyweight champion who held world titles for ten consecutiv…
14 Joe Louis
American · b.1914
Boxing The Brown Bomber — World Heavyweight Champion for a record 11 years and 8 months…
15 Sugar Ray Robinson
American · b.1921
Boxing Pound for pound, the greatest boxer who ever lived — Ray Robinson's combination …
16 Lennox Lewis
British/Canadian · b.1965
Boxing Britain's last undisputed heavyweight champion — a technically precise, intellig…
17 Evander Holyfield
American · b.1962
Boxing The Real Deal — four-time heavyweight world champion and the only man to hold th…
18 Prince Naseem Hamed
British/Yemeni · b.1974
Boxing Prince Naz — the most flamboyant and naturally gifted British boxer of his gener…
19 Floyd Patterson
American · b.1935
Boxing The first two-time heavyweight champion in history — Floyd Patterson's combinati…
20 Ricky Hatton
British · b.1978
Boxing The Hitman — Manchester's most beloved sporting figure and two-time world champi…
21 Carl Froch
British · b.1977
Boxing The Cobra — four-time world super middleweight champion whose unforgettable knoc…
22 Joe Calzaghe
Welsh · b.1972
Boxing The Pride of Wales — undefeated in 46 professional fights, Joe Calzaghe's extrao…
23 Sir Henry Cooper
British · b.1934
Boxing Our 'Enry — Britain's most beloved heavyweight and the man who floored Cassius C…