Top 10 Boxers of All time

In the history of sports, boxing has produced some of the biggest icons. The legacy of these fighters spans generations — from fierce heavyweight champions to lightning-fast featherweights. Read our deeper look at the Top 10 Boxers of All Time and celebrate what makes them legends, from their most notable skills and achievements to the memories they have left that will never be washed away.

1: Muhammad Ali – The Greatest Boxer in the World

When mentioning the Top 10 Boxers of All Time, you simply have to start with Muhammad Ali. Ali, who as a boxer was quick-footed, reflexive and sharp with his tongue became more than a boxer. He became a global icon.

Accomplishments: Three-time world heavyweight champion.

Duck style: Ali had an original way of ducking—he would be upon clouds as he floated like a butterfly and he could sting you with his cat-like reflexes.

Legacy: Ali vs Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston are simply iconic fights in boxing history. It doesn’t help that his work as a civil rights activist outside of the ring cements his iconic status.

2: Sugar Ray Robinson – The Greatest Boxer Of All Time

One of the most balanced all-around fighters in history and is widely considered the greatest pound-for-pound boxer to have ever lived. Once he reached his prime, the skill of transitioning from offence to defence made him virtually impossible to defeat.

Accomplishments: 174 wins, 109 knockouts.

Style: He had a smooth foot movement and accuracy with his punches. A rivalry with Jake LaMotta, the “Raging Bull,” is one of the sport’s most iconic matchups.

3: Joe Louis – The Brown Bomber

The heavyweight champion, Joe Louis held the title for nearly 12 years, which is a record in boxing history. He used his powerful punches to master the heavyweight division in the 1930s and 40s.

Accomplishments: 25 successful title defenses.

Style: Nicknamed the “Brown Bomber,” Louis had one of the most devastating knockouts. Legacy: His famous matches with Max Schmeling were about more than boxing — Louis was a symbol of hope during an era when the world was in turmoil.

4: Floyd Mayweather Jr. – The greatest defensive boxer of all time

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is probably the greatest defensive boxer of all time. The ‘shoulder roll’ made him very tough to hit inside the ring. He comes in the list of Top 10 Boxers of All Time, having never lost a single fight.

Accomplishments: Undefeated 50-0 record.

Style: Master of defence, counter-punching and footwork.

Legacy: As well known for his flamboyant personality right up there — in some cases even more so, really – and driven expectations that came along with it, Mayweather’s victories over Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez made him a slam dunk entry into the history books.

5: Mike Tyson – Iron Mike

Mike Tyson was a Knockout ArtistDefined Tyson, one of the most powerful and aggressive fighters in history, won his first professional title at the age of 20 as he became heavyweight champion.

Accomplishments: Youngest Heavyweight Champion of All Time.

Style: The peek-a-boo style of Tyson and his vicious in-close uppercuts had many fighters staring up at the canvas.

Legacy: Despite many troubling situations away from the ring, Tyson’s legacy as one of the most powerful fighters ever to step between the ropes only enhances his value.

6: Manny Pacquiao – PacMan

The breadth of Manny Pacquiao’s successes in different weight classes is truly mind-boggling. Regarding adaptability, he is the only boxer to win world titles in eight different weight divisions.

Accomplishments: 8-weight world champion.

Style: Pacquiao was a nightmare for opponents with his blazing hand speed, unrelenting work rate and awkward angles. He will always have his rivalry with Floyd Mayweather and his poverty to greatness story in the Philippines, among the rest.

7: Rocky Marciano – The Undefeated Heavyweight

To this day, Rocky Marciano is still the only heavyweight champion to retire without a single defeat. Marciano, famously undefeated in his career with a 49-0 record, gained fame as an aggressive pressure fighter with a granite chin.

Accomplishments: 49-0, Would not know defeat.

Style: A tenacious swarmer who wore opponents down with his stamina and power. His victory against Joe Louis, which at the time was aged and irrelevant, a statement being one of those events in boxing history that everyone likes to bring up.

8: Roberto Durán – Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)

Recognized as the most famous lightweight boxer of all time, Roberto Durán. With an aggressive style and “hands of stone,” Durán was exciting to watch.

Accomplishments: Four weight-class world champion.

Style: Durán was an aggressive fighter who could also slip some punches, making him a force to be reckoned with in the ring.

Legacy: The rivalry with Sugar Ray Leonard and their “No Más” bout are still spoken of to this day by boxing enthusiasts.

9: Alexis Argüello

Alexis Argüello is also considered among the greatest in boxing, though he could never quite cross Julio César Chávez from his perch as Mexico and much of the world’s most revered fighter. Chavez is a tireless slugger with an iron jaw and the longest unbeaten run in boxing history.

Accomplishments: 89 straight wins to start his career.

Style: Chávez was an expert at getting inside and hammering away with body shots.

Legacy: He was a national symbol of Mexican pride and people remember him for his legendary contests, none other than extraordinary Wars with Meldrick Taylor.

10: Henry Armstrong – The Three-Weight King

The only boxer to hold titles in three divisions simultaneously was Henry Armstrong. With a relentless style and nonstop offence, Armstrong has typically been considered among the best at welterweight.

Accomplishments: Three-weight simultaneous champion.

Style: Armstrong was an unrelenting pressure fighter with energy and aggression that knew no bounds.

Legacy: Armstong paved the way for future fighters to want to master far more than a single fat class.