The 50 Greatest Boxers of the Modern Era

The 50 greatest pound-for-pound boxers of the modern era (post 1940), ranked by overall record, belts held and legendary fights fought.

1)  Sugar Ray Robinson (1940-1965)
Middleweight, welterweight
Record: 175-19-6-2 (109 KOs)
World welterweight champion December 20, 1946 — August 9, 1950
5-time World middleweight champion between 1951–1960
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1950
Defining Fight: St Valentine’s Day Massacre vs. Jake LaMotta VI. February 14, 1951
2)  Henry Armstrong (1932-1945)
Featherweight, lightweight, welterweight
Record: 151-21-9 (101 KOs)
World featherweight champion October 29, 1937 — September 12, 1938
World welterweight champion May 31, 1938 — October 4, 1940
World lightweight champion August 17, 1938 — August 22, 1939
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1940
Defining Fight:  vs. Lou Ambers. August 17, 1938
3)  Muhammad Ali (1960-1981)
Heavyweight
Record: 56-5 (37 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1960 Rome Olympics
Undisputed heavyweight champion February 25, 1964 — September 19, 1964; February 6, 1967 — April 28, 1967; October 30, 1974 — February 15, 1978
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1965, 1974, 1975
Defining Fights: Thrilla in Manila v Joe Frazier III Oct 1, 1975
Rumble in the Jungle v George Foreman October 30, 1974
_vs. Sonny Liston I. February 25, 1964
4)  Willie Pep (1940-1966)
Featherweight
Record: 230-11-1 (65 KOs)
World featherweight champion June 7, 1946 — October 29, 1948; February 11, 1949 — September 8, 1950
Defining Fights: vs. Sandy Saddler II. February 11, 1949
_vs Chalky Wright I November 20, 1942
5)  Joe Louis (1934-1951)
Heavyweight
Record: 68-3 (54 KOs)
Undisputed heavyweight champion June 22, 1937 — March 1, 1949
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1941
_vs. Billy Conn. June 18, 1941
_vs Max Schmeling II June 22, 1938
6)  Floyd Mayweather Jr. (1996-2017)
Superfeatherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight
Record: 50-0 (27 KOs)
Bronze medalist at 1996 Atlanta Olympics
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 2007, 2013, 2015
BWAA Fighter of the Decade: 2010s
7)  Roberto Duran (1968-2001)
Lightweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight
Record: 103-16 (69 KOs)
Undisputed lightweight champion January 21, 1978 — January 1979
_vs. Sugar Ray Leonard I. June 20, 1980
_vs. Iran Barkley. February 24, 1989
8)  Sugar Ray Leonard (1977-1997)
Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight
Record: 36-3-1 (25 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1976 Montreal Olympics
Undisputed welterweight champion September 16, 1981 — February 15, 1982
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1976, 1979, 1981
_vs. Thomas Hearns I, September 16, 1981
_vs. Marvin Hagler. April 6, 1987
9)  Rocky Marciano (1947-1955)
Heavyweight
Record: 49-0 (43 KOs)
Undisputed heavyweight champion September 23, 1952 — April 27, 1956
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1952
_vs. Jersey Joe Walcott. September 23, 1952
_vs. Ezzard Charles. September 17, 1954
10)  Archie Moore (1935-1963)
Light heavyweight, heavyweight
Record: 183-23-10-1 (131 KOs)
Most knockouts in history
World light heavyweight champion December 17, 1952 — October 1960
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1958
_vs. Yvon Durelle. December 10, 1958
11)  George Foreman (1969-1997)
Heavyweight
Record: 76-5 (68 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1968 Mexico City Olympics
Undisputed heavyweight champion January 22, 1973 — October 30, 1974
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1973, 1994
_vs. Ron Lyle. January 24, 1976
12)  Julio César Chávez (1980-2005)
Super featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight
Record: 108-6-2 (87 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1987
_vs. Meldrick Taylor I, March 17, 1990
13)  Ezzard Charles (1940-1959)
Middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight
Record: 96-25-1 (58 KOs)
Undisputed heavyweight champion September 27, 1950 — July 18, 1951
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1949
14)  Marcel Cerdan (1934-1949)
Middleweight
Record: 111-4 (66 KOs)
World middleweight champion September 21, 1948 — June 16, 1949
_vs Tony Zale September 21, 1948
15)  Marvin Hagler (1973-1987)
Middleweight
Record: 62-3-2 (52 KOs)
Undisputed middleweight champion September 27, 1980 — June 6, 1987
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1983, 1985
16)  Rubén Olivares (1965-1988)
Bantamweight, featherweight
Record: 88-13-3 (78 KOs)
_vs. Chucho Castillo. April 18, 1970
17)  Manny Pacquiao (1995-Present)
Flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight
Record: 62-7-2 (39 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2009
BWAA Fighter of the Decade: 2000’s
Only boxer to ever win world titles in eight different weight classes
_vs Juan Manuel Marquez I. (Draw) May 8, 2004
18)  Sandy Saddler (1944-1957)
Featherweight, junior lightweight
Record: 144-16-2 (103 KOs)
World featherweight champion October 29, 1948 — February 11, 1949; September 8, 1950 — January 1957
19)  Pernell Whitaker (1984-2001)
Lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight
Record: 40-4-1-1 (17 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
Undisputed lightweight champion August 11, 1990 — January 18, 1992
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1989, 1993
20)  Joe Frazier (1965-1981)
Heavyweight
Record: 32-4-1 (27 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Undisputed heavyweight champion February 16, 1970 — January 22, 1973
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1969, 1971, 1975
_Fight of the Century vs. Muhammad Ali. March 8, 1971
21)  Jake LaMotta (1941-1954)
Middleweight
Record: 83-19-4 (30 KOs)
World middleweight champion June 16, 1949 — February 14, 1951
_vs. Laurent Dauthuille. September 13, 1950
22)  Emilie Griffith (1958-1977)
Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight
Record: 85-24-2-1 (23 KOs)
Undisputed welterweight champion June 8, 1963 — December 10, 1965
Undisputed middleweight champion September 29, 1967 — March 4, 1968
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1963
23)  Eder Jofre (1957-1976)
Bantamweight, featherweight
Record: 72-2-4 (50 KOs)
World bantamweight champion November 18, 1960 — April 4, 1963
24)  Carlos Monzón (1963-1977)
Middleweight
Record: 87-3-9-1 (59 KOs)
Undisputed middleweight champion November 7, 1970 — February 9, 1974; June 26, 1976 — July 30, 1977
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1972
_vs. Rodrigo Valdes. July 30, 1977
25)  Billy Conn (1935-1948)
Light heavyweight
Record: 64-12-1 (15 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1939
26) Evander Holyfield (1984-2011)
Light heavyweight, cruiserweight, heavyweight
Record: 44-10-2-1 (29 KOs)
Bronze medalist at 1984 Los Angeles games
Undisputed heavyweight champion October 25, 1990 — November 13, 1992
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1990, 1996, 1997
_vs Dwight Muhammad Qawi July 12, 1986
_vs Mike Tyson I. November 9, 1996
27) Bernard Hopkins (1988-2016)
Middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight
Record: 55-8-2-2 (32 KOs)
Undisputed middleweight champion September 29, 2001 — July 16, 2005
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 2001
28) Jose Napoles (1958-1975)
Welterweight, middleweight
Record: 77-7 (54 KOs)
Undisputed welterweight champion April 18, 1969 — December 3, 1970; June 4, 1971 — May 1975
29) Tommy Hearns (1977-2006)
Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight
Record: 61-5-1 (48 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1980, 1984
30) Larry Holmes (1973-2002)
Heavyweight
Record: 69-6-0 (44 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1978
_ vs. Ken Norton. June 9, 1978
31) Roy Jones Jr. (1989-2018)
Middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight, cruiserweight
Record: 66-9-0 (47 KOs)
Silver medalist at 1988 Seoul Olympics
Undisputed light heavyweight champion June 5, 1999 — September 7, 2002
BWAA Fighter of the Decade: 1990’s
32) Oscar De La Hoya (1992-2008)
Super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight
Record: 39-6 (30 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1992 Barcelona Olympics
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1995
33) Alexis Argüello (1968-1995)
Featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight
Record: 80-8 (64 KOs)
_vs. Ruben Olivares. November 23, 1974
34) Mike Tyson (1985-2005)
Heavyweight
Record: 50-6-0-2 (44 KOs)
Undisputed heavyweight champion August 1 1987 — February 11, 1990
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1986, 1988
35) Pascual Pérez (1952-1964)
Flyweight
Record: 84-7-1 (57 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1948 London Olympics
World flyweight champion November 26, 1954 — April 16, 1960
36) Ike Williams (1940-1955)
Lightweight
Record: 128-24-5 (60 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1948
37) Salvador Sánchez (1975-1982)
Bantamweight, featherweight
Record: 44-1-1 (32 KOs)
38) Kid Gavilán (1943-1958)
Welterweight
Record: 108-30-5 (28 KOs)
World welterweight champion May 18, 1951 — August 29, 1951; February 4 1952 — October 20, 1954
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1953
39) Dick Tiger (1952-1970)
Middleweight, light heavyweight
Record: 60-19-3 (27 KOs)
Undisputed middleweight champion August 10, 1963 — December 12, 1963; October 21, 1965 — April 25, 1966
Undisputed light heavyweight champion December 16, 1966 — May 24, 1968
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1962, 1966
40) Carmen Basilio (1948-1961)
Welterweight, middleweight
Record: 56-16-7 (27 KOs)
World welterweight champion June 10, 1955 — March 14, 1956; September 12, 1956 — February 22, 1957
World middleweight champion September 23, 1957 — March 25, 1958
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1955, 1957
_vs. Sugar Ray Robinson. September 23, 1957
_vs. Johnny Saxton II. September 12, 1956
41) Aaron Pryor (1976-1990)
Light welterweight
Record: 39-1 (35 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1982
_vs. Alexis Arguello I. November 12, 1982
_vs. Alexis Arguello II. September 9, 1983
42) Charley Burley (1936-1950)
Welterweight, middleweight
Record: 83-12-2-1 (50 KOs)
43) Fighting Harada (1960-1970)
Bantamweight
Record: 55-7-0 (22 KOs)
World flyweight champion October 10, 1962 — January 12, 1963
44) Lennox Lewis (1989-2003)
Heavyweight
Record: 41-2-1 (32 KOs)
Gold medalist as 1988 Seoul Olympics
Undisputed heavyweight champion November 13, 1999 — April 29, 2000
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1999
45) Marco Antonio Barrera (1989-2011)
Junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight
Record: 67-7-0-1 (44 KOs)
_vs. Érik Morales III. November 27, 2004
46) Érik Morales (1993-2012)
Super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight
Record: 52-9 (36 KOs)
_vs. Marco Antonio Barrera I. February 19, 2000
_vs. Paulie Ayala. November 16, 2002
47) Manuel Ortiz (1938-1955)
Lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight
Record: 99-28-3 (53 KOs)
World bantamweight champion August 7, 1942 — January 6, 1947; March 11, 1947 — May 31, 1950
48) Michael Spinks (1977-1988)
Heavyweight, light heavyweight
Record: 31-1-0 (21 KOs)
Gold medalist at 1976 Montreal Olympics
Undisputed light heavyweight champion March 18, 1983 — September 21 1985
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1976
49) Bob Foster (1961-1978)
Light heavyweight
Record: 56-8-1 (46 KOs)
Undisputed light heavyweight champion April 7, 1968 — December 9, 1970; April 7, 1972 — September 16, 1974
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 1968
50) Canelo Álvarez (2005-Present)
Welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight
Record: 53-1-2 (36 KOs)
BWAA Fighter of the Year: 2019

Bubble: Carlos Zarate, Vasyl Lomachenko, Wilfredo Gomez, Miguel Canto, Naoya Inoue, Wilfred Benitez, Sonny Liston, Gennady Golovkin, Terence Crawford