The 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time

Plus Their Weight Classes, Ring Careers, and Records

Greatest Boxers of All Time
Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 2007 ESPN.com compiled a list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time, basing the selections on in-ring performance, achievement, dominance, and mainstream appeal. Unfortunately, the site hasn't produced an updated list.

50 Greatest Boxers of All Time

Here's the 2007 roster starting at the top, with weight classes, years competing, and records:

1. Sugar Ray Robinson: Welterweight, middleweight; ring career 1940-65; record 175-19-6-2 (109 KOs)
2. Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight; ring career 1960-81; record 56-5 (37 KOs)
3. Henry Armstrong: Featherweight, lightweight, welterweight; ring career 1932-45; record 151-21-9 (101 KOs)
4. Joe Louis: Heavyweight; ring career 1934-51; record 68-3 (54 KOs)
5. Willie Pep: Featherweight; ring career 1940-66; record 230-11-1 (65 KOs)
6. Roberto Duran: Lightweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight;
ring career 1968-2001; record 103-16 (70 KOs)
7. Benny Leonard: Lightweight; ring career 1911-32; record 85-5-1 (69 KOs) and 121 no-decisions
8. Jack Johnson: Heavyweight; ring career 1897-1928; record 77-13-14 (48 KOs) and 19 no-decisions
9. Jack Dempsey: Heavyweight; ring career 1914-27; record 61-6-8 (50 KOs) and 6 no-decisions
10. Sam Langford: Lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, heavyweight; ring career 1902-26; record 167-38-37-3 (117 KOs) and 48 no-decisions
11. Joe Gans: Lightweight; ring career 1891-1909; record 120-8-9 (85 KOs) and 18 no-decisions
12. Sugar Ray Leonard: Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight; ring career 1977-97; record 36-3-1 (25 KOs)
13. Harry Greb: Middleweight; ring career 1913-26; record 105-8-3 (48 KOs) and 183 no-decisions
14. Rocky Marciano: Heavyweight; ring career 1947-56; record 49-0 (43 KOs)
15. Jimmy Wilde: Flyweight; ring career 1910-23; record 131-3-2 (99 KOs) and 13 no-decisions
16. Gene Tunney: Heavyweight; ring career 1915-28; record 61-1-1-1 (45 KOs) and 19 no-decisions
17. Mickey Walker: Welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight;
ring career 1919-35; record 93-19-4-1 (60 KOs) and 46 no-decisions
18. Archie Moore: Light heavyweight, heavyweight; ring career 1935-63; record 183-24-10-1 (131 KOs)
19. Stanley Ketchel: Middleweight, heavyweight; ring career 1903-10; record 52-4-4 (49 KOs) and 4 no-decisions
20. George Foreman: Heavyweight; ring career 1969-97; record 76-5 (68 KOs)
21. Tony Canzoneri: Bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight; ring career 1925-39; record 137-24-10 (44 KOs) and 4 no-decisions
22. Barney Ross: Lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight; ring career 1929-38; record 72-4-3 (22 KOs) and 2 no-decisions
23. Jimmy McLarnin: Flyweight, lightweight, welterweight; ring career 1923-36; record 62-11-3 (20 KOs) and 1 no-decision
24. Julio Cesar Chavez: Super featherweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight; ring career 1980-2005; record 108-6-2 (87 KOs)
25. Marcel Cerdan: Middleweight; ring career 1934-49; record 106-4 (61 KOs)
26. Joe Frazier: Heavyweight; ring career 1965-81; record 32-4-1 (27 KOs)
27. Ezzard Charles: Middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight; ring career 1940-59; record 96-25-1 (58 KOs)
28. Jake LaMotta: Middleweight; ring career 1941-54; record 83-19-4 (30 KOs)
29. Sandy Saddler: Featherweight, junior lightweight; ring career 1944-57; record 144-16-2 (103 KOs)
30. Terry McGovern: Bantamweight, featherweight; ring career 1897-1908; record 60-4-4 (42 KOs) and 10 no-decisions
31. Billy Conn: Middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight; ring career 1935-48; record 63-12-1 (14 KOs)
32. Jose Napoles: Welterweight, middleweight; ring career 1958-75; record 77-7 (54 KOs)
33. Ruben Olivares: Bantamweight, featherweight; ring career 1965-88; record 88-13-3 (78 KOs)
34. Emile Griffith: Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight; ring career 1958-77; record 85-24-2-1 (23 KOs)
35. Marvin Hagler: Middleweight; ring career 1973-87; record 62-3-2 (57 KOs)
36. Eder Jofre: Bantamweight, featherweight; ring career 1957-76; record 72-2-4 (50 KOs)
37. Thomas Hearns: Welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiserweight; ring career 1977-2006; record 61-5-1 (48 KOs)
38. Larry Holmes: Heavyweight; ring career 1973-2002; record 69-6 (44 KOs)
39. Oscar De La Hoya: Junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight, middleweight; ring career 1992-2008; record 38-5 (32 KOs)
40. Evander Holyfield: Cruiserweight, heavyweight; ring career 1984-2011; record 41-8-2 (26 KOs)
41. Ted "Kid" Lewis: Featherweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight; ring career 1909-29; record 173-30-14 (71 KOs) and 65 no-decisions

42. Alexis Arguello: Featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight; ring career 1968-95; record 80-8 (64 KOs)

43. Marco Antonio Barrera: Junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight; ring career 1989-2011; record 63-5 (42 KOs)
44. Pernell Whitaker: Lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight; ring career 1984-2001; record 40-4-1-1 (17 KOs)
45. Carlos Monzon: Middleweight; ring career 1963-77; record 87-3-9-1 (59 KOs)
46. Roy Jones Jr.: Middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight; ring career 1989-2018; record 50-4 (38 KOs)
47. Bernard Hopkins: Middleweight, light heavyweight; ring career 1988-2016; record 47-4-1 (32 KOs)
48. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight; ring career 1996-2017; record 38-0 (24 KOs)
49. Erik Morales: Super bantamweight, featherweight, junior lightweight; ring career 1993-2012; record 48-5 (34 KOs)
50. Mike Tyson: Heavyweight; ring career 1985-2005; record 50-6-0-2 (44 KOs)

How Would a List of All-Time Greats Look Today?

Perhaps one of the major sports news publishers will produce an updated top 50 list before too much time passes. Boxing still commands major audiences, and fans will forever debate their favorites.