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Boxing's Best of the Century
Who knows what it is about the end of every year that compels people to issue a seemingly endless array of lists ranking nearly everything imaginable. Regardless of the topic, there are countless ‘best of’, ‘worst of’ and ‘top tens’ to be found in every newspaper, magazine and website. With this not only being the end of the year, but also the end of a decade AND a millennium, the volume of lists is even more overwhelming than usual.

One such list, which will undoubtedly stir much debate among boxing enthusiasts, is the recently released listing of the best fighters of the 20th century as chosen by a five-member panel for the Associated Press. Presented below are the AP results for fighter of the century, as well as the top fighters in each weight class. Recognizing that there are even more opinions than there are lists, each category also includes a poll so that you can have your own say as to who was the best overall and at each and every weight.

Fighter of Century

1. Sugar Ray Robinson - welterweight and five-time middleweight champion
Record: 175-19-6, 109 KO's; Career: 1940-65, 24 years active.

2. Muhammad Ali - first three-time heavyweight champion
Record: 56-5, 37 KO's; Career: 1960-81, 19 years active.

3. Henry Armstrong - only fighter to hold three titles (featherweight, lightweight and welterweight) simultaneously
Record: 150-21-9, 101 KO's; Career: 1933-45, 13 years active.

4. Joe Louis - defended the heavyweight championship a record 25 times
Record: 68-3, 54 KO's; Career: 1934-51, 14 years active.

5. Willie Pep - featherweight champion who was a brilliant boxer
Record: 230-11-1, 65 KO's; Career: 1940-66, 22 years active.

6. Jack Dempsey - heavyweight champion who participated in several legendary fights
Record: 61-6-8, 50 KO's, 6 ND; Career: 1914-27, 11 years active.

7. Roberto Duran - dominant lightweight of 1970's, who also won titles in three other weight classes
Record: 102-15, 70 KO's; Career: 1967-99, 31 years active.

8. Benny Leonard - master boxer who was lightweight champion
Record: 85-5-5, 69 KO's, 119 ND; Career: 1911-32, 16 years active.

9. Billy Conn - light heavyweight champion who made historic challenge against Joe Louis
Record: 63-11-1, 14 KO's; Career: 1934-48, 11 years active.

10. Harry Greb - middleweight champion and only man ever to beat Gene Tunney
Record: 115-8-3, 51 KO's, 179 ND; Career: 1913-26, 14 years active.

Note: Career denotes years of first and last fights; years active is number of years with at least one fight.

Heavyweights
Light Heavyweights
Middleweights
Welterweights
Junior Welterweights
Lightweights
Junior Lightweights
Featherwights
Bantamweights
Flyweights

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