The Best Pound for Pound Fighters of All Time: The Top 10
by Scotty L of Predictem.com
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There is surely no exact science in putting together a list of the top 10 greatest pound for pound boxers of all time. Ten different boxing historians would likely give you ten different lists and all would likely give you a strong case for their selections. With that being said, we believe our guy (Scotty L) calls it just as good as anybody. Enjoy this article, it’s a beauty!
1. Sugar Ray Robinson: The undisputed king of these rankings. The often-imitated and never-duplicated Sugar Ray was the greatest fighter ever seen in a prize ring, combining all the desirable traits you want in a fighter into one exquisite package. He is widely considered the greatest welterweight and middleweight of all time. He could box your socks off. He could hit like a ton of bricks. He was merciless and tough, and he did it all with extreme flair and aplomb. He only lost to much heavier Jake LaMotta in his first 130 fights, a loss he avenged many times.
2. Henry Armstrong: He may not have had the longevity of other greats, but his juggernaut run in the 1930s is the stuff of legends. When there were only eight weight classes, Armstrong simultaneously held three of them, and was robbed in his effort to get a fourth. Holding the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight championships, Armstrong owned almost 40% of the titles in boxing. Today, a fighter would need to win like 30 titles to equal Armstrongs dominance of the sport. The relentless punching machine was that good.
3. Willie Pep: The master. Pep was an unparalleled boxer of the highest order and maybe the most clever and shifty of all great champions. While he perhaps never once won a round without throwing a punch, as some folklore suggests, the story does illustrate the essence of the Will o the Wisp. Most fighters couldnt hit the featherweight legend with a handful of sand. Won his first 62 bouts, and lost only once in his first 136 bouts.
4. Harry Greb: A born fighting machine. A human tornado, Grebs list of victims read like a whos-who of boxing greats from the first quarter of the twentieth century. The former World Middleweight Champion was the only man to defeat heavyweight legend Gene Tunney. Known as the Pittsburgh Windmill, Greb won over 250 fights. Once boxed more rounds in one year than 26-year pro Evander Holyfield has boxed in his entire career.
5. Roberto Duran: The great Manos de Piedra was a savage assassin who combined a merciless attitude with subtle boxing skills to create the ultimate wrecking machine. After a seven-year reign as Lightweight Champion, beat Sugar Ray Leonard for the World Welterweight Championship. At that point was 72-1 with a great hall of fame resume in place. Still went on to win two more championships and lost by only one point to Top 3 all-time Middleweight Champion Marvin Hagler while fighting in his seventh division. First appeared in the world rankings in 1970 and was still fighting in world title bouts as late as 1998.
6. Benny Leonard: Maybe the greatest fighting mind ever seen in a boxing ring. The lightweight great fought a step ahead of his contemporaries, using great technique, smarts, swiftness, and power to utterly clean out the weight class. The Ghetto Wizard was never out-thought in the ring.
7. Muhammad Ali: A man with two careers: The first taking place in the 60s where the athletically gifted Ali used his speed and agility to flourish, and the second being the 70s version where a slower Ali called on his smarts and toughness to prevail. His wins over Liston, Foreman, Frazier, and others stand out as the most compelling list of victims of any heavyweight in history. He dominated the golden age of heavyweights, somehow going 20 years without getting knocked out.
8. Joe Louis: A great boxer. As fundamentally sound as they come with fight-ending power in both hands. Joe Louis carved up the division with an unheard-of margin of dominance. He held the World Heavyweight Championship for over 12 years. Defended his championship a record 25 times, elevating the sport in the process and becoming a beloved hero. Dispatched his foes with efficiency, as some of his finishing punches traveled only a matter of inches before impacting on the chins of his opponents with wrecking-ball affect.
9. Ezzard Charles: Some may remember him as a good, but relatively unexceptional Heavyweight Champion. He was already past his prime by that point, and still managed to dominate the post-Louis era for a few years. Prior to that, he was the greatest light heavyweight ever, beating all-time great Archie Moore three times and just about every other notable light heavyweight during an immensely difficult era.
10. Julio Cesar Chavez: Opponents knew what was coming, but couldnt do anything about it. You could hit him as hard and as often as you pleased and the only thing you would get in return is a sneer. Undefeated in his first 90 bouts, Chavez didnt capture the eye with glitzy tactics. He just kept coming like the tideimpossible to deter. Viewers would soon realize his opponents looked like they had been beaten with a bat.