1. George Foreman (76-5-0)
Made me a fan of the sport itself when I watched my first ever fight, as a wide-eyed 10-year-old seeing him KO Michael Moorer. I'll never forget that. For the next few months, all I did was eat, sleep, and breathe Boxing.
2. Oscar De La Hoya (39-6-0)
The fascination with an aged Foreman extended into an admiration of a boxer at the other end of his chronology, a rising star who ceaselessly brought me all the big moments he could for years to come.
3. Kostya Tszyu (31-2-0)
Boxing needs more men like this --- it really does. Tszyu's class and decency unified a nation not always welcoming of foreigners and scarcely interested in Boxing. You used to see pubs across Sydney (and likely the country) packed on a Sunday afternoon (Sat night in the US) to watch him and it was a real event. I havent seen a boxer here do that regularly since, and I miss those days.
4. Wilfred Benitez (53-8-1)
I hate it when the Fab Four come up in conversation, for this very reason. Benitez remains an absolute joy to watch on his day, and what he did against Cervantes is quite arguably better than any single moment in the Four Kings' careers. To me, there'll always be a fifth king...the child king...
5. Pernell Whitaker (40-4-1)
Just after I discovered a rising De La Hoya, so I became captivated by a fading Whitaker. I arrived a little late to see his best unfold first-hand, but I couldnt even begin to understand what I was seeing as a youngster. He was too old to show me his true greatness, and I too young to grasp what greatness he still had left.
6. Rafael Marquez (41-7-0)
How can people overlook him so? I admit his brother is the better boxer, but junior is just so damn likeable! He has it all --- technical precision and prowess for the purists, big-time power for KO fans, and a shaky chin mixed with a tonne of heart for fans of a barn-burner! His third fight with Vazquez was better than Corrales-Castillo I, IMO.
7. Manny Pacquiao (54-3-2)
You're dead inside if you can find a reason to dislike this guy enough not to love him for his insanely exciting style (admittedly more tempered now than in years past) and the things hes achieved.
8. Jack Dempsey (61-6-9)
"When Dempsey retired, they retired the word, 'champ'." - Paul Gallico. Nuff said
9. Joe Louis (66-3-0)
Many of the same qualities as a man Tszyu possessed, just a hundred times his superior as a fighter. A magnificent man in and out of the ring, and to watch his blend of handspeed, power and precision is just a blood-chilling marvel.
10. Ricardo Lopez (51-0-1)
Sad Lopez had no opposition at times, because had it been there, he'd have had no opposition anyway and would thus be remembered as greater than he is. He's not the greatest Mexican ever if you judge greats using resume, but just on skill and talent, he may well have been. If you could make a 160lb version of him, he would have beaten any fighter, in any weightclass back in the mid-90's.
Honourable Mentions:
Muhammad Ali
Roberto Duran
Larry Holmes
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