Which undefeated boxer has the best shot at finishing career unbeaten?

[Ruthless-RKO]

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Andre Ward, 33 years old, IBF-WBA-WBO light heavyweight champion, 31-0, 15 KOs – Ward is already talking retirement and told Yahoo Sports recently if he fights again, it would only be against Sergey Kovalev. Ward defeated Kovalev on Nov. 19 in Las Vegas and they face a rematch ahead. Kovalev could have won that first fight and can’t be ruled out of the second. Biggest threat to perfection: Kovalev.

Guillermo Rigondeaux, 36, WBA-WBO super bantamweight champion, 17-0, 11 KOs – Rigondeaux relies on outstanding defense, an uncanny sense of timing, terrific reflexes and great counter punches to win his fights. The reflexes may decline as he ages, but the timing will stay with him. Despite his record and his two Olympic gold medals, not a lot of opponents are eager to face him because he doesn’t have much of a name any more and doesn’t fight a crowd-pleasing style. Top Rank’s Vasyl Lomachenko has moved up to super featherweight, but he might be convinced to drop back to featherweight for a fight against a fellow Olympic double-gold medalist. Biggest threat to perfection: Vasyl Lomachenko.

Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, 29, WBC super flyweight champion, 46-0, 38 KOs – Gonzalez is still in his prime and is one of the best, if not the best, pound-for-pound boxers in the world. He’s an exciting offensive fighter who has good defensive skills. He’s moved up in weight, and that will put him at risk. How much longer he’ll fight is the question. He’s pretty much set financially now and it’s probably a good bet he’ll step aside after 50 fights. Biggest threat to perfection: Juan Francisco Estrada and Naoya Inoue.

Wanheng Menayothin, 31, WBC minimumweight champion, 45-0, 17 KOs: The lightest weight fighters face the biggest physical declines as they age, as sheer size and declining reflexes tend to take over. Menayothin, who is widely regarded as the best strawweight, still hasn’t shown a huge decline. Biggest threat to perfection: Thammanoon Niyomtrong.

Terence Crawford, 29, WBC-WBO super lightweight champion, 30-0, 21 KOs: Crawford is one of the most complete fighters in the world, as gifted defensively as he is offensively. He’s relatively young and that works against him, as does a series of potential quality opponents. Biggest threat to perfection: Danny Garcia.

Luis Ortiz, 37, former WBA heavyweight champion, 27-0, 23 KOs: Ortiz’s age is a likelihood that he’ll remain on this list. He will be 38 by the end of the month and he’s not the most active guy. There aren’t a lot of threats and those that are there are unlikely opponents. There are a lot of good heavyweights active now, like Anthony Joshua, Joe Parker and Deontay Wilder, but they don’t seem likely to compete with Ortiz. Biggest threat to perfection: Deontay Wilder.

Gennady Golovkin, 34, IBF-WBC middleweight champion, 36-0, 33 KOs: Golovkin is in magnificent condition for a 34-year-old, and loves boxing, so a quick retirement doesn’t seem like a option. But he’s going to be looking for big fights, and in 2018, if he’s still undefeated, will likely have to move up to do it. That’s where the biggest risk is, but not the only one. He’s facing Daniel Jacobs, who has only lost once, on March 18, with the prospect of a bout against Canelo Alvarez later this year. Biggest threat to perfection: Alvarez.

Keith Thurman, 28, WBA-WBC welterweight champion, 28-0, 22 KOs: There are a lot of big fights for Thurman in and around his weight class, and given his relative youth, he’s going to have to turn into an all-time great to remain perfect. He’s a strong combination of boxing and punching, but as he showed Saturday in his victory over Danny Garcia, he isn't without fault. Biggest threat to perfection: Errol Spence Jr.

Naoya Inoue, 23, WBO super flyweight champion, 12-0, 10 KOs: Inoue is one of the best boxers nobody in the U.S. knows about, largely because he fights in a weight class that is largely ignored in the U.S. But if he ever attracted the attention of a U.S. television network, he’d become hugely popular in a hurry. Biggest threat to perfection: Roman Gonzalez.

Deontay Wilder, 31, WBC heavyweight champion, 38-0, 37 KOs: Wilder hasn’t faced great opposition more than eight years into his career, but there are a number of heavyweights he could fight who have the ability to defeat him. But Wilder has fast hands and punches exceptionally hard, two traits that overcome a lot of sins. Biggest threat to perfection: Anthony Joshua.

Oscar Valdez, 26, WBO featherweight champion, 21-0, 19 KOs: Valdez is one of the young, exciting fighters in the world and is clearly on the rise. But he’s got a decade or more left in his career and many significant challenges. Biggest threat to perfection: Vasyl Lomachenko.

Oleksandr Gvozdyk, 29, light heavyweight contender, 12-0, 10 KOs: A bronze medalist in the 2012 Olympic Games, Gvozdyk is a talented big man who is athletic, powerful, can box and hits hard with both hands. Biggest threat to perfection: Moving up in weight.

Errol Spence Jr., 27, welterweight contender, 21-0, 18 KOs: Spence was compared to Sugar Ray Leonard when he turned pro, and while it’s obvious why, he’s been moved slowly. He’s going to challenge Kell Brook for the IBF belt in May. Biggest threat to perfection: Keith Thurman.

Anthony Joshua, 27, IBF-WBA heavyweight champion, 18-0, 18 KOs: Joshua has been perfect as a pro, but he’s not without his faults. He can be hit and he hasn’t faced much opposition. He’s also occasionally stiff and doesn’t move well at the waist. But like Wilder, he can punch. Biggest threat to perfection: Wladimir Klitschko.

Gilberto Ramirez, 25, WBO super middleweight champion, 34-0, 24 KOs: Ramirez is the rising star in the loaded super middleweight division, and he could face challenges from not only within the 168-pound class, but from fighters moving up as well as guys now at light heavyweight. He’s a good, not great puncher and a solid, not complete, boxer. Biggest threat to perfection: Gennady Golovkin.

[Boxing Prospect]

Wanheng Menayothin, 31, WBC minimumweight champion, 45-0, 17 KOs: The lightest weight fighters face the biggest physical declines as they age, as sheer size and declining reflexes tend to take over. Menayothin, who is widely regarded as the best strawweight, still hasn’t shown a huge decline. Biggest threat to perfection: Thammanoon Niyomtrong.

Nice to see the the lack of research here, the team that control Wanheng and "Thammanoon" (Knockout CP Freshmart!) have said they won't fight. The biggest threat to Knockout is probably someone more like Hiroto Kyoguchi, who is actively chasing a world title fight, rather than the man that their team has said won't be facing off...

[IKSRTFO]

Ward

[DazDiCanio]

Is the person that put AJ, going to own up?

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Rigo, he barely fights and has no backing to make big fights. Coupled with his talent it seems the easy answer to me.

[Tony1244]

I voted for Ward because I think he'll fight only 1 or 2 more times.

Wilder will beat guys like Breazeale, Bellew, and Stiverne and then get KOd early by someone like Joshua. Deontay will ca$h out, $$$

[gilgamesh]

I'd say Rigo

But I don't figure any of these guys retire without a loss, and I figure some of 'em don't make it through this year without a loss.

[boxing_rocks]

Ward. I doubt that there will be a rematch or that he takes on Beterbiev or Stevenson.

[Enlightened-One]

Shinsuke Yamanaka only has two more fights remaining until he surpasses Yoko Gushiken's Japanese record for the amount of world title defences.

Shinsuke is 34½ years of age, which is ancient for a bantamweight, has engaged in 13 world title fights and he’s also the longest reigning currently-active world champion.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he hangs-up his gloves within one or two fights time. He might be a name worth considering.

[Perseus]

Shinsuke Yamanaka only has two more fights remaining until he surpasses Yoko Gushiken's Japanese record for the amount of world title defences.

Shinsuke is 34½ years of age, which is ancient for a bantamweight, has engaged in 13 world title fights and he’s also the longest reigning currently-active world champion.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he hangs-up his gloves within one or two fights time. He might be a name worth considering.

His name is worth considering but imo he will fight one Inoue or the other before hanging it up and since he is "ancient" and they will be moving toward their prime I expect one of them to erase his zero.

[crusader]

Yamanaka has a better shot of retiring undefeated than most those guys IMO, though he has draws and hence can't retire with a 'perfect' record, which seems to be what Iole is looking at.

I'd go with Ward or Rigo, the latter of whom only faces scrubs these days.

[Lackeos]

I am apparently not alone in picking Rigondeaux, Ward, and Golovkin. Strategy says the ones who are oldest and closest to retirement and among the best picks. Exception for Ortiz, who has not made a ton of money from boxing, and is eventually going to have to put himself in a risky fight and likely lose to get a big payday. Golovkin and Rigondeaux are probably just going to coast into retirement without booking many / anymore risky fights. Ward is probably only a few fights away from retirement, but the odds are either working against him if he takes-on more hard fights like Kovalev, or strongly in his favor if he just retires right now; so Ward's odds are a little more polarized than Golovkin's and Rigondeaux's.

[ElJefe]

Rigo, Ward and GGG would be my top 3 most likely. Gonzalez next but the likes of Inoue, Cuadras, Estrada would all be v. competitive. The rest are either too unproven and/or have plenty of fights left for something to go wrong in.

[In the know 85]

Rigondeaux, ggg, spence!

[greg]

Wilder having a good chance provided he fights the same level of opposition..

[Switch hitter]

Tyson Fury......he may never box again