The Top 25 Greatest European Boxers Pound per Pound of All-time

[elmersalsa]

This is my list of the top 25 Greatest European Boxers Pound per pound of all-time. European boxing had some fantastic fighters through the years.

Here is my list:
1. Bob Fitzsimmons (England)
2. Jimmy Wilde (Wales)
3. Jimmy McLarnin (Ireland)
4. Jack "Kid" Berg (England)
5. Lennox Lewis (England)
6. Ted "Kid" Lewis (England)
7. Benny Lynch (Scotland)
8. Nino Benvenutti (Italy)
9. Duilio Loi (Italy)
10. Owen Moran (England)
11. Joe Calzaghe (Wales)
12. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (Ukraine)
13. Georges Carpentier (France)
14. Marcel Cerdan (France)
15. Ken Buchanan (Scotland)
16. Tyson Fury (England)
17. Kostya Tszyu (Russia)
18. Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine)
19. Vitaly Klitschko (Ukraine)
20. Freddie Welsh (Wales)
21. "Peerless" Jem Driscoll (Wales)
22. Marcel Thil (France)
23. Naseem Hamed (England)
24. Max Schmeling (Germany)
25. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (Ireland)

This is based in quality of opposition, historical impact, longevity, division dominance, level of competition, and contribution and influence to the sport of boxing.

[goose 5]

Real good list you compiled. I'd rank Lennox and Cerdan higher, however. top 5.

[DrDuke]

12. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (Ukraine)

Wha? He's Kazakhstani. So, he can't be in the list.

[Ambling Alp II]

This is my list of the top 25 Greatest European Boxers Pound per pound of all-time. European boxing had some fantastic fighters through the years.

Here is my list:
1. Bob Fitzsimmons (England)
2. Jimmy Wilde (Wales)
3. Jimmy McLarnin (Ireland)
4. Jack "Kid" Berg (England)
5. Lennox Lewis (England)
6. Ted "Kid" Lewis (England)
7. Benny Lynch (Scotland)
8. Nino Benvenutti (Italy)
9. Duilio Loi (Italy)
10. Owen Moran (England)
11. Joe Calzaghe (Wales)
12. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (Ukraine)
13. Georges Carpentier (France)
14. Marcel Cerdan (France)
15. Ken Buchanan (Scotland)
16. Tyson Fury (England)
17. Kostya Tszyu (Russia)
18. Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine)
19. Vitaly Klitschko (Ukraine)
20. Freddie Welsh (Wales)
21. "Peerless" Jem Driscoll (Wales)
22. Marcel Thil (France)
23. Naseem Hamed (England)
24. Max Schmeling (Germany)
25. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (Ireland)

This is based in quality of opposition, historical impact, longevity, division dominance, level of competition, and contribution and influence to the sport of boxing.

The Top 15 is pretty good, though the guy at #2 is too high. Obviously, a lot of close calls. Would move up the guys at #20 #21, and #24 up a little, move down the guys #16 and 18 a bit, and take out the guy at #19 entirely. Would add Sammy Mandell. Overall, a decent list.

[elmersalsa]

This is my list of the top 25 Greatest European Boxers Pound per pound of all-time. European boxing had some fantastic fighters through the years.

Here is my list:
1. Bob Fitzsimmons (England)
2. Jimmy Wilde (Wales)
3. Jimmy McLarnin (Ireland)
4. Jack "Kid" Berg (England)
5. Lennox Lewis (England)
6. Ted "Kid" Lewis (England)
7. Benny Lynch (Scotland)
8. Nino Benvenutti (Italy)
9. Duilio Loi (Italy)
10. Owen Moran (England)
11. Joe Calzaghe (Wales)
12. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (Ukraine)
13. Georges Carpentier (France)
14. Marcel Cerdan (France)
15. Ken Buchanan (Scotland)
16. Tyson Fury (England)
17. Kostya Tszyu (Russia)
18. Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine)
19. Vitaly Klitschko (Ukraine)
20. Freddie Welsh (Wales)
21. "Peerless" Jem Driscoll (Wales)
22. Marcel Thil (France)
23. Naseem Hamed (England)
24. Max Schmeling (Germany)
25. Nonpareil Jack Dempsey (Ireland)

This is based in quality of opposition, historical impact, longevity, division dominance, level of competition, and contribution and influence to the sport of boxing.

The Top 15 is pretty good, though the guy at #2 is too high. Obviously, a lot of close calls. Would move up the guys at #20 #21, and #24 up a little, move down the guys #16 and 18 a bit, and take out the guy at #19 entirely. Would add Sammy Mandell. Overall, a decent list.

Thanks for your feedback, Alp

[elmersalsa]

Real good list you compiled. I'd rank Lennox and Cerdan higher, however. top 5.

Thanks for the feedback

[elmersalsa]

Wales had a great boxing tradition for a small country. My favorite Welsh fighter is Howard Winstone.

The last great fighter from Wales was Joe Calzaghe.

Other great Welsh boxers were Freddie Welsh, Peerless Jem Driscoll, and the greatest of them all: the great Jimmy Wilde!

[elmersalsa]

Of the top 25, England has 7. The most of the European countries.

[gilgamesh]

Fitzsy at #1 seems about right. Lennox should be no worse than #2 and arguably #1. Joe Calzaghe has to rank highly.

Honestly a lot of your very, very best European boxers have come from recent times. With Americans you have to delve into the way back for the very best. With Europeans. It was pretty damn recent in a lot of cases.

The ranking and placement can always be debated, but overall I think you have a good list there Elmer. Everyone that belongs in the conversation is there pretty much.

If someone is forgotten I'm sure someone will mention it. Maybe even me when I'm not drunk

[Ambling Alp II]

This list coming from elmer surprised me. I mentioned earlier what I would chance, but overall it's pretty good. Sammy Mandell was the biggest omission I thought of. 9 of the top 10 were guys from the 1970s or before.

[Tony1244]

Excellent list. I'd have 16, 14, 12, and 11 higher. But I'm far more familiar with those guys.

[Baby Face Finster]

Excellent list. I'd have 16, 14, 12, and 11 higher. But I'm far more familiar with those guys.

Cerdan at 14 is a joke.

[pound per pound]

Excellent list. I'd have 16, 14, 12, and 11 higher. But I'm far more familiar with those guys.

Cerdan at 14 is a joke.

It is.

I don't want to belittle the mighty atom too much ( Wilde ) but his list of famous fighter's beaten is well, a bit short so to speak. Can someone educate me on the names he has beaten besides merely listing them?

The list is a UK version of the top ten. Perhaps that explains the bias against the Frenchman Cerdan?

[giacomino]

Um, ELMO, you have No, 12 as GGG and listed him as being from Ukraine, He’s not European. He is from Kazakhstan, which is part of North Central Asia.

[Bodyshot3]

A good Top 25 - but Honeyghan needs to be in there, so does Randy Turpin - and you could make a strong case for Usyk and Lomchenko even now as active fighters.

[chrisjs1985]

Freddie Welsh at #20 seems way off.

[jaouad]

Um, ELMO, you have No, 12 as GGG and listed him as being from Ukraine, He’s not European. He is from Kazakhstan, which is part of North Central Asia.

Technically Kazachstan is both part of Europe and Asia.

[Benny The Kid]

It seems like your missing a great deal of fighters here.

Ireland dominated the early pioneer era. There's no way that Jack NP Dempsey was the best of them. I have him ranked towards the bottom of the early irish boxers of his time.

Ireland is very poorly represented in this list.

[mattdonnellon]

Ah, good list, wouldn't get too bothered about placement. I'd have Usyk and Lomo in, Jack McAuliffe too but all just opinion.

[elmersalsa]

It seems like your missing a great deal of fighters here.

Ireland dominated the early pioneer era. There's no way that Jack NP Dempsey was the best of them. I have him ranked towards the bottom of the early irish boxers of his time.

Ireland is very poorly represented in this list.

Well, we got the great Jimmy McLarnin on the list. He is Irish.