1965-20025: The Top 60 Boxers Pound per Pound of the Last 60 Years

[elmersalsa]

Not to start an argument, but the argument is going to be there. Not every list is the same. Some are good and some are not that good depending of your choice and taste.

To me, these are the top 60 Greatest Boxers Pound per Pound since 1965. I mean, of the last 60 years. I can't believe that time has flown so fast. Time doesn't wait for no one.

I remember my first fight that got me into the sport of boxing back in September 1978. It was the four fight extravaganza in which were title bouts, being Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks second fight as the headliner in The Super Dome in New Orleans.

Since that day, I got hooked into boxing. I started buying The Ring Magazine to see all the world champions and contenders. My life in boxing has never been the same since.

I know that Ali vs Spinks (II) was not the first fight that I have seen live. My first fight seeing it live was on that sunny day of Saturday, March 16th, 1974 when the great Roberto Duran of Panama was defending his WBA World Lightweight Crown against his nemesis and only conqueror at the time, Esteban De Jesus of Puerto Rico.

Being an Ali and Duran fan in the 70s decade was the only thing that I knew. They were my first two boxing heroes. But, I never followed the sport by any means. I just saw the replays and the sports news of their wins. I was ONLY a child to comprehend and cannot picture myself watching the sport at that age on TV for 45 minutes of action.

I used to hear the old folks like my dad talking to his friends about certain fighters like Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles, Ruben Olivares, Carlos Monzon and of course Duran, the man that he never liked.

Years has passed since 1965. A lot of things have changed. A lot of things have happened. Some for the good. And some for the bad.

But, after studying and watching films of these great boxers for years, I came with my own conclusions. The first 43 fighters in this list were so awesome and exceptional that they make the top 100 pound per pound greatest boxers of all-time without any shadow of a doubt no matter how you rank them.

Of these fighters in my view, I have seen some extraordinary ones like The 4 Kings and others like Salvador Sanchez, Eusebio Pedroza, Mike McCallum, Miguel "Happy" Lora, Donald Curry, Meldrick Taylor, and Julio Cesar Chavez for example as almost complete or complete boxers.

Each one of them had a quality. Each one of them had a style. They are remembered. Some aren't. But, they were great fighters.

In my opinion, these are the top 60 Greatest Boxers Pound per Pound of the Last 60 Years: (1965-20025)

1. Roberto Duran
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Floyd Mayweather, Jr
4. Carlos Monzon
5. Sugar Ray Leonard
6. Manny Pacquiao
7. Pernell Whitaker
8. Julio Cesar Chavez
9. Emile Griffith
10. Alexis Arguello
11. Eder Jofre
12. Marvelous Marvin Hagler
13. Roy Jones, Jr
14. Evander Holyfield
15. Salvador Sanchez
16. Thomas Hearns
17. Larry Holmes
18. George Foreman
19. Dick Tiger
20. Joe Frazier
21. Bernard Hopkins
22. Ruben Olivares
23. Juan Manuel Marquez
24. Michael Spinks
25. Jose "Mantequilla" Napoles
26. Fighting Harada
27. Wilfredo Gomez
28. Carlos Ortiz
29. Wilfred Benitez
30. Carlos Zarate
31. Miguel Canto
32. Bob Foster
33. Marco Antonio Barrera
34. Ricardo "Finito" Lopez
35. Luis Manuel Rodriguez
36. Erik "El Terrible" Morales
37. Azumah Nelson
38. Lennox Lewis
39. James Toney
40. Mike McCallum
41. Eusebio Pedroza
42. Mike Tyson
43. Vicente Saldivar
44. Terence Bud Crawford
45. Nino Benvenutti
46. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
47. Aaron Pryor
48. Flash Elorde
49. Gennady "GGG" Golovkin
50. Khosai Galaxy
51. Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez
52. Oscar De La Hoya
53. Wladimir Klitschko
54. Ronald "Winky" Wright
55. Sugar Shane Mosley
56. Felix "Tito" Trinidad
57. Myung Woo Yuh
58. Antonio Cervantes
59. Joe Calzaghe
60. Jung Koo Chang.

Your comments, please.

[elmersalsa]

To the moderators, fix that 20025 to 2025 for me, please. I made a small boo boo.

[tiny_acres]

I am sure people will nit pick this list, But looking at it it is not bad.
I argue a few fighters spots but it is a solid list

[Expug]

Good list. I might switch around a few guys but you didn’t miss many names either. You’ve got that covered. I might throw Sonny Liston in there but I guess his best work was pre 65.

[Expug]

Specifically I would put Bob Foster and Hagler higher but you’ve got the greats all on the list that I can think of

[Ambling Alp II]

Several cases where I would change the order, but just about all the guys listed are worthy of being in the top 60.