BoxRec

Its been a little while. You dont have to order them, but Im going to attempt to.

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

D

Joe Frazier...about as pure a warrior as it gets. Primal, bring it to you style, the best.

Floyd Patterson....such a gentleman and always liked his probing, peek-a-boo, boxing style, with the oh so fast hands.

Tommy Hearns....the Hitman!

Jerry Quarry....tough luck Irishman that came along at the wrong time.

Dick Tiger....another real warrior. Did a lot for his people.

That's enough.

Off the top of my drunken head...

Hearns
Holyfield
Morales
Saad
Frazier
Duran
Charles
Whitaker
Paul Williams
Louis
Basilio

Hagler
Hearns
Leonard
Holyfield
Louis
Saad Muhammed
Ali
Pryor
Holmes
Frazier

My favourite boxers of all time In order.

1. Holyfield
2. Whitaker
3. Robinson
4. Frazier
5. Hagler
6. Camacho
7. Louis
8. Hearns
9. Tzyu
10. Meldrick Taylor

1. Julio Cesar Chavez-Started following him after watching the Rosario fight. For awhile he seemed more unbeatable than probably Mayweather seems now. Watching his body attack and how he methodically broke down his opponents was breathtaking.
2. Sugar Ray Leonard- In my opinion the most complete fighter ever.
3. Ali- Worthy of all the hype; a true legend.
4. Carlos Monzon- Fascinating to watch, like a wild tiger in a cage you can almost sense the ruthlessness underneath the cool exterior.
5. Pernell Whitaker- If boxing is the sweet science, than Sweat Pea was one of its top scientist. His defensive skills were unparallelled in my lifetime.
6. George Foreman- Power and strength personified; his fight with Lyle is my all time favorite fight; round 4 my all time favorite round.
7. Thomas Hearns- scary freak of nature; i still wonder how the f#ck did Leonard pull that win off in the first fight??? Besides the 2 Sugar Rays, i would make him the favorite over every fighter ever from 154lb on down.
8. Joe Frazier- What Yancy said.
9. Jerry Quarry- Toughness and heart, with some of the best counter punching skills I ever seen. Hate that hes often lumped into the great white hope category by the general public.
10- James Toney- loved his boxing skills and toughness; followed his entire career pretty much.

Ray Mancini- great story, always in shape, all action fights.
Ali- Thee superstar in the sport when I was growing up
LaMotta- movie turned me on to his career.
Marciano- the power to crumble opponents
Joe Frazier- non-stop
Ray Leonard- Olympics to classic fights with class.
Saad Muhammad- great fights in the 80's
Bobby Chacon- always in a war
Mike Spinks- just liked watching his fights.
Duran- after the "No Mas" I started liking him.

not necessarily in order

Ali
Leonard

just for pure athletic talent, for starters. there are times i could watch them do nothing but move around the ring.

Chavez
JMM
Sanchez
Arguello
McCallum
Whitaker
Duran
Hearns

Goodnight, Irene wrote:
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.

interesting you say that, i wasn't aware KT had that level of popularity in Oz.

Frazier
Duran
Hagler
Hearns
Louis
Dempsey
Castillo
Robinson
Jackson
Charles

1-roberto duran
2-azumah nelson
3-tommy hearns
4-pernell whitaker
5-julio cesar chavez
6-nigel benn
7-sugar ray leonard
8-evander holyfield
9-herol graham
10-manny pacqiou

1. Arturo Gatti - The reason why I watch boxing, I first saw him against Terronn Millett, I don't know why but I was still drawn to him. The 1st fight with Ward obviously sealed it...I was a huge fan from then on, and when I looked back on his career in the 90's. Oh MAN was this guy exciting!!!!

2. Erik Morales - A warrior in every sense of the word, I always adored Morales, I was rooting for him passionately in every fight with Barrera and I was ecstatic when he beat Pacquiao in the 1st fight. His recent run of fights was wonderful as well and he showed what a warrior he was even at advanced age, he's a handful for some guys. I hope he retires now though, he's given enough.

3. Jose Luis Castillo - I feel he'll be underrated by history, but he was a great Lightweight Champion and a pleasure to watch, and should be credited as the first man to defeat Floyd Mayweather.

4. James Toney - I absolutely hated this guy for a long time, but then a big fan of his trying to win me over sent me tapes of his earlier Middleweight/ Super Middleweight career, and he won me over too. James is awesome

5. Julian Jackson - I've never seen such devastating KO's from anybody, this guys power is mesmerizingly brutal

6. Joe Frazier - My all time favorite Heavyweight

7. Rafael Marquez - I loved his Bantamweight run and I remember I was jumping up out of my chair when he came through in the 8th to knock Tim Austin through the ropes. I only wish I could've gotten my dream fight back in the day Rafael vs Jhonny Gonzalez

8. Muhammad Ali - Such a legendary figure, such a character, hard not to be drawn to him.

9. Vitali Klitschko - Unappreciated in his own time, but I always look forward to seeing both him and his brother's next fights. Very good fighter and usually fun to watch...for me anyway.

10. "Tito" Trinidad - I have a more extensive tape collection of his fights than any other boxer, and it's a hell of a highlight reel of Knockouts I must say.

Current favorites
Sergio Martinez
Marcos Maidana
Wladimir Klitschko

In no particular order:

Pernell Whitaker - Just a fantastic fighter, a true genius in the ring. Yet despite all of his skill and abililty he could mix it in a dogfight with the best, and is one of the underrated toughsters of all time. His level of competition is was great aswell. The fact that he was on the receiving end of some very dubious decisions made me support him more.

Matthew Saad Muhammad - He was truly the Arturo Gatti of the early 80's. He was involved in some incredible fights and was a joy ot watch in the ring because he took no prisoners. He beat some great fighters, and was fighting world class competiton from the get go in his career. Its such a shame he ended up homeless and broke in his later life, an all too often recurring theme in boxing.

Steve Collins - Ive always been a fan of the Celtic warrior. He was one of the toughest men to ever grace the ring, and I loved his rough tough style and attitude in the ring. He fought and beat some very good fighters and always left it all in the ring. His fights with Reggie Johnson and Mike McCallum are a a testament to his will. Being Irish, hes certainly left me with some great memories, none more so than when he became the first man to beat Chris Eubank, in front of a big Irish crowd in Cork.

Oscar De La Hoya - The biggest star of the 90's and early 2000's. Ive always respected the way he wanted to fight every opponent out there. A real throw back attitude is what he had, and I think that he is slightly underrated today, largely because hes known by some fans more for his money making ability than he was for his abilities int he squared circle.

Jeff Fenech - What an amazing pressure fighter the man was, a non stop punching skilled machine. very pleasing to watch inside the ring, and he also had a class resume.

Roberto Duran - Hands of stone. He has become almost a mythical fighter today, I dont think we will see the likes of him again. An incredible fighter, he was so well rounded and had so much ability, its scary to think how good he good he could have been had he stayed consistently disciplined outside the ring. As it was, he still had one of the best resumes of all time. His win over Sugar Ray Leonard the most spectacular performance ive ever seen. His persona outside the ring only helped me be a fan of him more. His wild man persona was the stuff of legend.

Evander Holyfield - Whats not to like? He was a fighter with very good all round ability, and he had one of the biggest hearts of all time. Hes been in memorable fighter after memorable fight, throughout his career, and is certainly one of the all time great heavyweights. I could watch all of his fights 10 times and still not get bored of them.

Lennox Lewis - No doubt he wont be on many posters lists, but I always liked him. Never as well like or supported as someone like Tyson or Ali, but someone who just quietly went about proving all of his critics wrong, and building a great career. He was a true champions in every sense of the word, and coming back from two devastating loses to avenge them, really shows how much character the man had. I always enjoyed his style to, contrary to how other people consider him boring, I always considered him as a very smart fighter, and one who, when pushed could bring excitement in big knockouts and quality action fights. I think the fans were lucky having him as champions back then, he was as exciting as Gatti in comparison to the Klitschko's

Juan Manuel Marquez - An excellent technician and a fighter whos fought and beat the best throughout his career. Also one of the hard luck fighters unfortunately. He rightfully should have two wins over Pacquiao and a win over Norwood. Hes on of the few fighters who started out solely as a technician, and a sometimes dull one at that, and end up as one of the most exciting fighters around. Hes still the best counter puncher in boxing, and its hard to believe that hes still, around playing his trade.

Arturo Gatti - There's really nothing to say about him that hasnt already been said before. The blood and guts warrior will always be one of the most exciting fighters who ever lived.

For lots of different reasons...

1. Stanley Ketchel
2. Larry Holmes
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Jack Johnson
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Henry Armstrong
7. Mark Prince
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Tom Cannon
10. Sugar Ray Leonard

10 is not enough, I need to find room for Battling Siki, Ruby Robert, Dempsey, Tyrell Biggs, Lennox, Sot Chitalada, Nunn, Raul Perez, Naz, Benn, McCallum etc.

Counter-puncher wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:
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.

interesting you say that, i wasn't aware KT had that level of popularity in Oz.

From what i remember as a kid, Tzyu was that big here, pubs were absolutely packed when he fought.

Counter-puncher wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:
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.

interesting you say that, i wasn't aware KT had that level of popularity in Oz.

From what i remember as a kid, Tzyu was that big here, pubs were absolutely packed when he fought.

keithmoonhangover wrote:For lots of different reasons...

1. Stanley Ketchel
2. Larry Holmes
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Jack Johnson
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Henry Armstrong
7. Mark Prince
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Tom Cannon
10. Sugar Ray Leonard

10 is not enough, I need to find room for Battling Siki, Ruby Robert, Dempsey, Tyrell Biggs, Lennox, Sot Chitalada, Nunn, Raul Perez, Naz, Benn, McCallum etc.

Why do like Tyrell biggs mate?

Sportofkings wrote:

keithmoonhangover wrote:For lots of different reasons...

1. Stanley Ketchel
2. Larry Holmes
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Jack Johnson
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Henry Armstrong
7. Mark Prince
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Tom Cannon
10. Sugar Ray Leonard

10 is not enough, I need to find room for Battling Siki, Ruby Robert, Dempsey, Tyrell Biggs, Lennox, Sot Chitalada, Nunn, Raul Perez, Naz, Benn, McCallum etc.

Why do like Tyrell biggs mate?

Why not? I liked his style in the ring.

Orlando Canizales
Miguel Lora
Wilfredo Gomez
Pernell Whitaker
Roberto Duran
Jose Napoles
Carlos Monzon
Roy Jones Jr.
Matthew Saad Muhammad
John Conteh

No order.

Matthew Saad Muhammad
Willie Pep
Sugar Ray Leonard
Carl Thompson
Salvador Sanchez
Naseem Hamed
Azumah Nelson
Muhammad Ali
Mark Kaylor
Thomas Hearns

Bobby Chacon
Mike McCallum
Erik Morales
Azumah Nelson
Johnny Owen
Edwin Rosario
Salvador Sanchez
James Toney
Kostya Tszyu
Tim Witherspoon

Alphabetical order, I cannot rank these guys. Only Chacon, Owen and Sanchez are guys before my time who I came to know through watching/reading.

keithmoonhangover wrote:

Sportofkings wrote:

keithmoonhangover wrote:For lots of different reasons...

1. Stanley Ketchel
2. Larry Holmes
3. Thomas Hearns
4. Jack Johnson
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Henry Armstrong
7. Mark Prince
8. Muhammad Ali
9. Tom Cannon
10. Sugar Ray Leonard

10 is not enough, I need to find room for Battling Siki, Ruby Robert, Dempsey, Tyrell Biggs, Lennox, Sot Chitalada, Nunn, Raul Perez, Naz, Benn, McCallum etc.

Why do like Tyrell biggs mate?

Why not? I liked his style in the ring.

Just seemed an odd choice, he was a nice fighter to watch though, he had some good technical skills, even if he was never as good a pro as he was an amateur. He looked like Muhammad Ali in that first round against Tyson, for what its worth

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Its been a little while. You dont have to order them, but Im going to attempt to.

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

D

You like Roberto Duran?!?!?!

1. Esteban De Jesus – the reason why I’m a boxing fan
2. Wilfred Benitez
3. Wilfred Gomez
4. Carlos Ortiz
5. Mavin Hagler
6. Pernell Whitaker
7. Alexis Arguello
8. Alfredo “El Salsero” Escalera
9. Ruben Olivares
10. Thomas Hearns

Honorable mention to:
Felix Trinidad
Erik Morales
John John Molina

elmersalsa wrote:
D

You like Roberto Duran?!?!?! [/quote]

How about you Elmer? What is your top 100 list? I know your top ten is Duran, Duran, and Duran ten times. Who else?