BoxRec

Firstly, I divided the boxers according to their birth decade. For now, I have 12 classification in an effort to ensure that the Top 100 list is representative for each era.

Each decade, the Top 10 boxers born on that decade are listed
So with 12 decade/era, the top 8 makes the list. So 12x8, that is 96.
Leaving with only 4 wildcard spots to complete the roster.

Would appreciate your comments on the ranking per decade. It will be easier to compare boxers in the same era rather than debating who is greater between Eder Jofre and Alexis Arguello.





How would you rank Holmes, Foreman and Frazier?
Holman Williams and Baby Arizmendi greater than Jersey Joe Walcott?
Griffith or Jofre?
Kid Gavilan or Ike Williams or Dck Tiger?
Kid Chocolate or Manuel Ortiz?
Spinks or Sanchez?
Tyson or Finito Lopez?
Rank these: Pryor, Wilfredo Gomez, Zarate & Wilfrez Benitez?
Mosley or Vitali?
Nietes or Bradley?

List in text

Prior 1880s
1. Bob Fitzsimmons
2. Joe Gans
3. Barbados Joe Walcott
4. Jack Johnson
5. Tommy Ryan
6. Jim Jeffries
7. George Dixon
8. Non Pareil Jack Dempsey
9. Philidelphia Jack O'Brien
10. Young Griffo

1880s
1. Sam Langford
2. Stanley Ketchel
3. Abe Attel
4. Terry McGovern
5. Jack Britton
6. Freddie Welsh
7. Packey McFarland
8. Johnny Kilbane
9. Jim Driscoll
10. Mike Gibbons


1890s
1. Harry Greb
2. Benny Leonard
3. Gene Tunney
4. Jimmy Wilde
5. Jack Dempsey
6. Tiger Flowers
7. Ted Kid Lewis
8. Harry Wills
9. Pete Herman
10. Lew Tendler

1900s
1. Barney Ross
2. Mickey Walker
3. Tony Canzoneri
4. Jimmy McLarnin
5. Tommy Loughran
6. Panama Al Brown
7. Pancho Villa
8. Fidel Labarba
9. Jack Dillon
10. Frankie Genaro


1910s
1. Henry Armstrong
2. Joe Louis
3. Archie Moore
4. Charley Burley
5. Billy Conn
6. Holman Williams
7. Kid Chocolate
8. Manuel Ortiz
9. Marcel Cerdan
10. Baby Arizmendi

1920s
1. Sugar Ray Robinson
2. Ezzard Charles
3. Willie Pep
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Sandy Saddler
6. Kid Gavilan
7. Ike Williams
8. Dck Tiger
9. Jake LaMotta
10. Carmen Basilio

1930s
1. Emile Griffith
2. Eder Jofre
3. Carlos Ortiz
4. Bob Foster
5. Luis Manuel Rodriguez
6. Flash Elorde
7. Gene Fullmer
8. Sonny Liston
9. Nicolino Locche
10. Nino Benvenuti

1940s
1. Muhammad Ali
2. Carlos Monzon
3. Jose Napoles
4. Ruben Olivares
5. Fighting Harada
6. Larry Holmes
7. George Foreman
8. Joe Frazier
9. Miguel Canto
10. Vicente Saldivar

1950s
1. Roberto Duran
2. Sugar Ray Leonard
3. Marvin Hagler
4. Alexis Arguello
5. Thomas Hearns
6. Salvador Sanchez
7. Michael Spinks
8. Wilfredo Gomez
9. Aaron Pryor
10. Carlos Zarate

1960s
1. Roy Jones Jr
2. Pernell Whitaker
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Julio Cesar Chavez
5. Evander Holyfield
6. Lennox Lewis
7. Ricardo Lopez
8. Mike Tyson
9. James Toney
10. Jeff Fenech


1970s
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr
3. Oscar De La Hoya
4. Felix Trinidad
5. Erik Morales
6. Juan Manuel Marquez
7. Marco Antonio Barrera
8. Wladimir Klitschko
9. Joe Calzaghe
10. Shane Mosley

Post 70s
1. Andre Ward
2. Canelo Alvarez
3. Gennady Golovkin
4. Roman Gonzales
5. Nonito Donaire
6. Vasyl Lomachenko
7. Miguel Cotto
8. Tyson Fury
9. Timothy Bradley
10. Terrence Crawford

First, I want to say this is a great undertaking! Obviously you put a lot of time and consideration into this.

As for the questions you had, most are good questions where it is tough to call.
People argue about Holmes, Foreman, and Frazier all the time. I personally would have it Foreman, then Frazier, than Holmes, but certainly arguable.
As for Pryor, Gomez, Zarate and Benitez: close call. Benitez has to be in there, I think. Guess Zarate would have to be eliminated as great as he was.
Mosley was much better than Vitaly. In fact, I would move Mosley up to at least #8.

Other ones that you didn't mention that I would make slight adjustments for, but you won't have two people with the same picks for something like this.
I'm sure there is someone that I am not think of right now that has been overlooked, but can't think of them now.

Very interesting to read. Great list!

The only glaring out of place guy to me is wlad. Looks good, I'm not going to do a ton of research, but I'll try and match your 10's bit by bit and see how we compare.

I looked at this a little more.
Here are a few adjustments that I would make:
For fighters born in the 1970s, take out Klitschko. Put in Winky Wright at number 10. Move Mosley up to #7. Move Trinidad down to #8.
For those born in the 1950s, Leonard has to be ahead of Duran.
For those born in 1930s - Move Griffith down a few spots. I have him lower than the rest of the world does.
For those born in the 1890s, I would move Jimmy Wilde down to about #8. The truth is we don't really know how great he was.
For those born before the 1880s, Barbados Joe Walcott seems a bit high. Would move him down to about 9th.

Obviously, when one guy gets moved down several spots, other guys need to go up one.

Certainly there a ton of close calls here. This is a great idea and well done.

Jofre as the best from the 30's, Whitaker as the best from the 60's would probably be the only thing I would change as far as #1's.