greatest heavyweight boxers of all time ring magazine

During a pro career that ran from 1977 to 1997, "Sugar" Ray Leonard won titles in a remarkable five divisions: welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, and light heavyweight. The world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, Joe Louis is one of Across his years in the Ring rankings, Ali would face all six of the other men The Ring recognized as heavyweight champion during those years, defeating five, along with five No. Terence Crawford advanced his standing with a win over a ranked Shawn Porter while Vasiliy Lomachenko entered the top 100 with his latest win over a ranked Richard Commey. Basilio was ranked fourth when he unsuccessfully challenged Kid Gavilan for the welterweight title. Six of the nine fights in the Benitez version took place before Duran-Hagler added the Marvelous one to the mix. Tony Canzoneri was Rings 1934 co-Fighter of the Year (with Barney Ross). Returning to the ring in 1955, Robinson was never quite as consistent again but still added critical victories against Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio to further cement his legend. A 1956 silver medalist at light middleweight for the United States, Torres fought most of his first six years at middleweight, peaking at a number six ranking. Late in Lewiss career, Lewis would stop Elmer Ray well before Ray cracked the top ten at heavyweight. Benitez was unranked when he defeated Antonio Cervantes for his first title, spending his entire tenure in The Rings rankings at Jr. welterweight as champion. James Toney downs 1996 Olympic champ Vassily Jirov to win the IBF cruiserweight title in 2003, the year he earned his second Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year award. The entirely subjective nature of any list comparing fighters across different weight categories and different eras is bound to be fodder for debate. Sugar Ray Robinson set the bar by which all other modern boxers are judged. A 1960 Olympic gold medalist at light heavyweight and the only fighter to capture the Ring (and lineal) heavyweight title three times, Ali entered the ratings less than two years into his career and defeated four top-10 contenders to earn his shot at Sonny Liston. However, there was only room to present the detailed accomplishments of the top 25 fighters rated according to Cliff Rolds criteria which was based on their records vs. fellow Ring-rated opposition dating back to 1925, when the magazine began posting divisional rankings. 2-ranked featherweight, 126 was divided by 118 and then multiplied by standard win/loss points, making the win worth 9.61 points to the bantamweight and the loss a deduction of 3.2 points for the featherweight. He turned pro after the Olympics and went on to win titles in the lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight, and light middleweight divisions. If the featherweight won, 118 would be divided by 126 with the win worth 8.42 points for the featherweight and the loss meaning a deduction of 2.81 points for the bantamweight. The inexhaustible Welshman tied the record for defenses of a title at super middleweight with Germanys Sven Ottke. Known for his ability to deliver (and withstand) a furious beating, Harry Greb was a remarkably physical fighter. However, for a lengthy period of time the February, and later March, issue of the magazine would only feature the annual ratings for the year. so that Who is the WWE world heavyweight champion 2020? WebThe International Boxing Research Organization rates Foreman as the eighth greatest heavyweight of all time. It references the cover story to the February 2022 issue of The Ring, which celebrated the magazines 100 years of publication. Mayweather also briefly held the IBF belt in 2006. Armstrong, born Henry Jackson Jr., turned pro in 1931. Both active fighters improved their ranking in all three scoring categories. Scoring for total points and peak points relied on a base 11-point scale (i.e. Boxing icon Muhammad Ali has brushed aside fierce competition to be voted the best boxer of all time by fans. The 'Greatest' is widely celebrated for his legendary achievements inside the squared Benitez deserves remembrance as the fifth king. Win total ties were broken based on peak score. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Carmen Basilio, between rounds of his fight-of-the-year rematch with Sugar Ray Robinson, is the epitome of the blood-and-guts warrior. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. That championship is sorely missing from his resume. After defeating an undefeated Mikkel Kessler in a unification match to complete his tenure at super middleweight, Calzaghe rose to light heavyweight and defeated Bernard Hopkins for Rings light heavyweight honors. 10-rated middleweight as of the November 1942 issue when Robinson, who was rated at welterweight, faced him in a middleweight bout and won by unanimous decision. Lulu Constantino UD 10 (6+) 135 09/44], Jimmy McAllister D 10 (UR) 126 01/46, Humberto Sierra UD 10 (8) 126 09/47, Humberto Sierra TKO 10 (1) 126 04/48, Sandy Saddler KO by 4* (1) 126 12/48, Sandy Saddler RTD by 8* (1) 126 10/50, Corky Gonzales UD 10 (10) 126 10/51, Sandy Saddler RTD by 9 (C) 126 11/51, Tommy Collins TKO by 6 (10) 126 08/52, Hogan Bassey TKO by 9 (C) 126 11/58, First Ring Ranking: #10 Jr. Lightweight (July 1998), Last Ring Ranking: Welterweight Champion (December 2015), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 23-0 (8 KOs), Ring Magazine Championships: Lightweight (2002-04), Welterweight (2006-08, 13-15), Jr. Middleweight (2013-15). A 1938 win over Lou Brouillard missed credit by a single issue. First Ring Ranking: #6 Light Heavyweight (November 1936), Last Ring Ranking: #2 Light Heavyweight (July 1949), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 17-13-3 (8 KO, 5 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Light Heavyweight (1941-48). Was anything from 30 to 40 out of the question? Robinson is one of only three fighters in the study identified with 40 or more victories over Ring champions or ranked contenders. An asterisk * is used to note a Ring championship title change or a vacancy being filled. The number in parentheses after the name and result is the ranking of the opponent at the time of their bout, followed by the opponents weight class (denoted by the divisions weight limit) and the cover date for the issue with the opponents ranking just before his bout with the examined fighter. WebThe Super Fight was a fictional boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali shot in 1969 and released in 1970. 1 contenders at welterweight (Harry Dublinsky, McLarnin). Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KO) Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to The Brooklyn bantamweight spent more than a decade in or near the top ten after winning bronze at the 1932 Olympics. Ali was arrested in 1966 for refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army, a case that did not end until the U.S. Supreme Court exonerated him in 1971. Robinson would stay ranked No. Charles was The Rings leading light heavyweight contender for all but two issues from August 1946 to October 1948 without ever receiving a title shot. Just as the men who ranked from #20 to #11 were beyond mere hall of famers, each individual in the top 10 is a bonafide all-time great the man the world knows as THE GREATEEST and the Sweet Scientist that The Greatest and most boxing historians called the G.O.A.T are among the near-mythical legends and modern icons in this group. When Azumah Nelson defeated Jeff Fenech in their 1992 rematch, they were The Rings top two contenders in the class. Missing Quality: Pacquiao is one of the most decorated fighters in history and the highest-finishing southpaw in this study. Lynchs change has the more dramatic outcome because of the way the results were grouped. Ring career: 1897-1928 Record: 77-13-14 (48 KOs) and 19 no-decisions. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were the Fighters of the Decade for the 2000s and the 2010s. Griffith could be defeated, but his ability to consistently rebound from losses was remarkable. Charles had won the NBAs recognition as champion in June 1949 following his first win over Walcott. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. So, LaMotta was The Rings No. A formula based on body weight percentage differences between divisions of ranked fighters, rather than scale weights of the fighters, was applied. Benitez would earn a number one ranking at Jr. middleweight after stopping Maurice Hope for the WBC belt, Benitezs last championship. Canzoneri was the No. 22, 1926), Getty Images/The Stanley Weston Archive / Contributor, Benny Leonard (April 7, 1896April 18, 1947), Oscar De La Hoya Career Record, Fight-by-Fight, Meet the 15 Best MMA Fighters of All Time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fight-by-Fight Career Record, Bernard Hopkins Fight-By-Fight Career Record, Ring Magazine Top 100 Punchers Of All Time. Across the years he was part of the Ring rankings, Robinson would post 14 wins over reigning champions or men ranked as the No. Emile Griffith graces the cover of the March 1965 issue of The Ring. Group three was derived from fighters who scored in the top 75 of any of the three scoring categories or whose final scoring average was higher than what would otherwise be the bottom ten of the top 100 (70-100). Over time, these results will continue to change. As the title To Be the Best suggests, the feature looked back at 100 men who personified that phrase by facing the best opposition of their respective weight classes and eras. The Filipino icon cracked Ring Magazine top 10s in four different decades from the 1990s to the 2020s with wins over reigning champions or opponents ranked in the top two of every weight class he competed in from flyweight to welterweight. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, and is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. 92 and 93 on this very special list of greats. Florentino Fernandez UD 10 (6) 147 10/60, Jorge Fernandez TKO 9 (4) 147 01/63, Luis Rodriguez SD 15* (C) 147 07/63, Rubin Carter TKO by 1 (8+) 160 01/64, Manuel Gonzalez UD 15 (2) 147 01/66, Nino Benvenuti MD 15* (C) 160 11/67, Gypsy Joe Harris UD 12 (9) 160 09/68, Carlos Monzon TKO by 14 (C) 160 11/71, Jean Claude Bouttier DQ by 7 (4) 160 02/73, Donato Paduano UD 10 (9-) 154 01/75], Jose Luis Duran L 10 (UR) 160 07/75, Elijah Makhathini L 10 (UR) 160 09/75], Career Record: 137-24-10, 4 No Decisions (44 KOs, 1 KOBY), First Ring Ranking: #2 Bantamweight (February 1927), Last Ring Ranking: #5 Lightweight (May 1939), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 40-21-7, 1 No Decision (8 KOs), Ring Magazine Championships: Featherweight (1927-28), Lightweight (1930-33, 35-36). Draws against ranked opponents were worth half a win; draws against unranked opponents were a six-point deduction. 50. Mayweathers wins over Angel Manfredy and Diego Corrales were also No. Toney was never stopped in more than 90 professional starts. A missing win in the initial tabulation for former lightweight champion Ken Buchanan was also identified and incorporated, pushing Buchanan into the top 100. Michigans Lights Out won titles in three weight classes and lost a heavyweight belt to a PED test while vacillating between moments of brilliance and inconsistency often attributed to conditioning. Of note, the parameters of this study exclude Alis final loss to a rated Trevor Berbick. He also avenged pre-war losses to Jimmy Bivins and Lloyd Marshall multiple times apiece while winning all three battles with Archie Moore. Eight of the nine title defenses in Alis first reign, including a rematch knockout of Liston, stoppage of former two-time champion Floyd Patterson and reunification win against WBA titlist Ernie Terrell, were against Ring-ranked contenders. 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