Saddler ended a 73-fight unbeaten streak. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. This is a project intended to be kept up for as long as Ring continues to issue rankings and there is thought to publishing all of the findings of the study, in an expanded format, later on. (Photo: Ring/Getty Images). George Costner was not ranked in a Ring top 10 when Robinson first beat him, neither was Artie Levine or Carl Bobo Olson the first two times the future middleweight champ lost to Robinson, but all three would become fixtures of the ratings. 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. 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). Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, Evander Holyfield, Manny Pacquiao The lone loss in that stretch, a debated decision versus Elmer Ray, was avenged by knockout. Some other small corrections have been made to results and summaries but they didnt change the final results. Mayweathers most impressive run may have come in his first weight class with five wins over ranked opposition in title fights at junior lightweight. From his entry into the Ring rankings until the Saddler loss, Peps record against champions and contenders from bantamweight to lightweight was 22-1-1, included wins over one of the dominant bantamweight champions ever in Manuel Ortiz and future lightweight champion Paddy DeMarco. Charley Retzlaff KO 1 (4) Hvy 03/36, Max Schmeling KO by 12 (2) Hvy 08/36, John Henry Lewis KO 1 (C-) 175 03/39, Johnny Paycheck TKO 2 (5) Hvy 05/40, Jersey Joe Walcott SD 15 (1) Hvy 01/48, Jersey Joe Walcott KO 11 (1) Hvy 08/48, Rocky Marciano TKO by 8 (3) Hvy 12/51, Career Record: 174-19-6, 2 No Contests (109 KOs, 1 KOBY), First Ring Ranking: #7 Lightweight (May 1941), Last Ring Ranking: #8 Middleweight (July 1962), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 41-10-3 (17 KOs, 1 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Welterweight (1946-51), Middleweight (1951, 51-52, 55-57, 57, 58-60). 28 Jack Britton. 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. At the time, Ali and Marciano were the only undefeated heavyweight champions in history and fans often debated who would win had they met in their primes. Josh Taylor is the undisputed light welterweight champion, currently the only undisputed champion. Pep spent only six months in the top 10, two of them as No. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Lynch was credited with one too many. The points scale shifted for those years. Muhammad Ali. Results placed between brackets [ ] denote fights that were covered in the same issue (an interesting detail that shows how often some of the earlier fighters were in action). Losses and draws to unranked fighters are part of that total and it doesnt reflect results against ranked opponents outside the scope of the study. Six of the nine fights in the Benitez version took place before Duran-Hagler added the Marvelous one to the mix. Missing Quality: Pacquiao is one of the most decorated fighters in history and the highest-finishing southpaw in this study. 1 contenders. McCallum won the vacant WBA belt versus Sean Mannion in 1984, rose to number one in Rings rankings in the September 1984 edition, and stayed there almost a year. 1-contender rankings at junior featherweight and welterweight along with a No. To best display the range of data, they were then divided into four groups to settle on the final 100. Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KO) Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 29 Bob Fitzsimmons. [California Jackie Wilson MD 10 (3) 147, Henry Armstrong UD 10 (3) 147 10/43, Vic Dellicurti UD 10 (10+) 160 01/45, Georgie Abrams SD 10 (3+) 160 07/47, Bernard Docusen UD 15 (1) 147 08/48, Steve Belloise RTD 7 (2+) 160 10/49, Robert Villemain UD 15 (3) 160 07/50, Robert Villemain TKO 9 (5) 160 02/51, Joey Maxim RTD by 13 (C+) 175 08/52, Rocky Castellani SD 10 (2) 160 09/55, Carmen Basilio L 15* (C-) 147 10/57, Carmen Basilio SD 15* (C) 160 04/58. 23, 2006), Harry Greb (June 6, 1894Oct. 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. The FINAL TEN of Cliff Rolds unique evaluation of The Rings 97-year-old divisional ratings and the 100 fighters who faced the best of their respective weight classes and eras during their time in the Bible of Boxings rankings. Basilio was ranked fourth when he unsuccessfully challenged Kid Gavilan for the welterweight title. During that five-year period, he was stripped of his boxing titles and banned from fighting. 1 contender, along with a win over reigning light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis. A win over the champion of ones weight class, in a title or non-title fight, was worth 11 points, a No. Career Record: 31-6-1 (22 KO) First Ring Ranking: #10 Light Heavyweight Louis knocked out seven of them. Duran retired with a record of 103-16 with 70 knockouts. Missing Quality: Canzoneri came close to being the first fighter with titles in four weight classes. The entry of Lomachenko and Buchanan bumped Fidel LaBarba and Lou Brouillard out of the top 100. On The Ring magazines list of all-time heavyweights, Dempsey holds the 10 th position and 7 th position among the Top 100 greatest punchers. The Yonker fight was for an interim WBC belt and set up McCallums shot at Jeff Harding to win the title outright. Meet Ring Magazine's top 10 fighteres. 1 contender in the December 1935 issue and held it until the August 1936 issue before his loss to Max Schmeling. IV/05, Marco Antonio Barrera UD 12 (3) 130 01/08, Juan Manuel Marquez SD 12* (2) 130 06/08, Oscar De La Hoya RTD 8 (3+++) 154 02/09, Juan Manuel Marquez MD 12 (C) 135 01/12, Timothy Bradley L 12 (1-) 140 08/12, Juan Manuel Marquez KO by 6 (4-) 140 02/13, Timothy Bradley UD 12 (1) 147 06/14, Floyd Mayweather L 12 (C/C+) 147/154 07/15, Timothy Bradley UD 12 (4) 147 07/16, Lucas Matthysse TKO 7 (9) 147 09/18, First Ring Ranking: #2 Middleweight (March 1942), Last Ring Ranking: #10 Heavyweight (April 1956), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 36-16-1 (19 KOs, 5 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Heavyweight (1950-51). Fernandez had been ranked at welterweight and then middleweight between 1959 and 1962. Wins and losses to opponents in higher and lower divisions were included. 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. Whitaker retired in 2001 with a record of 40-4-1-1 with 17 knockouts. Join our newsletter to get info about latest events and deals! To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. All rights reserved. Kane and LaMotta were each missing a result. The No. According to the editors at Ring Magazine, this is how the rest of the top 80 shakes out. Calzaghe captured every major sanctioning body belt (if not all at the same time), and earned recognition as champion from The Ring over the course of a decade. Lewis would move up and down the rankings for a few years, as high as number one and never lower than seventh, and was ranked third when he unseated Bob Olin for the title. Missing Quality: Before he entered the rankings for the first time, Moore split fights with Johnny Bandit Romero in 1938. Had The Ring continued to recognize champions in 1991, Toneys win over Nunn would have made him The Ring middleweight champion dating to their recognition of Sumbu Kalambay. Across the years he was part of the Ring rankings, Robinson would post 14 wins over reigning champions or men ranked as the No. Web1. Basilios defeats in the second Fullmer fight, and versus Pender, came after Basilios final Ring ranking and didnt work against him here. 1 contender spot from the April 1949 issue until earning recognition from The Ring as heavyweight champion in the December 1950 issue following a win over an unranked and recently unretired Joe Louis. Tarver was inconsistent from there, but managed impressive performances to recapture the Ring crown after losing it to Glen Johnson and won another IBF belt later against Clinton Woods. The study tried to respect the varying standards The Ring has used to rank fighters over the last century. He was in Rings 1963, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1978 Fights of the Year. Robinson would stay ranked No. Basilio also beat Gaspar Ortega in 1961 between stretches in the top ten at welterweight for Ortega. Antonio Cervantes SD 15* (C) 140 04/76, Tony Petronelli TKO 3 (9) 140 12/76, Guerrero Chavez TKO 15 (10+) 147 09/77, Carlos Palomino SD 15* (C+) 147 03/79, Ray Leonard TKO by 15* (1) 147 01/80, Tony Chiaverini TKO 8 (3+) 154 09/80, Davey Moore TKO by 2 (10) 154 08/84, Matthew Hilton KO by 9 (10-) 154 04/86, First Ring Ranking: #10 Bantamweight (July 1934), Last Ring Ranking: #3 Bantamweight (February 1945), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 21-16-11 (5 KO, 1 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Bantamweight (1941-42). Yall musta forgot Antonio Tarver shocked the boxing world in May 2004. Click here to read the introduction to the rankings feature that was published in the February 2022 issue. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Had The Ring maintained its title policy through the 1990s, Pacquiao would likely have a fourth Ring title at flyweight for his win over Sasakul. Ali would defend the title successfully 10 times in his second reign, with seven wins against The Rings top 10. Oh my god! Often regarded as the greatest fighter of all time, Robinsons results highlight just how dominant he was in his prime. Canzoneri was the No. Moore made the most of his opportunity and would be recognized by The Ring as champion for the next decade. Harry Greb (June 6, 1894Oct. Nicknamed "Brown Bomber" for his fearsome fists, Joe Louis is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time. Ring career: 1897-1928 Record: 77-13-14 (48 KOs) and 19 no-decisions. Calzaghe defended the WBO belt he won versus Chris Eubank 21 times. These are the best of the best. With Berbick, Ali can be said to have faced ranked opponents in 37 of 61 fights, a staggering 61 percent of his total professional starts. McCallum was forced to vacate prior to a planned unification with IBF titlist James Toney. Moores record entering his challenge of Maxim was 133-19-8. Digging into pro boxing in 1998, Ann boasts one of the most successful careers, with a 24-1-1 record. 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. 1 contenders in their weight class from lightweight to light heavyweight. 24, 1988), Muhammad Ali (Jan. 17, 1942June 3, 2016), Joe Louis (May 13, 1914April 12, 1981), Getty Images/Hulton Archive / Stringer, Willie Pep (Sept. 19, 1922Nov. Prior to championships at featherweight and lightweight, Canzoneri was rated the No. 8. Lesnevich was out of action for almost four years between 1942-46 for service in World War II but would return to defend the title a few times before losing it to Freddie Mills. 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. This list was no exception. 1 ranking at flyweight in the era when The Ring did not recognize singular champions. Bivins was unrated on the eve of his 1951 fight with Louis but would continue to fall in and out of the top 10 into 1953. For now, thank you again for taking the time to read and thank you to the editors at The Ring for their support of this project. Moore suffered defeats to Teddy Yarosz and Shorty Hogue as well before breaking through at middleweight with a win over Ron Richards. Heavyweight. This one came down to fine print. For the 1925 rankings, and the period when Ring didnt recognize single champions from 1989 to 2001, only 10 fighters per weight class were ranked. Thought was given to leaving the results as they were for this online edition but it wouldnt have followed the methodology employed and wouldnt have given readers the best findings possible as they are now. Missing Quality: A little luck goes a long way, and Griffiths three wins over Rodriguez were all by split decision. Digging into pro boxing in 1998, Ann boasts one of the most successful Left-handed Pernell Whitaker made a name for himself by winning gold medals at the 1983Pan American Games and 1984 Summer Olympics. 1 contender spot at middleweight in the October-December 1942 issues before assuming the No. WebTop 10 greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time according to Ring Magazine the Ali was Rings 1963 (as Cassius Clay), 1966 (retroactively), 1972 (with Carlos Monzon), 1974, 1975 and 1978 Fighter of the Year.He was in Rings BornCassius Marcellus Clay Jr.,Muhammad Ali began boxing at the age of 12 and won a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics. WebLet's go to the video: 50 Greatest: Jack Dempsey. 1 contender, before winning a title he would hold in his first reign for almost six years. When he retired in 1966, he had a record of 229-11-1 with 65 knockouts. Missing Quality: Prior to entering the top ten, Lewis posted a win over tenth ranked Yale Okun in April 1932 but didnt earn a ranking for the win. It references the cover story to the February 2022 issue of The Ring, which celebrated the magazines 100 years of publication. One of boxings great, ageless wonders, the Old Mongoose tackled contenders from middleweight to heavyweight for 17 years before finally getting a crack at a world title. A formula based on body weight percentage differences between divisions of ranked fighters, rather than scale weights of the fighters, was applied. Wins and losses to opponents in higher and lower divisions were included. He would remain recognized as Rings champion until his retirement following the only knockout loss of his career to heavyweight champion Joe Louis. After the loss to Frazier, Ali would fight 14 times, going 8-1 in that run against ranked opposition (seven heavyweights and light heavyweight champion Bob Foster) before upsetting George Foreman to regain the title. Willie Pastrano TKO 9* (C) 175 05/65, First Ring Ranking: #4 Light Heavyweight (January 1933), Last Ring Ranking: World Light Heavyweight Champion (January 1940), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 16-9-4 (4 KO, 1 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Light Heavyweight (1935-39). Over time, these results will continue to change. Moore faced everyone in the famed murderers row of the 1930s and 40s, and while he didnt best them all, Moores remarkable durability allowed him to long outlast the field. Then middleweight between 1959 and 1962 retirement following the only knockout loss of his career to champion... His second reign, with a win over Ron Richards and banned from fighting ( KO... Tried to respect the varying standards the Ring did not recognize singular.... 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