To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Charles had won the NBAs recognition as champion in June 1949 following his first win over Walcott. 1 contender spot at middleweight in the October-December 1942 issues before assuming the No. Web1. Robinson exited the ratings during his period of service during World War II, returned to the ratings ranked second in the January 1945 issue and then resumed as leading contender until defeating Tommy Bell for the vacant crown. 10 contender. Nicknamed "Brown Bomber" for his fearsome fists, Joe Louis is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time. An alphabetical addendum will also be posted on RingTV.com, with the scoring results for anyone who finished in the top 100 of one of the scoring categories but didnt make the final 100 along with a couple additional names in Sandy Saddler and George Foreman. He remained active in boxing, refereeing frequently until dying of a heart attack while officiating at a match in 1947. 2-ranked bantamweight defeated the No. Just three years later, he won the world heavyweight title, which he would retain until 1949 when he retired. There is no specific heavyweight ceiling so the formula divides the weight limit of the smaller fighters division against the actual weight of the heavyweight. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. 1-rated lightweight, as of the September 1941 issue, when Robinson beat him by unanimous decision in a lightweight bout. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. McCallum was forced to vacate prior to a planned unification with IBF titlist James Toney. The hope was to present the results in a way that gives something for everyone to sink their teeth into with the centerpiece being the identification of the rankings of the opponents of individual fighters, for the years when they were in the rankings of The Ring. It cost him a fourth divisional crown from the publication. That same year, he won the world featherweight title. The rankings of the August 1944 issue of The Ring carried an as of date of June 10. Group one: anyone who finished in the top 100 of all three scoring categories or whose scoring average was higher than those who did. 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. As an interesting footnote, a fight that has gained fame over time came at a time when Moore was unranked: his defeat at the hands of Charley Burley. 1 contender to champion Freddie Red Cochrane. 8. Davis was not ranked in the August issue and the result of the fight was reported in the September issue, so it was not recorded as a ranked win. He held the welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight titles during a career that began in 1913 and lasted until 1926 when he retired. An asterisk * is used to note a Ring championship title change or a vacancy being filled. T o celebrate its centenary, boxing magazine The Ring has ranked the He topped Tim Bradley in two of their three fights. Kocsis had been ranked previously at flyweight and bantamweight, the latter as late as 1932. Former champion Joey Archibald received his final Ring ranking, at No. He came out ahead 2-1 in a fateful rivalry with Paret, narrowly edged Luis Rodriguez 3-1 over four fights and pounded past Denny Moyer in two of their three contests. 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. Louis might have been unranked when Charles defeated him, but Louis would immediately return to the top 10 after the loss and added two more top 10 wins before his career was complete. In a pro career that began in 1968 and lasted until 2001, he won titles in four different divisions: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight. Join our newsletter to get info about latest events and deals! By the time he retired in 1925, he had a record of 89-6-1 with 70 knockouts. Remarkably, after more than three years of political exclusion from the game, Ali skipped tune-ups and defeated two prominent contenders to set up his first of three fights with Joe Frazier. Career Record: 85-24-2, 1 No Contest (23 KOs, 2 KOBY) First Ring Ranking: These are the best of the best. Anything that ends in a list that ranks fighters across eras is going to be open to debate, and the approach used to generate this list is no different. Robinson was Rings 1942 and 1951 Fighter of the Year. Yall musta forgot Antonio Tarver shocked the boxing world in May 2004. Toney was never stopped in more than 90 professional starts. 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. 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). Mayweather was nearly untouchable in the class. At the time of his first retirement in 1952, Robinsons career record stood at 132-3-2 with no losses versus welterweights, unbeaten streaks of 40 and then 91 contests, and a record against champions and ranked opposition from lightweight to light heavyweight of 35-3-2. Carmen Basilio, between rounds of his fight-of-the-year rematch with Sugar Ray Robinson, is the epitome of the blood-and-guts warrior. results from January-June 1925 used the 1925 annual and the rest of the year used 1926s. Toney was ranked seventh when he shocked Michael Nunn for the IBF belt less than three years into his career. 2 fights and surely would have filled a vacancy had The Ring resumed recognizing champions again before either fight. Benitez then captured the welterweight crown from Carlos Palomino before losing in his first defense to Sugar Ray Leonard. Lynch was credited with one too many. He was in Rings 1963, 1964, 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1978 Fights of the Year. Alis last win would come in avenging a stunning upset loss to Leon Spinks, retiring as champion before an ill-fated comeback. The 1926 and subsequent annual rankings prior to the introduction of monthly rankings included more than 10 fighters so the first 11 were all factored in. 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. 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. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were the Fighters of the Decade for the 2000s and the 2010s. A loss to the champion was a one-point deduction sliding to 11 for a loss to the No. Charles lost most of three years activity (between 1943-45) to service in World War II and left for the war with a professional mark of 30-4-1. The decision in the first fight with Walcott was contentious and Louis answered the challenge with a knockout in the rematch. Charles was Rings 1949 and 1950 Fighter of the Year. Mayweathers wins over Angel Manfredy and Diego Corrales were also No. Between reigns at lightweight, Canzoneri would hold the top contender slot from the August 1933-April 1935 editions. 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. Those were treated as that months rankings and, if needed, were reordered as champion and top 10 to maintain consistency. Your destination for the best boxing news, videos and live streams! Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KO) Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to For instance, if a No. Losses worked in reverse. The No. Losses to unranked opponents drew a universal 12-point deduction. He was a damn good boxer and a great man thanks for your time in the ring. A thrilling boxer-puncher with exceptional physical strength and stamina, Griffith was No. 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. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Missing Quality: Charles is lauded by many, including biographer William Dettloff while writing for The Ring, as the greatest light heavyweight of all time. 1 contender at lightweight in the October 1941 issue following a win over future champion Sammy Angott. Missing Quality: Basilio took a hard road to contention, picking up some losses along the way including decision defeats to a ranked Chuck Davey and Bill Graham. 2023 RING TV LIVE. During that five-year period, he was stripped of his boxing titles and banned from fighting. Note: With some fighters of the more-distant past, there is often disagreement about their final records. Top 10 Lightweights of All Time!Check out the best bookmakers for betting on Boxing! Among them Sugar Ray Robinsons draw versus Henry Brimm was omitted in the initial findings and is added here and the ranking for Henry Cooper prior to his rematch with Muhammad Ali is updated (it was off by one issue; credit to historian Henry Hascup). Sometimes, fighters were separated by fractions of points in the total or peak points categories so single wins and losses were impactful in the scoring. Both active fighters improved their ranking in all three scoring categories. 1 contenders at welterweight (Harry Dublinsky, McLarnin). The exception was fighters moving up to face heavyweights. The second Wilson win came shortly after that. Peter Manfredo TKO 3 (10) 168 07/07, Bernard Hopkins SD 12* (C+) 175 07/08, First Ring Ranking: World Jr. Welterweight Champion (May 1976), Last Ring Ranking: #8 Middleweight (April 1986), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 12-5-1 (5 KO, 3 KOBY), Ring Magazine Championships: Jr. Welterweight (1976-79), Welterweight (1979), Wilfredo Benitez on the April 1982 cover of The Ring Magazine. Assuming the No during that five-year period, he was stripped of his boxing titles and banned fighting... Frequently until dying of a heart attack while officiating at a match in 1947 Bradley! Our newsletter to get info about latest events and deals remained active in boxing, refereeing until! 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