Sports

2.8k voters

The Best Boxers of the 1990s

Updated June 1, 2019 18.0k votes 2.8k voters 70.0k views65 items

List RulesVote for the greatest boxers in any weight class based on their performances during the 1990s.

Boxing in the 1990s saw Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis dominate the heavyweight division. Mike Tyson was also around, although he had to take a three-year hiatus after running into trouble with the law. Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Caesar Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr., Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Michael Watson all rose to prominence in the decade to become some of the greatest boxers of all-time.

Who is the greatest boxer of the 1990s? Vote below to improve our definitive rankings of the best boxers of the 1990s. If you think any fighters are missing, feel free to add them so that other boxing fans and Rankers can vote on your additions!

Photo:

...more

1
832
340
Roy Jones Jr.
Super middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 50
Birthplace: Pensacola, Florida, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
36 fights in the 1990s
35 wins (28 KO)
More Roy Jones Jr.
#8 of 26 26 Athletes Who Are Also Musicians#15 of 20 20 Athletes Who Failed Drug Tests
2
668
280
Lennox Lewis
Heavyweight
Age: 54
Birthplace: West Ham
Nationality: United Kingdom,Canada
30 fights in the 1990s
28 wins (20 KO)
More Lennox Lewis
#344 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time#1377 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time
3
645
299
Evander Holyfield
Cruiserweight, Light heavyweight
Age: 57
Birthplace: Atmore, Alabama, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
18 fights in the 1990s
13 wins (4 KO)
More Evander Holyfield
#59 of 60 The Most Iconic Celebrity First Names#3 of 85 Great Athletes Who Waited Too Long To Retire
4
842
390
Mike Tyson
Heavyweight
Age: 53
Birthplace: Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City, New York, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
12 fights in the 1990s
9 wins (7 KO)
More Mike Tyson
#885 of 904 Celebrity Death Pool 2021#1223 of 1,355 The Greatest Minds of All Time
5
425
222
Oscar de la Hoya
Welterweight, Lightweight
Age: 46
Birthplace: East Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
32 fights in the 1990s
31 wins (18 KO)
More Oscar de la Hoya
#42 of 47 Athletes With the Coolest Post-Sports Careers#200 of 209 Dreamcasting Celebrities We Want To See On The Masked Singer
6
407
178
Pernell Whitaker
Welterweight, Lightweight
Age: 55
Birthplace: Virginia
Nationality: United States of America
24 fights in the 1990s
20 wins (5 KO)
More Pernell Whitaker
#6 of 49 The Best Welterweight Boxers of All Time#7 of 81 The Best Lightweight Boxers of All Time
7
390
244
Julio César Chávez
Lightweight, Super featherweight
Age: 57
Birthplace: Ciudad Obregón, Mexico
Nationality: Mexico
40 fights in the 1990s
34 wins (23 KO)
More Julio César Chávez
#6 of 30 The Best Boxers of the 1980s#11 of 99 The Best Hispanic Athletes
8
346
204
George Foreman
Heavyweight
Age: 70
Birthplace: Marshall, Texas, USA
Nationality: United States of America
15 fights in the 1990s
12 wins (8 KO)
More George Foreman
#2 of 48 The Best Boxers of the 1970s#73 of 163 The Smartest Professional Athletes
9
234
165
Vitali Klitschko
Heavyweight
Age: 48
Birthplace: Belovodskoye, Kyrgyzstan
Nationality: Ukraine
More Vitali Klitschko
#16 of 74 The Best Active Boxers in the World Right Now#5 of 14 14 Famous People Who Have PhDs
10
307
150
Félix Trinidad
Welterweight, Light middleweight
Age: 46
Birthplace: Fajardo
Nationality: Puerto Rico
11
275
219
Riddick Bowe
Heavyweight
Age: 52
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
More Riddick Bowe
#17 of 30 Sports Stars Who You Would Break Out of Jail#17 of 27 The Best Sports Illustrated Covers
12
445
193
Manny Pacquiáo
Super bantamweight, Flyweight
Age: 41
Birthplace: Kibawe, Philippines
Nationality: Philippines
More Manny Pacquiáo
#1830 of 1,891 The Greatest Musical Artists of All Time#77 of 115 The Funniest Professional Athletes
13
165
106
Kostya Tszyu
Light middleweight, Light welterweight
Age: 50
Birthplace: Serov, Russia
Nationality: Russia,Australia

14
341
120
Bernard Hopkins
Super middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 54
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
39 fights in the 1990s
36 wins (26 KO)
More Bernard Hopkins
#7 of 19 20 Athletes Who Are Muslim#8 of 10 Celebrities Who Live in Philadelphia
15
233
162
James Toney
Cruiserweight, Super middleweight
Age: 51
Birthplace: Michigan, USA, Grand Rapids
Nationality: United States of America
16
279
244
Naseem Hamed
Featherweight
Age: 45
Birthplace: Sheffield, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
More Naseem Hamed
#32 of 67 The Best Boxers of the 21st Century#181 of 190 The Toughest Professional Fighters in History
17
166
143
Nigel Benn
Super middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 55
Birthplace: Ilford, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
18
183
138
Larry Holmes
Heavyweight
Age: 70
Birthplace: Cuthbert, Georgia, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
More Larry Holmes
#263 of 269 The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World#57 of 178 The Best Boxers of All Time
19
175
88
Marco Antonio Barrera
Featherweight, Bantamweight
Age: 45
Birthplace: Mexico, Mexico City
Nationality: Mexico
48 fights in the 1990s
45 wins (30 KO)
20
333
283
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Welterweight, Featherweight
Age: 42
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
More Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The Best Floyd Mayweather Burns By Conor McGregor#4 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes
21
142
114
Héctor Camacho
Lightweight, Super featherweight
Age: Dec. at 50 (1962-2012)
Birthplace: Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Nationality: United States of America
More Héctor Camacho
#99 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time#17 of 32 The Best Hispanic Boxers of All Time
22
154
96
Érik Morales
Featherweight, Bantamweight
Age: 43
Birthplace: Tijuana, Mexico
Nationality: Mexico
23
122
83
Julian Jackson
Light middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 59
Birthplace: Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
Nationality: United States of America

24
105
85
Johnny Tapia
Featherweight, Super flyweight
Age: Dec. at 45 (1967-2012)
Birthplace: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Nationality: United States of America
25
152
146
Chris Eubank
Super middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 53
Birthplace: Dulwich, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England

Kostya Tszyu