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The Best Boxers of the 20th Century

Updated April 18, 2020 27.5k votes 3.0k voters 24.5k views207 items

List RulesVote for the greatest boxers in any weight class based on their performances during the 20th Century

Who are the best boxers of the 20th century? This list of the best boxers of the 20th century contains some of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. From legends like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis to late-century stars like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield, this list of the greatest boxers of the 20th century will surely include some of your favorite fighters of all time!

Now it's your turn to vote on who you think are the greatest boxers of the 20th century from the list below. See a great boxer from the 20th century missing from the list? Add them so that other boxing fans and Rankers can vote on your addition!

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Rocky Marciano
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 46 (1923-1969)
Birthplace: Brockton, Massachusetts, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America,Italy
49 fights from 1947-1955
49 wins (43 KO)
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#822 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time#5 of 28 28 Famous Athletes Who Are Catholic
2
1,126
271
Jack Dempsey
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 88 (1895-1983)
Birthplace: Manassa, Colorado, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
75 fights from 1914-1927
54 wins (44 KO)
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#3 of 107 College & Professional Athletes Who Were Raised Mormon#8 of 37 The Best Boxers of the 1940s
3
985
233
Gene Tunney
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 81 (1897-1978)
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York
Nationality: United States of America
85 fights: 65 wins (48 KO)
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#65 of 249 Famous Irish Americans#30 of 35 Athletes Who Are Military Heroes
4
751
248
Max Baer
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 50 (1909-1959)
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Nationality: United States of America
81 fights: 68 wins (59 KO)
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#20 of 71 The Greatest Jewish Athletes Of All Time#3 of 37 The Greatest Jewish Boxers Of All Time
5
528
273
Joe Louis
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 67 (1914-1981)
Birthplace: La Fayette, Alabama, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
69 fights from 1934-1951
66 wins (52 KO)
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#418 of 753 People We Wish Were Still Alive#66 of 101 The Most Beloved US Veterans
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617
237
Manny Pacquiáo
Super bantamweight, Flyweight
Age: 41
Birthplace: Kibawe, Philippines
Nationality: Philippines
29 fights from 1995-2000
27 wins (20 KO)
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#1836 of 1,891 The Greatest Musical Artists of All Time#79 of 115 The Funniest Professional Athletes
7
345
185
Joe Frazier
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 67 (1944-2011)
Birthplace: Beaufort, South Carolina, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
37 fights from 1965-1981
32 wins (27 KO)
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#1093 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#553 of 582 The Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time
8
406
175
Archie Moore
219 fights: 186 wins (132 KO)
9
461
295
Sugar Ray Robinson
Welterweight, Middleweight
Age: Dec. at 68 (1921-1989)
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
200 fights from 1940-1965
173 wins (108 KO)
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#143 of 152 The Most Influential Athletes Of All Time#10 of 13 Athletes Who Are (Allegedly) In The Illuminati
10
345
204
George Foreman
Heavyweight
Age: 70
Birthplace: Marshall, Texas, USA
Nationality: United States of America
81 fights from 1969-1997
76 wins (68 KO)
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#12 of 85 Great Athletes Who Waited Too Long To Retire#73 of 163 The Smartest Professional Athletes
11
653
437
Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight
Age: 77
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
61 fights from 1960-1981
56 wins (37 KO)
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#82 of 432 The Most Important Leaders in U.S. History#274 of 568 American Public Figures Who Are National Treasures
12
268
176
Sugar Ray Leonard
Super middleweight, Welterweight
Age: 63
Birthplace: Rocky Mount, North Carolina, USA
Nationality: United States of America
40 fights from 1977-1997
36 wins (25 KO)
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#3 of 49 The Best Welterweight Boxers of All Time#7 of 48 The Best Boxers of the 1970s
13
328
252
Mike Tyson
Heavyweight
Age: 53
Birthplace: Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City, New York, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
48 fights from 1985-2000
46 wins (40 KO)
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#885 of 904 Celebrity Death Pool 2021#1221 of 1,355 The Greatest Minds of All Time

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132
Roy Jones Jr.
Super middleweight, Middleweight
Age: 50
Birthplace: Pensacola, Florida, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
74 fights: 65 wins (47 KO)
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#8 of 26 26 Athletes Who Are Also Musicians#15 of 20 20 Athletes Who Failed Drug Tests
15
180
164
Evander Holyfield
Cruiserweight, Light heavyweight
Age: 57
Birthplace: Atmore, Alabama, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
41 fights from 1984-2000
35 wins (22 KO)
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#59 of 60 The Most Iconic Celebrity First Names#1 of 43 The Best Cruiserweight Boxers of All Time
16
136
112
Jack Johnson
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 68 (1878-1946)
Birthplace: Galveston, Texas
Nationality: United States of America
101 fights from 1900-1938
71 wins (38 KO)
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#21 of 25 Famous People From History You Had No Idea Were Foxy#57 of 66 The Most Controversial Athletes in Sports History
17
129
116
Lennox Lewis
Heavyweight
Age: 54
Birthplace: West Ham
Nationality: United Kingdom,Canada
37 fights: 35 wins (26 KO)
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#343 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time#8 of 67 The Best Boxers of the 21st Century
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133
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Larry Holmes
Heavyweight
Age: 70
Birthplace: Cuthbert, Georgia, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
75 fights: 69 wins (44 KO)
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#263 of 269 The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World#55 of 178 The Best Boxers of All Time
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116
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Oscar de la Hoya
Welterweight, Lightweight
Age: 46
Birthplace: East Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
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#17 of 74 The Best Active Boxers in the World Right Now#106 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time
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170
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Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Welterweight, Featherweight
Age: 42
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America
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The Best Floyd Mayweather Burns By Conor McGregor#4 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes
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John L. Sullivan
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 60 (1858-1918)
Birthplace: Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality: United States of America
22
682
174
Harry Greb
Middleweight
Age: Dec. at 32 (1894-1926)
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nationality: United States of America
298 fights from 1913-1926
261 wins (48 KO)
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152
Jake LaMotta
Middleweight
Age: 98
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Nationality: United States of America,Italy
106 fights: 83 wins (30 KO)
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Behind The Scenes Of 'Raging Bull,' The Masterpiece Scorsese Never Wanted To Make#10 of 72 The Best Middleweight Boxers of All Time

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Willie Pep
Featherweight
Age: Dec. at 84 (1922-2006)
Birthplace: Middletown, Connecticut
Nationality: United States of America
241 fights from 1940-1966
229 wins (65 KO)
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Ingemar Johansson
Heavyweight
Age: Dec. at 77 (1932-2009)
Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden
Nationality: Sweden
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#25 of 52 The Best Boxers of the 1960s#25 of 45 The Best Boxers of the 1950s