Toney achieved and held a number three ranking at heavyweight for two different stretches, forfeiting the WBA belt he initially won against John Ruiz and getting a draw in a challenge of WBC titlist Hasim Rahman. A bronze medalist at the 1996 Olympics, Mayweathers first win over a Ring-ranked opponent was also his first for a title (the WBC 130-pound strap). Gus Lesnevich, Ring Magazines 1947 Fighter of the Year. Griffith could be defeated, but his ability to consistently rebound from losses was remarkable. The No. Missing Quality: Between wins over Diego Corrales and Jesus Chavez in a stellar 2001 campaign, Mayweather defeated Carlos Hernandez, who was unranked by The Ring at the time. However, in editing the remainder of the study, the Armstrong knockout of Davis was also found in the results of the August 1944 issue. 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). Louis began facing contenders just a dozen fights into his career and kept facing them for the rest of it. The inexhaustible Welshman tied the record for defenses of a title at super middleweight with Germanys Sven Ottke. Those were treated as that months rankings and, if needed, were reordered as champion and top 10 to maintain consistency. 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. 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. Joe Calzaghe won Ring Magazine championships at super middleweight and light heavyweight. WebLet's go to the video: 50 Greatest: Jack Dempsey. 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). Draws against ranked opponents were worth half a win; draws against unranked opponents were a six-point deduction. 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). Louis was 10-1 against Ring-ranked opposition before defeating James Braddock for the crown. 10 contender. Ali was Rings 1963 (as Cassius Clay), 1966 (retroactively), 1972 (with Carlos Monzon), 1974, 1975 and 1978 Fighter of the Year. 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. Everyone who finished in the top 100 of preliminary research for those three categories was moved into a final pool of what came out to 150 fighters. 28 Jack Britton. Its not a reflection of a change of opinion about anyones placement. Losses to unranked opponents drew a universal 12-point deduction. WebThe Ring enlisted the services of various historians and writers, including Farhood, Canzoneris record is loaded with multi-fight rivalries, including a four-way round robin with Jimmy McLarnin, Barney Ross and Billy Petrolle. Missing Quality: A bout with Lateef Kayode result was initially a draw but changed to a No Contest when Tarver tested positive for a banned substance. His back-to-back middleweight title wars with Carmen Basilio won Rings 1957 and 1958 Fight-of-the-Year award. Michael Spinks (737.4 points; 31-1-0) Considered to be one of the best light heavyweights of all time, Michael Spinks (known as Jinx) held world championships in both the light heavyweight class (he was the undisputed champ from 1983 to 1985) and the lineal heavyweight class (from 1985 to 1988). Draw 6 (10) 122 02/02, Marco Antonio Barrera TKO 11* (C) 126 03/04, Juan Manuel Marquez D 12 (1) 126 09/04, Erik Morales L12 (2+) 130 Vol. He won 11 straight matches in 1933 and then 22 consecutive bouts in 1937. He posted five wins over The Rings No. 92 and 93 on this very special list of greats. 1-ranked fighter became the 11-point win, deduction for an unranked loss was eleven points, and unranked draws were a 5.5-point deduction. Charles was Rings 1949 and 1950 Fighter of the Year. Griffiths 1962 win over Ted Wright crowned the first junior middleweight titlist (at least in Austria, where the bout took place, and other parts of Europe), though the WBA wouldnt recognize the title on a global scale until soon after when Moyer defeated Joey Giambra. 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. Romero was ranked intermittently at light heavyweight from 1937-38 and for most of 1943. Alis last win would come in avenging a stunning upset loss to Leon Spinks, retiring as champion before an ill-fated comeback. Thanks for signing up! 2023 RING TV LIVE. Missing Quality: Charles is lauded by many, including biographer William Dettloff while writing for The Ring, as the greatest light heavyweight of all time. Toney was ranked number one at super middleweight from his IBF title win over Barkley through the loss to Roy Jones Jr., fell out of the light heavyweight rankings in 1997 after a loss to Drake Thadzi, and then returned to the cruiserweight top ten in 1999. 1 contender was worth 10, etc. A loss to the champion was a one-point deduction sliding to 11 for a loss to the No. Leonard learned how to fight on the streets of New York City, where he grew up in the Jewish enclave on the Lower East Side. 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. Basilio also beat Gaspar Ortega in 1961 between stretches in the top ten at welterweight for Ortega. Pierre Langlois D 10 (UR+) 160 01/54, Italo Scortichini D 10 (UR) 147 02/54, Pierre Langlois UD 10 (10+) 160 06/54, Sugar Ray Robinson SD 15* (C+) 160 10/57, Sugar Ray Robinson L 15 (1) 160 04/58, Gene Fullmer TKO by 14 (2) 160 10/59, First Ring Ranking: #10 Jr. Middleweight (August 1982), Last Ring Ranking: #9 Light Heavyweight (May 1997), Record vs. Ring-rated Opponents: 10-5-1 (6 KO). Toney was never stopped in more than 90 professional starts. Cecilia Braekhaus. 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. 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. Lewis also defeated future, but then unranked, heavyweight champion Jim Braddock that year in the first of their two contests. 31 Ezzard Charles. Missing Quality: Lesnevich posted wins in 1936 and 37 over Young Stuhley. 1 contender at heavyweight from the July 1955-January 1957 issues, though boxings highest honor eluded him. While lag time for results of a week or so was common in the era for fights contested outside the U.S., it wasnt common for fights contested in the States. Lesnevich recaptured the top spot the issue before assuming the mantle left vacant in The Ring by Billy Conns move to heavyweight. When Azumah Nelson defeated Jeff Fenech in their 1992 rematch, they were The Rings top two contenders in the class. 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. Where does Joe Rogan rank among the greatest boxers of all time?.. A minus symbol - next to an opponents ranking denotes the opponent was ranked below the weight class of the fighter being examined in that issue. Just three years later, he won the world heavyweight title, which he would retain until 1949 when he retired. He also hosts TV and radio sports talk shows. Robinson went on to win his first 40 matches. "Willie Pep" was the stage name ofGuglielmo Papaleo, an American boxer and two-time world featherweight champion. Moore moved in and out of the middleweight top 10 from 1940 to 1944, reaching the No. Armstrong defeated Al Bummy Davis on June 15, 1944. Scoring for total points and peak points relied on a base 11-point scale (i.e. 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. 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. The result for readers is still a list of 100 fighters, featuring the same names (minus two), in a slightly different order than found in the print issue of the magazine. The first two wins against Maxim came in 1942 when Maxim was unranked and often competing at heavyweight. Digging into pro boxing in 1998, Ann boasts one of the most successful Moore would also have a lengthy stint as the No. Hall of famers James Toney (right) and Mike McCallum are Nos. Conversely, some scoring luck in Alis second reign against Jimmy Young and Ken Norton contributed to his placement here. 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. 1 contender in the December 1935 issue and held it until the August 1936 issue before his loss to Max Schmeling. 2-ranked bantamweight defeated the No. An additional win was identified for Henry Armstrong, forcing a flipping of position between Armstrong and Pernell Whitaker. The study is primarily based on monthly rankings. Greb, whose face had taken a beating over the years, died later that year during cosmetic surgery. The solution was to include all results from 1924 in evaluating 1925 and then applying six-month increments with spare exception near mid-year dates until the debut of monthly rankings; i.e. They include a win over leading bantamweight Bud Taylor and two No. 3. The stretch included revenge versus Harding, capturing the vacant WBC and IBF belts versus Montell Griffin, and Tarver moving to number one contender en route to the first of three fights with Roy Jones Jr. Tarvers close loss there set up a memorable knockout win in the rematch. Arguably the most dominant champion in the history of boxing, the Brown Bomber reigned for a dozen years with a record 25 consecutive title defenses against all comers in his time. 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. Join our newsletter to get info about latest events and deals! Click here to purchase a copy of the Collectors Issue from the Ring Shop. 1-rated lightweight, as of the September 1941 issue, when Robinson beat him by unanimous decision in a lightweight bout. Group two was anyone else who finished in the top 100 for peak score and ranked wins but not overall points (65-69). This list was no exception. Meet Ring Magazine's top 10 fighteres. He was a Ring-rated fighter from bantamweight to lightweight. Louis reached No. Everyone who finished in the top 100 of preliminary research for those three categories was moved into a final pool of what came out to 150 fighters. Known for his ability to deliver (and withstand) a furious beating, Harry Greb was a remarkably physical fighter. 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). He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame as well. Click here to read the introduction to the rankings feature that was published in the February 2022 issue. 2 fights and surely would have filled a vacancy had The Ring resumed recognizing champions again before either fight. Left-handed Pernell Whitaker made a name for himself by winning gold medals at the 1983Pan American Games and 1984 Summer Olympics. Stuhley was unranked before either contest but had been ranked at middleweight earlier in 1936 and occasionally since 1932. Antonio Tarver. A thrilling boxer-puncher with exceptional physical strength and stamina, Griffith was No. As an additional clarification based on a question from a reader, the totals assigned to the Record vs. Ring-rated opponents correspond to the scoring results section for each fighter. 1 contender spot at middleweight from the November 1949 issue until he won his first of five middleweight crowns in the storied St. Valentines Day Massacre versus Jake LaMotta. That included a 1941 campaign where Louis set a heavyweight record with seven defenses in a single year, five of them against Ring-rated contenders. 1-contender rankings at junior featherweight and welterweight along with a No. The big punching Ray turned pro in 1933 and would spend most of the second half of the 1940s as a heavyweight contender. WebTop 10 greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time according to Ring Magazine the Mayweather was nearly untouchable in the class. 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. Losses to unranked opponents drew a universal 12-point deduction. Moore suffered defeats to Teddy Yarosz and Shorty Hogue as well before breaking through at middleweight with a win over Ron Richards. Larry Holmes (69-6, 44 KO) Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to He would enter the top 10 of his signature weight class in the March 1945 issue and have several stints as the top contender in all but one issue from August 1945-July 1946; the June-August 1949 issues; and then for all but two issues from April 1950 to his victory over Maxim for the title as recognized in the February 1953 issue. WebNow looking through all 100 of the boxers Ring Magazine named and ranked would leave us, and you as the reader, here all day, so instead, wee decided to look into their top 30. 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. The Ring ranked him as Armstrong, born Henry Jackson Jr., turned pro in 1931. Chatchai Sasakul KO 8 (2) 112 03/99, Medgoen Singsurat TKO by 3 (UR) 112 Holiday/99, Agapito Sanchez Tech. He remained active in boxing, refereeing frequently until dying of a heart attack while officiating at a match in 1947. Replace Marvin Hagler with Benitez and one still has a four-man, nine-fight series which included a near flawless masterpiece of skill in Benitezs lopsided decision over Duran. Ali would defend the title successfully 10 times in his second reign, with seven wins against The Rings top 10. During his career, went 66-3 with 52 knockouts. The exception was fighters moving up to face heavyweights. The following year, he bulked up to fight for and win the world welterweight title, then slimmed down and captured the world lightweight belt. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Toneys cruiserweight run culminated with a number one ranking after defeating Vasily Jirov for the IBF belt.