Great Boxers

1. Muhammad Ali

Actor | The Greatest

Muhammad Ali beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight champion in history. He defeated heavyweight kings Sonny Liston (twice), Floyd Patterson (twice), Ernie Terrell, Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton (twice), Joe Frazier (twice), George Foreman and Leon Spinks. He defeated ...

2. Sugar Ray Robinson

Actor | Candy

Born Walker Smith, Jr., he borrowed the name of a fighter named Ray Robinson to box as an amateur so his mother wouldn't find out. Undefeated as an amateur boxer, 85-0, with 69 knockouts, 42 of them in the first round. Turned pro in 1940 and won his first 40 fights. Lost his first fight by decision...

3. Joe Louis

Actor | This Is the Army

Joe Louis is considered by many fistic experts and fans as the greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champion in the sport's history. Born into a poor family, Joe Louis's mother felt the only way her son could escape poverty was through music. She bought him a violin and sent him off daily to lessons. On his...

4. Henry Armstrong

Actor | Keep Punching

Henry Armstrong, born Henry Jackson, decided to become a boxer after reading in a St. Louis newspaper that Kid Chocolate had beaten Al Singer at the Polo Grounds in New York, and was paid a purse of $75,000.

At the "colored" YMCA on Pine Street in St. Louis, he met an older fighter named Harry ...

5. Willie Pep

Actor | Requiem for a Heavyweight

September 19, 1922- November 23, 2006 was an Italian-American boxer who was better known as Willie Pep. Pep boxed a total of 1956 rounds in the 241 bouts during his 26 year career,Won 229 a considerable number of rounds and fights even for a fighter of his era. His final record was 229-11-1 with 65...

6. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Producer | The Boy

Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. (born Floyd Joy Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American retired professional boxer. Widely considered the greatest boxer of his era, undefeated as a professional, and a five-division world champion, Mayweather won twelve world titles and the lineal championship in four...

7. Sam Langford

Actor | The Brute

Sam Langford was born on March 4, 1883 in Weymouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Brute (1920) and Langford-Flynn Pictures (1910). He died on January 12, 1956 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

8. Roberto Durán

Actor | Rocky II

Roberto Durán was born on June 16, 1951 in Guararé, Panama. He is an actor, known for Rocky II (1979), Harlem Nights (1989) and Hands of Stone (2016).

9. Sugar Ray Leonard

Actor | The Fighter

Considered one of the best fighters of all time, Ray Leonard burst onto the international scene by winning the light-welterweight gold medal at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. He turned professional with a lawyer, Mike Trainer, handling the business side of his career whilst hiring the ...

10. Jimmy Wilde

Actor | A Pit-boy's Romance

Jimmy Wilde was born on May 15, 1892 in Tylorstown, Glamorganshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for A Pit-boy's Romance (1917) and Excuse My Glove (1936). He died on March 10, 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

11. Benny Leonard

Actor | Flying Fists

Benny Leonard was a Jewish American professional boxer who held the world lightweight championship for eight years, from 1917 to 1925. Widely considered one of the all-time greats, he was ranked 8th on The Ring magazine's list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years" and placed 7th in ESPN's ...

12. Julio Cesar Chavez

Actor | The Method

Julio Cesar Chavez is a five-times world champion: WBC super featherweight, WBA Lightweight, WBC Lightweight, WBC Super Lightweight, and IBF junior welterweight.

His victories includes Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramírez, Rocky Lockridge, Meldrick Taylor, Roger Mayweather, Sammy Fuentes, Héctor "Macho"...

13. Rocky Marciano

Actor | College Confidential

Rocco Francis Marchegiano , better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against ...

14. Roy Jones Jr.

Actor | The Matrix Reloaded

Roy Levesta Jones Jr. is an American former professional boxer, commentator, and trainer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including titles at middleweight, super middleweight, ...

15. Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Actor | Indio

Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954 - March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer and film actor. He competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed champion of the middleweight division from 1980 to 1987, making twelve successful title ...

16. Jack Johnson

Actor | The Black Thunderbolt

Jack Johnson, one of the greatest professional boxers in history and the first African American to wear the world's heavyweight championship belt, is one of the seminal figures in sports and American social history as he was both a mirror on and lightning rod for racism. Many white Americans could ...

17. Carlos Monzón

Actor | Soñar, soñar

Argentina's Carlos Monzon was one, if not the, greatest middleweight boxing champions in fistic history. Born in poverty, he was discovered in the famed Luna Park Gym by trainer Amilicar Brussa, who molded the "skinniest" 6 feet 2 incher in the world into a lethal fighting machine. Monzon developed...

18. Joe Gans

Self | The Joe Gans-Battling Nelson Fight

Joe Gans was born on November 25, 1874 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for The Joe Gans-Battling Nelson Fight (1906), Gans-Nelson Fight (1908) and Gans-Herman Fight (1907). He died on August 10, 1910 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

19. George Foreman

Actor | The Fighter

George Foreman was boxing's most feared fighter from 1973-1974. Undefeated in 40 straight fights, 37 by knockout, he was on a 24 consecutive knockout run when he faced Muhammad Ali on October 30, 1974 in defense of his world heavyweight title in Zaire, Africa. A product of a poor family, Foreman ...

20. Ezzard Charles

Self | The Knockout Parade

Ezzard Charles was born on July 7, 1921 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. He was married to Gladys Gartrell. He died on May 27, 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

21. Manny Pacquiao

Actor | Anak ng Kumander

Manny Pacquiao serves as a Senator of the Philippines.

He is the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing, having won twelve major world titles, as well as being the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes. Pacquiao is also the first boxer in ...

22. Jack Dempsey

Actor | Fight and Win

Jack Dempsey's life story could have been a Hollywood script. Born to a dirt-poor farming family, young Dempsey took up boxing with his older brother. Turning professional under the name Kid Blackie, Dempsey fought in saloons, coal-mining towns, back allies, lumberjack camps, and numerous hick and ...

23. Gene Tunney

Actor | The Fighting Marine

Gene Tunney's parents were Mary Jean (aka Rose) Lydon and John Tunney. Both of his parents were born in Mayo, Ireland, near Kiltimagh, and moved to New York City. He won the heavyweight boxing championship from Jack Dempsey in 1926 and successfully defended his title against Dempsey in 1927. In ...

24. Archie Moore

Actor | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Archie Moore (born Archibald Lee Wright; December 13, 1913 or 1916- December 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time (December 1952 - May 1962). He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, ...

25. Thomas Hearns

Actor | Devil's Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge

Thomas Hearns is a former welterweight, light middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, cruiser weight champion. He had two classic fight with Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler but lost to both of them. He was trained by Emmanuel Stewart the legendary boxing trainer. He ...

26. Evander Holyfield

Actor | Summer of Sam

Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiser-weight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and remains the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight ...

27. Joe Calzaghe

Actor | Solitary

Joe Calzaghe was born on February 23, 1972 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Solitary (2015), Undisputed (2023) and Fish Finger Sandwich (2017). He was previously married to Mandy M. Davies.

28. Bernard Hopkins

Actor | State Property 2

Bernard Hopkins was born on January 15, 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for State Property 2 (2005), In the Company of Kings (2024) and Golden Boy on ESPN (2017). He has been married to Jeanette since 1993. They have one child.

29. Pernell Whitaker

Self | ABC's Wide World of Sports

Pernell Whitaker was born on January 2, 1964 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He was married to Rovanda Anthony. He died on July 14, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.

30. Lennox Lewis

Actor | Johnny Was

After a long amateur career that included a gold medal winning performance in the 1988 Seoul Olympics that came in the form of a KO of 'Riddick Bowe' (who also went on to win the world heavyweight crown), former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis turned professional in 1989. ...

31. Stanley Ketchel

Self | The Johnson-Ketchel Fight

Stanley Ketchel was born on September 14, 1886 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He died on October 15, 1910 in Conway, Missouri, USA.

32. Larry Holmes

Actor | The Moment After

Born the son of a Georgia sharecropper, Larry Holmes would go on to reign as boxing's Heavyweight Champion for a record breaking seven and a half years. He also successfully defended his world championship title a record setting 19 times. "The Easton Assassin," as he was known, was one of Muhammad ...

33. Tony Canzoneri

Actor | Ringside

Tony Canzoneri was born on November 6, 1908 in Slidell, Louisiana, USA. He was an actor, known for Ringside (1949), Mr. Broadway (1933) and Lux Video Theatre (1950). He died on December 9, 1959 in New York City, New York, USA.

34. Barney Ross

Actor | Requiem for a Heavyweight

Barney Ross was born on December 23, 1909 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), The Doctor and the Playgirl (1965) and Wednesday Night Fights (1955). He died on January 17, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

35. Sandy Saddler

Self | Rocky Marciano vs. Archie Moore

36. Mickey Walker

Actor | Paper Lion

Mickey Walker was born on July 13, 1903 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for Paper Lion (1968), The City of Stars (1924) and Rocky Marciano vs. Archie Moore (1955). He died on April 28, 1981 in Marlboro, New Jersey, USA.

37. Vitali Klitschko

Wonderwall

Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer who serves as mayor of Kyiv and head of the Kyiv City State Administration, having held both offices since June 2014. Klitschko is a former leader of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and a former ...

38. Wladimir Klitschko

Actor | Pain & Gain

Dr. Wladimir Klitschko is founder, hotelier, investor, endowment donor and well known internationally for holding the record as the longest reigning heavyweight boxing world champion. He was born in Kazakhstan and is Ukrainian citizen.

After ending his sports career in 2017, it became his mission to...

39. José Mantequilla Nápoles

Actor | La venganza de la llorona

José Mantequilla Nápoles was born on April 13, 1940 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. He was an actor, known for The Revenge of the Crying Woman (1974) and CBS Sports Spectacular (1960). He died on August 16, 2019 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.

40. Andre Ward

Actor | Creed

Andre Michael Ward is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015; ...

41. Marcel Cerdan

Actor | L'homme aux mains d'argile

Marcellin "Marcel" Cerdan was a French professional boxer and world middleweight champion who was considered by many boxing experts and fans to be France's greatest boxer, and beyond to be one of the best to have learned his craft in Africa. His life was marked by his sporting achievements, social ...

42. Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa was born on August 1, 1901 in Iloilo City, Philippines. He died on July 14, 1925 in San Francisco, California, USA.

43. Gennadiy Golovkin

Producer | 40 Days: GGG vs. Steve Rolls

Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin, often known by his nickname "GGG" or "Triple G", is a Kazakhstani professional boxer. He has held multiple middleweight world championships, and is a two-time unified champion, having held the IBF title since 2019 and the WBA (Super) title since April 2022. ...

44. Joe Frazier

Actor | Rocky

Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable punching power, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier reigned as the ...

45. Alexis Arguello

Actor | Miami Vice

Alexis Arguello was born on April 19, 1952 in Managua, Nicaragua. He was an actor, known for Miami Vice (1984), Cat Chaser (1989) and Fists of Steel (1989). He was married to Sulvia Urbina, Patricia Barreto and Loretta Martinez. He died on July 1, 2009 in Managua, Nicaragua.

46. Aaron Pryor

Self | HBO Boxing After Dark

Aaron Pryor was born on October 20, 1955 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was married to Frankie Banks. He died on October 9, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

47. Mike Tyson

Actor | The Hangover

Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of ...

48. Michael Spinks

Actor | Speed Zone

Michael Spinks (born July 13, 1956) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985, and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988. As an amateur he ...

49. Canelo Álvarez

Actor | Creed III

Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán, popularly known as Canelo Álvarez or Saúl Álvarez, is a Mexican professional boxer. He has won multiple world championships in four weight classes from light middleweight to light heavyweight, including unified titles in three of those weight classes and lineal titles ...