Who's Number 1? ESPN Counts Down the 20 Greatest Boxers of All Time

[amat]

Anyone stateside with ESPN Classic, ESPN is counting down the 20 best boxers of the Marquis of Queensbury era tonight. Should be an interesting watch. I found myself disagreeing a lot with their top 20 greatest fights, but the way they support their arguments makes it worth the watch. Just a heads up. Until then...who do you think the P4P 20 greatest fighters are?

[amat]

This is mine....

1. Ray Robinson
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Willie Pep
4. Henry Armstrong
5. Benny Leonard
6. Gene Tunney
7. Joe Louis
8. Stanley Ketchel
9. Lou Ambers
10. Archie Moore
11. Pernell Whitaker
12. Carlos Monzon
13. Alexis Arguello
14. Emile Griffith
15. Kid Chocolate
16. Ray Leonard
17. Roberto Duran
18. Jack Dempsey
19. Oscar De La Hoya
20. Julio Cesar Chavez

Not the best list and I'm sure it could use some fine tuning, bit of era-clumping in there but I like it. And as always, I will gladly defend each fighter's spot on the list.

[beds]

cc.

i will be honest and admit i cant do a list of 20 as my knowledge of older boxers isnt that of most on here so i wont even try but i think maybe RJJ and Hopkins could squeeze in.

[Tito BHB]

This is mine....

1. Ray Robinson
2. Muhammad Ali
3. Willie Pep
4. Henry Armstrong
5. Benny Leonard
6. Gene Tunney
7. Joe Louis
8. Stanley Ketchel
9. Lou Ambers
10. Archie Moore
11. Pernell Whitaker
12. Carlos Monzon
13. Alexis Arguello
14. Emile Griffith
15. Kid Chocolate
16. Ray Leonard
17. Roberto Duran
18. Jack Dempsey
19. Oscar De La Hoya
20. Julio Cesar Chavez

Not the best list and I'm sure it could use some fine tuning, bit of era-clumping in there but I like it.

If given time im sure i could come up with a better one, but off the top of my head this is mine (Bearing in mind all these fighters are listed as in theyr prime! ) :

1:Roy jones jr
2:Floyd Mayweather Jr
3:Muhammad Ali
4:Ray Robinson
5:Mike Tyson.
6:Julio Cesar Chavez
7:Pernell Whittaker.
8:Sugar Ray Leonard.
9:Oscar De La Hoya
10:Bernard Hopkins
11:Marvin Hagler
12:Roberto Duran
13:Felix Trinidad
14:'Winky' Wright.
15:Manny Pacquiao.
16:Rocky Marciano.
17:Marco Antonio Barrera.
18 struggling to convince myself) Naseem hamed (but he was unique and a heavy hitter for his wieght) lol
19:Shane Mosely
20:Antonio tarver.

Like i said this is the roughest assss draft i could dream up, and quite frankly only consists of people i like and are of modern times, and if theyr not of modern times its becuase they are legends that must be included, and its a bit of a shambles cos i know theyrs some here and there that even by my standards either shouldnt be in, or should be higher or lower in the list.... so yeh , enjoy

[amat]

cc.

i will be honest and admit i cant do a list of 20 as my knowledge of older boxers isnt that of most on here so i wont even try but i think maybe RJJ and Hopkins could squeeze in.

Jones I disagree on, but Hopkins could very well slide into 20-15, I would have him at about 21

[Tito BHB]

cc.

i will be honest and admit i cant do a list of 20 as my knowledge of older boxers isnt that of most on here so i wont even try but i think maybe RJJ and Hopkins could squeeze in.

Jones I disagree on, but Hopkins could very well slide into 20-15, I would have him at about 21

Dear me amat? Is you crazy?? i mean alot of people are not fans of roy but he does slip easily into the top ten i mean, four weight division champion, and middle to heavy is a huge stretch over a career, he had skills and characteristics that had been unseen and thats what is all about baby he did it his own way. gotta disagree brother.

[amat]

cc.

i will be honest and admit i cant do a list of 20 as my knowledge of older boxers isnt that of most on here so i wont even try but i think maybe RJJ and Hopkins could squeeze in.

Jones I disagree on, but Hopkins could very well slide into 20-15, I would have him at about 21

Dear me amat? Is you crazy?? i mean alot of people are not fans of roy but he does slip easily into the top ten i mean, four weight division champion, and middle to heavy is a huge stretch over a career, he had skills and characteristics that had been unseen and thats what is all about baby he did it his own way. gotta disagree brother.

IMO, from the years 96 to 06, his career only had a couple high spots with a bunch of fights that should have been used to just keep busy instead of being main eventers. I mean, as spectacular as the guy was, he just didn't fight strong enough competition to be considered the greatest fighter of all time. It's a shame, but Roy never had that one career defining fight that set him head and shoulders above the other greats of his era, much less all time.

[Tito BHB]

cc.

i will be honest and admit i cant do a list of 20 as my knowledge of older boxers isnt that of most on here so i wont even try but i think maybe RJJ and Hopkins could squeeze in.

Jones I disagree on, but Hopkins could very well slide into 20-15, I would have him at about 21

Dear me amat? Is you crazy?? i mean alot of people are not fans of roy but he does slip easily into the top ten i mean, four weight division champion, and middle to heavy is a huge stretch over a career, he had skills and characteristics that had been unseen and thats what is all about baby he did it his own way. gotta disagree brother.

IMO, from the years 96 to 06, his career only had a couple high spots with a bunch of fights that should have been used to just keep busy instead of being main eventers. I mean, as spectacular as the guy was, he just didn't fight strong enough competition to be considered the greatest fighter of all time. It's a shame, but Roy never had that one career defining fight that set him head and shoulders above the other greats of his era, much less all time.

Grumbles, i sort of agree slighltly, But roy rocks my world so im not goner admit it.
but yeh some aspects of his career were slightly in need of promotion but that was more his stubborness of bieng his own manager etc.. i dont believe he ducked nobody, but i dont believe he really found the defining fight, but he certianly inspired and entertained millions on the way to where he is now!!
so what u reckon if he 'could' (not getting into another arguement that lasts forever about who would win) beat calzaghe would that be his defining fight
cos i'd take it!! lol

[SimonH]

The beauty of these things is there is no right or wrong answers. But IMO there is a difference between being the 'Best' and being the 'Greatest'...

I have only ever done a Greatest list, here is my Top 20:


20 Bob Fitzsimmons
19 Stanley Ketchel
18 Harry Grebb
17 Ezzard Charles
16 Benny Leonard
15 Julio Cesar Chavez
14 Mickey Walker
13 Ray Leonard
12 Carlos Monzon
11 Muhammad Ali
10 Charley Burley
9 Archie Moore
8 Jimmy Wilde
7 Willie Pep
6 Sandy Sadler
5 Georges Carpentier
4 Roberto Duran
3 Sammy Langford
2 Henry Armstrong
1 Ray Robinson

The problem with ESPN doing it, is they are probably only ever going to list fighters they have footage of.

The likes of a Langford or Burley, who most serious historians would have in their top 20, are possibly not going to be listed...

I may being doing ESPN a disservice by making that assumption, but I doubt it.

[amat]

The beauty of these things is there is no right or wrong answers. But IMO there is a difference between being the 'Best' and being the 'Greatest'...

CC. Completely agree, if it was the Best, RJJ would be in my top 20 no doubt. ESPN is doing a "Greatest" list. Let me change that.

[Tito BHB]

The beauty of these things is there is no right or wrong answers. But IMO there is a difference between being the 'Best' and being the 'Greatest'...

CC. Completely agree, if it was the Best, RJJ would be in my top 20 no doubt. ESPN is doing a "Greatest" list. Let me change that.

yeh i get you man
i still believe if were talking greatest, that roy has earned his spot if only with his skill
just would have liked to see it beat more of the greater fighters of his generation. but stil
its my story and im sticking to it

[El Gamo]

I may sound stupid asking this but it's how I'll learn,what is the difference between greatest and best??Best as in your personal best and greatest as greatest for achievements/all time? CC's for the lists,I have not seen enough old fights to make 1 yet,but I know all the fighters you guys names so my knowlege is getting better!

[Tito BHB]

wasup el, i guess there really is no greatest its all based on opinion, what period your most fond of and what fighters influenced you personally whether inside the ring with theyr style, or whether they never ducked a man and always fought the best or what they did outside the ring aswell,i.e ali, or robinson ali filled all the criteria and was just so entertaining, and always fought the best, but a defininate must in all boxings greatest lists has to be robinson, becuase boxing would not be what it is today without him, he was a great in many ways always fought the best of his time, and he influenced all the other greatest fighters in history, i mean he influenced ali, who influenced roy jones, ray leonard, mike tyson bernard hopkins and all these were sugar ray robinson fans.
i would love to know who influenced sugar ray robinson to box!!:P

[amat]

I may sound stupid asking this but it's how I'll learn,what is the difference between greatest and best??Best as in your personal best and greatest as greatest for achievements/all time? CC's for the lists,I have not seen enough old fights to make 1 yet,but I know all the fighters you guys names so my knowlege is getting better!

Best is more about a fighter's ability imo. RJJ was a gifted fighter, who had very few equals but never beat the competition that would make him as great as someone like Ray Robinson who was not only gifted, but beat the absolute best competition out there.

[TheReturnOfAGsmurf2]

I dont know much about old fighters,so just bare with me:

1.Ray Robinson
2.Muhammed Ali
3.Ray Leonard
4.RJJ
5.Pernell Whitaker
6.Roberto Duran
7.Marvin Hagler
8.Julio Cesar Chavez
9.Joe Louis
10.Bernard Hopkins
11.Archie Moore
12.Alexis Arguello
13.Ezzard Charles
14.Benny Leonard
15.Carlos Monzon
16.Gene Tunney
17.Evander Holyfield
18.Tommy Hearns
19.Ricardo Lopez
20.Oscar Delahoya