Pacquiao Ranks Second on 10 Greatest Boxers of All Time
Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will forever be linked with each other.
Even in the list of the 10 Best Boxers of All Time.
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The ring protagonists in the richest fight ever in boxing history occupied the first two places in the all-time ranking made by top boxing site BoxRec.
Although no criteria was mentioned in naming the fighters in the Top 10 list, BoxRex is dedicated to holding updated records of professional boxers, both male and female.
Floyd’s perfect 50-0 record (27 KOs) until his third retirement three years ago obviously gave him the No. 1 spot with a total of 2,255 points.
Then again, another undefeated fighter in former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano (49-0, 43 KOs) failed to land in the Top 10, as did other legendary names such as Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Joe Frazier, Roberto Duran and Evander Holyfield.
BoxRec described Mayweather or ‘Money’ as a multiple title holder in five-weight classes who is not only regarded as one of the greatest defensive boxers ever, but the most accurate.
Pacquiao was among the victims in Floyd’s 50-0 mark, having lost to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bronze medalist by unanimous decision in their 2015 title clash that went down as the highest-earning match ever in the history of boxing.
The 41-year-old Filipino is the only active fighter in the list and ranked second behind Mayweather. He was cited for being the only eight-division world champion in boxing annals who sent ring greats Oscar Dela Hoya and Ricky Hattion into retirement.
But BoxRec noted his loss to Mayweather in the so-called Fight of the Century, making him trail by a mile his old rival after accumulating 1,633 points as he carries a ring record of 62-7-2 (39 KOs).
The late Carlos Monzon of Argentina is at No. 3 with 1,588 points after holding the undisputed middleweight title for seven straight years and recording 59 knockouts in his career (87-3-9). His greatness was diminished after he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing his wife Alicia Muniz in 1988. He died in a car crash seven years after.
‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali meanwhile ranked fourth with 1,485 points and BoxRec stressed that no one came close to him in terms of cultural, social, and political impact.
The website said Ali’s record of 56-5 (37 KOs) may have been even better had he not lost three years of his career after refusing to fight in the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1970.
Ali’s image of standing over a battered Sonny Liston is cited as one of the most iconic in sports, while his dramatic ‘Thrilla in Manila’ showdown with rival Joe Frazier is considered the most famous fight ever in boxing.
A deserving Sugar Ray Robinson (174-19-6, 109 KOs) made it in the Top 5 with 1,472 points. The Alley, Georgia native paved the way for sportswriters to create the ‘pound-for-pound' rankings due to his seminal performances at lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light-heavyweight. The man was also the first boxer to win a title belt five times.
At No. 6 is the durable Bernard Hopkins (55-8-2, 32 KOs) with 1,470 points. The career of ‘The Executioner’ lasted for 28 years as he won multiple world championships at middleweight and light-heavyweight.
This story originally appeared on Spin.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
