The term “pound-for-pound” was first coined by Ring magazine editor Nat Fleischer in the early 1950s as a way of comparing and contrasting fighters in different weight divisions. These days, with the plethora of weight classes, sanctioning bodies and titles, the phrase is used simply to describe a fighters raw talent and ability.
When putting together an all time pound-for-pound list, a clear understanding of just how different the game is today from yesteryear is crucial. Boxers used to glove up much more than they do now. Willie Pep, who they say could dodge a handful of rice thrown at him from ten feet away, gloved up 24 times in 1942, enough bouts to fill a career these days. The times have changed, for sure, but some present day boxers could survive and even thrive in any era. Manny Pacquiao is regularly considered one of the best current pound-for-pound boxers fighting, but it’d be rare to find a boxing writer who would put him anywhere near the top-ten on an all-time list. Pacquiao hovers around No. 50 on most lists these days, meaning he still has some work to do before he stands shoulder to shoulder with the all time greats.
With the clich? “they just don’t make ’em like they used” in mind, here is my Top-5 pound-for-pound boxers of all-time.
1) The original Sugar Ray, Sugar Ray Robinson, is the prototype pugilist. The Hall of Famer, a welterweight and middleweight champ, had it all?the hand speed, the footwork, the power, the ring generalship, the confidence and the courage to amass a 173-19-6 record in a pro career that spanned 1940-1965. Don’t believe us? How about Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard? All three tap the original Sugar Ray as the best of the best.
Getty ImagesMuhammade Ali
2) In many ways, he was, as he liked to say, loudly and frequently, The Greatest of All Time. Certainly, the creativity and grace with which he could transform the squared circle was a site to behold. Muhammad Ali (56-5-1) could slash at you, and with a ballerino’s lightness, remove himself from danger. And even if there were holes in his game (he held the neck of foes way too much, and allowed himself to take too much punishment on the ropes in the latter half of his career), Ali’s enduring legacy as an icon, a personality and the most charismatic athlete the world has ever known, makes him a lock for No. 2.
Getty ImagesJoe Louis
3) The Brown Bomber held sway as a heavyweight champion from 1937-1948 (the longest title tenure ever) and the hearts of the public for far longer. Joe Louis (65-3-2) worked with a velvet hammer, smoothly getting into place to deliver a filthy right cross and a left hook that could shake the ring. His was a classic pugilist in the ring and out of it (he is said to have coined perhaps the most badass quote in boxing history: “He can run, but he can’t hide.”)
Getty ImagesHenry Armstrong
4) Henry Armstrong (149-20-10) held three world championships at the same time (featherweight, lightweight, welterweight). He boxed from 1935-1941, and serves as a model for anyone who starts slow out of the gate, in any sport. The Hall of Famer lost three of his first four bouts, but didn’t give up. “Homicide Hank” didn’t possess textbook technique, but here’s the bottom line: we might refer to boxing as the “sweet science,” but Armstrong knew the real deal?it’s fighting. And he did it furiously, often and with reckless abandon.
Getty ImagesRoberto Duran
5) Ignore the later part of his career, when his waistline expanded with the length of his loss column. In his prime, Roberto Duran’s hands and demonic aura made many a foe scurry to the locker room to get a new pair of trunks before they tangled with Manos de Piedra aka “Hands of Stone.” The Panamanian held titles at lightweight, welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight. Duran (103-16) was a refined brawler and could usually punish you with either hand, not to mention those eerie Manson Lamps of his.
