Rob's All Time Pound for Pound List.
~The fighters on this list are here for their accomplishments. There listed for their wins against other top fighters. Some for their ability to win titles at different Weight divisions. Finally, some of these fighters are listed for being avoided by other top fighters due to there shear brilliance and fighting ability. Thus being denied the opportunity to display their true greatness.
1. Ray Robinson: 174 Wins/109 K.O.'s/ 6 Draw/19 losses/ 2 No Contests
A.K.A. Sugar Ray. Ray won the Middleweight title 5 times and a true artist in the ring, Ray could do it all. Ray could KO you coming forwards backwards, he would use great angles, display nimble footwork, and amazing hand speed and power. His ability to slip and move out of danger was amazing to see.
He was what you truly called a complete fighter. His grit and toughness were displayed in 6 bouts with Jake LaMotta, and several wars with Basilio, and Fullmer.
He fought the best out there, except Charlie Burley. He dominated for two decades and won his last middleweight title at 38! Ray’s pride was what kept him fighting so good at an advanced age.
Ray came close to winning the Light Heavyweight title against Maxim but succumbed to heat exhaustion. Though Sugar Ray was never physically K.O.ed.
That is what you call a great fighter. Displaying his skills against the best fighters he could fight. That was also proof of Ray’s undeniable pride. His willingness to show everyone that he truly was sweet as sugar in the ring.
2. Harry Greb: 112 Wins/47 K.O.'s/3 Draws/8 Losses/170 No Decisions/1 No Contests.
They came no tougher than Harry Greb. Greb was an amazing whirlwind punching fighter. He had incredible stamina, an iron chin. He had great movement and was very elusive. His punches came from all angles. Greb fought and beat 18 world champions! This was the time when there were 8 weight divisions with 1 world champion per division.
Harry gave Gene Tunney his only loss. Greb, also fought and won a memorable and intense fight with the brawling "Toy Bulldog" Mickey Walker. Later that night the two fighters again had another legendary brawl at a local speak easy.
Proof even more on how great Greb was were the words of Jack Dempsey. Jack Dempsey was quoted as saying that "Greb was the fastest fighter he saw, faster than Lightweight Champion Benny Leonard even".
Greb proved how great he was by fighting over half his bouts, while being blinded in one eye! He suffered a detached retina after being thumbed in the eye by Kid Norfolk. Greb was indeed one of the best who ever fought.
3. Muhammad Ali: 56 Wins/37 K.O.'s/4 Losses
Ali fought in the golden era of the heavyweight division. Fighting everyone from Archie Moore,Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, George Foreman, Ron Lyle, Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Ali fought them all.
Ali's true greatness may never be truly defined since he was robbed of 2.5 years of his career due to not fighting in Vietnam. Ali was the first 3 time Heavyweight Champion.
Ali's speed, movement, toughness, ring smarts, mouth, and self beleif were what made him special. More so though the many top fighters he fought and dominated.
His reflexes were beyong quick. He would often make fighters angry by fighting in the pocket and then dance away out of danger before they could get off. His ring generalship is legendary. Muhammad Ali was known to admire and idolize Sugar Ray Robinson and calling him "The King" " The Master" "His Idol" Ali often looked like a heavyweight version of Sugar Ray Robinson with the way he fought. Just like his idol, nobody did it like Ali.
4. Henry Armstrong: 144 Wins/97 K.O.'s/8 Draws/22 Losses/1 No Decision
Henry was a violently, voluminous puncher, who could also slip punches very well and his defense was world class. The phrase a "good offense is the best defense" could be coined after Armstrong's style. He threw windmill like punches from all over. His speed kept up as the rounds wore on. His opponents had no chance to think, or react to such an aggressively sustained offense.
Ironically, Armstrong started with 3 losses early on in his career he was 1-3. Later when he was seasoned he would hold 3 titles simultaneously in 3 different weight divisions. Beating Petey Sarron for the Feather weight title, Barney Ross for the welterweight title, Lou Amber's for the Lightweight title. This was a feat that has never been done since and at a time when there were only 8 boxing divisions. He would have won a fourth but was awarded a controversial draw at Middleweight against Ceferino Garcia.
Armstrong defended his Welterweight Title 19 times in 2 years and still holds that record. Many agree though that his best weight was at featherweight. It was said upon his death his heart was found to be a third larger than the average persons. This obviously contributed to his blistering fighting style.
5. Ezzard Charles: 96 Wins/58 K.O.'s/1 Draw/25 Losses
Ezzard Charles could display the sweet science at it's finest. He would feint, slip, roll, counter do it all, to some he may have been dull, but those who understood boxing, see him as a true artist. Many believe Ezzard to be the best Light heavyweight ever although he never won a title there.
He fought 5 Light Heavyweight Champions beating 4. His earlier wins were against Middleweights and Light Heavyweights beating Charlie Burley twice and Joey Maxim, and Jimmy Bivins at Light Heavy Weight. Charles beat the great Archie Moore 3 times, knocking him out once. After knocking out Sam Baroudi, Baroudi died of the injury's. Charles was distraught thinking of retirement. He would then adapt a more cautious style, and lost the killer instinct to hurt his opponents.
Charles won the Heavyweight Title weighing less than 180lbs beating Jersey Joe Walcott. He beat a shell of himself Joe Louis, then he lost the title to Walcott. He fought for the Heavyweight title 3 more times losing again to Walcott and then Rocky Marciano twice. The first fight was very close decision won by Rocky. In the second bout Charles was within a few rounds of a technical knockout of Rocky after splitting his nose but Rocky would K.O. him in the 8Th round. Ezzard came all the way up from middleweight and still brought that amazing skill with him to Heavyweight.
The death of Baroudi seemed to haunt him at Heavyweight and he didn't display that killer instinct, and aggressiveness. Still his career wins speak for themselves. Charles will always be remembered as one of the purest fighters, and best technicians ever.
6. Willie Pep: 229 wins/65 K.O.'s/1 Draw/11 Losses
Nicknamed "The Will o' the Wisp" winning an amazing 229 fights with his amazing elusiveness and speed. Willie won the Featherweight title in 1942 beating Chalky Wright and becoming the youngest fighter to win the title in 4 decades.
Pep engaged in 4 vicious fights with the brutal punching Sammy Sadler. Pep won 1 with Saddler winning 3. It was said to be one of the most savage fight series ever.
Pep was once said to have won a round without throwing a punch! Wille Pep displayed a master full defense that today's fighters don't come close to displaying.
7. Benny Leonard: 89 wins/71 K.O.'s/1 Draw/ 5 Losses/ 115 no decisions
The "Ghetto Wizard" Benny Leonard was said by the great trainer Ray Arcel who trained Leonard, that Benny was the smartest fighter he has ever seen. His amazing ability to out think, and out whit his opponents was unparalleled. He was a masterful boxer, with great punching power rarely losing rounds in many of his fights. He was very smooth and relaxed in the ring.
Leonard has been called the Muhammed Ali of the Lightweights as he fought the eras best. This was at a time where it was said that the best Lightweights all appeared at one time in the division. He would talk to his opponents to when he was rarely hurt. Benny retired undefeated as Lightweight Champion, but came back after the stock market crash of the great depression.
He was a shell of himself though being knocked out by Jimmy McLarnin in the 6Th round in his last fight. Still Benny's brilliance was undeniable. He loved to train and polish his brilliant skills. He is argued by many as the best Lightweight ever.
8. Archie Moore: 199 wins/145 K.O.'s/8 Draws/26 Losses/1 No Contest
The " Old Mongoose" Moore fought for 27 years. He was the only fighter to have fought both Marciano and Ali losing to both. Has the highest K.O. ratio ever at 145! Won the Light Heavyweight Title at the ripe age of 39 beating Joey Maxim. A age were most fighters are shot or retired.
His best division was Light Heavyweight. Beating Jimmy Bivins, Harold Johnson, Joey Maxim, and Yvon Durelle in a memorable fight were Moore was dropped 3 times in the 1st round alone, and later came back to K.O. Durelle in the 11Th round.
Moore fought 9 world Champions and 7 Hall of famers. Moore lost to the great Charley Burlley in a bout, and was beaten 3 times by Ezzard Charles being K.O. once. Still his ability to fight competitively at such an advanced age is a rare feat.
Moore symbolized grit, and determination, and mastered a boxing style that enabled him to compete some say until his earlie fifties!.
9. Sam Langford: 137 wins/99 K.O.'s/31 Draws/23 Losses/59 No Decisions/2 No Contests
" The Boston Terror" Sam Langford fought Lightweight all the way to Heavyweight and was avoided by the eras top fighters like the plague. His best weight however was Middleweight. Sam stood 5 '6 1/2 and often gave up 20-50lbs. to his opponents.
He was a very dynamic fighter. having very fast hands, feet, and a vicious body attack, he could also jab very well too.His defense was very impressive, he mastered the feint, and could bob, slip, roll and counter punch very well.
Sam was said to be well ahead of his time being able to do it all. Out thinking his opponents, and fighting outside, and inside. Jack Johnson beat Langford when Sam was a Light Middleweight and Jack a Heavyweight. Johnson would later refuse Sam a rematch as Sam rose in weight.
Even the murderous power puncher Stanley Ketchel refused to meet Langford in a official fight. They did meet in a 6 round no decision affair with Sam reportedly getting the best of Ketchel.
Jack Dempsey was even said to have admitted that Sam would have beaten him. Sam lost the majority of his fights while being blinded in one eye. It was speculated he suffered from a detached retina.
10. Charlie Burley: 84 Wins/50 K.O.'s/2 Draws/1 No Contest
The great late trainer Eddie Futch called Burley "The greatest all around fighter I ever saw" Ironically Burley never fought for a World Title. He fought in the era with Sugar Ray Robinson, Tony Zale, Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta.
Burley like Langford was avoided heavily. Even Sugar Ray Robinson denied Burley a fight saying 'I'm to pretty to fight Charlie Burley". Burley did beat Archie Moore. Moore would later say that Burley was the best fighter he ever faced. Charley fought Ezzard Charles losing twice. The often sited reason Burley never got his title shot was because he was to good for his own good. Given the chance, I'm sure there would be much more to say of Burley. The fact that he was avoided by the best speaks for itself on how good he was.
