15 Best Boxers Of All-time By Weight Class

If you check out any list of the best boxers of all time by weight class to ever live, you will see a mix of boxers of various weight classes. In many cases, the numbers 2-10 on these lists could be drastically different.

We can’t tell how an athlete from one weight class might perform in a different division if he had been larger or had a lower weight. The imaginations and the comparisons can be the reason we have the widely-used concept of pounds-for-pound rankings.

In this list, we move away from the idea of pounds-for-pound rankings and instead review the best boxers of all time.

Name	Weight Class
Muhammad Ali	Heavyweight
Evander Holyfield	Cruiserweight
Archie Moore	Light Heavyweight
Joe Calzaghe	Super Middleweight
Sugar Ray Robinson	Middleweight
Thomas Hearns	Junior Middleweight
Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Welterweight
Julio Cesar Chavez	Junior Welterweight
Roberto Duran	Lightweight
Alexis Arguello	Junior Lightweight
Willie Pep	Featherweight
Carlos Zarate	Bantamweight
Khaosai Galaxy	Junior Bantamweight
Jung-Koo Chang	Junior Flyweight

1. Heavyweight: Muhammad Ali

Full Name	Muhammad Ali
Date of Birth	January 17, 1942
Birth’s Place	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Current Age	Dead at June 3, 2016 (aged 74)
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$80 million
Height	6 ft 3 in
Weight	105 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total fights	61
Wins	56
Wins by KO	37
Losses	5

Muhammad Ali is the best heavyweight boxer of all time. In fact, he is one of the best boxers of all time by weight class. In 1960, Ali won the Olympic light heavyweight gold medal and began his professional career. Ali would quickly go on to become the world champion heavyweight in 1964, defeating the unbeaten champion Sonny Liston.

Muhammad Ali was a rare exception in boxing. He was a heavyweight boxer but had punching speed and reflexes that were comparable to those of welterweight boxers. He defeated many famous boxers, including Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, Ernie Shavers and George Foreman, during his career.

Ali was a pioneer in boxing and exhibited a level of fighting intelligence that is unmatched by most other boxers. Ali invented the rope-a-dope strategy to defeat George Foreman in the famous Rumble in The Jungle fight. His ‘Alishuffle’ took many of his opponents off guard.

Ali is the only boxer to have been the lineal champion three times. Muhammad Ali was elected to The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBFH) in 1990.

2. Cruiserweight: Evander Holyfield

Full Name	Evander Holyfield
Date of Birth	October 19, 1962
Birth’s Place	Atmore, Escambia County, Alabama, United States
Current Age	60
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$1 million
Height	6 ft 2 in
Weight	102 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	57
Wins	44
Wins by KO	29
Losses	10

Evander Holyfield is the best cruiserweight boxer of all time. He is the best boxer of all time by weight class. Evander Holyfield, a U.S. Olympic medalist in 1984, won the bronze medal for the light heavyweight division.

Evander Holyfield was a professional boxer in 1985 as a cruiserweight. He defeated Dwight Muhammad Qawi, at the age of 22, for the WBA title.

Holyfield won the WBC belt and the IBF belts by defeating Ricky Parkey and Carlon de Leon and became the undisputed world champion in cruiserweight. Holyfield rose to the top of the heavyweight division in 1988 and won the title.

He defeated James “Buster” Douglas, won the unification match, and became the undisputed champion of the world heavyweight division. Holyfield held his title three times before being defeated by Micheal Moorer in 1994.

Holyfield is also the only boxer who has held a title in all three decades. He is also the only undisputed champion in heavyweight and cruiserweight. Holyfield announced his retirement in 2011 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (2017).

3. Light Heavyweight: Archie Moore

Full Name	Archie Moore
Date of Birth	December 13, 1916
Birth’s Place	Benoit, Mississippi, U.S.
Current Age	Death December 9, 1998
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$5 Million
Height	6 ft 11 in
Weight	93 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total fights	220
Wins	186
Wins by KO	132
Losses	23

Ezzard Charles is the greatest light heavyweight of all time. However, Moore’s 3 losses to Ezzard were before Moore was truly at his peak.

Charles defeated the same Moore who would lose to Lloyd Gibson, Lloyd Gibson, Leonard Morrow and Henry Hall. Moore was not the fighter he would become, but he was still a good fighter.

It was impossible to overlook a nearly-decade-long reign and 12 wins over the top 25 light heavyweights. Moore won the belt at 36 over Joey Maxim, a Hall of Famer who had long denied him a shot at the title. He remained in power for nearly a decade. The career K.O. The career K.O. was also one the fastest thinkers in the ring.

Moore has victories over Hall of Famers Lloyd Marshall, Holman Williams and Harold Johnson. That’s why people call him one of the best boxers of all time by weight class.

4. Super Middleweight: Joe Calzaghe

Full name	Joe Calzaghe
Date of Birth	23 March 1972
Birth’s Place	Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom
Current Age	50
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	British
Net Worth	$10 Million
Height	6 ft 0 in
Weight	79 kg
Ethnicity	White
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total fights	46
Wins	46
Wins by KO	32

Joe Calzaghe is the best super middleweight boxer of all time. He is one of the best boxers of all time by weight class. The story of Calzaghe’s ten-year tenure as WBO champion and his undefeated record at 46-0 is only part of it. Calzaghe’s abilities and worth are not what we usually consider greatness.

Calzaghe may have appeared to be a tough fighter who overwhelmed his opponents with his blustery hand. Calzaghe was a fighter who could fight like Calzaghe. He had a nearly-genius ability for simple combat. Calzaghe’s view of a fight was extremely advanced, and he had the ability to see angles with the same coolness as a fan sitting on his sofa.

Calzaghe defeated Chris Eubank, the top-5 super middleweight of all time, to win his first belt. He did, however, spend much of his reign beating second-raters but eventually got serious training.

His best defenses were against 168-pound champion timbers like Charles Brewer, Richie Woodhall, and Byron Mitchell. Calzaghe was the favorite to defeat Jeff Lacy in 2006. He ended up being defeated. After beating Sakio Bika, he returned to the ring to win. He then overcame a difficult start to defeat Mikkel Kessler to take a dominant decision.

5. Middleweight: Sugar Ray Robinson

Full Name	Sugar Ray Robinson
Date of Birth	May 3, 1921
Birth’s Place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Current Age	Death April 12, 1989 (aged 67)
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$500 Thousand
Height	5 ft 11 in
Weight	79 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	201
Wins	174
Wins by KO	109
Losses	19

Sugar Ray Robinson is one of the best middleweight boxers of all time. Actually, he is known as the best boxer of all time by weight class. He was nicknamed “Sugar” by a newspaper reporter, who described him as being sweet, like sugar.

Sugar Ray Robinson made his professional debut in boxing in 1940. He has won 40 consecutive bouts. His first Fighter of The Year award was in 1942, and his second was in 1951.

In 1943, his first loss was at the hands of Jake LaMotta. Robinson was undefeated for eight years after his first loss. Robinson won many fights against the middleweight and welterweight Hall of Famer of his time. In 1946, he was the world welterweight champion.

Robinson was the world’s middleweight champion five more times during his career. After one-sidedly defeating Jake LaMotta, he became the world’s middleweight champion.

Robinson retired from boxing in 1952 after a 131-3-1 career record. He returned to boxing in 1952 with a record of 131-3-1. He continued fighting until 1965, finishing his career with 175-19-6. Robinson is still considered one of the greatest boxers to ever live.

6. Junior Middleweight: Thomas Hearns

Full Name	Thomas Hearns
Date of Birth	October 18, 1958
Birth’s Place	Grand Junction, Tennessee, U.S.
Current Age	64
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$450 Thousand
Height	6 ft 0 in
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	67
Wins	61
Wins by KO	48
Losses	5

Thomas Hearns is the best junior middleweight boxer of all time. He was undefeated in this weight category, and his fight against top fighters was impressive. He won victories over Ernie Singletary and Marcos Geraldo and was knocked out in the first round by Marcos Geraldo. This result led to his victory over Wilfred Benitez for the WBC crown. After a defense against Luigi Michillo, an Italian tough guy, Roberto Duran was defeated by a one-punch flattening.

This Duran was the same Duran that two fights before had electrified Madison Square Garden with a dissection of unbeaten Davey Moore. He was just coming off a one-point loss to Marvin Hagler (one scorecard). Duran’s feat was the first in his 30-year career. Hearns’ versatility is evident in his victories over Benitez, Duran, and others.

He was able to outbox the top boxers and win a fight with the most skilled brawlers. Hearns then moved north to fight for his freedom. Hearns won two more defenses, knockouts against Fred Hutchings (Mark Medal) and another.

Hearn’s reign was explosive, and even though he was at the 154 boxing ring, he was still considered one of the best boxers of all time by weight class in the entire world.

7. Welterweight: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Full Name	Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Date of Birth	February 24, 1977
Birth’s Place	Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Current Age	45 years
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$450 million
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	70 kg
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total fights	50
Wins	50
Wins by KO	27
Losses	–

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best welterweight boxer of all time. He was hailed as one of the best boxers of all time by weight class. He won 50 victories, including 27 KO/TKOs. Mayweather Jr. was a junior lightweight and lightweight champion, and he moved up to the Welterweight division to keep his undefeated streak. He won 12 times in the 147-pound category, with only three stops.

This man is known as the “pay-per-view king” and has swept the division with impressive wins over fighters such as Zab Judah and Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez. He also defeated notable fighters such as Manny Pacquaio and Marcos Maidana. He was the undisputed champion at welterweight and ranked among the top five all-time champions in the division.

8. Junior Welterweight: Julio Cesar Chavez

Full Name	Julio Cesar Chavez
Date of Birth	July 12, 1962
Birth’s Place	Obregón, Sonora, Mexico
Current Age	60 years
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Mexico
Net Worth	$10 million
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	63 kg
Ethnicity	Mexican
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing record

Total Fights	115
Wins	107
Wins by KO	86
Losses	6

Julio Cesar Chavez is the best junior welterweight boxer of all time. He is known as the best boxer of all time in the entire world.

Chavez won titles at 130 and 135 and settled down at 140, compiling a stellar resume and attaining a status no 140-pounder can match. It was legendary that he managed to win a unification bout with Meldrick Taylor, unbeaten Gold Medalist, and titlist, and then reclaim victory. Although his work wasn’t always obvious, he was able to ignore the punishment he received from his opponent.

He was determined and poker-faced, taking shots to the body to make the kill. At 140, Chavez won 18 fights for the world title, defeating 8 world champions and 6 unbeaten opponents along the way. In a great fight, Chavez won the belt by a 10th-round TKO.

He defeated Roger Mayweather, a peaking champion. Although he didn’t end his career gracefully, he was still 89-0-1. He was elevated to another level by the Taylor fight. He won victories over 40-1 Hector Camacho and many other notable names. He is now considered the greatest 140-pounder.

9. Lightweight: Roberto Duran

Full Name	Roberto Duran
Date of Birth	June 16, 1951
Birth’s Place	El Chorrillo, Panamá
Current Age	71 years
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Panama
Net Worth	$3 million
Height	5 ft 7 in
Weight	89 kg
Ethnicity	Panamanian
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	119
Wins	103
Wins by KO	70
Losses	16

The most vicious lightweight ever to live. This is the last man you would want to meet in a ring or alleyway. Duran brought a lot of other qualities to his fights, so it’s unnecessary to go on about Duran’s power.

Duran was also one of the best lightweight boxers of all time and the most skilled fighter in the sport. He is always able to strike his opponent with subtle defensive moves. Duran was not only the greatest in-fighting lightweight, but he may have also been the most skilled close-range fighter of all time.

The title was won by Ken Buchanan, a future Hall of Famer and 43-1 fighter. Buchanan stopped him in the 13th round. Although he lost a non-title bout to Esteban DeJesus in the first round, he never lost at lightweight poundage.

All of them were dominant wins that bordered on the savage. Duran’s best was here, even though he would win titles in three other weight classes. His best performance at 135 was the best he had ever seen. He is one of the best boxers of all time by weight class.

10. Junior Lightweight: Alexis Arguello

Full Name	Alexis Arguello
Date of Birth	April 19, 1952
Birth’s Place	Managua
Current Age	Death (July 1, 2009)
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Nicaragua
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 10 in
Ethnicity	Orthodox
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	85
Wins	77
Wins by KO	62
Losses	8

Alexis Arguello is the best junior lightweight boxer of all time. He is one of the best boxers of all time. Mayweather at 130 was great, but Arguello could have been even better, and a bout between them would have been an amazing spectacle. Arguello was sometimes a true force of nature in this class, nearly never letting his opponent win.

Edwards won the eighth. Simply put, Jr. Lightweight Arguello proved to be a devastating opponent. He also added Ruben Castillo, an undefeated champion, to his list of prone while champions. The only thing that was bad in the midst of all the chaos was Vilomar Fernandez’s non-title loss.

Arguello wasn’t done at 130, but a title run at 135 was awaited. The legendary losses to Aaron Pryor at 14 were also awaited. All of them add to the legend of the Nicaraguan hero, but it was Jr. Lightweight that real greatness was determined. Arguello was inducted into the IBHOF in 1992.

11. Featherweight: Willie Pep

Full Name	Willie Pep
Date of Birth	September 19, 1922
Birth’s Place	Middletown, Connecticut, United States
Death	November 23, 2006 (aged 84)
Occupation	American Professional Boxer
Residence	American
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 5 in
Ethnicity	American
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	241
Wins	229
Wins by KO	65
Losses	11

Willie Pep is the best featherweight boxer of all time. He went seamlessly from an outstanding amateur to a pro with outstanding footwork, defense, and lightning speed. Pep became a pro parallel to Sugar Ray Robinson, who he once faced in an unpaid set. He was as dominant at Featherweight as Robinson would have been at Welterweight.

By June 1942, he had won 42 consecutive victories and was ranked number 43 by Joey Archibald. This was on a unanimous points turn. In November 1942, Chalky Wright won number 54 in the New York State World Championship.

He’d win a unanimous decision over Manuel Ortiz, the Bantamweight legend, and defeat Wright twice more in 1944. This was both a defense and a non-title fight. 1945 saw a title defense against Phil Terranova, a former NBA Titleist.

Pep won the third round of the fight against Jackie Graves allegedly without having to throw a punch. This was just over a month after the fight with Bartolo. Although it isn’t true, and Pep was actually knocked twice in round six by Wright, the legend makes for more laughable.

He started the Saddler series shortly after, but even through those struggles, he was still beating tough men like Ray Famechon and Harold Dade (ex-Bantamweight champion). He would never again reach the top of the sport after the Saddler series. He is still considered one of the best boxers of all time by weight class.

12. Junior Featherweight: Wilfredo Gomez

Full Name	Wilfredo Gomez
Date of Birth	29 October 1956
Birth’s Place	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Age	66 years
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Puerto Rico
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 5 in
Ethnicity	Orthodox
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	48
Wins	44
Wins by KO	42
Losses	3

There is no doubt that Wilfredo Gomez is the best junior featherweight boxer of all time. In other words, he is one of the best boxers of all time by weight class.

The 1995 IBHOF Inductee Gomez is a shadow of everything that was accomplished after him at the 122. He was Puerto Rico’s greatest fighter at any weight class. Gomez would win almost seven consecutive years after a November 1974 career-opening draw.

His first defeat at Featherweight to Salvador Sanchez was also his only loss. It would be a remarkable amount of time before he was able to capture the Juan Laporte Featherweight title in 1984 for a Gomez fight that would last the distance.

Gomez would win seventeen titles after knocking out Dong Kyun in twelve to take the WBC honors on May 21, 1977. There were certainly some lesser-known stars among those seventeen.

The numbers grew on the way to Sanchez’s ill-fated challenge, but Gomez was not done. Juan Meza would be stopped by Gomez in six rounds. In his last defense, he won what was, up until Israel Vasquez Rafael Marquez III’s death, probably the greatest fight in the division.

After Pintor, there would only be eight fights. Gomez was not very good above 122 after the LaPorte win. He was a good ring mate and could handle the time and rigor of the ring. At 126, the cards showed a win.

13.Bantamweight: Carlos Zarate

Full Name	Carlos Zárate Serna
Date of Birth	23 May 1951
Birth’s Place	Tepito, Mexico City, Mexico
Age	71 years
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Mexico
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 10 in
Ethnicity	Orthodox
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	70
Wins	66
Wins by KO	63
Losses	4

Carlos Zarate is the best featherweight boxer of all time. People know him as one of the best boxers of all time by weight class. Although Zarate wasn’t often ranked at the top of the all-time bantamweight rankings for the title, it is hard to argue that he was the most dominant Bantamweight Champion.

But Zarate actually won that fight. One judge gave Zarate a 12 points advantage, while the others blew it. It didn’t work out for him when he moved up to fight Wilfredo Gomez in the middle part of his reign. He was a complete fighter. He was 118 and never lost to most people.

He shined in his pinnacle moment. Alfonso Zamora (feared WBA bantamweight champion) was his opponent. He entered the fight with a record 29-0-all knockout.

Although Zarate was able to fight some top-quality opponents, there are many bantamweights that have had better results. He faced plenty of excellent competition, which gives credence to his impressive stats.

14. Junior Bantamweight: Khaosai Galaxy

Full Name	Khaosai Galaxy
Date of Birth	15 May 1959
Birth’s Place	Mueang Phetchabun, Phetchabun
Current Age	63
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	Thailand
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 5 in
Ethnicity	Southpaw
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	51
Wins	50
Wins by KO	44
Losses	1

Khaosai Galaxy is the best junior bantamweight boxer of all time. He is one of the best boxers of all time by weight class. He is the greatest equalizer in a violent sport such as boxing and one of the most memorable qualities.

Galaxy is, therefore the most memorable of all 115-pounders. His torso was the real story. With a muscular physique, he dropped to 115 pounds. His greatness was a testament to the weight class. He was the WBA champion between 1984 and 1991, winning his belt 19 times.

After losing his seventh pro fight, he retired after a 43-fight winning streak. Galaxy seemed vulnerable. His chin was not foolproof. There was a lot of danger in his defenses but his power won every time.

Although many may not be able to recognize all the names on his lengthy list of defenses, the bomber defeated 7 world champions and eliminated them all.

15. Junior Flyweight: Jung-Koo Chang

Full Name	Jung-Koo Chang
Date of Birth	February 4, 1963
Birth’s Place	Busan, South Korea
Current Age	59 years
Occupation	Professional Boxer
Residence	South Korea
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Height	5 ft 3 in
Stance	Orthodox
Eye Color	Black
Gender	Male

Boxing Record

Total Fights	42
Wins	38
Wins by KO	17
Losses	4

Jung-Koo Chang is the best junior bantamweight boxer of all time. In his prime, the South Korean fighter was a dynamo, fast, hard-hitting, and had an intense fighting spirit.

The West was largely denied the opportunity to see this Hall of Fame fighter as he lost to Chiquita Gonzales after coming out of retirement. The “Korean Hawk,” who ruled from 1983-1988, won 15 titles and was a rising star. He was able to retire, defeating every man he faced.

Chang lost his first fight to Hilario Zapata, supreme champion, in 1982. However, Chang defeated him 6 months later in 3 rounds for the WBC title.

The defenses were against three-times tough German Torres and Sot Chitalada, the top-ten flyweight of all time. He called it quits after defeating Hideyuki Ahashi in 1988. He was forced to return due to financial problems, and his record fell to 38-4 (17KOs). People know him as one of the best boxers of all time by weight class.

Final Thought

The discussion about the best boxers of all time by weight class can be a subject that’s largely subjective when looking at boxing chances. There are a variety of things to think about, especially the accomplishments and awards a boxer has received. This list will highlight the impressive achievements these famous boxers have made and then determine their respective spots.