Top 10 boxers of the 21st century
Let's take a look at the 10 best boxers of the 21st century.
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Tyson Fury, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua (Via IMAGO)
The 21st century has seen the advent of a legion of talented boxers. It also saw the waning phase of greats like Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones Jr., and many others. Here is the list of the top 10 boxers of the 21st century.
A point to be noted is that the list below contains boxers who have had a significant impact in the 21st century and not legends who had a brilliant run in the 1990s and bowed out in the 2000s.
10) Oleksandr Usyk
Undefeated in 21 fights, Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine has been unstoppable. He made his professional boxing debut in the year 2013 and went on to conquer the cruiserweight division to the fullest.
He currently is in the heavyweight division and looks set to leave a mark there as well. He is set to take on Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
9) Anthony Joshua
One of the most well-known boxers in the modern era, Anthony Joshua is built like a bodybuilder. The Brit has just 3 losses in his career. The first was an unfortunate TKO loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019. The next two were against Oleksandr Usyk.
Besides that, he has notable wins against Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, and Alexander Povetkin. Boxing record: 27 wins and 3 losses. Most recently, he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou in the second round.
8) Wladimir Klitschko
A legend of the sport. The huge Ukrainian was literally unstoppable in the early 2000s. He, along with his brother Vitali, dominated the heavyweight scene.
Wladimir Klitschko was known for his imposing presence and durable chin. The Ukrainian retired with a record of 64 wins and just 5 losses.
7) Vasyl Lomachenko
Vasyl Lomachenko is the most technically gifted boxer of the 21st century. His nickname ‘High Tech’ also reflects his technical prowess in the ring. The boxer uses his smooth footwork to create openings and systematically finish his opponent.
As an amateur, he won 396 of his 397 fights. Moreover, the Ukranian is a two-time, two-weight Olympic gold medalist. As a professional, it took him only two fights to earn a world title. He eventually became a 3 division champion and also unified the lightweight division in 2019.
6) Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford has held multiple championships in several weight classes. Having made his debut in March 2008, Crawford has never tasted defeat in his career.
The current WBO Welterweight Champion has a record of 40 wins and no losses. According to ESPN, he is the best active welterweight in the world.
5) Tyson Fury
Unbeaten in 34 fights, that too after going up against opponents like Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko, and Derek Chisora, is no joke. Tyson Fury is the current WBC heavyweight champion and is known for being agile and nimble-footed despite towering at 6 foot 9in.
He also devastated Deontay Wilder in February 2020 to become the first man to knock The Bronze Bomber out. Their trilogy was one of the best rivalries of the 21st century.
4) Gennady Golovkin
‘Triple G’ from Kazakhstan might be higher up on the list in a parallel universe. The only blip in his otherwise clean boxing record are his fights against Canelo Alvarez.
While the first one ended in a split decision draw, Gennady Golovkin, unfortunately, succumbed to a majority decision loss in the rematch. He has a record of 42 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw.
3) Manny Pacquiao
‘The PacMan’ made his boxing debut when he was just 16 years old. He then went on to embark on a very successful career that lasted 25+ years. During his career, Manny Pacquiao faced the likes of Ricky Hatton, Oscar de La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and several other legends.
He beat most of them. The Filipino announced his retirement in August 2021. Boxing record: 62 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws. Pacman has tried to make a comeback several times since his return.
2) Canelo Alvarez
If not for that loss against Floyd Mayweather in September 2013, Canelo Alvarez would have topped the list. The Mexican who is currently the unified super middleweight champion has held numerous titles during his career. Moreover, he once tried to move up in weight and take on Dmitry Bivol, but that didn’t go as planned and he suffered the only second loss of his otherwise flawless career.
His boxing record reads – 60 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws. And not to forget is his rivalry against Triple G – Gennady Golovkin.
1) Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Arguably the greatest boxer of all time – Floyd Mayweather Jr. was untouchable inside the ring. Known for his supreme defense, Mayweather never faced a single loss in his career. He retired with a record of 50 wins and 0 losses. Who would forget his rivalry with some of the greats like Oscar de La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Canelo Alvarez? Besides this, he is undoubtedly the richest boxer that has ever lived on planet Earth.
Since his retirement in 2017, Mayweather has taken part in several exhibition boxing fights. His most recent fight was against YouTuber Logan Paul.
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Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)