All-time boxing greats: Top 5 best male boxers in history

There have been so many excellent fighters throughout history, but here are the top five all-time boxing greats to grace the sport, according to FanSided.

Of all the impracticable sports lists that get compiled and discussed, the all-time Boxing greats arguably get tossed around the most.

Professional sports are a relatively new construct in modern society. Sports and athletic competitions have existed since before recorded history, but haven’t been globally organized and categorized until the contemporary era.

Of all professional sports, boxing has one of the longest and richest histories. In its early days, boxing started with bare knuckles and evolved into the gloved affair that we love today with the advent of the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, which took a bit of time to catch on.

The pioneers of the sport didn’t have the advantages of athletes today. Education on training regimens and exercise science was in the dark ages, but many boxers from the early era dominated matches with their toughness, heart, and natural ability.

Those same attributes are the building blocks of the best boxers today, but they have the advantage in terms of nutrition, technology, and proven training techniques. It’s hard to compare current pugilists to their early counterparts, so it is important to keep in mind the context of an era when discussing a particular boxer.

Jack Dempsey would be severely physically overmatched against Anthony Joshua. They can’t be judged against each other in a typical sense, but with the backdrop of historical perspective under consideration.

Using this guideline, FanSided created a list of what we consider the five best male boxers of all time. We didn’t rank fighters in any order. The reader can determine that part on their own.

These could be fighters from any time in history and any weight class. Wins and losses play a role but are far from the most important quality. Wins against notable opponents, major achievements in the ring, and ability reign supreme in this list.