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

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (50-0, 27 KOs)

This pick might raise a few eyebrows even though Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the only boxer on this list that ended his career undefeated. Very few fighters have accomplished that feat.

Mayweather’s legacy gets criticized a lot for bad reasons. People question his résumé even though he fought the best fighters available.

You could tell Mayweather was going to be a star when he won the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics. He deserved the gold but got robbed by the judges in his semifinal bout. He would never end up on the wrong side of a decision again.

Mayweather went on to win world titles in five different divisions. He defeated Genaro Hernandez to win his first title.

Mayweather exuded confidence. Some might call it arrogance, but he kept winning. His contests against Jose Louis Castillo were close, as was his first bout with Marcos Maidana, but Mayweather won them all.

Every great fighter is around long enough to be in a fight that is closely contested on the judges’ scorecards. Mayweather is no different, but he dominated the majority of his matches. He also made more money than any boxer in history, thus his “Money” nickname.

When people criticize Mayweather for taking on soft touches like Conor McGregor, they should remember the clinics he put on against  Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, and many other notable boxers.

Mayweather is arguably the best defensive boxer of all time and deserves a place on this list.