Over the next several weeks, three pound-for-pound stars will be challenged to their limits by elite-level opposition.
On Saturday, May 4, the great Canelo Alvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against the 43-0 Jaime Munguia at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia, live on DAZN
Two days later, approximately 6,000 miles away in Tokyo, Naoya Inoue will make the maiden defense of his undisputed super bantamweight crown against the hard-hitting double world champ Luis Nery.
Finally, on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, unified heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk will enter the ring as the underdog against WBC counterpart Tyson Fury in the first undisputed fight that boxing's glamour division has seen for almost 25 years.
The current pound-for-pound No. 1 is the brilliant multi-weight world champion Terence Crawford. However, when the dust settles following the aforementioned showdowns, there's no guarantee that "Bud" will still reign supreme.
When this decade ends, who will stand alone as the finest fighter of the 2020s? Will Crawford, Inoue or Usyk be regarded as the best of the best, or will a new force emerge and steal all the acclaim? There's a long way to go, but whoever it is they will stand tall amongst a pantheon of greats.
The Sporting News goes back a full century to select Fighter of the Decade from the 1920s to the 2010s.
1920s — Harry Greb
- Overall Record: 108-9-3 * Minus 179 newspaper decisions
- Record during the 1920s: 68-6-3 *
- World titles held: Middleweight
Even though Greb's prime was over 100 years ago, his reputation among boxing historians has hardly diminished.
Regarded as one of the greatest middleweights of all time, "The Pittsburgh Windmill" has the numbers and the resume to back up his position as the finest fighter of the Roaring Twenties.
He fought 32 times in 1925 alone and maintained a breakneck schedule through his years at elite level. Signature wins came against Tommy Loughran, Gene Tunney, Mickey Walker, Maxie Rosenbloom and Tiger Flowers, all of whom are Hall of Famers.
Although no fight footage exists of Greb, reports indicate that he was a fearless aggressor who wasn't beyond bending the rules.
Honorable mentions: Jack Dempsey, Benny Leonard, Gene Tunney, Mickey Walker
MORE: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia: The top-7 best Cinco de Mayo fights ranked
1930s — Henry Armstrong
- Overall Record: 149-21-10 (99 KOs)
- Record during the 1930s: 104-13-7
- World titles held: Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight
Despite the 1930s producing a multitude of certified boxing legends, there was only going to be one winner for this decade.
Armstrong, known as "Homicide Hank," is the only fighter in boxing history to have held three undisputed divisional championships at the same time (featherweight, lightweight and welterweight) and he made a record 19 defenses of the welterweight crown.
Regardless of an opponent's size, Armstrong would go on the front foot with a savage and relentless attack. He even came close to winning a version of the middleweight title but had to settle for a draw against Ceferino Garcia, whom he'd already beaten at welterweight.
Other notable victories came against a who's who of greats: Baby Arizmendi, Midget Wolgast, Benny Bass, Petey Sarron, Chalkey Wright, Barney Ross and Lou Ambers
Fight fans will never see the likes of Armstrong again… ever.
Honorable mentions: Tony Canzoneri, Joe Louis, Jimmy McLarnin, Barney Ross.
1940s — Willie Pep
- Overall Record: 229-11-1 (65 KOs)
- Record during the 1940s: 143-2-1
- World titles held: Featherweight
Decades before Floyd Mayweather was bragging about winning 50 straight fights over 21 years, Pep had gone 62-0 between 1940 and 1951.
An exquisite boxer-mover, legend has it that Pep's defensive skills were so finely tuned that he once won a round without throwing a single punch (round three against Jackie Graves in 1946). Fight reports dispute this, but there's no challenging the fact that Pep made his bones across two title reigns and took on the best featherweights in the world.
Among his victims were Sammy Angott, Jackie Wilson, Manuel Ortiz, Paddy De Marco and Sandy Saddler. The four-fight rivalry with Saddler is one of the most famous in boxing history.
Honorable mentions: Ezzard Charles, Joe Louis, Ike Williams, Sugar Ray Robinson
MORE: Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Sporting News men's boxing Athlete of the Decade
1950s — Sugar Ray Robinson
- Overall Record: 174-19-6 (109 KOs)
- Record during the 1950s: 41-5
- World titles held: Welterweight, Middleweight
The original Sugar Ray is still the consensus choice for greatest fighter that ever lived.
Robinson was 73-1-1 before securing a shot at the welterweight title and he peaked in this weight class. However, it was his exploits as a legendary five-time middleweight champion that made him.
Despite being dwarfed by light heavyweight champ Joey Maxim, the great Sugar Ray came within six minutes of winning a third divisional title in New York. However, the outdoor heat scored a 13th-round TKO and Robinson was pulled out while way ahead on points.
Sugar Ray's Hall of Fame victories throughout the 1950s are of the highest caliber: Bobo Olson, Jake LaMotta, Randolph Turpin, Rocky Graziano, Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio.
He was blessed with speed, power, exemplary technique and the courage of a soldier. Robinson was poetry in motion.
Honorable mentions: Carmen Basilio, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore
1960s — Muhammad Ali
- Overall Record: 56-5 (37 KOs)
- Record during the 1960s: 29-0
- World titles held: Heavyweight
He came into this decade as Cassius Clay and left it as Muhammad Ali — the fastest and most gifted fighter the glamour division had ever seen.
After putting together a 19-fight win streak — some of which he predicted down to the round — the former Olympic light heavyweight champion was the No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title.
On February 25, 1964, Ali completely outclassed the seemingly invincible Sonny Liston with an eyepopping blend of rapid-fire punching and movement. He made nine defenses of the championship before being stripped of his boxing license for refusing induction into the U.S. armed forces to fight in the Vietnam war in April 1967.
Ironically, Ali's greatest ring victories over Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton took place in the 1970s. However, his fistic ability and athleticism were unmatched during his sixties prime.
In the 1960s, "The Greatest" made Liston, Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell look like they didn't belong in the ring with him.
Honorable mentions: Emile Griffith, Eder Jofre, Carlos Ortiz, Vicente Saldivar
MORE: SN's Top-12 best pound-for-pound boxers
1970s — Roberto Duran
- Overall Record: 103-16 (70 KOs)
- Record during the 1970s: 53-1
- World titles held: Lightweight, Welterweight, Super Welterweight, Middleweight
While Muhammad Ali scored many of the world-stopping triumphs during the 1970s, even "The Greatest" couldn't match the consistency and ring savagery of "Hand of Stone".
With a 24-0 record, Duran had already established himself as a knockout machine when he debuted in the U.S. in September 1971. He knocked out Benny Huertes in a single round and then proceeded to wreak havoc on the lightweight division for seven years.
After winning the WBA and Ring championships from legendary Scotsman Ken Buchanan in 1972, Duran made 12 consecutive defenses. There was one setback against the excellent Esteban De Jesus in a non-title bout, but Duran avenged that loss twice by knockout, wrenching the WBC title from De Jesus in their third encounter to become the undisputed champion in 1978.
Duran would produce near-miracles in the eighties. However, during the 1970s the great Panamanian was peerless against Ray Lampkin, Guts Ishimatsu, Edwin Viruet, Saoul Mamby and Carlos Palomino among many others.
Honorable mentions: Muhammad Ali, Bob Foster, Carlos Monzon, Carlos Zarate
1980s — Sugar Ray Leonard
- Overall Record: 36-3-1 (25 KOs)
- Record during the 1980s: 10-1-1
- World titles held: Welterweight, Super Welterweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight
While Leonard's ring record is anemic compared to Armstrong's and Robinson's, it’s the quality of the fighters he defeated that takes Sugar Ray into the stratosphere.
After winning Olympic gold at Montreal 1976, Leonard turned professional under the watchful eye of Muhammad Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee. He was matched brilliantly over the first three years of his pro career and by the time a world title opportunity came around, Leonard was the complete pro.
Between November 1979 and September 1981, the great Sugar Ray set the benchmark for chasing greatness. Stoppage triumphs over Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran (to avenge his first defeat) and Thomas Hearns cemented Leonard as the undisputed welterweight champion and an authentic all-time great at 25 years old.
A detached retina stalled Leonard's career and he fought just once in five years. However, the ex-champ came back for an impossible mission against middleweight king Marvelous Marvin Hagler and produced arguably the greatest comeback in boxing history to win a split decision.
Honorable mentions: Julio Cesar Chavez, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks
1990s — Roy Jones Jr.
- Overall Record: 66-10 (47 KOs)
- Record during the 1990s: 36-1
- World titles held: Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight
It's no exaggeration to say that Roy Jones Jr. may have been the most talented fighter to ever wear boxing gloves. And while being the most talented doesn't mean the best, the Pensacola star was a phenomenon during his prime.
Jones picked up his first world title — the vacant IBF middleweight championship — by scoring a unanimous decision over Bernard Hopkins in 1993. However, it was his whitewashing of then-IBF super middleweight champ James Toney that gave Jones the pound-for-pound throne.
The only blemish on Jones' 1990s record occurred when he struck Montell Griffin after he'd taken a knee. Convinced that Griffin acted to secure a disqualification win, Jones went on the rampage in a direct rematch and knocked his rival out in the opening round.
Firmly established as the pound-for-pound king, Jones closed out the decade as the first undisputed light heavyweight champion since Michael Spinks in the mid-eighties. Incredibly, despite beginning his career as a super welterweight, Jones would claim a version of the heavyweight title in 2003.
Honorable mentions: Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad
WATCH: Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia, live on DAZN
2000s — Manny Pacquiao
- Overall Record: 62-8-2 (39 KOs)
- Record during the 2000s: 23-1-2
- World titles held: Flyweight, Super Bantamweight, Featherweight, Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Super Lightweight, Welterweight. Super Welterweight
It seems like only yesterday that Pacquiao turned up on an Oscar De La Hoya undercard and shocked Leylo Ledwaba to win the IBF super bantamweight title in June 2001.
That was the great Pacquiao's main introduction to U.S. audiences, but the Filipino star had already claimed the flyweight crown in 1998. Over the next several years, this legendary left-hander won a record eight divisional titles and confirmed himself as an all-time great.
"Pac Man" entered the pound-for-pound sweepstakes by wrenching the Ring Magazine featherweight title from the great Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003. He then targeted the Mexican elite and dominated one of the most exciting eras in modern boxing history.
Pacquiao's list of triumphs during this decade is simply unmatched: Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto. As he progressed into the 2010s and 2020s, the hits kept on coming, and so did the world title wins.
Honorable mentions: Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, Lennox Lewis, Floyd Mayweather
2010s — Floyd Mayweather
- Overall Record: 50-0 (27 KOs)
- Record during the 2010s: 10-0
- World titles held: Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Super Lightweight, Welterweight, Super Welterweight
You might not like Floyd Mayweather, but you can't deny him. The self-styled TBE ("The Best Ever") made more money than any fighter in boxing history thanks to a selection of colossal super bouts throughout this decade.
Already a five-weight world champion, the Grand Rapids star posted more career-defining triumphs over Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao. He would have marched into the Hall of Fame without any of those victories, but collectively they enhanced the American's pound-for-pound domination.
The essence of boxing is to hit and not be hit; That was Mayweather's genius, and he reduced great fighters to frustrated rubble with performances that often seemed effortless.
Detractors will downplay this win or that win — that just comes with the territory — but Mayweather is one of the finest boxers who has ever lived.
Honorable mentions: Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gennadiy Golovkin, Vasiliy Lomachenko
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