ESPN has dropped its “Top 25 boxers of the century” and, fittingly in the week of Canelo vs. Crawford, both stars land inside the top 10—Canelo Alvarez at No. 5 and Terence Crawford at No. 7 - while Floyd Mayweather claims the No. 1 spot. The panel - Andreas Hale, Mark Kriegel, Nick Parkinson, Bernardo Osuna and Andres Ferrari - judged careers from 2000 onward, with Mayweather’s 28-0 run this century, five-division haul and wins over fellow listees Canelo, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto sealing the summit.
Manny Pacquiao sits No. 2, the sport’s only eight-division champion and still active at 46 after a July draw with Mario Barrios. Bernard Hopkins takes No. 3 on the strength of record middleweight defenses and becoming the oldest world champion at 49, while three-time undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk is No. 4 after twice beating Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Canelo’s four-division reign and undisputed status at 168lbs land him fifth, with unbeaten two-division lineal champ Andre Ward at No. 6 ahead of Crawford, whose bid to become undisputed in a third division arrives next Saturday.
The full list blends eras and styles:
- 1️⃣ Floyd Mayweather
- 2️⃣ Manny Pacquiao
- 3️⃣ Bernard Hopkins
- 4️⃣ Oleksandr Usyk
- 5️⃣ Canelo Alvarez
- 6️⃣ Andre Ward
- 7️⃣ Terence Crawford
- 8️⃣ Juan Manuel Marquez
- 9️⃣ Roy Jones Jr.
- 🔟 Naoya Inoue
- 1️⃣1️⃣ Gennadiy Golovkin
- 1️⃣2️⃣ Joe Calzaghe
- 1️⃣3️⃣ Erik Morales
- 1️⃣4️⃣ Vasiliy Lomachenko
- 1️⃣5️⃣ Oscar De La Hoya
- 1️⃣6️⃣ Román “Chocolatito” González
- 1️⃣7️⃣ Tyson Fury
- 1️⃣8️⃣ Miguel Cotto
- 1️⃣9️⃣ Vitali Klitschko
- 2️⃣0️⃣ Marco Antonio Barrera
- 2️⃣1️⃣ Katie Taylor
- 2️⃣2️⃣ Wladimir Klitschko
- 2️⃣3️⃣ Claressa Shields
- 2️⃣4️⃣ Ronald “Winky” Wright
- 2️⃣5️⃣ Timothy Bradley Jr.
Context matters this week: Canelo’s position at No. 5 and Crawford’s at No. 7 arrive days before their Las Vegas showdown, a result that could reshape any such ranking. ESPN notes 14 of the 17 retired fighters listed are already Hall of Famers, with the rest seen as locks. Near-misses included Dmitry Bivol, “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Amanda Serrano and Artur Beterbiev.
Whether you agree with Mayweather atop the mountain or fancy Usyk’s historic run, the list does what it should in fight week: stokes debate. And on Sept. 13, Canelo and Crawford will get their chance to move the goalposts again.
Don't miss what can become the fight of the century!
Image Credit: ESPN