Manny Pacquiao
Willie Pep
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Willie Pep leads 2 of 2 categories. Our all-time ranking places Manny Pacquiao at #8 and Willie Pep at #10.
The case for Manny Pacquiao
The only fighter in history to win world titles in eight weight divisions, Pacquiao climbed from a 106-pound teenager in Manila to a welterweight champion who beat the sport's biggest names. His record of 62-8-2 with 39 knockouts is decorated with lineal titles in four divisions and destructive wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, whom he knocked cold in two rounds, Miguel Cotto, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales in an epic trilogy, and Juan Manuel Marquez in a rivalry of four razor-thin fights. A whirlwind southpaw with blinding speed, an unusual angle of attack and relentless volume, he was named Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s. He carried a nation, becoming a Philippine senator while still fighting at the elite level. Only a controversial loss to Marquez and the long-delayed Mayweather defeat mark an otherwise singular ascent through the weight classes.
The case for Willie Pep
Pep won more professional fights than any world champion in history, finishing roughly 229-11-1 with 65 knockouts across 241 bouts, and is the standard-bearer for pure defensive artistry. Nicknamed Will o' the Wisp, the two-time featherweight champion was so elusive that legend holds he once won a round without throwing a punch, evading, feinting and pivoting his opponent into missing everything. He opened his career 62-0 before his first loss and reeled off multiple long winning streaks, including a return to the top after surviving a 1947 plane crash that doctors thought would end his career. His four-fight rivalry with Sandy Saddler, whom he beat once in a masterclass before losing three rougher rematches, defined the featherweight division of the 1940s and 1950s. For sheer volume of victories and the highest expression of hit-and-don't-get-hit boxing, Pep has no equal.