Sugar Ray Leonard
Mike Tyson
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Mike Tyson leads 2 of 2 categories. Our all-time ranking places Sugar Ray Leonard at #7 and Mike Tyson at #11.
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The case for Sugar Ray Leonard
The defining star of boxing's 1980s golden age, Leonard finished 36-3-1 with 25 knockouts and won world titles in five weight divisions. A 1976 Olympic gold medalist, he combined dazzling hand speed, showmanship and, when needed, real grit and power. His greatness is measured by opposition: he beat every one of the other 'Four Kings,' outlasting Thomas Hearns in a 1981 welterweight classic, breaking Roberto Duran in the No Mas rematch, and, most improbably, coming off a multi-year retirement and detached-retina layoff to out-point the fearsome undefeated Marvin Hagler for the middleweight title in 1987. That willingness to take the hardest fights, often after long absences, and win them defines his resume. He fought less often than the all-time volume leaders, and some of his verdicts were close, but few fighters have beaten a comparable concentration of Hall of Fame peers at their peak.
The case for Mike Tyson
At his peak the most terrifying force boxing has seen, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at 20 years and 4 months, winning the WBC title in 1986 and unifying all three belts to reign as undisputed champion by 1987. Trained in Cus D'Amato's peek-a-boo style, he fused a shorter man's crouch and head movement with explosive one-punch power in both hands, blitzing the division and demolishing Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in 1988. His record finished 50-6 with 44 knockouts. The shocking 1990 upset by Buster Douglas, a prison term, and the 1997 disqualification for biting Evander Holyfield fractured what might have been an all-time-great career into a merely great and unforgettable one. But at his best, roughly 1986 to 1989, few heavyweights in history project the aura of inevitability Tyson did, and none matched his blend of speed, power and intimidation.