Sugar Ray Robinson
Manny Pacquiao
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Sugar Ray Robinson leads 2 of 2 categories. Our all-time ranking places Sugar Ray Robinson at #1 and Manny Pacquiao at #8.
The case for Sugar Ray Robinson
Robinson is the fighter the phrase pound-for-pound was invented to describe, and The Ring's choice as the greatest of all time. He compiled a record of roughly 173-19-6 with 108 knockouts across 200 professional bouts and 25 years, and for a stretch was untouchable: he won his first 40 fights and was unbeaten for 91 consecutive bouts between 1943 and 1951. He held the welterweight crown, then won the middleweight title five separate times, the last at 37, beating Hall of Famers like Jake LaMotta, whom he defeated five times in six meetings, Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio and Gene Fullmer. His blend of one-punch power in either hand, hand speed, footwork and finishing instinct set the template every all-around great is measured against. Even in decline he was dangerous, and his combination of volume, dominance and artistry over a quarter century has never been matched.
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.