10 Best Trios in Boxing from Around the World

Boxing is truly a global sport and always has been, but it is even more so today.

The sport has had champions from just about every race and nationality. North Americans, South Americans, Europeans, Asians, Africans, and Australians have all reached the highest plateaus in the sport and won world titles.

Some argue that the best boxers in the world come from the U.S., Mexico or Puerto Rico, etc. I would say that it goes beyond that handful of countries.

Over the next 10 slides, I will list who I think are currently the best trio of fighters from 10 countries around the world.

Let the show and the debate begin.

The Stars and Stripes

With all the talent coming out of the United States, it was too hard narrow it down to three fighters for the list. The first two choices, though, were no-brainers in my opinion.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather

Love him or hate him, the pound-for-pound Picasso is the best fighter in the world. At 43-0 with 26 knockouts, Mayweather has only lost a handful or two of rounds in his entire career let alone a fight.

Andre “S.O.G” Ward

Ward is so good that when I spoke to top trainer John “Iceman” Scully recently, he told me he couldn’t recall seeing Ward lose a fight as an amateur. The former Olympic gold medalist has kept it up in the pro ranks, reeling off 25 straight wins with no losses and 13 knockouts on his resume.

“Bad” Chad Dawson

This was a tossup for me between Dawson and Tim Bradley. I chose Dawson because I think he is the complete package. Dawson has great defense, power and quickness. I really believe the only thing holding Dawson back from being a household name is the tentativeness he seems to have sometimes about letting his hands go. 

Viva Mexico!

Mexico was even harder to for me to pick just three fighters to represent the boxing crazed country. So I decided I would take two undefeated champions and a sure fire Hall of Fame fighter.

Juan Manuel Marquez

Marquez has done it all in his career, winning titles in three different weight classes and an interim title in a fourth. Although on paper he has a draw and two losses to Manny Pacquiao, all three fights were hotly contested battles. Some would even say that Marquez won them all.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Chavez didn’t have much of an amateur career so he was matched very carefully as he came up the pro ranks. A lot of people questioned whether or not the “Son of a Legend” was actually worthy enough to carry on the Chavez boxing legacy. After his last three performances, though, a lot of the critics have quieted down. With a win over Sergio Martinez, he could start carving out a legacy of his own.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez

Alvarez put the boxing world on notice when he stole the show on the undercard of the Mayweather vs. Mosley pay-per-view.  Now at only 22, the redheaded phenom is headlining fights on the major networks and is on his way to becoming the next face of boxing.

From Russia with Glove

The Russians have achieved a lot of boxing success throughout the years in both the amateur and professional ranks. The former USSR has produced a long list of alphabet titleholders since the fall of the communist regime. For this list, I will be focusing on fighters from Russia only.

Alexander Povetkin

Povetkin, of Chekov, Russia, is currently undefeated with 26 wins and 16 knockouts to his credit. The current WBA regular heavyweight champion has scored some impressive wins in his career. Some of the names included on his resume are former WBO heavyweight titleholder Chris Byrd and current top contender Eddie Chambers.

Dennis Lebedev

Lebedev is quite possibly one of the best cruiserweights in the world. He sports a very impressive record with wins over future Hall of Famers Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney, although both Toney and Jones were past their prime. The Russian’s lone loss came in the form of split decision to Marco Huck whom you will see later on this list. Lebedev is the current WBO interim cruiserweight champion.

 Dmitry Pirog

Pirog is the reigning WBO middleweight champion. Pirog won the title from American Daniel Jacobs in July 2010. Since winning the title, he has successfully defended it three times in his native Russia. Pirog was scheduled to have a unification bout with Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin before he pulled out with a back injury.

Pinoy Power

The Philippines is another country with a rich boxing history. It is said that when a certain Filipino congressman fights, the crime rates plummet.

Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquaio

Manny is the biggest thing to happen to the Philippines ever. I am sure that one day the Filipino icon will even have his own holiday in the island nation. Manny is not only a boxer, he is also a movie star, politician and singer, to name just a few of the hats he wears outside of the ring.

In the ring he has done quite well for himself, also. Manny has won titles in seven different weight classes by counting the Ring Magazine title and not just alphabet belts.

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire

Donaire has become must-see TV ever since his win over Armenian fighter Vic Darchinyan to win the IBF flyweight championship in 2007. Although he is based in California, Donaire was born in the Philippines. Since his lone loss in only his second fight, Donaire has reeled off 28 straight victories. Donaire is considered to be one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria

OK, so technically he is not from the Philippines, but the “Hawaiian Punch” is of Filipino descent, and he has fought in the Philippines on numerous occasions. For this list, that’s good enough. Viloria is a former Olympian and three-time world champion, twice in the light flyweight division. He is currently the WBO flyweight champion.

Los Boricuas

The tiny island nation of Puerto Rico has produced some of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport. Names like Felix Trinidad, Wilfred Benitez, Jose Torres and Hector Camacho should ring bells in any boxing fan’s ears.

Miguel Cotto

Cotto has fought a Who’s Who in boxing during his 11-year career. Judah, Margarito, Mosley and Malignaggi are just a few of the former and current champions he defeated in the ring. In his last outing, he gave Floyd Mayweather the fight of his life, albeit in a losing effort. Cotto has won titles in three different weight classes, and when he chooses to retire he surely will be headed to Canastota, N.Y. with a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Danny Garcia

Garcia may not have been born on the island, but he is a Boricua fighter through and through. Danny is currently the unified junior welterweight champion, holding both the WBA and WBC crowns. This is a huge feat, considering the 140-pound division is one of the toughest in boxing. I expect Garcia to be fully embraced by Puerto Rico because he’s willing to take a punch to land one as was evident in his knockout over England’s Amir Khan.

Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez

“Juanma” isn’t having the greatest year, but he still has to be considered one of the best Boricuas in the game. He was knocked silly in his last outing, a rematch with Mexico’s Orlando Salido of their 2011 ring war in which Lopez suffered his first defeat. In a bizarre post-fight interview, an obviously concussed Lopez made some outlandish statements about the referee for which he later apologized. The apology was too little and too late as Lopez is currently serving a one-year suspension from the ring.

They Come from a Land Down Under

The Land Down Under is the home of many great things: Crocodile Dundee, the late Steve Irwin, Foster’s and kangaroos, to name a few. Australia also is the home of some great boxers.

Danny “The Green Machine” Green

Danny Green is a former WBA light heavyweight champion. Although he has fought all but three of his 37 professional fights in the land of Oz, he is still a known commodity to most boxing fans in the U.S.

In December 2009, Green threw a wrench into the plans of a Roy Jones Jr./Bernard Hopkins rematch by knocking Jones out in the first round of their fight. These days, Green is in semi-retirement, contemplating a move back down to the light heavyweight division.

Bilal “Billy the Kid” Dib

Dib is kind of an unknown to most U.S. boxing fans. His name has really only come to be known recently due to his signing with 50 Cent’s and Floyd Mayweather’s promotional company, The Money Team. Dib, who is the IBF featherweight champion, will soon enough be fighting in the U.S., and I am sure he’ll be on one of the major networks.

Daniel Geale

Geale is the current IBF middleweight champion. His record is very impressive at 27 and one with 15 wins by knockout. Geale’s lone loss came at the hands of fellow Aussie Anthony Mundine. Geale’s next fight will be a title unification bout with Germany’s Felix Sturm in September.

It's Ukraine-Ing Men

The Ukraine, as a former member of the USSR, doesn’t have the long boxing history that many of the other countries on the list do. The Ukraine does, however, have the distinction of being the only country to have simultaneously reigning heavyweight champions who are brothers. Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko have dominated the heavyweight boxing scene since the retirement of the England’s Lennox Lewis.

• Vitali Klitschko

Vitali, 41, the older of the two brothers, is the current WBC heavyweight champion.  Vitali will probably be best remembered for what was an all-out war with Lennox Lewis at the Staple Center in Los Angeles in 2003. The fight, which was the last of Lewis’ career, saw Vitali getting the better of the action but a gruesome cut opened on his face from a Lewis punch and the fight was called to a halt in the sixth round. Vitali has a fight scheduled against the little known Manuel Charr next month that may just be his last.

• Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir is the reigning lineal heavyweight champion of the world. He holds the IBF, WBA, WBO, and Ring Magazine championship belts.  Although some have questioned his chin since his three losses have all come by knockout, there has never been a question about his boxing skills. Wladimir is 36, but in the world of heavyweights he still has a lot of years left. At this point in time with current shape of the heavyweight division, it appears as though he could continue to reign as champion until he chooses to retire.

• Vyacheslav Senchenko

Senchenko is the former WBA welterweight champion.  Unfortunately for Senchenko he will most likely be remembered not for being a champion but for getting knocked out by feather-fisted Paulie Malignaggi.

The Cuban Invasion

Cuba is arguably the home of the greatest amateur fighters in the history of the sport. It’s a shame that most of the Cuban boxing legends never had the opportunity to fight in the professional ranks due to Castro and the communist party’s stranglehold over the country for the last 50-plus years.

Yuriorkis Gamboa

Gamboa is the former IBF and WBA featherweight champion. Although he has never lost in the ring, his title was stripped from him by the politics of boxing. Gamboa made headlines earlier this year when he pulled out of a scheduled fight with Brandon Rios. Gamboa left his promoter Top Rank, and rumors swirled about the promoter with whom he would sign. Those rumors came to an end when he recently signed with TMT promotions. Gamboa is scheduled to take on Juan Carlos Salgado for the IBF super featherweight title in November on the inaugural TMT promoted card.

Guillermo Rigondeaux

Rigondeaux is thought to be one of the greatest amateur boxers in the history of the sport. After only seven fights as a pro, he won an interim WBA super bantamweight title. Rigondeaux, currently the WBA regular champion, was scheduled to fight in September, but due to an injunction filed by his former manager, that bout is off. Hopefully Rigondeaux can have his legal problems cleared up quickly and can get back in the ring soon.

• Erislandy Lara

Lara seems to be the most avoided man in the jr. middleweight division. Lara is 17 -1 -1 with eleven knockouts in his pro career with his only loss coming at the hands of Paul Williams. The Williams loss was so controversial that all three judges who scored the fight were suspended afterwards. Lara is supposed to be fighting Vanes Martirosyan in November, but I wouldn’t hold my breath

The Germans Are Coming, the Germans Are Coming

Boxing is huge in Germany these days. A lot of fighters from Eastern Bloc countries have adopted Deutschland as their new home and have found fame and fortune there from their in-ring exploits.

Felix Sturm

Strum is the reigning WBA middleweight champion. In his current reign as champion, he has defended the belt 12 consecutive times. Sturm has only fought in the U.S. on one occasion, losing his WBO middleweight championship to Oscar De La Hoya in controversial fashion. Since that fight, Sturm has fought almost exclusively in Germany where he is a major star and has a lucrative TV deal with a German network. Sturm will be looking to unify his title next month when he takes on Daniel Geale of Australia.

Marco Huck

Marco is one great fighter to watch if you’re a fan of brawling and roughhouse tactics. His fight with Ola Afolabi earlier this year was an all-out war. Huck is always exciting, but because the cruiserweight division is not popular in the U.S., a lot of fans have not had the pleasure of seeing him in action.

Arthur Abraham

Abraham is a huge draw in his adopted country of Germany. Unlike a lot of German fighters, he is not scared to fight abroad. A former IBF middleweight champion, Abraham gave up his title to move up in weight and participate in the Super Six Tournament. Abraham did not fare so well in the tournament, losing to Andre Ward, Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell. He will be getting a shot at another world title when he challenges his countryman Robert Stieglitz this Saturday for the WBO super middleweight championship.

The Queensbury Country

The United Kingdom has rich history of boxing. After all, it is where the modern-era rules were conceived. Throughout the years, the UK has produced some great fighters, most recently champions like Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and Lennox Lewis.

Amir Khan

Khan, although he hasn’t fared too well in his last two fights, he is still a big deal across the pond. The former Olympian Khan is a loser of two straight, the later by knockout at the hands of Danny Garcia. Because Khan still draws the fans in, I am sure he will be back on HBO before you know it.

Nathan Cleverly

The Welshmen Cleverly has some pretty big shoes to fill if he plans to eclipse the career of Joe Calzaghe. The WBO light heavyweight champion is undefeated as a pro with 24 wins, but he hasn’t been in with the stiffest of competition. It will be interesting to see if Cleverly is willing to go abroad to fight the best the light heavyweight division has to offer.

Ola Alofabi

Ola Alofabi is coming off of a draw in what is a good candidate for fight of the year against Marco Huck. Although he fights out Los Angeles, he was born in London. Hopefully he can get a rubber match with Huck in the U.S. or his native England so we can have a definitive winner in the series.