Ranking the 10 Greatest Welterweights in Boxing History
Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement on Saturday night after defeating Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather finished his amazing career the lineal welterweight champion and is one of only a handful of fighters ever to have retired undefeated.
His career should be applauded as one of the best in boxing history.
But where does Mayweather rank among all-time great welterweights? Does his 49-0 overall record and 12-0 welterweight record earn him a place among the likes of Ray Robinson, Kid Gavilan and Thomas Hearns?
Bleacher Report presents one take on the 10 best welterweights in boxing history. Fighters are ranked by their success at 147 pounds, level of competition and perceived general consensus among boxing historians.
Just Missed the Cut
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There have been a slew of great welterweights in boxing history, but only 10 could fit on this list. The slim margins between the bottom five and those who missed the cut is the kind which could almost be decided with a coin flip. It boils down to personal preference, really, and a great welterweight’s absence from this top 10 list is by no means a slight against their elite status.
Among those who just missed inclusion are Jack Britton, Jimmy McLarnin, Mickey Walker, Carmen Basilio, Charley Burley and Pernell Whitaker. While Roberto Duran is frequently mentioned as a great welterweight (and he was), it’s important to remember Duran’s best weight was at 135 pounds, and he spent the majority of his career fighting there, and then he went above 154 pounds after a handful of tuneups and two fights against Ray Leonard at 147 in 1980.
10. Thomas Hearns (61-5-1, 48 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: This one might be the most controversial pick, but Thomas Hearns was a rangy, hard-hitting boxer who might have been the hardest 147-pound puncher ever. Moreover, he was an excellent boxer who was adept at keeping his opponents at the end of his sharp jab and destructive right.
He also fought during one of the best eras of boxing for fighters in and around welterweight and held his own doing so. Had he come along during a different era, Hearns might have been appreciated more.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: After outboxing Ray Leonard for much of their first bout in 1981, Hearns was stopped in Round 14 in one of the greatest fights in the welterweight division’s esteemed history.
Titles: WBA (1980-81)
9. Barney Ross (72-4-3, 22 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Barney Ross was a cerebral boxer with almost unparalleled stamina. He, Tony Canzoneri and Jimmy McLarnin were to the 1930s what Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran were to the 1980s, and Ross proved to be the best of the three. Ross fought during a great welterweight era and held the title twice in a four-year span.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: After splitting the first bout with McLarnin, Ross took the rubber match in 1935 by 15-round decision to recapture the welterweight crown.
Titles: World Welterweight Champion (1934; 1935-38)
8. Emile Griffith (85-24-2, 23 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Emile Griffith was a fast-handed fighter who had decent power to go along with an ability to fight through adversity. He was an exciting boxer, and most historians believe he was probably even better than he showed in the ring after defeating Benny Paret in 1962. Griffith knocked Paret out in Round 12 of a brutal battle that tragically led to Paret slipping into a coma and dying.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: Griffith’s win over Paret was probably the last time anyone saw how good Griffith really could be. He fought on for 15 more years, winning titles in multiple weight classes, but understandably he never fought again with such vigor.
Titles: World Welterweight Champion (1961; 1962-63; 1963-66)
7. Jose Napoles (81-7, 54 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Jose Napoles was a good boxer who fought with a smooth style and great determination. He had excellent footwork and was a precise puncher with great timing. For a contemporary comparison, Napoles was similar to Juan Manuel Marquez in that he was an impressive combination puncher, but he probably employed better defense than the Mexican great and threw more punches, too.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: Napoles outfought Emile Griffith over 15 rounds in 1969. The bout solidified his already-impressive credentials as a great welterweight.
Titles: WBA and WBC (1969-70; 1971-75)
6. Floyd Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: There are two things that happen when a great fighter retires. Some people overrate him, and others do the opposite. Perhaps this is a case of the latter, but a close look at Mayweather’s welterweight career reveals that his two best wins at 147 were against two fighters who were past their primes: Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao.
It’s not Mayweather’s fault the era in which he competed lacked the kind of competition he needed to set himself apart more, but it is on him how little he fought during it, especially relative to fighters of other eras. Mayweather just didn’t test himself enough during his prime years. He stayed out of the ring for almost two years after defeating Ricky Hatton in 2007 and then just fought once per year from 2009-12.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: Mayweather defeated Pacquiao by unanimous decision over 12 rounds to unequivocally stamp his mark as the best fighter of the generation. Neither man was at his best fighting on the wrong side of 35, but the bout was tremendously important to each man’s legacy.
Titles: Lineal Welterweight Champsion (2006-07; 2015), IBF (2006 ), WBC (2006-07, 2011-15), WBA (2014-15), WBO (2015)
5. Kid Gavilan (108-30-5, 28 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Gavilan was a whirlwind of activity. He was a tremendously exciting fighter to watch and was one of the more aggressive great welterweight champions in history. While he didn’t possess outstanding power, he threw his punches in volume as if he did anyway, similar to the way Timothy Bradley does today. But as good as Bradley is, Gavilan was so much better.
He was fast, vicious and confident enough to face a prime version of Ray Robinson twice and give him all he could handle. He also defeated notable great Carmen Basilio in 1954.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: After losing a spirited 10-rounder against Robinson in 1948, Gavilan challenged Robinson again the next year for Robinson’s welterweight title. Robinson was just too strong for Gavilan and won via 15-round decision.
Titles: World Welterweight Champion (1951-54)
4. "Barbados" Joe Walcott (95-25-24, 61 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Obviously, it’s difficult to rank fighters from over a hundred years ago. Times have changed much in the sweet science since then. There are limited to no films available of such men. It’s here boxing historians take the word from those who came before them. Judging by most accounts, Joe Walcott (Barbados to distinguish him from heavyweight champion “Jersey” Joe Walcott) was one of the hardest punchers in boxing history and one of the best fighters ever produced.
Walcott ranked No. 4 in the International Boxing Research Organization’s member poll in 2005. Moreover, according to the Fight City’s Michael Carbert, both historians Nat Fleisher (1887-1972) and Charley Rose (1886 to 1974) both rated Walcott as the best welterweight they had ever seen.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: In 1904, Walcott scored draws against Sam Langford, a man who competed all the way up to heavyweight and arguably deserved a title shot against champion Jack Johnson, and Joe Gans, the World Lightweight Champion from 1902-08.
Titles: World Welterweight Champion (1901-04)
3. Ray Leonard (36-3-1, 25 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Ray Leonard could do everything. He could box. He could brawl. He could fight on the inside. He could make his opponents miss. Taking the nickname of his idol “Sugar” Ray Robinson, “Sugar” Ray Leonard lived up to the billing.
The relative limited number of fights he participated in due to multiple retirements is outweighed by the outstanding competition he faced and defeated during his career. Leonard was part of one of the best four-man round robins in boxing history, featuring Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler (a middleweight) and proved to be the superior competitor.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: Leonard’s come-from-behind Round 14 knockout of Hearns was probably Leonard’s most sensational win at 147. He was outboxed for much of the fight and down on all three scorecards when he handed the extraordinarily gifted Hearns his first loss as a professional.
Titles: WBC (1979-80, 1980-82); WBA (1981-82)
2. Henry Armstrong
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Why He’s Here: Henry Armstrong is regarded by most boxing historians as not only one of the top welterweights ever, but also one of the best overall boxers ever to fight in any weight class. He was outrageously strong, aggressive and active as a fighter, and he holds the welterweight division record for most title defenses, 19.
Amazingly enough, Armstrong accomplished all those defenses in just two years of work. Armstrong was a rapid-firing buzz saw in the ring, and most everyone he fought while he was at his best was simply the wood.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: Armstrong overwhelmed Barney Ross in 1938 to take a 15-round decision. The win netted Armstrong the World Welterweight Championship and established the featherweight champion as a force at welterweight, too.
Titles: World Welterweight Title (1938-40)
1. Ray Robinson (173-19-6, 108 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: “Sugar” Ray Robinson is the standard-bearer for all great fighters. Even in a boxing world that so desperately wants to take Muhammad Ali for his word about being “The Greatest,” most, if not all, legitimate boxing historians consider Robinson the greatest fight who has ever lived.
One notable exception is Springs Toledo, author of Gods of War, who, within the book, places Robinson an No. 2 behind Harry Greb.
Robinson’s best weight was 147 pounds. Robinson began his career at age 19 and was 128-1-2, with 84 knockouts just 11 years later, the vast majority of which was fought at 147 pounds and below. From 1943-51 Robinson enjoyed a 91-fight unbeaten streak. He was a fast-handed boxer with absurd technical skill and knockout power in both hands.
Most Notable Welterweight Bout: In Robinson’s first bout with Kid Gavilan, he found himself staggered in the early rounds before rallying for a 10-round decision win. Gavilan, of course, would go on to have one of the best welterweight careers in history.
Titles: World Welterweight Championship (1946-51)
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