Ring Magazine Top 100 Punchers Of All Time

In 2003, the writers of Ring Magazine published a ranking of their one hundred greatest punchers of all-time.

Not unlike an all-time pound-for-pound ranking, this list compares fighters across different weight categories and different eras. As such, it's entirely open for debate.

For that reason, it's obviously a very difficult list to compile, but nonetheless, was a very admirable estimate in 2003 of who some of the best punchers of all time are, regardless of weight.

When you are talking about a puncher, the old saying goes: "Punchers are born not made."

There have been so many colossal punchers over the years in the sweet science, heavyweights such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, Archie Moore, George Foreman to David Tua.

The sport of boxing has produced many, many men who had the power to turn someone's lights out with a single punch.

Many will think of the heavyweights first in a list like this, but Ring Magazine was mindful to analyze all of the sport's weight categories throughout the years, to give a fair and accurate reflection of what they thought to be the greatest punchers were, pound for pound.

That then gives fighters like Wilfredo Gomez, Prince Naseem Hamed, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Henry Armstrong and many others, a fair shout out and inclusion in their list below.

So without further adieu, here's what the folks at Ring Magazine came up with in 2003 (we've included some modern day honorable mentions of our own at the very end of this article).

1. Joe Louis
2. Sam Langford
3. Jimmy Wilde
4. Archie Moore
5. Sandy Saddler
6. Stanley Ketchell
7. Jack Dempsey
8. Bob Fitzsimmons
9. George Foreman
10. Earnie Shavers
11. Sugar Ray Robinson
12. Ruben Olivares
13. Wilfredo Gomez
14. Rocky Marciano
15. Sonny Liston
16. Mike Tyson
17. Bob Foster
18. Thomas Hearns
19. Khaosai Galaxy
20. Alexis Arguello
21. Carlos Zarate
22. Max Baer
23. Rocky Graziano
24. Matthew Saad Muhammad
25. Julian Jackson
26. Danny Lopez
27. Gerald McClellan
28. Roberto Duran
29. Rodrigo Valdez
30. Felix Trinidad
31. Pipino Cuevas
32. Jim Jefferies
33. Lennox Lewis
34. Bennie Briscoe
35. Marvin Hagler
36. Edwin Rosario
37. Tommy Ryan
38. John Mugabi
39. Joe Frazier
40. Carlos Monzon
41. Tony Zale
42. Michael Spinks
43. Joe Gans
44. Elmer Ray
45. George Godfrey
46. Naseem Hamed
47. Alfonso Zamora
48. David Tua
49. Cleveland Williams
50. Julio Cesar Chavez
51. Tiger Jack Fox
52. Joe Walcott
53. Gerry Cooney
54. Al (Bummy) Davis
55. Max Schmeling
56. Florentino Fernandez
57. Henry Armstrong
58. Bob Satterfield
59. Al Hostak
60. Jesus Pimentel
61. Eugene (Cyclone) Hart
62. Lew Jenkins
63. Harry Wills
64. Tom Sharkey
65. Terry McGovern
66. Jersey Joe Walcott
67. Kostya Tszyu
68. Leotis Martin
69. Buddy Baer
70. Donovan (Razor) Ruddock
71. Jose Luis Ramirez
72. Tommy Gomez
73. Jose Napoles
74. Kid McCoy
75. Antonio Esparragoza
76. Ricardo Moreno
77. Evander Holyfield
78. Ike Williams
79. Luis Firpo
80. Ricardo Lopez
81. Humberto Gonzalez
82. Bobby Chacon
83. Jock McAvoy
84. Eduardo Lausse
85. Eder Jofre
86. Charley Burley
87. Mike McCallum
88. Salvador Sanchez
89. Roy Jones Jr.
90. Rodolfo Gonzalez
91. Nigel Benn
92. (Irish) Bob Murphy
93. Paul Berlenbach
94. Battling Torres
95. Chalky Wright
96. George (K.O.) Chaney
97. Andy Ganigan
98. Fred Fulton
99. Ingemar Johansson
100. Charley White

Source: Ring Magazine (2003)

(Honorable modern day mentions of big punchers who didn't make the Ring's list):

• Edwin Valero
• Gennady Golovkin
• Wladimir Klitschko