Famous 21st Century Boxers

A former professional boxer who reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion for three years, Mike Tyson is considered a colossal figure in boxing. Claiming his first heavyweight title at the young age of 20, he went on to become one of the best heavyweights of all time. Also a controversial person, he was once imprisoned on rape charges.

One of the most remunerative pay-per-view (PPV) attractions of all time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has had a glorious boxing career. One of the most decorated boxers ever, Floyd is regarded as the best pound for pound boxer by many websites. During his career, he had his share of controversies and made brief appearances in shows like WWE and Dancing with the Stars.

Before assuming office as a senator of the Phillippines, Manny Pacquiao was already known as a globally renowned boxer. Known to his fans as PacMan, he is the only boxer to have won world championships from the 1990s to the 2020s. BoxRec named him the world’s seventh-active boxer in 2020.

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former boxer. Widely regarded as one of the best heavyweight champions ever, Wladimir Klitschko was renowned for his great footwork and extraordinary knockout power. He won a gold medal for his country in the super-heavyweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has often been named among Ukraine's most influential people.

Evander Holyfield is an American retired boxer who reigned as the undisputed champion in the late 1980s under cruiserweight division and in the early 1990s under heavyweight division. The only four-time world heavyweight champion, Holyfield remains the only boxer in the history of boxing to reign as an undisputed champion in two weight classes.

A 2-time world heavyweight champion, British Tyson Fury has had an undefeated run in his 32 matches, with 31 wins and 1 unlucky draw in a match against Deontay Wilder. He has also released a bestselling memoir, Behind The Mask, and was named to the Forbes list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020.

Sugar Ray Leonard is a former boxer and motivational speaker. Having won world titles in five different weight divisions during his boxing career, Leonard is widely considered one of the greatest boxers ever. Leonard was part of a group of boxers dubbed The Fabulous Four, which is credited with popularizing the lower weight classes in the post-Muhammad Ali era.

Former American boxer Roy Jones Jr. was born to a boxer father. Despite his defeat in the gold medal match at the 1988 Seoul Olympics due to a faulty decision by the judges, he won the Val Barker Award. He was the second light heavyweight champion to earn a heavyweight title.

Oscar De La Hoya is an American retired boxer who won 11 world titles between 1992 and 2008 in six weight classes. Dubbed the Golden Boy of Boxing, Oscar De La Hoya won a gold medal for America at the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1995, he was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine.

Julio Cesar Chavez is a Mexican former boxer who won several world championships in three different weight divisions. He also holds several records, such as the most successful world title defenses and most title fights. He has been named in ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers of All Time list and was made an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Retired Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán had a 32-match winning streak before losing to Esteban De Jesús. Raised in the slums, he joined a gym as an 8-year-old. His punching style earned him the nickname Hands of Stone. He was a world champion in the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight categories.

Larry Holmes is an American retired boxer whose left jab is often ranked among the best in the history of professional boxing. Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing, Holmes' title defense against 19 boxers is the second-most in history. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler was an American boxer and actor who reigned as the middleweight division's undisputed champion from 1980 to 1987, during which he had 12 successful title defenses. Regarded as one of the greatest middleweight boxers of all time, Hagler was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame as well as the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Bernard Hopkins is an American retired boxer who held several world championships between 2001 to 2012 in two weight classes. Nicknamed The Executioner, Hopkins is widely regarded as one of the modern era's greatest boxers. A highly strategic boxer, Bernard Hopkins was also renowned for his speed, power, and counterpunching skills.

Thomas Hearns is an American retired boxer who became the first boxer in the history of boxing to win world titles in five different weight classes. Nicknamed the Hitman, Thomas Hearns was named Fighter of the Year in 1980 by The Ring magazine. He was also named Fighter of the Year in 1984 by the Boxing Writers Association of America. 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali was a major figure of the 20th century. He was an inspirational figure for African-Americans during the civil rights movement. Because of his opposition to Vietnam War and his refusal to be drafted into military, Muhammad Ali became an icon for the larger counterculture generation.

Professional boxer Ken Norton is remembered for his three highly publicized fights with Muhammad Ali, out of which he lost two. Norton was a towering figure in the boxing world and held the WBC heavyweight title in 1978. He was a forward-pressing fighter notable for his unusual stance. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.

Andre Ward is an American retired boxer who held several world titles in two weight divisions. When he was the light heavyweight champion, Andre Ward was adjudged the best active boxer, pound for pound, by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. Credited with winning an Olympic gold for America, Andre Ward was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021.

Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe scripted history as the longest-reigning champion ever in boxing, having defended the WBO title for more than a decade. Excelling in both super-middleweight and light-heavyweight categories, he had registered 46 wins in 46 fights by the time he retired. He now owns a boxing promotion company.

Vasyl Lomachenko is a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is widely regarded as the most popular Ukrainian boxer and one of the most successful amateur boxers ever with an impressive record of 396 wins and 1 loss. Known for his exceptional accuracy, creativity, hand speed, athleticism, footwork, and defense, Lomachenko won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.

Holly Holm is a mixed martial artist. A former world champion in boxing, Holm currently competes in the UFC and holds the distinction of being the first fighter to hold a UFC title and a world boxing title. Her win against Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the history of combat sports.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is an Icelandic actor and former professional strongman. He inspired a number of Icelandic strongmen by becoming the first person to win the World's Strongest Man, Europe's Strongest Man, and Arnold Strongman Classic in the same calendar year. His popularity as a strongman earned him the role of Gregor Clegane in the popular series Game of Thrones.

Born in the U.S., boxer Gervonta Davis is of mixed heritage but identifies as African-American. He has held titles such as the IBF super featherweight title and the WBA (Super) super featherweight title. Mentored by Floyd Mayweather, he is best known for his knockout-to-win percentage.

Laila Ali is an American former professional boxer. The daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali competed from 1999 to 2007, during which she remained undefeated. She is also credited with saving wrestling legend Hulk Hogan's life by calling him when he was suicidal and depressed. After retiring from professional boxing, Laila Ali became a television personality.

Israel Adesanya is a Nigerian-born New Zealand kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and former boxer. Considered one of the best strikers in MMA, Adesanya has won multiple championships and is the current UFC Middleweight Champion. In 2019, Israel Adesanya was named New Zealand Sportsman of the Year at the Halberg Awards.

Juan Manuel Márquez is a Mexican former boxer who became only the third Mexican boxer to win world championship titles in four weight classes. Counted among the greatest boxers of all time, Márquez was renowned for his toughness, speed, and technical skills. In 2020, Juan Manuel Márquez was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. 

Kostya Tszyu is a former boxer who held multiple light-welterweight championships. Renowned for his punching power, Tszyu is considered one of the hardest-punching boxers in the history of light-welterweight boxing. He represented the Soviet Union at the 1991 World Championships, where he won a gold medal. In 2010, Tszyu was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Ryan Garcia began professional boxing at age 17 and had been trained by his father in their family garage since the age of 7. Named ESPN’s 2017 prospect of the year, he also has a huge fan following on social media. He held the WBC interim lightweight title in early 2021.

Kimbo Slice, dubbed The King of the Web Brawlers by Rolling Stone, gained fame for his mutual combat street fights. He dabbled in MMA, boxing, and wrestling, eventually signing with EliteXC and competing in UFC. A little over a year after signing with Bellator MMA, he died of heart failure.

Former bare knuckle boxer Charles Salvador, also known as Charles Bronson, is also a highly infamous criminal, who was once convicted for an armed robbery. Known for his violent temper, he later penned several books, one of them on fitness. He is also a talented painter and poet.

Tommy Morrison was an American boxer who was ranked among the best boxer in the world by BoxRecheld in 1992. He held the WBO heavyweight championship in 1993. In addition to his boxing career, Tommy Morrison also had an acting career; he portrayed Tommy Gunn and appeared alongside Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone in the 1990 sports drama movie Rocky V.

Paige VanZant is an American mixed martial artist, model, and author. Although she spent over 13 years exploring dance forms like hip hop, ballet, and jazz in a dance studio owned by her parents, VanZant took up martial arts during her teenage years and went on to compete in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multi-talented personality, VanZant also loves hunting.

Adrien Broner is an American boxer. Regarded as one of the best light-welterweight boxers of his generation, Broner has held several world championships in various weight classes, such as super featherweight, lightweight, light welterweight, and welterweight. He is also known for his crazy antics inside and outside the ring.

Widely regarded as one of the best active boxers in the world, Anthony Joshua is the first British heavyweight to win both a major world title and an Olympic gold medal. Having avoided a life of crime, Joshua focused solely on boxing; his rags to riches story serves as an inspiration. He is one of the most influential Black Britons.

British boxer Chris Eubank has been ranked the third-best super-middleweight boxer of all time in Britain. Initially raised in Jamaica, he later returned to Britain but lived amid poverty and battled drug and alcohol addiction, till he stepped into boxing, inspired by his elder brothers.