Canelo Alvarez joins an exclusive list of legends who rank as the greatest boxers of the 21st century.
In this list of the best boxers since 2000, we’ll rank the most impressive fighters and their achievements since the turn of the century.
This list will include some boxers whose career began in the 1990s, but found their greatest success in the 21st century.
While legends like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis found success in the new Millennium, their work solely after 2000 does not earn them a place on this list of greats.
- READ MORE – Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford’s average opponent’s record shows surprising fact about their careers
10. Naoya Inoue
Don’t expect to see Naoya Inoue at number 10 on this list for long. At just 32 years old, “The Monster” has a lot of title wins still to go in his future.
Inoue’s nickname is apt. He is a monster in the ring and is arguably the top knockout artist in the world today.
The Japanese fighter has won all 30 of his fights so far, with 27 of them coming via knockout.
His incredible punching power has led him to world titles in four weight classes, and he is one of three men to go undisputed at two different weights.
9. Juan Manuel Marquez
While his four-fight saga with Manny Pacquiao was the greatest series in Juan Manuel Marquez’s career, his 21-year career in boxing made him a 21st-century Mexican icon.
“Dynamite” Marquez was an incredible technical boxer who stunned his opponents with his brutal combinations and slick counterpunches, although, as we saw against Pacquiao, he was not against engaging in a slugfest when the fight called for it.
The tough fighter was never stopped in the ring and has the unique feat of knocking out Pacquiao in the final bout of their saga.
Marquez won world titles in four different weight classes in a career that lasted until 2014, well into the 21st century.
8. Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe’s career spanned the 20th and 21st centuries, but he proved himself to be an all-time great even in the second half of his career.
Calzaghe was already a Super Middleweight world champion going into 2000, so nobody really expected him to hold onto the belt for another eight years before retiring.
However, he did just that, as well as taking on Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr to become champion at Light Heavyweight too.
The 21st century saw Calzaghe adapting his game as his body slowed down after years of punishment. He managed to use his ring IQ and incredible boxing brain to out-think his opponents, which is what made him one of the greats during this era.
He retired with a 46-0 record, cementing his legacy as an all-time great.
7. Andre Ward
From the late 2000s onwards, nobody dominated the Super Middleweight division like Andre Ward.
The slick and disciplined fighter was a sight to behold as he stacked up a record of 32 wins and zero defeats, with his fantastic technical skills used to pick off opponents easily.
He retired a champion, winning the Light Heavyweight belt after vacating his Super Middleweight titles, showing that maybe there could have been even more incredible victories had Ward continued fighting later into the 21st century.
6. Tyson Fury
On first glance, Tyson Fury looks like an out-of-shape, lumbering Heavyweight. Upon closer inspection, he is one of the greatest Heavyweights of all time.
Standing at six feet nine, it is astounding that a man of that size can move so quickly in the ring.
Fury has incredible feet and head movement to avoid the majority of big hits and can read his opponents like a book in the ring.
With incredible heart and insane durability, both in and out of the ring, it is easy to see how he picked up wins over the likes of Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora during his Heavyweight title reign.
5. Canelo Alvarez
Canelo Alvarez dropped down to fifth in these rankings after suffering defeat to Terence Crawford in their super fight on September 13.
The Mexican fighter debuted at 15 years old and quickly established himself as one to watch, and a string of impressive performances led him to an undefeated streak that lasted 43 fights and eight years.
Canelo has still only lost three and never been knocked down, a feat which is incredible for a man who has been boxing for two decades and has 67 fights under his belt.
While he lost to a Crawford who had never fought even close to Super Middleweight before, Canelo is still one of the most impressive fighters the world has seen these past 25 years.
4. Terence Crawford
42-0 is a record that simply cannot be ignored, and it is why Terence Crawford demands a place on this list of 21st-century greats.
“Bud” has been a phenom throughout his career. Crawford broke records by becoming the undisputed champion at three weight classes, while also winning world titles in four weight classes total as he displayed his dominance with ease.
Starting at Lightweight and going all the way up to Light Middleweight, Crawford’s incredible power has landed him 31 knockouts against impressive opponents like Julius Indongo and Ricky Burns.
Crawford’s all-time victory over Canelo has made him the first-ever three-time undisputed champion and a five-weight world champion, lifting him to the dizzying heights of fourth in this list of the best fighters of the 21st century.
3. Oleksandr Usyk
Since turning professional after the 2012 Olympic Games, nobody has impressed in the ring like Usyk has.
The Ukrainian is still undefeated 13 years later, having won world titles at Cruiserweight before stepping up to Heavyweight to take on some of the world’s toughest fighters.
Since making the jump, Usyk has easily dispatched top names like Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua, and Fury, cementing himself as possibly the greatest Heavyweight boxer of all time.
With nobody even close to him in the division, it is shocking that any fighter in the 21st century can match his resume. Fortunately, there are two.
2. Manny Pacquiao
Coming in at number two, the sheer number of world title wins Manny Pacquiao managed makes him a lock for one of the top fighters since 2000.
Despite debuting in 1995, the vast majority of Pacquiao’s success came in the 2000s. Seven of his eight world titles came in the new Millennium, a feat that nobody has been able to match, before or since.
Pac-Man’s relentless and brutal fighting style made his fights must-watch, as he landed some brutal knockdowns against stars like Ricky Hatton and Erik Morales in much-hyped title fights.
Over a long career that started up again, Pacquiao accrued 62 wins and only 8 losses, and at 46 years old, went to a 12-round draw with WBC Welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2015 drew the biggest gate in boxing history, and a decade later, it is still regarded as the biggest fight of all time, showing how impressive Pacquiao was in his prime in the ring.
1. Floyd Mayweather
It is difficult to award anybody else the award of the best boxer of the 21st century when a legend like Mayweather exists.
The former five-weight champion is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time, as he dominated numerous weight classes with a style of boxing that made him impossible to hit during his prime.
Mayweather’s immense speed and fantastic footwork saw him ducking and dodging around the ring, winning fights handily while barely suffering a scratch.
He retired in 2017 with a 50-0 record, going one better than Rocky Marciano in his quest for boxing immortality.
Mayweather is also the highest-paid boxer of all time, earning more than a billion dollars through some of the biggest matches of his career, against the likes of Pacquiao, Canelo, and De La Hoya.