10 greatest boxers of all time

#10 Sugar Ray Robinson

Welterweight, middleweight

Career: 1940-65 Record: 173-19-6-2 (109 KOs)

Sugar Ray Robinson was born in Detroit in 1940. As an amateur fighter, he went 85-0 with 40 first round KO’s before turning pro in 1940 at the age of 19. He then fought another 40 times undefeated which was a run of 123 victories in a row. He lost just one of first 123 fights, to Jake LaMotta, a defeat avenged five times in a classic ring rivalry. Active as a professional boxer for 25 years, the American Robinson was the world welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951, the world middleweight champion from 1951-52, 57-58, and then again from 19858-60.

Robinson was a great technician, he had a vast arsenal, including one of the greatest left hooks ever seen. He had it all: technique, speed, accuracy, endurance, and power. A near-perfect pugilist at welterweight was less dominant at middleweight but was still able to win the title five times, including three times after he had retired for two and a half years. He fought & bested the greatest fighters of his generation, including Jake LaMotta, Gene Fullmer, Randy Turpin, and Kid Gavilan, which hands down made him the greatest of all time to ever step into a boxing ring.

Memorable bout: On December 20, 1946, Sugar Ray Robinson won the National Boxing Association World welterweight title from Tommy Bell with a 15th round decision. Bell gave Robinson his toughest title fight at 147 pounds.