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The 17 Best Boxers of the 1980s

by YPB Team

The golden age of the ring, where four kings traded blows and a fearsome young heavyweight rewrote the rules. Sluggers, slick stylists and underrated craftsmen all stake a claim. Where do you stand?

  1. Sugar Ray Leonard — ranked #11
    Sugar Ray Leonard
    The charismatic five-division champion whose epic battles with Hagler, Hearns and Durán defined the decade.
    1000pts
  2. Thomas Hearns — ranked #22
    Thomas Hearns
    The Hitman, a devastating puncher who won titles across multiple weight classes.
    813pts
  3. Roberto Duran — ranked #33
    Roberto Duran
    Hands of Stone, the Panamanian legend who conquered four weight divisions.
    724pts
  4. Marvelous Marvin Hagler — ranked #44
    Marvelous Marvin Hagler
    The fearsome middleweight king who reigned undisputed for most of the 1980s.
    665pts
  5. Larry Holmes — ranked #55
    Larry Holmes
    The technically masterful heavyweight champion who dominated the early-to-mid decade.
    596pts
  6. Mike McCallum — ranked #66
    Mike McCallum
    The Body Snatcher, a brilliant Jamaican champion at junior middleweight and middleweight.
    517pts
  7. Salvador Sanchez — ranked #77
    Salvador Sanchez
    The brilliant featherweight champion whose career was cut tragically short in 1982.
    517pts
  8. Pernell Whitaker — ranked #88
    Pernell Whitaker
    Sweet Pea, the slick defensive virtuoso who rose to lightweight glory in the late 1980s.
    517pts
  9. Alexis Arguello — ranked #99
    Alexis Arguello
    The elegant Nicaraguan three-weight world champion renowned for his power and class.
    517pts
  10. Azumah Nelson — ranked #1010
    Azumah Nelson
    The Professor, Ghana's greatest fighter and a dominant featherweight champion.
    423pts
  11. Aaron Pryor — ranked #1111
    Aaron Pryor
    The relentless junior welterweight champion famed for his classic wars with Argüello.
    423pts
  12. Evander Holyfield — ranked #1212
    Evander Holyfield
    The unified cruiserweight champion who closed the decade before conquering the heavyweights.
    310pts
  13. Michael Spinks — ranked #1313
    Michael Spinks
    The light heavyweight great who moved up to dethrone heavyweight champion Larry Holmes.
    310pts
  14. Julio Cesar Chavez — ranked #1414
    Julio Cesar Chavez
    The Mexican icon who built a record-breaking unbeaten streak across the 1980s.
    310pts
  15. Mike Tyson — ranked #1515
    Mike Tyson
    The youngest heavyweight champion ever, an explosive force who emerged in the late 1980s.
    0pts
  16. Hector Camacho — ranked #1616
    Hector Camacho
    The flamboyant Macho Man, a lightning-fast multi-division champion of the era.
    0pts
  17. Donald Curry — ranked #1717
    Donald Curry
    The Lone Star Cobra, the unified welterweight champion considered pound-for-pound elite in the mid-80s.
    0pts

#80s147#sports648#boxing33#legends375

Comments

Hagler held the undisputed middleweight title from 1980 to 1987 and defended it twelve times. Tyson turned professional in March 1985: https://youpick.best/articles/mike-tyson-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-team·Aug 21·
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