# The 18 Best Boxing Matches of the 2000s

> Brutal trilogies, mega-money superfights and a few upsets that still get replayed. Some are technical masterclasses, others are pure chaos.

*By YPB Team · Published October 17, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-best-boxing-matches-of-the-2000s*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Gatti vs. Ward I** — score 1000/1000
   A 2002 junior welterweight brawl in Uncasville whose ninth round is often called the best round in boxing history.
2. **Pacquiao vs. Marquez II** — score 657/1000
   The 2008 rematch was another close super featherweight contest decided by a single knockdown in round three.
3. **Mayweather vs. De La Hoya** — score 635/1000
   The 2007 super welterweight title bout became the biggest pay-per-view event in boxing history at that time.
4. **Gatti vs. Ward III** — score 603/1000
   The 2003 finale of the trilogy produced another bloody slugfest, with Gatti taking a decision after a knockdown scare.
5. **Vargas vs. Trinidad** — score 586/1000
   A 2000 junior middleweight unification fight with knockdowns on both sides and a twelfth-round stoppage for Trinidad.
6. **Hopkins vs. De La Hoya** — score 532/1000
   A 2004 middleweight unification bout that ended with a left hook to the body for a ninth-round knockout.
7. **Pacquiao vs. Hatton** — score 532/1000
   In 2009 Pacquiao ended Ricky Hatton's challenge with a devastating second-round left hand in front of a loud Las Vegas crowd.
8. **Lewis vs. Tyson** — score 469/1000
   The 2002 heavyweight title fight in Memphis ended with Lewis stopping a fading Tyson in the eighth round.
9. **Gatti vs. Ward II** — score 397/1000
   The 2002 rematch in Atlantic City saw Gatti outbox a hurt Ward over ten rounds to win a unanimous decision.
10. **Pacquiao vs. Marquez I** — score 313/1000
   A 2004 featherweight title fight in which Pacquiao floored Marquez three times in the first round yet only earned a draw.
11. **Mayweather vs. Hatton** — score 313/1000
   A 2007 welterweight unification fight where an unbeaten Mayweather stopped the loud, fan-backed Hatton in the tenth round.
12. **Hopkins vs. Trinidad** — score 313/1000
   A 2001 middleweight unification showdown where Hopkins dominated Trinidad and stopped him in the twelfth round.
13. **Lewis vs. Klitschko** — score 313/1000
   A 2003 heavyweight bout stopped on cuts after six rounds, with Klitschko trailing on the cards in a surprisingly competitive fight.
14. **Pacquiao vs. Cotto** — score 313/1000
   A late-2009 welterweight title fight that Pacquiao won by technical knockout in the twelfth round against a game Miguel Cotto.
15. **Pacquiao vs. Barrera** — score 213/1000
   A 2003 clash in San Antonio where Pacquiao stopped the Mexican great in the eleventh round and broke through internationally.
16. **Jones vs. Tarver I** — score 213/1000
   A 2004 light heavyweight title fight that ended with Tarver knocking Roy Jones out in the second round.
17. **Calzaghe vs. Hopkins** — score 0/1000
   A 2008 light heavyweight match in Las Vegas in which Calzaghe's volume punching earned a split decision over the veteran.
18. **Cotto vs. Margarito** — score 0/1000
   A 2008 welterweight title fight in which Margarito's relentless pressure wore down Cotto and forced a stoppage in the eleventh round.

Tags: 2000s, sports, boxing, legends, fights