A goat is a medium-sized mammal that eats just about anything, but in the world of sport, GOAT means ‘Greatest of All Time’ and is reserved for sportsmen and women who, in a nutshell, have won the most.

There are definite favourites when it comes to boxers and a ‘favorites’ list would certainly be an interesting, yet subjective read. But to keep everything above the belt, the list below is of the 5 best performing boxers based on wins.

Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather competed professionally from 1996 to 2017, winning 15 of the major world championships from super featherweight to light middleweight. His fight record is 50-0-0, undefeated, 100% (this is only one more than Rocky Marciano whose record was 49-0).

His nicknames were ‘Money’ and ‘Pretty Boy’ – both testaments to his achievements as the highest paid athlete in 2018 according to Forbes and the most watched pay-per-view attraction during his career.  He broke free from his promoter, Top Rank, in 2006 and founded his own ‘Mayweather Promotions’.

Manny Pacquiao

In October ’21, Pacquiao filed as a candidate for the presidency of the Philippines. He has been Senator there since 2016. He is an octuple champion, that is, he has won 12 major world championships in 8 different weight classes.

A lineal champion is a fighter that is best for their weight class. They lose their title either when they are defeated or when they retire from that class. Pacquiao was a prize fighter for five of those classes.

Carlos Monzon

An undisputed champion of a weight class is the fighter that holds world titles from all the sanctioning bodies i.e. the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.

Monzon held on to his title as undisputed world middleweight champion for 7 years (87 wins, 3 losses and 9 ties) until his records were broken by later champions. He was charged with murder in 1988 and died in a car crash in 1995 while on a weekend furlough.

Muhammad Ali

Probably the most popular boxing quote “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” was spoken by this great heavyweight. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr’s career ran from 1960 to 1981 with 56 wins and 5 losses. However, he only held a lineal title on 3 occasions.

Despite not being as rich in wins as the fighters above, Ali was certainly iconic in his time.  He was named both ‘Sports Personality of the Century’ by the BBC in 1999 and ‘Sportsman of the Century’ by Sports Illustrated who, in 2015, renamed their Sportsman Legacy Award to the ‘Muhammad Ali Legacy Award’.

‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson

Robinson boxed professionally from 1940 – 1965, long before you could play roulette games online. His amateur career wins were impressive and have been estimated at 85-0 with 69 knockouts. He competed in lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

From 1943-1951 Robinson’s winning streak lasted 91 bouts. After retiring in 1952, he returned in 1955 and regained the middleweight champion title. His battle numbers show 175 wins, 19 losses, 6 draws and 2 not contested – an incredible 202 fights with 108 of those being knockouts.