Top 10 best Middleweights from years 2000 – 2020

This list is for the best middleweights from 2000-2020, the criteria is based on wins, titles and overall records/achievements at middleweight from the year 2000 up until 2020. Anything achieved before 2000 or in a different weight class isn’t relevant on this list.

1) Bernard ‘The executioner’ Hopkins – 10-2 (5 KO’S) – Undisputed middleweight world champion. World title wins in this period – Syd Vanderpool, Antwun Echols, Keith Holmes, Felix Trinidad, Carl Daniels, Morrade Hakkah, William Joppy, Robert Allen, Oscar De La Hoya, Howard Eastman. Two losses to Jermaine Taylor.

Hopkins has many achievements before the year 2000 and after his middleweight reign, but his title defences in this period and being undisputed are more than good enough to cement first place on the list.

2) Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez - 4-0-1 (1 KO) – Reigning and defending WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight world champion from 2015 – present. World title/big wins – Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs. One draw with Gennady Golovkin.

Alvarez is a four weight world champion but has several really big wins as middleweight world champion. His middleweight run is probably finished after moving up and winning at light heavyweight.

3) Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin – 40-1-1 (35 KO’S) – Unified WBA, IBF and WBC middleweight world champion. Two time middleweight world champion. 18 successful title defences. World title wins – Nilsson Julio Tapia, Kassim Ouma, Lajuan Simon, Makoto Fuchigami, Grzegorz Proksa, Gabriel Rosado, Nobuhiro Ishida, Matthew Macklin, Curtis Stevens, Adama Osumanu, Daniel Geale, Marco Antonio Rubio, Martin Murray, Willie Monroe Jr, David Lemieux, Dominic Wade, Kell Brook, Daniel Jacobs, Vanes Martirosyan, Sergiy Derevyancheko. One draw to Saul Alvarez, one loss to Saul Alvarez.

GGG has a great resume and by far the most title defences of anyone on the list, but a win over Alvarez has eluded him so its difficult to place him ahead of Alvarez or in the top two.

4) Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez – 8-2 (4 KO’S) – Former unified WBC and WBO middleweight world champion. Two time middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams, Serhiy Dzinziruk, Darren Barker, Matthew Macklin, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Martin Murray. One controversial points loss to Paul Williams. One TKO loss to Miguel Cotto.

Martinez was unfortunate not to be in his prime against Cotto and unlucky not to have the likes of Alvarez and GGG fighting during his reign. He has several really big wins and highlight reel KO’S.

5) Kelly ‘The ghost’ Pavlik – 36-2 (32 KO’S) – Former unified WBC and WBO middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – Edison Miranda, Jermaine Taylor, Gary Lockett, Marco Antonio Rubio, Miguel Angel Espino. One points loss to Sergio Martinez.

Pavlik was a very entertaining and popular middleweight fighter who lost his way after fighting Bernard Hopkins at a catchweight. You get the sense that Pavlik never fulfilled his full potential after having problems outside the ring.

6) Jermaine ‘Bad intentions’ Taylor – 32-1-1 (20 KO’S) – Former undisputed WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF middleweight world champion. Two time middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – William Joppy, Bernard Hopkins x2, Kassim Ouma, Cory Spinks, Caleb Truax, Sam Soliman. One draw with Ronald ‘winky’ Wright. One TKO loss to Kelly Pavlik.

Taylor was the first man since Roy Jones Jr in 1993 to beat Bernard Hopkins. After loosing several fights by brutal TKO/KO’S, Taylor came back in dramatic fashion to become a two time middleweight world champion.

7) Daniel ‘Miracle man’ Jacobs – 36-3 (30 KO’S) – Two time middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – Jarrod Fletcher, Caleb Truax, Sergio Mora x2, Peter Quillin, Sergiy Derevyancheko. One TKO loss to Dmitry Pirog. One points loss to Gennady Golovkin, one points loss to Saul Alvarez.

Jacobs has come back from a lot of adversity in and out of the ring to become a two time middleweight champion. Some argue he was unlucky not to get the decision against GGG. Now campaigning at super middleweight.

8) Felix ‘The fighter’ Sturm – 39-4-2 (18 KO’S) – Four time middleweight world champion. Defending world champion from 2007-2012. World title/big wins – Hector Javier Velazco, Ruben Varon, Maselino Masoe, Javier Castillejo, Noe Gonzalez Alcoba, Jamie Pittman, Randy Griffin, Sebastian Sylvester, Koji Sato, Khoren Gevor, Giovanni Lorenzo, Ronald Hearns, Matthew Macklin, Sebastian Zbik, Darren Barker. One controversial points loss to Oscar De La Hoya, one TKO loss to Javier Castillejo, two draws to Randy Griffin and Martin Murray, one points loss to Daniel Geale, one points loss to Sam Solimon.

Sturm has a few controversial wins and many title defences against below world class opposition. He does have many successful world title defences and several good wins which earn him a top ten spot.

9) Arthur ‘King’ Abraham – 29-0 (23 KO’S) – Former a IBF world champion. Ten successful defences. World title wins – Kingsley Ikeke, Shannan Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Sebastien Demers, Khoren Gevor, Wayne Elcock, Elvin Ayala, Raul Marquez, Lajuan Simon, Mahir Oral. No losses at middleweight.

Abraham was a feared undefeated puncher at middleweight, but doesn’t have the high profile fights/wins to earn a higher place.

10) Miguel Cotto – 2-1 (2 KO’S) – Former WBC middleweight world champion. One title defence. World title wins – Sergio Martinez, Daniel Geale. One close points loss to Saul Alvarez.

Cotto’s best work was done at lower weight classes however his two wins at middleweight came against two former unified world champions.

 

Honourable mentions

Billy Joe Saunders – 26-0 (12 KO’S) – Former WBO middleweight world champion. Three successful defences. World title/big wins – Chris Eubank Jr, Andy Lee, Artur Akavov, Willie Monroe Jr, David Lemieux. No losses.

Saunders is one of the most talented fighters on the list and has two or three very good wins. He didn’t reign long enough to be considered for the top ten.

Daniel Geale – 14-4 (4 KO’S) – Former unified WBA and IBF middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – Sebastian Sylver, Eromosele Albert, Adama Osumanu, Felix Sturm, Anthony Mundine, Garth Wood, Jarrod Fletcher. One points loss to Anthony Mundine, one points loss to Darren Barker, one TKO loss to Gennady Golovkin, one TKO loss to Miguel Cotto.

Geale was a solid world champion with some good wins and could be viewed as an overachiever in unifying the world titles.

William Joppy – 6-3 (3 KO’S) – Defending WBA middleweight world champion. World title/big wins – Rito Ruvalcaba, Hacine Cherifi, Johnathan Reid, Howard Eastman, Naotaka Hozumi. One TKO loss to Felix Trinidad. One points loss to Bernard Hopkins. One points loss to Jermaine Taylor.

Joppy was a very good two time world middleweight champion. His first reign and part of his second reign as world champion came before the 2000’s which stops him moving further up the list. Nevertheless Joppy was a good fighter and world champion.

Dmitry Pirog – 20-0 (15 KO’S) – Former WBO world champion. Three successful defences. World title/big wins – Daniel Jacobs, Javier Francisco Maciel, Gennady Martirosyan, Nobuhiro Ishida. No losses.

Unlike Geale, Pirog is a big underachieving world champion. His talent was clear to see in his demolition of Daniel Jacobs. One too many injuries cut his career short.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr – 6-1 (2 KO’S) – Former WBC middleweight world champion. Three successful defences. World title/big wins – John Duddy, Sebastian Zbik, Peter Manfredo, Marco Antonio Rubio, Andy Lee. One points loss to Sergio Martinez.

Chavez Jr is by far the least popular fighter on the list, nowadays he’s viewed as a bit of a laughing stock. But during his middleweight reign he was a feared fighter. If he would have found a way to stop a badly hurt Sergio Martinez he’d be seen in a much more positive light.

 

Who cares?

 

True. But Cotto was the “lineal” middleweight champion and always be remembered for ending Sergio’s reign.

 

Same here. If only GGG got one of the decisions against Canelo.

True about Saunders. If Smith gets the Canelo fight then BJS could get the Andrade fight according to Hearn. Gives him a chance of being remembered as an even better middleweight.