Top 20 fighters of the decade

Hmmm.....

That's probably fair enough.

If Lewis hadn't been nailed by Rahman the avenging would never have happened and it would have been classed as a routine defence along the lines of the Grant fight maybe.

Tyson isn't in his top 10 wins, for obvious reasons..... but I rate the Klitschko win highly - beating his anointed successor whilst an old man etc.

 

To many fights in Indonesia where nobody got to see him. His only fights that most people can recognize was his victory over Marquez, and wins over Rocky Juarez.

 

Don't get me wrong, there is a case to be made.

I think H-2-H Lewis is a rightly highly rated HW, I just think after he retired the HW went into a bit of a decline. Vitali is highly rated now, but he isn't a dominant force in a high calibre division (I haven't heard anyone being outraged about Vit's exlusion from this list, even though he did do his best work in the 2000's).

Lennox is above Calzaghe and Hatton all time, just not in the 2000's IMO.

 

Calzaghe I can give you - VERY grudgingly...... Hatton I can't - as much as I have always rooted for him throughout his career I cannot help but feel much of his career is smoke and mirrors, barring the Tszyu fight.

Most guys he beat were past their best, very few of them ever did anything of note afterwards - which I feel is important.

If you take the Lewis vs Klitschko example, if Vitali had lost his next two by stoppage it would be an ordinary win - the fact that he won his next three or four by dominating stoppage, then had four years off, came back past his best and won four of four, three by KO and one by wide UD, it looks better.

 

Malignaggi, Urango and Collazo went up in my estimation following their defeat to Hatton. They put in some good performances.

 

calderon should easily be top 10

 

Nah, his best win is over Hugo Cazares ffs.

 

I wouldn't argue with top 20 for Calderon though.

 

1 Manny Pacquiao
2 Floyd Mayweather
3 Marco Antonio Barrera
4 Erik Morales
5 Bernard Hopkins
6 Roy Jones
7 Shane Mosley
8 Juan Manuel Marquez
9 Felix Trinidad
10 Joe Calzaghe
11 Winky Wright
12 Kostya Tszyu
13 Rafael Marquez
14 Miguel Cotto
15 Jose Luis Castillo
16 Oscar De La Hoya
17 Vernon Forrest
18 Lennox Lewis
19 Ricky Hatton
20 Jermain Taylor

 

He retired September 2001.

 

What is with the hatred of Lewis, move him up into the top 5 people, he certainly places higher than Tito Trinidad.

 

tua - what did tua do in this decade.

put on weight and knock out michael moorer.

juan urango is better than tua.

least he won a title after the hatton fight.

 

How many does Paul have out of the country? How many title fights has he won? Who has he defeated better than Marquez? Who has he defeated as good as Marquez? Was he as impressive in his victory over Martinez as John in his victory (victories, plural, to those with eyes) over Juarez? John is in double digit title defenses...I just don't see it as a contest.

 

A very good list. Joel Casamayor instead of Paul Williams based on his resume. How about Felix "Tito" Trinidad, or did you think he retired too early in the decade? Other boxers who are knocking on the Top 20 list are Diego Corrales, Acelino Freitas, Vernon Forrest, Ivan Calderon, Jose Luis Castillo, and Ricardo Mayorga. Other notable mentions who could make it in a Top 40 list are Nonito Donaire, Joan Guzman, Fernando Vargas, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Cory Spinks, Juan Diaz, Antonio Tarver, Kelly Pavlik, David Tua, Vitaly and Wladimir Klitschkos, Sharmba Mitchell, Oscar Larios, Chris John, Humberto Soto, Ike Quartey, Junior Jones, Glen Johnson, William Joppy, and Arturo Gatti.

 

switch Ricky Hatton to Wladimir Klitschko and it's good

Ricky Hatton-won 4 Championship matches
Wladimir Klitschko -won 14 Championship matches:deal