10 Best Pound For Pound Boxers Of All Time

2. Muhammed Ali

Record: 56-5, 37 KO

Fought Between: 1960-1981

Titles won: Four timeWBA Heavyweight Champion and two time WBC Heavyweight Champion.

The phrases 'legend' and 'icon' are bandied about too readily these days but there can be no denying that the number two on this list fully deserves to be labelled both. Born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942, Muhammed Ali was directed into boxing after an encounter with a bicycle thief. A local cop thought he should learn to box if he was going to give the thief a 'whupping'. He was 12 years old.

As an amateur Ali won over a 100 fights including a gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. He went 19-0 as a professional fighter and developed his own unique style outside the ring of belittling his opponents and lauding his own skills. At the time, 1960's America, he was disliked by the majority of the press but they finally warmed to the most charismatic boxer that has ever lived on the eve of his world title shot against Sonny Liston where the immortal phrase 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' was first used.

He beat Sonny Liston, he beat the likes of Bob Foster, Ken Norton and Floyd Patterson. He fought Joe Frasier three times including the 'Thrilla in Manilla' and the now legendary 'Rumble in the Jungle' against George Foreman where Ali regained the World Heavyweight Championship. He did all this while not even being allowed to fight when he was in his prime following his refusal to fight in Vietnam. He will always will be 'the Greatest'.