10 Best Pound For Pound Boxers Of All Time

1. Sugar Ray Robinson

Record: 173-19-6, 108 KO

Fought Between: 1940-1965

Titles won: World Welterweight Champion and five time World Middleweight Champion

In at number one is the man responsible for having 'pound for pound' rankings in the first place; Sugar Ray Robinson. Born in Detroit in 1940, Sugar Ray moved to New York as a child and lived near Joe Louis, a man who would become one of his idols when he switched from a career in medicine to boxing.

As an amateur fighter he went 85-0 with 40 first round KO's before turning pro in 1940 at the age of 19. He then fought another 40 times undefeated which is a run of 125 victories in a row. His first loss would come against the Raging Bull himself, Jake LaMotta in the second of a six fight rivalry between the pair. That loss may have been the one blemish on his early career but he avenged it and then some; he won all five of their other fights including the 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' where he delivered one of the most brutal beatings the world of boxing had ever seen.

After a short stint in the army where him and Joe Louis would put on exhibitions for the troops, he won the welterweight title in 1946 by beating Tommy Bell on points. He would go one to beat everyone in that weight division before stepping up to middleweight and winning the belt from Jake LaMotta. He dominated the middleweights as easily as he had dominated the welterweights and, for financial as well as sporting reasons, decided to go up another weight to light-heavy. After losing to Joey Maxim for the light heavyweight title in 1952, Sugar Ray retired with a record of 131-3-1.

Like a lot of fighters, for whatever reason, be it boredom or money, Sugar Ray stepped back into the ring in 1955 and went on to regain the World Middleweight Championship for the third time. During his career he fought (and beat) everyone. From Kid Gavilan to Rocky Graziano to Henry Armstrong, they all succumbed to the speed, power and grace of the man who was 'sweet as sugar'. He never avoided anyone and fought during boxing's greatest era to earn his place at the top of this list.