20 fighters from the past 20 years

A lot is made of the sports history and how the greats of yesteryear seem untouchable but keeping things strictly modern, who are the 20 greatest fighters of the past 20 years. Rather than include those who may have fought since 1992 but were more accomplished beforehand, try and keep it strictly 1992 onwards.

1. Mayweather
2. Whitaker
3. Pacquiao
4. Hopkins
5. Chavez
6. Jones
7. Lopez
8. Lewis
9. Barrera
10. Morales
11. De La Hoya
12. Marquez
13. Wright
14. Calzaghe
15. Trinidad
16. Holyfield
17. Mosley
18. Toney
19. Donaire
20. Cotto

Just missing out Tzuyu, Rafa Marquez, Hamed, Vasquez, Castillo, Forest, Montiel, Martinez, Wonjongkam, Klitschko (both) and Calderon.

Mayweather
Pacquiao
Whitaker
Jones JR
Lopez
Chavez
Lewis
Marquez
Barrera
Morales
De La Hoya
Calzaghe
Holyfield
Trinidad
Mosley
Donaire
Toney
Hamed

Missing out, Cotto, R Marquez, Vasquez, Castillo,Martinez, K2, Calderon, Bowe

1.) Whitaker
2.) Mayweather
3.) RJJ
4.) Pacquiao
5.) Hopkins
6.) Lopez
7.) Chavez
8.) Lewis
9.) Morales
10.) Barrera
11.) Calzaghe
12.) De la Hoya
13.) Mosley
14.) Trinidad
15.) Marquez
16.) Calderon
17.) Tzuyu
18.) Cotto
19.) Donaire
20.) Toney

Oops, missed out Hopkins, after lopez and Wright after Trinidad

Great lists ,although I would put Oscar very near the bottom of a top-twenty list, if he's in there at all.

Far too much quality on his record to see him out of a top 20.

Paez, Hernandez, Whitaker, Chavez, Vargas, Mayorga, Quartey, Castillejo, Campas, Gatti, Carr, Camacho, Ruelas, Gonzalez and Leija is a very fine win list by any measure, don't think his losses to Trinidad and Mosley counteract that too much.

1) Mayweather
2) Pacquiao
3) Jones Jr
4) Hopkins
5) Trinidad
6) De la Hoya
7) Whitaker
8) Lopez
8) Barrera
9) Morales
10) Marquez
11) Mosley
12) Lewis
13) Calzaghe
14) Wonjongkam
15) Cotto
16) Hamed
17) Wright
18) Donaire
19) Wladimir Klitschko
20) Michalczewski

Near misses; Chavez, Holyfield, Martinez, Toney, Calderon and a few others. Would almost surely change my order every day on this one.

I'm surprised to see Chavez so high in some lists. To me, his career from 1992 onwards was, at best, serviceable, but not really elite. Worked over by Whitaker and Randall, cut to shreds by Oscar twice etc. Don't think wins over a shopworn Camacho, Haugen and Parisi, as well as a very gallant losing effort against Gonzalez, are enough for a top fifteen place, for sure. Maybe leaving him out of my twenty completely is a little harsh, though.

I think Trinidad gets a raw deal, a belief only increased by what I've seen above. An outstanding Welterweight champion who stopped off to pick up titles at two higher weights, and he shouldn't be deducted too many points for the Hopkins defeat. I don't for a single second believe that Hopkins 'exposed' Trinidad or the like, it was simply a great Welterweight losing to an even greater Middleweight. Nothing new, there.

Whitaker can count himself unlucky that a lot of his best work fell between 1987 and 1991. Had this article been based on the last twenty-five years rather than twenty, he'd have topped my list without question.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory, I'd imagine, although it's rushed so would probably switch a few names over if I had more time to ponder!

De La Hoya gets a raw deal alongside Trinidad as well for me Chris, the welterweight and light middleweight divisions they competed in were very strong, there was a lot of diverse talent and unlike a lot of fighters you can't question their opposition. Oscar literally faced everyone there was to face with the possible exception of Winky Wright, he got a gift against Sturm fair enough but a former 130lb title holder has no expectation to target a great middleweight like Hopkins.

There are a few fighters I hope history will look upon more fondly especially De La Hoya, Trinidad and Winky Wright who had a habit like Whitaker of getting robbed while making his opponent look stupid.

Agree completely with regards to De la Hoya, Ghosty. I feel certain that had he a face like Iran Barkley and didn't have to cope with the expectation and sometimes unfair pressure which came with that Olympic gold, crossover appeal and telegenic personality, more would be willing to grant him the 'great' status which he surely deserves. Seems almost fashionable to dismiss De la Hoya as a carefully-marketed pretender who was all hype and little substance, but that is incredibly unfair. Not many have been such a good operator in two of the original weight classes as Oscar was at Lightweight and Welterweight. His performances there on their own would be enough for me.

I really have to scrape the barrel to come up with Wright as a name he didn't face, he had mixed results after the Trinidad fight but he only ever lost to great fighters. You couldn't hope to lose to five better fighters than Trinidad, Mosley, Hopkins, Pacquiao and Mayweather even then you have huge question marks over the Tito and Mosley losses. Superb fighter who should get far more credit than he does, in an era where the big fights don't happen he should get extra credit for always making sure they did happen.

The light middleweight division he competed in was hardly weak either, Castillejo, Mosley, Mayweather, Vargas, Campas and Mayorga represent the divisons strongest ever era of whom he beat four of them fairly easily.

Hall of fame fighter without any thought as far as i'm concerned.

1. Mayweather
2. Whitaker
3. Lopez
4. Jones Jnr
5. Pacquiao
6. Hopkins
7. De La Hoya
8. Trinidad
9. Barrera
10. Morales
11. Calderon
12. J.M Marquez
13. Lewis
14. Mosley
15. Cotto
16. Wright
17. Wonjongkam
18. Wlad K
19. Vit K
20. Tszyu

hopkins
mayweather
lewis
jones
whitaker
pacquaio
delahoya
morales
vitali
barrera
wright
trinidad
lopez
holyfield
mosley
tszyu
calzaghe
marquez
toney
wonjongkam

I'm sorry guys but putting de la Hoya on average about 8th best fighter of the last 20 years isn't really downgrading him as a fighter. With great fighters like RJJ, Whitaker, Mayweather pacquiao etc in the same era, that's a great achievement. Fact of the matter is that he lost a lot of his big fights even in his prime and although he had heart and a warriors attitude, there isn't any clear grounds why he's better than Lewis Hopkins etc or how there better than him.

I had him 7th which I thought was about fair when you look at the names either side of him.

Anyone who has Lopez outside of there top 10 should be shot.

WHU_Champo_League_in_7Yrs wrote:I'm sorry guys but putting de la Hoya on average about 8th best fighter of the last 20 years isn't really downgrading him as a fighter. With great fighters like RJJ, Whitaker, Mayweather pacquiao etc in the same era, that's a great achievement. Fact of the matter is that he lost a lot of his big fights even in his prime and although he had heart and a warriors attitude, there isn't any clear grounds why he's better than Lewis Hopkins etc or how there better than him.

He lost to Mosley and Trinidad when he was in his 'prime' with all three losses being disputed his big fights tend to be only those he lost which is typical of modern fans. I don't think either Chris or I are specifically talking about his rating on this thread but rather his reputation as a fighter who was marketed well but came up short when he stepped up.

Floyd Mayweather
Manny Pacquiao
Bernard Hopkins
Pernell Whitaker
Julio Cesar Chavez
Roy Jones Jr
Ricardo Lopez
Marco Antonio Barrera
Juan Manuel Marquez
Erik Morales
Lennox Lewis
Ivan Calderon
Evander Holyfield
Shane Mosley
Vitali Klitschko
Oscar De La Hoya
James Toney
Naseem Hamed
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Winky Wright

Don't really see how anyone could have Vitali above De La Hoya or Hamed.

Most like to concentrate on Hameds loss to Barrera and forget how damm good he was before that against a very high level of opposition not as if he lost to the only good fighter he ever faced.

Sanchez, Bungu, Soto, Ingle, McCullough, Vazquez, Kelley, Johnson, Hardy, Molina, Medina and Robinson is a set of victories that full to the brim of talent including long standing current, former and future world champions, such was his talent that he made them look ordinary.

Nas was one hell of a talent but he never made mine due to longevity.

17 world title fights is a fair bit of longevity to me, that's more than most.

Fair point I may sneak him in at the expense of Tszyu. Are you tallying these up?

I don't think it just the loss to Barrera that makes people forget how good he was I think it was what happened afterwards one more fight and then he chucked it when he should have been in his prime.

Nope just something I thought might get a bit debate going.

Hamed should have been a three weight world champion but no one at bantamweight or junior featherweight wanted any piece of him, think it's a shame that all he achieved in so few fights is forgotten or ignored.

It is a shame he was an outstanding talent but my only problem with Nas is I feel we never actually seen the best he had to offer. Given how good he showed he was that is quite frightening.

Mayweather
Whitaker
Jones Jr
Hopkins
Pacquaio
De la Hoya
Trinidad
Lopez
Morales
Barrera
Lewis
Marquez
Mosley
Holyfield
Hamed
Calzaghe
W Klitshcko
Toney
Wright
Cotto