Sugar Ray Robinson is widely credited as boxing’s best ever. Although famed coach and analyst Teddy Atlas has high praise for him, he ranks one man above.
With a style that combined speed, power, and finesse,Robinson redefined what it meant to be a complete fighter and set a new standard for excellence in the sport.
He began his professional career in 1940 and held the world welterweight championship from 1946 to 1951 before moving up to the middleweight division, where he won the title five times – a record that stood for decades.
Over the course of his career, he fought 200 times, finishing with a record of 174 wins, 19 losses, 6 draws, and 2 no contests, including 109 knockouts. His most famous rivalries were with Jake LaMotta and other top fighters of his era, including Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio.
On Robinson – who Atlas ranked at number two on his YouTube channel The Fight – he said:
“174 wins. Greatest footwork, greatest speed. He was majestic, just beautiful to watch.”
Then came Atlas’ pick for number one, a lesser known boxer who competed from 1931 until 1945: Henry Armstrong.
“My favourite fighter of all time. He defended the welterweight title 18 times in 27 months! You’ll never have a man like this again. Fought at featherweight, welterweight, and then (for) the lightweight title, wins all three titles within 10 months.”
Born Henry Jackson Jr. in 1912, Armstrong is widely regarded as one of boxing’s most accomplished fighters. Known for his aggressive style and stamina, Armstrong made history in 1938 by becoming the only boxer to simultaneously hold world titles in three weight classes: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight.
Over a career that spanned nearly two decades, he compiled a record of 151 wins, 21 losses, and 9 draws, with an incredible 101 knockouts. He defended the welterweight title 19 times, a record that stood for many years.
Armstrong died in 1988 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame posthumously two years later, at the same time as Robinson.
