Retired two-weight world champion Tim Bradley has revealed who he believes is the greatest fighter of all time.
Bradley, alias ‘Desert Storm’, enjoyed an impressive professional career which saw him win world titles in the super-lightweight and welterweight divisions.
He shared the ring with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao on three occasions during his tenure, defeating ‘PacMan’ in their first encounter via split decision in June 2012 to capture the WBO world welterweight title.
Bradley made two successful defences of his crown before he was dethroned by Pacquiao in their rematch two years later. Their third and final encounter, which would be the final outing of Bradley’s career, saw ‘PacMan’ prevail once again via unanimous decision.
Bradley was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023, marking a pinnacle achievement in his illustrious boxing career and placing him well to comment on the other greats of the sport.
In a feature with ESPN Boxing, Bradley named the one man who he claims is the best fighter that ever lived: Sugar Ray Robinson.
“The greatest fighter that ever lived, Sugar Ray Robinson.”
The career of ‘Sugar Ray’ spanned over 25-years, between 1940 and 1965. During this period, Robinson captured a version of the world champion on six separate occasions, reigning as the welterweight champion between 1946 and 1951, before moving up to middleweight to capture the world title no less than five times across just shy of a decade.
Robinson shared the ring with the legendary Jake LaMotta six times during his tenure, defeating ‘The Raging Bull’ in five of these bouts, which are often regarded as being some of the most brutal showdowns in the history of boxing.
