Who Is The Best Fighter Of All Time

The Top Twelve19

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The middleweights have traditionally been regarded as one of the sport’s true “glamour” divisions, boasting some of the best talent to ever lace ’em up and some of the fight game’s biggest draws. Our ranking here of the very best is restricted to those who fought at or near 160 pounds during most of their prime, thus allowing us to compose the list without worrying about where to fit in greats Ezzard Charles, Sam Langford, Mickey Walker, Billy Conn, and of course the great Sugar Ray Robinson. (Charles, Langford and Conn figure prominently on our list of all-time great light heavyweights, while Robinson and Walker are ranked at welterweight.)

He was a stuntman for Bruce Lee. Fought real-fighter Benny the Jet. Broken every bone in his body, has a plastic plug in his skull. The best fight choreographer of all-time. Did the best stunts of all time, including falling 20 ft without any fall padding, hasn't used wires or special effects in his earlier movies, and even ran through real. Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all time. This isn’t a statement of opinion, but rather a statement of fact, one that cannot legitimately be challenged, not even in today’s.

12. Tony Zale: Wins over Al Hostak, Georgie Abrams, Rocky Graziano and Fred Apostoli set “The Man of Steel” apart. One of the best body punchers in boxing history.

11. Bernard Hopkins: While he presided over perhaps the weakest middleweight division in history, no one can dispute the skill and longevity of “The Executioner.”

10. Jake LaMotta: “The Bronx Bull” beat a long list of terrific fighters, including one of the greatest of all middleweights, Ray Robinson. Fritzie Zivic, Tommy Bell, Holman Williams, Marcel Cerdan, George Costner and Tony Janiro are among those LaMotta bested.

LaMotta (right) battles Robinson.

9. Mike Gibbons: He never won the world title, but Gibbons was widely regarded as one of the very best at 160, not to mention one of the sharpest and cleverest boxers around, regardless of weight. His record shows wins over a long list of elite talent including Mike O’Dowd, Ted “Kid” Lewis, Al McCoy, Jeff Smith and Harry Greb.

Mike Gibbons (right) putting on an exhibition with brother Tommy.

8. Tiger Flowers: Competing with Mickey Walker and Harry Greb automatically sets Flowers apart. He gave Greb two tough battles and his loss to Walker was widely viewed as a robbery. Racked up an incredible 118 wins in less than a decade.

7. Freddie Steele: Solid wins over Fred Apostoli, Ceferino Garcia, Gus Lesnevich, Vince Dundee and Babe Risko. Record of 124-6-8. ‘Nuff said.

Freddie Steele

6. Carlos Monzon: The Argentine’s long reign and 14 straight title defenses mark him as one of the very best.

5. Stanley Ketchel: “The Michigan Assassin,” known for his astonishing power and general viciousness, had his career tragically cut short, but not before establishing himself as the terror of the middleweights with wins over Billy Papke, Joe Thomas and Philadelphia Jack O’Brien.

4. Charley Burley: One of the greatest to never win a title, Burley was avoided by many of the top boxers of his time, yet he still scored big wins over Holman Williams, Fritzie Zivic, Archie Moore, Billy Soose and Georgie Abrams.

The great Charley Burley. Drawing by Damien Burton.

3. Marvelous Marvin Hagler: Hagler was the best middleweight in the world for over a full decade, during which he lost only one fight.

2. Bob Fitzsimmons: The great “Speckled Bob” is famous for his exploits at heavier weights and for being boxing’s first triple crown champ. But his amazing punching power, huge win over Jack “The Nonpareil” Dempsey, and the fact Fitz remained near 160 lb for most of his career, guarantee him high standing on this list.

Bob Fitzsimmons. Ink drawing by Damien Burton.

1. Harry Greb: “The Smoke City Wildcat” is forever the greatest of them all at 160 as he rarely weighed more and was clearly the best in the division for years before he finally won the title in 1923. Greb went on to score legendary wins over Mickey Walker and Gene Tunney, losing only eight times in over 300 bouts.

The legendary Harry Greb. Painting by Damien Burton.

Honorable Mentions: Jeff Smith, Dick Tiger, Marcel Cerdan, Mike McCallum, Billy Papke, Gene Fullmer, Tommy Ryan, Kid McCoy, Jack “The Nonpareil” Dempsey, Holman Williams, Mike O’Dowd, Rodrigo Valdez, Joey Giardello, Teddy Yarosz, Marcel Thil, Les Darcy, Emile Griffith, Frank Klaus, Benny Briscoe.

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Kickboxing is seeing a resurgence with some big promotions like Glory, One Kickboxing, Bellator, and K-1. Who is the best kickboxer of all time? It’s hard to give a definitive answer because it depends, but here is a list of the top fighters and kickboxing champions in no particular order.

What is the Difference Between Kickboxing and Muay Thai?

Where are all the Thai fighters on this list? Kickboxing and muay thai are two different sports, and fighters are better suited to specific rulesets.

Here are general kickboxing rules:

You can strike with hands, feet (shins), and knees
Throws are not allowed
You can sweep if kicking out support leg with the front of your shin/foot
You can only catch if you follow up with an immediate strike and release
You can only clinch if you follow up with an immediate strike and release

This isn’t a matter of which style is better, there are just different rules. There are many fighters who have success crossing over from muay thai and vice versa. Some of them are even on this list.

Retired Kickboxers

Peter Aerts

Record: 106 – 35 – 2
Wins by KO: 79
Weight Class: Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight
Nationality: Dutch

Peter “The Dutch Lumberjack” Aerts was regarded by many as the best heavyweight kickboxer of all time. His nickname came from his powerful knockout kicks that could chop down opponents.

Aerts won the K-1 World Grand Prix three times, with his 1998 win going down as one of the best K-1 World Grand Prix ever. To win the 1998 championship he stopped all three of his opponents: Satake, Bernardo, and Hug.

Peter Aerts also holds notable wins over Hoost, Schilt, Le Banner, and Saki.

Kickboxing Titles

1998 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
1995 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
1994 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
1994 The Night of the Stars tournament champion
2991 IKBF World Heavyweight Championship
1990 IKBF World Heavyweight Championship

Ernesto Hoost

Record: 99 – 21 – 1
Wins by KO: 62
Weight Class: Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight
Nationality: Dutch

Also known as “Mr. Perfect”, Ernest Hoost is one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. He won the K-1 Grand Prix a record four times, tieing with one of the other K1 champions on the list.

One of the best parts of Hoost’s game is his devastating leg kick. He throws it with such perfection and commitment that it’s like a work of art.

Hoost also holds notable wins over other great fighters such as Aerts, Hug, Cro Cop, Sefo, Bernardo, and Le Banner.

Kickboxing Titles

2014 WKO World Heavyweight Champion
2002 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
2000 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
1999 K-1 Grand Prix ’99 Final Round Champion
1997 K-1 Grand Prix ’97 Final Champion
1994 I.S.K.A. Full Contact Light Heavyweight World Champion
1994 K-2 Plus Tournament 1994 Champion
1993 K-2 Grand Prix ’93 Champion
1993 W.M.T.A. & W.K.A. Light Heavyweight World Champion
1990 W.K.A. World Kickboxing Champion
1989 Savate World Champion
1988 W.K.A. European Kickboxing Champion
1988 Savate European Champion
1988 I.S.K.A. European Full Contact Champion
1988 I.S.K.A. European Muay Thai Champion

Semmy Schilt

Record: 43 – 6 – 1
Wins by KO: 20
Weight Class: Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight
Nationality: Dutch

Schilt is a beast who transitioned to kickboxing from karate and MMA. He’s tied with Hoost for the record of K-1 Grand Prix wins with four and he’s the only fighter to win the K-1 Grand Prix three times in a row.

Schilt has wins over many of the best heavyweights like Verhoeven, Saki, Le Banner, Bonjasky, and Hoost.

Kickboxing Titles

Glory Heavyweight Championship (One time; First)
Glory 2012 Heavyweight Grand Slam Tournament Champion
K-1 Super Heavyweight Championship
2009 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
2007 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
2006 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion
2005 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion

Active Kickboxers

Buakaw Banchamek

Record: 239 – 24 – 12
Wins by KO: 72
Weight Class: Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight
Nationality: Thai

Buakaw is a great example of a fighter who successfully went from muay thai to kickboxing. His dominance in global kickboxing scene brought attention to muay thai’s effectiveness as a striking art.

One thing that Buakaw does well is smash. His style is aggressive and he’s always moving forward to go for the KO. His punches and kicks both pack knockout power.

Buakaw won the K-1 World Max twice. He would’ve won in 2005 too, but had a controversial decision loss to Souwer in an extra round.

Kickboxing Titles

2015 Wu Lin Feng World Championship
2006 K-1 World MAX Champion
2004 K-1 World MAX Champion

Giorgio Petrosyan

Record: 102 – 2 – 2
Wins by KO: 41
Weight Class: Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight
Nationality: Italian, Armenian

You can’t talk about the best kickboxers in the world without mentioning Petro. Petrosyan, also known as “The Doctor”, is an extremely technical fighter. He has great footwork and body movement that contribute to his elusiveness and counter-striking ability.

Giorgio fights with high fight IQ, and his highly accurate punches land with precision. His technical skill lets him pick apart other fighters, and it’s amazing to watch. That’s one reason why his win rate is so high.

Kickboxing Titles

ONE Kickboxing Featherweight World Grand Prix Champion
Bellator Kickboxing Lightweight Champion
World version W5 World Champion-71 kg
2012 Glory Slam Tournament Champion
2010 K-1 World MAX World Tournament Champion
2009 K-1 World MAX World Tournament Champion
2007 JFN Tournament Champion
2006 JFN Tournament Champion
Hero Legends Champion
WKN Intercontinental Welterweight Oriental Champion

Badr Hari

Record: 106 – 15
Wins by KO: 92
Weight Class: Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight
Nationality: Dutch, Morrocan

Badr “Golden Boy” Hari is simply straight up savage and his record speaks for itself with 92 wins by KO. He has notable wins over some other greats on this list such as Aerts, Schilt, Saki, and Zimmerman.

Hari has a very aggressive walk-forward fighting style. He simply goes after the knockout whether it’s with a punch or kick. This natural aggression has gotten him in trouble both in and out of the ring. The controversies surround Hari also gave him the nickname, “Bad Boy”.

Kickboxing Titles

2014 GFC Fight Series 1 Heavyweight Tournament Champion
2009–2010 It’s Showtime Heavyweight champion +95 kg
2007–2008 K-1 Heavyweight champion −100 kg

Rico Verhoeven

Record: 56 – 10
Wins by KO: 17
Weight Class: Heavyweight, Super Heavyweight
Nationality: Dutch

“The King of Kickboxing”, Verhoeven lives up to the hype. He’s the current Glory Heavyweight Champion and has defended the title eight times.

Best Fighter Ever

Verhoeven is an intelligent fighter with high fight IQ, which might be surprising for such a big dude. He’s technical and able to pick apart his opponents’ game.