411 Boxing's Top 10 Fighters of the Decade

Posted by Patrick Cassidy on 12.16.2009

Our staff breaks down the best fighters of the past ten years and we choose our top ten fighters of the decade.

Ah, much to my surprise this decade is almost over and I don't know about you but it seemed to go by way too fast. Over the past 10 years we've had some legendary fights and fighters who've been nothing but a joy to watch. We've decided before we welcome in a new decade, we'd look back and discuss the fighters that had the most success in the past 10 years. I've asked our staff to compile their list of the best fighters of the decade and I've taken that list and created the 411mania top 10 fighters of the decade.

Much like our Fighter of the Month system, each 1st place vote gets 10 pts while a second place vote gets 9, and so on... I've compiled up the points from each of our writers list to form the main rankings. Let's waste no time and get right to our staff rankings.

Patrick Cassidy

1. Manny Pacquiao - As much as I think Floyd is the better fighter, you can't argue with Pacquiao's accomplishments. Came from nowhere to upset Leholo Ledwaba and then proceeded to improve on every fight while making a handful of legends irrelevant. Pacquiao was like the black plague to many of careers in this decade.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - During this decade he was a title holder in five different weight classes. If that's not enough he claimed victories over names such as Corrales, Castillo, Judah, DLH, Hatton, and Marquez. It doesn't get much better than that.

3. Bernard Hopkins - Every hardcore fan knew of Hopkins in the 90's, unfortunately, the rest of the sporting world could not say the same thing. This decade saw him become a legitimate star with dominating victories over two of the biggest in the sport in DLH and Trinidad. The Trinidad victory is even more impressive considering most considered Tito untouchable at the time. Add on victories to Winky Wright, Antonio Tarver, and Kelly Pavlik and you have a decade to remember.

4. Juan Manuel Marquez - I may be reaching by putting him this high considering the losses he accumulated in the decade but I believe his accomplishments outweigh his defeats. He was unstoppable at Featherweight before challenging Pacquiao in a draw that he probably won. He continued his career in relative obscurity before being stopped by Chris John. The loss seemed to make him stronger as he rattled off wins against Barrera, Casamayor, Diaz and concluded with another strong performance against Pacquiao.

5. Shane Mosley - This one was tough because Mosley's career this decade has been one of major highs and even bigger lows. He tacked on four losses to his record at the hands of Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest but to his credit he outlasted both men by compiling wins against some of the best in the sport and then peaked once again this year by dominating Antonio Margarito.

6. Marco Antonio Barrera - Barrera may have faded later in this decade but you can't ignore what he did for the first five years. He put on one of the most perfect displays of boxing you'll see when he dominated the heavily favored Prince Naseem Hamed and then avenged an earlier loss to Erik Morales by beating him twice in classic bouts that will live forever.

7. Joe Calzaghe - I'm sure the European fans will get on me for having an undefeated fighter so low on the list but he never really fought great opposition till the later part of the decade. When he finally did make the journey into the boxing mainstream, he was almost perfect at every opportunity. He could have been higher on the list but wins over Omar Sheika and Charles Brewer are not the same as beating great fighters in their prime.

8. Rafael Marquez - Again, I'm sure some will claim that Israel Vazquez deserves this slot due to his advantage in their trilogy but we can't forget that Marquez beat two lowerweight legends in Tim Austin and Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and did it in dominating fashion. He continued to reign at the lower weights before giving us a trilogy for the ages.

9. Winky Wright - From 2000 to 2007, he did not lose against the best that junior middleweight had to offer including Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, and Ike Quartey. Eventually age got to the veteran but it doesn't negate 7 years of near perfection.

10. Ivan Calderon - His record in this decade? 33 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw. Do I need to say anymore?

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Ryan Bates

1. Manny Pacquiao

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr

3. Bernard Hopkins

4. Shane Mosley

5. Juan Manuel Marquez

6. Joe Calzaghe

7. Rafael Marquez

8. Marco Antonio Barrera

9. Winky Wright

10. Ivan Calderon

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Ali Shakoor

1. Manny Pacquiao- All he did was make history with 7 in 7, and stake his claim as perhaps the greatest fighter of all time. He also beat about 5 future hall of famers this decade. Simply the best.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.- Completely dominant boxer who rarely lost rounds. His only close wins were over Castillo and Oscar. Masterful defensive fighter. Brilliant promoter. He just frustrates with his failure to take on the best at 147. One of the best pure boxers ever.

3. Joe Calzaghe- Uniquely entertaining boxer and showman in the ring. Great handspeed and was always aggressive. Took on the toughest challenges during his final three years and came out on top. Beat prime Kessler and Hopkins(yes Hopkins was still in a prime). His waxing of a feared, prime, Jeff Lacy was a masterpiece. Retired undefeated. I currently don't think anyone can beat him between 168-175 if he unretired.

4. Bernard Hopkins- Just a physical and technical marvel. No fighter in modern history has been so successful well into his 40's. Started out the decade with a world class domination of the great Felix Trinidad. When he finally outgrew 160, he moved up to 175 and became the Ring champ there. Is probably still the best active light heavyweight in the world.

5. Juan Manuel Marquez- Brilliant counter puncher. Was the best Mexican fighter in a decade filled with great Mexican fighters. Three division champion gave the great Manny Pacquiao his stiffest competiton.

6. Miguel Cotto- Ruled 140 and beat the best in the division, but for Ricky Hatton, who he didn't fight. Fought and beat the best at 147 except Mayweather-who wouldn't fight him-and the great Manny Pacquiao. The loss to cheating ass Margarito doesn't count. Just a great, extremely versatle, fighter who always gave his all. The win over Mosley shines brightest.

7. Winky Wright- Just a very good, underrated, future Hall of Famer. Toughest, most frustrating defense of the decade. Wins over Mosley, Quartey and Trinidad speak for themselves. One of the best 154 pounders of all-time. His only losses this decade were to Paul Williams and Bernard Hopkins. Nuff said.

8. Shane Mosley- Get this: Won a welterweight title in 2000 over De La Hoya and then in 2009 over Margarito. Just a brilliant fighter who may be the best in his weight range not named Manny Pacquiao or Paul Williams. I think Mayweather is scared of him. Foolishly sought rematches against Wright and Forrest, regardless of the horrible matchup it was for him. Loss to Cotto hurts. If this list went back 15 years, he'd place much higher.

9. Marco Antonio Barrera- Brilliant, versatile fighter who could either slug it out or purely box. His first fight with Erik Morales is one of the all-time greats. Throw out the Khan fight which should have been a no-decision, and his only losses were to Morales, Manny, and JMM. Great HOF bound fighter

10. Israel Vazquez- Just dominant at 122-with a great resume. Both of his losses this decade(Larios and Marquez), were avenged with KO victories. He took 2 out of 3 of his great trilogy with Marquez.


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Jesse Gonzalez

1. Bernard Hopkins - In my opinion should be number one... Remember he swept the Middleweight Tournament to kick off the Millennium. He dominated the then Pound 4 Pound King, Felix Trinidad (in what should be considered the performance of the decade, way more impressive than Pac's win over DLH). He made a record breaking 20 title defenses (no small feat in the Middleweight Division). Now to the names he fought, DLH, Joppy, Wright, Taylor, Calzaghe, Tarver & Pavlik... Sure he came out on the short end of some of those fights but he was never really dominated and he bounced back to dominate Pavlik just last year. I choose consistent longevity in boxing over anything.

2. Pacquiao
3. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
4. Juan Manuel Marquez
5. Shane Mosley
6. Marco Antonio Barrera
7. Joe Calzaghe
8. Rafael Marquez
9. Winky Wright
10. Ivan Calderon

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Jonathon Yaghoubi

1. Manny Pacquiao
Big Wins: Barrera (Twice), Morales(Twice), Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez
There might be some who think that Hopkins or Mayweather should be on the top spot but when you have wins over other fighters that could very well end up on this list, it's a no brainer. He has now become the most dominant fighter on the planet.He has won titles in every division from 122 pounds to 145 pounds and his performance over Cotto makes this is a no brainer. The only cons you can really say is his performance against Morales and Marquez did not make him look unbeatable

2. Bernard Hopkins
Big Wins: Tito Trinidad, Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik, Antonio Tarver
One of the greatest boxers of our era and he continues to show it off at age 45. He had himself the top two best boxing performances of the decade with his dominating wins over a prime Felix Trinidad and Kelly Pavlik. Two fights that no one gave him a chance and he totally outclassed both guys reminding everyone why he is an all time great. The only cons for Hopkins is his two losses to Jermain Taylor. Taylor was suppose to take off to a spectacular career from those fights but instead has gone the opposite way. His loss to Calzaghe made him look like a clown after all the trash talking he did to Joe saying he would never lost to a white boy.

3. Floyd Mayweather
Big Wins: Diego Corrales, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez
I hate Floyd Mayweather just as much as Mr. Ryan Bates but I can't hate on the guys boxing skills. He is best defensive fighter of this era. He has great skills and rarely makes mistakes in the ring. Great speed, and excellent footwork. A true ring master. Undefeated.

He could have been the number one fighter of the decade but he constantly turns down big fights with the likes of Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Antonio Margarito. He thinks he is the best of all time but you have to beat the best to be considered it. He finally takes a step toward that direction with the fight against Pacquiao(Hopefully!)

4. Shane Mosley
Big Wins: Oscar De La Hoya (Twice), Antonio Margarito, Fernando Vargas(Twice)
He is one of the most complete boxers of the decade. He can box, punch and has speed. Beat a prime Oscar De La Hoyaback in 2000 with one of the best 12th rounds ever, and destroyed Antonio Margarito earlier this year. Also beat a bigger Fernando Vargas twice.His draw backs are that from 2002-04 Molsey did not have himself the best of times as he lost two fights each to Forrest and Wright.

5. Juan Manuel Marquez
Big Wins: Joel Casamoyer, David Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera
One of the great boxers of this decade. He is probably the best counter puncher in the sport and has very underrated power. He was in a life and death battle with Diaz as he looked like age might catch up with him. Instead, he nailed right uppercut to the chin that knocked Díaz down for a second time in the ninth round for the great win. he stood toe to toe with Pacquiao and could have easily won both times. Marquez's cons are that he could not get win over Manny and he also has a lost to Chris John. Marquez ended the decade on a bad note as he got totally outclassed by the much bigger floyd Mayweather.

6. Marco Antonio Barrera
Big Wins: Naseem Hamed, Eric Morales (Twice)
He was a great puncher and had the heart of a lion. His performance against Naseem Hamed is among one of the five best of the decade. A fight that no one gave him a shot, he totally exposed Hamed for the fraud that he was and put him into retirement. That coupled with the two wins over Morales puts him right at number 6. Barrera's cons are that he got completely destroyed in his meeting with Pacquiao as it turned out to be one of the worst losses of his career. He did not end the decade great with losses to Marquez and this year to Amir Khan.

7. Winky Wright
Big Wins: Shane Mosley(twice), Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey
Except for Mayweather, he is probably the best defensive fighter of the era. He was as crafty as a southpaw you can get and had himself some great performances this decade. He totally outclassed Mosley in their first fight and hung on to win the second. While Trinidad might have been a little past his prime, no one could have thought how easily he would dispose of Trinidad. He should have had another big win under his belt but got robbed when his fight with Jermain Taylor was ruled a draw. Has not ended the deacde great with back to back lopsided losses to Hopkins and Paul Williams.

8. Erik Morales
Big Wins: Barrera, Pacquiao, Paulie Ayala
Besides Pacquiao, the most exciting fighter on my list. He was a great boxer with very underrated boxing skills. If he wanted to brawl, he could brawl. If he wanted to box you, he would box you. This guy is great in almost every facet of the game. He does hold a win over Barrera in their first fight despite losing the next two. He continued that pattern wit PAcquiao. In perhaps the decade's greatest victory that anyone will have when he defeated Manny Pacquiao back in 2005. It is that fight that shows how great of a boxer Erik Morales was. Unfortunately for Morales, that would be his peak as he was never the same. After the Pacquiao win, he had himself an inexcusable loss to Zahir Raheem and got himself knocked out in his next two fights against Pacquiao.

9. Joe Calzaghe
Big Wins: Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones, Mikkel Kessler
One of the greatest speed fighters of all time. The guy retired undefeated and close out his career with two very good performances against the legends of Hopkins and Roy Jones. He surpassed Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes at middleweight and heavyweight respectively with 20 title defensed when he defated Mikell Kessler by unanimous decision. He could have been higher on my list but alot of his wins have come against guys that I have never heard of. I wish he could have fought Chad Dawson following his win over Jones as it could have cemented his career but declined.

10. Wladimir Klitschko
Big Wins: Brewster, Byrd, Chagaev,
I wanted to add a Klitschko to the list because of how dominant they both have been at the heavyweight division. I had to go with Wladimir just because he has been the far more active won and has completely tunred his career around after some embarrassing knockout losses to Brewster and Sanders. He got revenge on Brewster and his bro took care of Sanders. The heavyweight division has been a joke but it's not Wladimir's fault as has totally wiped it out and has looked great in doing so.

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Now that our writers have had their say it's time for the tally and the unveiling of 411Mania's top 10 fighters of the decade...

411 Mania's Top Ten Fighters of the Decade



10. Miguel Cotto
Notable Victories: Ricardo Torres, Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey

Miguel Cotto turned professional following the 2000 Olympics and wasted no time in establishing himself as one of the premiere junior welterweights in the world. He claimed the WBO version of the Jr. Welterweight belt and defended it six times against the likes of Randall Bailey, Paulie Malignaggi, and Ricardo Torres. He would make the jump to Welterweight and waste little time in establishing himself as one of the best fighters in the world. Wins over Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, and Joshua Clottey are testament to this fact. After two destructive losses to Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, his future has become a bit cloudy but that does not take away from an impressive decade.




9. Rafael Marquez
Notable Victories: Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, Tim Austin, Silence Mabuza, Israel Vazquez

Rafael Marquez is most famous for his legendary trilogy with one Israel Vazquez in which he was only able to claim one victory of out of the trilogy. However, we can't ignore the rest of his resume which included wins over two of the greatest bantamweight fighters of all time. Marquez dominated "Too Sharp" Johnson in two seperate bouts which largely ended Johnson's career as a premiere boxer and he followed that up with a huge upset over Tim Austin, who at the time was being set up by HBO to be a star at bantamweight. Marquez continued his domination of opponents before taking part in a trilogy that will live on for years to come.



8. Winky Wright
Notable Victories: Shane Mosley, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad

For a large portion of this decade, Winky Wright had the dubious recognition as the most underrated fighter in the world. Winky was forced to fight on undercards of bigger fights easily picking up wins against the best fighters at Junior Middleweight. Wright was finally given his big opportunity against Shane Mosley who he outboxed on two seperate occasions to claim the recognition he had long deserved. He then moved up in weight to dominate Felix Trinidad in a star making performance. He would follow that up with a victory over Ike Quartey and a draw against Jermain Taylor. Age finally hit Wright when he was outboxed by Bernard Hopkins and Paul Williams but those losses do not take away seven straight years of flawless boxing.



7. Marco Antonio Barrera
Notable Victories: Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales, Paulie Ayala, Johnny Tapia

MAB in the 90's appeared to be on the verge of a legendary career before being exposed by Junior Jones in 1997. This derailment served as a notice to Barrera that his defensive skills would have to improve if he was to live up to his potential. He would then transform from a Mexican brawler to a well rounded fighter who easily outboxed Naseem Hamed in a huge upset, Paulie Ayala, and Johnny Tapia. He also claimed two victories against Erik Morales in an epic trilogy which claimed multiple fight of the year honors. Barrera's career would get tripped up by the tsunami of Manny Pacquiao but his legacy had already been firmly entrenched in the history books.



6. Joe Calzaghe
Notable Victories: Bernard Hopkins, Mikkel Kessler, Roy Jones Jr

Calzaghe's career in the decade can be split in two, pre- Jeff Lacy and post - Jeff Lacy. Before his domination of Lacy, Calzaghe had failed to fight a notable opponent rather cruising on his enormous skill against either faded opposition or fighters who should not have been in the ring with the Italian Dragon. However, after his domination of Lacy, he entrenched himself as a lb for lb fighter by pulling off victories against an impressive array of opponents. It started with a technical showcase against Mikkel Kessler in front of 60,000 people and was followed up by his foray into US boxing when he outboxed Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones in two seperate bouts. Had Calzaghe stepped up the level of opposition earlier in his career, he would likely be higher on this list but sadly victories over Omar Sheika and Charles Brewer do not exactly excite the imagination.




5. Shane Mosley
Notable Victories: Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito, Fernando Vargas

Shane Mosley's career in this decade has been an interesting case of a fighter whose had crushing losses and major victories. He started the decade off by easily dispating Oscar De La Hoya and establishing himself as the best lb for lb fighter in the sport. However, his string of success was ended at the hands of Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. However, rather than packing it in, he got better and pulled off two dominating victories over Fernando Vargas before being chopped down by Miguel Cotto. Five defeats in a decade would end most fighters but not Sugar Shane, who rebounded from this defeat to dominate Antonio Margarito in a classic performance. Mosley does not have the pretty record of Joe Calzaghe but the fact is at 38 years old he's still the Welterweight champion of the world. When you start and end the decade as linear champion, you've had a great run.




4. Juan Manuel Marquez
Notable Victories: Marco Antonio Barrera, Joel Casamayor, Derrick Gainer

Juan Manuel Marquez like Winky Wright had the distinction of being one of the best in the world but not having the type of following that granted him big money fights. Marquez continued being a dominating force at featherweight where he laid waste to his opposition before finally having a fight with Manny Pacquiao where he got off the canvas four seperate times to outbox Pacquiao on his way to a controversial draw. He slipped up against Chris John in his homeland of Indonesia but Marquez would only get better as he went on to outbox Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera and Joel Casamayor. Marquez proved to be the greatest Mexican fighter of this decade even surpassing Barrera and Morales. He will continue his career into the next decade where he hopes to make some more magic.



3. Bernard Hopkins
Notable Victories: Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya, Winky Wright, Antonio Tarver

Bernard Hopkins had already established himself as one of the greatest Middleweights to ever lace up the gloves but his reputation among common fans sadly did not match his skill levels. Well he finally got the recognition that had been denied him when he destroyed Felix Trinidad in one of the greatest boxing performances you'll ever see. Few gave Hopkins a chance against a fighter who many felt was unstoppable but Hopkins was simply too good for Trinidad who could not hang with Hopkin's skill level. Oscar De La Hoya suffered the same fate, as did Winky Wright and Antonio Tarver. Hopkins is simply a legend whose legacy will only grow as the years pass. He's not the most exciting fighter in the world but that's not his game, his game is winning...



2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Notable Victories: Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo

"Money" Mayweather much like Calzaghe was perfect throughout the decade and aside from his first fight with Castillo, that perfect record was never in jeopardy as he dominated every opponent who stood in front of him. Mayweather also transformed himself from a relatively obscure fighter into one of the biggest stars of the past 20 years. Mayweather started the decade by decimating Diego Corrales before turning his sights onto the larger weight classes by taking out Zab Judah, De La Hoya, and Hatton with relative ease. He now has his sights on Manny Pacquiao in a bout that will certainly place the winner as one of the greatest fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves.



1. Manny Pacquiao
Notable Victories: Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto

How are we going to against a guy who claimed belts in six different weight classes throughout the decade? He has fought and beaten every major fighter that was near his weight class and did it in convincing fashion. He had a few slip ups(Morales, Marquez) but came back as an even better fighter who is still improving nine years later. Lord only knows how far Manny Pacquaio can go in his quest for greatness but I speak for everyone when I say it'll be one hell of a ride. Thanks Manny, you've made this decade one to rememeber.


Well that's all we have, let us know what you think of our list and give us your own list of fighters in the comment section below. I know I speak for everyone on our staff when I wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!