Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s - Part 1

Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s - Part 1

The immense competition in the last decade of the last century has led to memorable moments in the world of this sport

The nineties of the last century are considered the greatest in the history of boxing. Surpassing the 60's by a lot, improving on the 70's generation and most of all going through the transition of the 80's, the competitors in the 90's offer spectacle, dominance, style, class and most of all matches that no one won't forget. This applies with full force to the heavyweight division, which everyone follows with great interest. The sport is full of a number of good boxers, so it is very difficult to single out the best 10 of them. However, we will offer you ten names, divided into two parts, that seemed to leave the most lasting mark on the ring during the last decade of the 20th century.

The tenth position is assigned to Evander Holyfield. Before the early 1990s, he was already established as one of the greatest in the light heavyweight division and was in a fierce war with Dwight Muhammad Kawhi. But in the late 1990s he won and made every appearance in the heavyweight division, stopping Buster Douglas, the man who knocked out Mike Tyson in Tokyo to everyone's shock and horror in February of that year. In 1991, everyone expected a clash between Holyfield and Tyson with great anticipation, but the "Iron" was arrested for rape and imprisoned for four years, so the fight between them was played only in November 1996. In it, Evander simply taunted his opponent and defeated him by TKO in the 11th round, although he dominated significantly. The most memorable event in boxing also happens in the rematch. Holyfield is aggressive again and clearly better, which unnerves Mike Tyson, who bites off his ear. A moment that is one of the most memorable in the entire history of sports.

We break down the pounds and numbers a bit to find Felix Trinidad in the ninth position. He held the IBF welterweight belt for nearly a decade and became one of the sport's biggest stars. Hector Camacho and Purnell Whittaker are among the competitors he defeated. In one of the most contested matches of the last 25 years, he unifies the IBF and WBC titles after an incredible victory over Oscar De La Oya. Trinidad is dangerous, boxes equally well with both hands, constantly pressures his opponents and has the instincts of a consummate killer. In addition to his powerful punches comes the physicality that makes him one of the greatest in the welterweight division.

Eighth is Lennox Lewis. He managed to reach the top of the heavyweight division in the division's best decade. Lewis has only one loss in all 10 years, which came to Oliver McCall, who managed to stalk him and knock him out in the second round. However, in the rematch, the British won in the fifth part. "The Lion", as he was nicknamed, won one of the titles in '92 and defeated a number of tough opponents with ease. They include Ronovan Ruddock, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison and Shannon Briggs. In March 1999 Lewis finally gets a chance to face another top heavyweight boxer, Evander Holyfield. The fight ended without a winner, although according to many people Lewis deserved the victory. The following November, he won the rematch between them to start the 21st century beautifully for him.

The seventh place is assigned to Oscar De La Oya. He is one of the last American boxers to start with an incredible performance at the Olympics and reach major events in the professional ring. After his Olympic title from Barcelona in 1992, the "Golden Boy" never missed the chance to become one of the stars of the sport. In March 1994 he won the WBO featherweight title, then moved up to lightweight to become world champion there as well after defeating Jorge Paez. De La Oya defeated title contenders in the division such as Rafael Ruelas and Gennaro Hernandez. In June of '96, he moved up to the next weight class and took a long time to stop Julio Cesar Chavez in the fourth round to claim another title. This was followed by a victory in the welterweight category over the legend Purnell Whittaker in April 1997. In February 1999, he suffered the first loss in his career to Ike Quartey, and only in the new century did he suffer his first professional defeat by Felix Trinidad after a questionable judge's decision.   

Last in the first part, but sixth in our ranking, is Shane Mosley. Another boxer nicknamed "Sugar" making his mark in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions. Mosley first achieved incredible victories in the lightweight division and is considered one of the greatest of all time. He is huge, powerful for the few kilos and able to transfer to the heavier ones with great ease to start dominating them as well. With 49 wins from 61 fights, 49 of which were by knockout, he is definitely an extremely memorable name that the 1990s in the lighter divisions offered us.

In the next part, we will also provide you with the top five prizes for this decade. Filled with top names and some very interesting stories, it will remind you of great moments in sport.