Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s - Part 2

Top 10 Boxers of the 1990s - Part 2

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

The last 10 years of the last century in boxing are some of the most significant. It is extremely difficult to single out 10 names that are the most successful and most memorable. But we did. In the first part of this article, we introduced you to names like Evander Holyfield, remembered not only for his successes but also for the great moment when Mike Tyson bit off part of his ear, Felix Trinidad, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Oya and Shane Mosley. We just have to find out who the top five are.

The fifth position is for James Toney. He is definitely one of the greatest boxers of the 90s, and even has fans who consider him the greatest of all time. Here is why this is so. In May 1991, he burst onto the scene knocking out IBF middleweight champion Michael Nunn without anyone even suspecting it was possible. Two years later, he moved up to super middleweight and defeated Iron Barkley in the ninth round for a new IBF title. Tony lost his title to Roy Jones Jr. in November 1994, then lost it to Montel Griffin in the light heavyweight division in February 1995. Tony had a few more fights in this division, but after the mid-90s he became more competitive at even heavier weights. Although he struggled a bit due to his weight gain, he gradually established himself as one of the best light heavyweights of all time by the late 1990s.

In the top four is Ricardo Lopez. Figuring out where to put it is a real challenge. He has spent his entire career in the two lightest divisions, where he is even smaller than his top opponents, ready to move up to the next division. The only thing that prevents us from putting him in the top three is that he never faced the other two flyweight greats, namely Mikael Carbajal and Humberto Gonzalez. A win against them would see them climb at least two places in this ranking. But his incredible feat of 51 wins in 52 matches and no losses, yes, not one in his entire professional career, cannot be passed over just like that. He is a student of Nacho Beristain and is one of the perfect boxers, albeit in such lightweight divisions.

The first place in the three prizes goes to Purnell Whittaker. He began the decade as the IBF and WBC lightweight champion, but before the end of 1990. also won the World Boxing Association belt to unify the division's three world titles. In the 1990s, Whittaker tried to establish himself as one of the greatest in the lightweight and welterweight division. Many people consider him to be one of the best defensive players of all time. His defensive skills helped him dominate most opponents, except for Oscar De La Oya in 1997 and Felix Trinidad 2 years later, which accounted for two of his only four losses in 46 fights. His dominance was mainly in the first half of the 90s, after which came the wavering moments, but Whittaker definitely has a place in the top three.

At the foot of the peak remains one of the most interesting names in the entire history of boxing. This is Bernard Hopkins, who continued his career into his 50s, and at 48 was the IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion. In the 1990s, however, he began to establish himself as one of the best in the middleweight division, winning match after match. Hopkins has only one loss in that decade, coming to Roy Jones Jr. The incredible focus, discipline and class is evident even after turning 40. Bernard Hopkins is definitely one of the first names that came to mind when preparing this ranking.

First, however, is the man who managed to inflict the only defeat on Hopkins during the period we are talking about. His name is Roy Jones Jr. The Pensacola, Florida-born boxer also had tremendous longevity in the sport, but going back to the 90s, it should be mentioned that he entertained the crowd and offered some of the most energetic fights history has seen. A true athlete who could rival Anthony Joshua in perfect physique, dominating the ring thanks to the combination of all the elements needed to make a competitor a truly good boxer. Jones turned professional after winning a silver medal in the light middleweight division at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Or rather, the lost gold, because of one of the most controversial refereeing decisions in boxing in general. In May 1993 also comes the victory over Bernard Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight title. A year and a few months later, he moved up to super middleweight to capture James Toney's belt. By the end of the decade, he was the IBF, WBA and WBC light heavyweight champion. In 10 years, Jones lost only once, after being disqualified in a fight with Montel Griffin in '97. However, he then won the rematch with a knockout in the first round. Without a doubt, Roy Jones Jr. deserves our top spot in a great decade.