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The Best light heavyweight boxers of all times

Even though the light heavyweight division of boxing has produced some of the sport’s top fighters, only a handful of these remarkable combatants have distanced themselves from the crowd sufficiently to claim the title of the division’s greatest boxers. Before, the light heavyweight champions were not given their deserved glory and the entire division was rarely mentioned in boxing’s best divisions. 

With all the shortcomings involved, the division has managed to see some of the most outstanding fighters over the years with a couple of them going on to hold the division’s world titles as the icing of their careers. Here are the best lightweight boxers of all time.

1. Archie Moore

Archie Moore circa 1950 ‘s pose Press Wire Photo Champion Boxer photo sourced from

Archie Moore was an American professional boxer who held the World Light Heavyweight Championship for the longest period (December 1952 – May 1962). From 1935 through 1963, he had one of the sport’s longest professional careers. Moore was a highly smart and defensive fighter who was nicknamed “The Mongoose” and subsequently “The Old Mongoose” in the latter half of his career.

No one doubts his magnificence and he justly earns his name on a list like this. Moore has the most knockouts in boxing history with victories over Holman Williams, Jimmy Bivins, Lloyd Marshall, Bobo Olson, Eddie Cotton, Joey Maxim, and Harold Johnson.

Moore, who began his professional career as a Welterweight, would blossom into a Light Heavyweight powerhouse by the mid-1940s, travelling from East Coast to West Coast for wins and losses against the likes of Charley Burley, Eddie Booker, Lloyd Marshall, Cocoa Kid, and Jimmy Bivins. Moore hung up his gloves after 220 fights with 186 wins, 23 losses, 10 losses and 1 no-contest.

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2. Ezzard Charles

Promotional photo of Ezzard Charles, World’s Heavyweight Champion photo by David Workman – Wikimedia commons

Mack, Ezzard Charles, sometimes referred to as the Cincinnati Cobra, was a world heavyweight champion and American professional boxer. He is frequently regarded as the best light heavyweight boxer of all time due to his quick defence and accuracy. In three separate weight divisions, Charles defeated several Hall of Fame competitors.

Charles left the sport with a record of 95 victories, 25 defeats, and 1 tie. In the 1990 inaugural class, he was given a posthumous induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Charles’ victories over Charles Burley, Joey Maxim, Lloyd Marshall, Gus Lesnevich, and Jimmy Bivins are just a few of the reasons he is among the top on this list. He competed at the same time as fellow great Archie Moore.

The Cincinnati Cobra was the best fighter of his era at 175 pounds before moving up to the heavyweight division, where he beat Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott and then gave Rocky Marciano some of the toughest fights of his career. The other factor is the fact that he holds three victories over  Archie Moore himself.

3. Sam Langford

Canadian boxer Sam Langford photo by Agence Rol –

Samuel Edgar Langford was a Black Canadian boxer who rose to prominence in the early twentieth century. Many boxing historians regard Langford as one of the best boxers of all time. He was born in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia, and was known as  “The Boston Tar Baby.” In his heyday, Langford stood 5 ft. 6+1/2 in (1.69 m) and weighed 185 lb (84 kg). From lightweight to heavyweight, he defeated several world champions and luminaries of the period.

Despite having faced fewer of the all-time great light heavyweights, he competed as a light heavy throughout the majority of his illustrious career, weighing in at somewhere about 175 pounds. Even though so many avoided him, Langford defeated an astonishingly extensive list of excellent opponents. His boxing record stands at 314 fights with the inclusion of newspaper decisions, 210 wins, 43 losses, 53 draws and 8 no contests.

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4. Roy Jones Jr.

Champion Roy Jones Jr. photo by Bill(iudshi8uf) –

Roy Jones Jr. is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2018. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight, and is the only boxer in history to begin his professional career at light middleweight and go on to win a heavyweight title. In 1999, he unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF championships to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

During his peak, Jones was noted for his extraordinary hand speed, agility, footwork, explosiveness, punching power, mobility, and reflexes. As of 2018, Jones holds the record for the most wins in unified light heavyweight title contests in boxing history, with twelve. He hung up his gloves after 75 in-ring bouts with 66 wins and 9 losses. 

5. Gene Tunney

Boxer Gene Tunney, identified only in the caption as “Champ boxeur” photo by Agence Rol –

American professional boxer James Joseph Tunney competed from 1915 to 1928. Between 1922 and 1923, he twice claimed the American light heavyweight championship. Tunney, a very skilled boxer, faced off against Harry Greb five times in the light heavyweight division, winning three times, losing one, and drawing once. In addition, Tunney defeated Jack Dempsey twice once in 1926 and again in 1927—and eliminated Georges Carpentier.

The Long Count Fight refers to Tunney’s successful championship defence against Dempsey, one of the most well-known fights in boxing history. After defeating Tom Heeney in 1928, he ended his heavyweight career without losing a fight. Tunney was an exquisite fighter, perfectly balanced with a superb left and a burrowing right, as well as a reliable body puncher and expert counterpuncher.

Every light-heavyweight he ever faced including Leo Houck, Battling Levinsky, Fay Kesier, Jimmy Delaney, and Georges Carpentier was defeated by him thanks to this formula. He retired having fought a total of 88 bouts winning 82, losing 4, and drawing one and one is a no-contest. 

6. Michael Spinks

Michael Spinks in 1987 photo sourced from

Michael Spinks is a former professional boxer from the United States who competed from 1977 until 1988. He held two world titles, the undisputed light heavyweight belt from 1983 to 1985 and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988.

Spinks ran the gauntlet of some very tough opposition throughout his stint at light heavyweight and did so without losing a fight on his path to becoming the undisputed champion. When he defeated Larry Holmes in 1985, Spinks became the first light heavyweight to win the heavyweight belt. His boxing record stands at 32 total fights, 31 wins and 1 loss.

7. Bob Foster

Bob Foster 1972 photo sourced from

American professional boxer Robert Wayne Foster competed in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. Foster was a legendary light-heavyweight boxing champion. In 1968, he knocked out Dick Tiger to win the world light heavyweight championship, and from 1968 through 1974, he successfully defended his title fourteen times against 13 different opponents.

Aside from his 14 successful title defences, Foster is also a contender for the division’s greatest puncher. He was unquestionably far more dominant than the fighters of his age, even though he may not have faced a murderer’s row of opponents. He was one of the most respected light heavyweights to ever enter the ring because of his tendency for explosive finishes and endurance at a high level. He retired after 65 bouts, 56 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw.

8. Tommy Loughran

Tommy Loughran photo by El Gráfico –

Thomas Patrick Loughran was a former World Light Heavyweight Champion from the United States. He is unquestionably one of the most astute ring technicians, defeating a lengthy list of top fighters, including Harry Greb, Mickey Walker, Young Stribling, Jeff Smith, Arturo Godoy, King Levinsky, and Georges Carpentier.

Loughran won multiple world titles between 1919 and 1937, becoming the unified NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring light-heavyweight champion in 1928. He successfully defended the combined championships five times. Loughran finished his career with 124 victories, 32 defeats, 13 draws, and one no-contest.

9. Harry Greb

Boxer Harry Greb in a fighting pose. photo sourced from

Harry Greb was an American professional boxer. He is recognized by many boxing historians as one of the greatest fighters of all time, pound for pound.

He held the belt of world middleweight champion from 1923 to 1926 as well as American light heavyweight champion from 1922 to 1923. In the 13 years of his career, when he began at a weight of about 140 pounds, he fought 299 times. Despite beginning as a welterweight, he regularly faced and defeated light heavyweights and even heavyweights as he competed against the greatest opponents the talented 1910s and 1920s could provide him.

Greb was nimble and had excellent footwork for leaping in and out on opponents. He was also a master in the ring fighting with the most technical styles, defeatingand  opponents easily.  He has 261 victories, 18 defeats, 19 draws, and one no-contest.

10. Jimmy Bivins

Jimmy Bivins in 1942 photo sourced from

American light heavyweight boxer Jimmy Bivins competed professionally from 1940 until 1955. Bivins was a key part of that 1940’s light heavyweight explosion, where the best black fighters didn’t get their proper designation. Bivins fought and defeated many of the greatest boxers of his day, winning the “Duration” Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles, despite never having the chance to compete for a world title and once being the top contender in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight categories.

In appreciation of his ring accomplishments, he was able to defeat eight out of the eleven world champions he faced. He defeated several top heavyweights as well as outstanding 175-pounders, including Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Joey Maxim, and Lloyd Marshall.

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