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10 Best Boxers Of The 2010s: From Deontay Wilder To Manny Pacquiao
By Anthony Walker,
17 days ago
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
With every decade comes a new batch of boxers pushing the sport forward. The 10 years in boxing ending with 2010 is no different a featured some legendary fighters. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who Ringside Intel believes are the 10 very best boxers of the 2010s.
10. Deontay Wilder
Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
It would be fair to criticize Deontay Wilder for being included on a best boxers list because of his unorthodox technique and overall unbridled approach to the sweet science. However, it’s impossible to ignore the results.
Throughout the 2010s, “The Bronze Bomber” emerged as the single most consistently entertaining fighter since Mike Tyson. Blessed with unbelievable power and athletic ability, Wilder finished nearly everyone in his way, put on an all-time classic with Tyson Fury , and had a vice grip on the WBC heavyweight title.
While heavyweight fighters have been able to get by relying solely on power and toughness, Tyson Fury brought the skill and technique of his lighter-weight counterparts. Along with usual height and reach, nobody could figure out how to crack the code of “The Gypsy King.”
Fury was so far ahead of the competition that a nearly three-year layoff was only a speed bump to his reign. In the sole blemish on his record that decade, he fought to a thrilling draw against fellow champ Deontay Wilder.
Dallas, Texas-bred Errol Spence Jr. emerged as one of boxing’s most thrilling stars in the 2010s. During that time, he only saw the scorecards five times out of his 26 fights. This quickly established him as a fan favorite and an integral part of PBC’s initial push into relevance.
In addition to winning and defending the IBF welterweight title four times during that period, he also collected the WBC belt and defeated six former world champions.
While Errol Spence Jr. was making more of a splash in the mainstream, Terence Crawford was quietly putting in some of the same work. Winning his first world title in 2014 as a lightweight, “Bud” would also conquer light welterweight and welterweight with multiple defenses of both.
Crawford also became only the second-ever undisputed light welterweight champion in 2017, a feat he would duplicate at 147 pounds in 2023.
It’s hard to express just how electrifying Vasyl Lomanchenko’s ascension was. After nearly 400 amateur fights and gold medals in two separate Olympic games, the phenom quickly established himself as one of the best professional boxers on the planet.
Using incredible footwork and stance switching informed by traditional Ukrainian dance, he confused and dominated most of his opponents on the way to world titles in three divisions.
Even though three of his eight career defeats came in the 2010s, it’s hard to deny Manny Pacquiao’s place among the best of the decade. Even as superstardom and power at the negotiating table presented more and more opportunities, the welterweight legend fought all comers without hesitation.
It’s also important to note that he avenged the Timothy Bradley loss twice and another loss as half of the highest-selling pay-per-view of all time against Floyd Mayweather Jr. At over 40 years old, Pacquiao earned the WBA belt against Keith Thurman.
Gennady Golovkin won the interim WBA middleweight title in his first fight of 2010. It would take eight years for someone to take gold away from him. In the time between “GGG” would become one of boxing’s silent assassins, finishing everyone but Danny Jacobs and Canelo Alvarez.
Despite testing himself against some of the best the middleweight division had to offer, including the aforementioned Alvarez and Jacobs, he was never dropped. Amazingly, he relied solely on traditional food and old-fashioned boxing training for the overwhelming majority of his career and didn’t explore bringing nutrition or strength and conditioning experts until 2019.
3. Andre Ward
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Rising to prominence as part of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Andre Ward’s run in the 2010s was a master class in nuance and technique. With a knack for slick defense and counterpunching, “SOG” was also able to adjust strategy mid-fight and leave opponents confused.
Ward unified belts at super middleweight and light heavyweight before hanging up the gloves in 2017 as an undefeated legend.
In the 2010s, Canelo Alvarez continued the tradition of great Mexican fighters while spending a good deal of the decade pushing his way through the pound-for-pound rankings and collecting belts.
Perfectly balancing defense with aggression was the key to his success. He earned unified titles in three divisions and concluded his 2019 campaign with a legacy-defining stoppage against Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title.
Floyd Mayweather Jr spent the 2010s doing what he did best: collecting wins, avoiding damage, and depositing mind-blowing checks. Wins over Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, and Canelo Alvarez further secured his status as a legend.
However, his power at the box office grew exponentially with the record-breaking numbers attached to the long-awaited Manny Pacquiao fight and the spectacle against then-UFC champion Conor McGregor . The latter, for better or worse, ushered in the crossover combat events that are now the norm.
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