It has been exciting to watch the evolution of the boxing world. From the epic days of Mike Tyson to the current days of Tyson Fury, it has been thrilling to enjoy the gloves clashing in the ring and the bodies dropping to the canvas.
Over the years, we have been treated to the rise and fall of some incredible boxers. Who would believe that the eminent likes of Wilder and Anthony Joshua would taste defeat?
Many punters – cutting across those betting with a crypto bookmaker – didn’t anticipate upsets like the one Joshua suffered against Usyk in their first match.
But not all boxers lost in their professional career. Yes, some retired undefeated!
This article will examine the top five undefeated boxers in history since 2009 that contemporary competitors aspire to emulate.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. 50-0(27KOs)
Mayweather is a record holder of 50 fights, 50 wins (27 by knockout), and 0 losses. He boxed professionally between 1996 and 2017 and ended his career with a flawless record, bagging victories in 15 different world titles.
This cut across super featherweight to light middleweight.
His victories include the lineal championship in four weight divisions, twice at welterweight, and the ring magazine title twice in five weight classes.
At the Olympics in 1996, he took home a bronze medal in the amateur featherweight competition. Additionally, he took home triple U.S. Golden Gloves titles—flyweight, featherweight, and light flyweight, as well as the featherweight national title.
Mayweather was named “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2010s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
He won the BWAA year award three times—2007, 2013, and 2015.
Edwin Valero 27-0(27KOs)
Edwin Valero is a professional southpaw boxer who boxed from 2002 to 2010. Before his passing, he fought a total of 27 times, winning all 27 of them via knockdown.
Valero is the only champion in World Boxing Council(WBC) history to have won every contest by way of knockout.
He was well-known for his fiercely aggressive fighting style and exceptional striking power. He defeated Antonio DeMarco by knockout on February 6, 2010.
This was his last fight before being arrested on accusations of killing his wife. It was reportedly said that Valero committed suicide after agreeing to his crime.
Valero broke Arthur Susskind’s old record from 1905 and established a new one on February 25, 2006, by eliminating his opponents in the first round of his first 18 professional fights.
On August 5, 2006, Valero fought with World Boxing Association(WBA) super featherweight champion “Vincente Mosquera,” and took him down twice by knocking the champion to the ground.
In retaliation, Mosquera knocked down Valero in the third round, the sole knockdown Valero suffered all through his professional career.
In the tenth round, when it became evident that Mosquera was starting to fatigue from Valero’s constant, heavy punches–the referee stopped the fight and crowned Valero the winner.
Andre Michael Ward 32-0 (16KOs)
Andre Michael Ward is also one of the boxers who finished undefeated. He competed from 2004 to 2017.
He held the Ring magazine, WBA, lineal super middleweight, and WBC titles. From 2016 to 2017, he held the International Boxing Federation(IBF), WBA, WBO, and Ring light heavyweight titles.
He retired with an undefeated record of 32 wins and 26 knockouts.
The Ring magazine, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), and BoxRec all ranked Ward as the best active boxer in the world in his division and as the top fighter overall, pound for pound.
Ward is ranked as the twelfth-greatest fighter of all time, pound for pound, by BoxRec as of January 2022.
Ward earned a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics in the light heavyweight division while competing as an amateur. He became well-known after competing in the 2009 Super Six World Boxing Classic competition and taking home the WBA super middleweight belt.
He captured the vacant ring and lineal titles in 2011. The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America named Ward Fighter of the Year in the same year.
After a lengthy stretch of infrequent in-ring activity between 2012 and 2015, he subsequently earned The Ring’s Comeback of the Year award in 2016.
Ward bagged honorable induction into the Class 2021 International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Joe Calzaghe 46-0 (32 KOs)
Joe Calzaghe, a professional boxer from the United Kingdom, left an unbroken trail in his 15-year career in the ring and finished his career with a remarkable 46-0 record with 32 knockouts.
He won the WBA, IBF, WBC, and WBO titles.
Well-known boxing figures such as Roy Jones Jr., Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, Byron Mitchell, Seiko Bika, and Bernard Hopkins were all defeated by Calzaghe.
He entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014. Shortly after winning his final bout against Roy Jones Jr, he declared his retirement. He finished his career as the third-ranked fighter pound-for-pound.
Dmitry Pirog 20-0 (15 KOs)
Dmitry had a somewhat brief professional career from 2005 to 2012. He was 20-0 with 15 Knockouts (KOs) before retiring due to a back issue.
In 2010, he won the WBO Middleweight Championship, which he successfully defended for two years. Pirog reportedly had an amateur record of 200-30 and had won several regional professional titles.
Dmitry competed against Daniel Jacobs for the vacant WBO Middleweight Championship in July 2010,
Pirog defeated Daniel in the fifth round. Furthermore, Pirog defended the title three times.
Conclusion
Numerous boxers have gone undefeated in history. This is only a small selection of those who were yet into professional boxing as of 2009.
Please be aware that they weren’t numbered based on their accomplishments.