Here is a list of the best featherweight boxers of all time, ranked from worst to best, brought to you by Bloody Knockout.
Boxing’s featherweight division is one of the oldest weight classes in history and has seen some remarkable fighters compete for world titles over the years.
The knockouts from bigger men in the heavyweight ranks mean that sometimes the smaller weight divisions are forgotten about but the fighters are just as skilled.
Here we look at the 10 best featherweights to ever grace the sport.
10. Erik Morales
A Mexican great. Erik Morales conquered four weight classes and picked up some huge wins during his time in the division. The two-time champion defeated Kevin Kelley, Paulie Ayala, In Ji Chi, and Duty Espadas, only losing to Marco Antonio Barrera as a featherweight.
Morales is famous for his trilogy fights with Manny Pacquiao and Barrera, showing huge heart and resilience against the two greats. The Mexican may have been one of the tallest fighters in the division but he hardly ever used his reach, he would constantly be involved in wars making him a fan favorite.
9. Naseem Hamed
Perhaps the biggest puncher the featherweight division has ever seen. Naseem Hamed became one of the biggest stars in the sport with his incredible style and punch power.
The featherweight was famous for entering the ring by flipping over the ropes and would dance around the ring before dropping his opponents with one single punch. Hamed defeated Kevin Kelley, Steve Robinson, and Paul Ingle during his time as champion but lost his title to Barrera in 2001.
8. Marco Antonio Barrera
Another Mexican legend. Barrera had some of his finest performances at featherweight and won titles in three weight classes. The great fighter won his first 43 fights before losing to Junior Jones down at Super Bantamweight.
The Mexican defeated fellow greats Morales, Hamed, and Johnny Tapia, only falling to Pacquiao during his time in the division. Barrera was fearless and faced all of the greats of his era across three weight classes making him one of the best ever.
7. Juan Manuel Marquez
The great Juan Manuel Marquez spent the majority of his career as a featherweight and won titles in three weight divisions. The Mexican won the prestigious award of ‘Ring Magazine Fighter of The Year’ in 2012 and is regarded as one of the finest fighters to have lived.
Marquez was known for his skilled combinations and extraordinary heart which meant he was never stopped in 64 professional contests. The 64kg fighter was famous for his incredible four-fight saga with rival Manny Pacquiao and his war against fellow Mexican Barrera.
6. Henry Armstrong
Henry Armstrong is also one of the few fighters to receive the award of ‘Ring Magazine Fighter of The Year’ and won world championships in three weight divisions. Legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas considers him the best fighter that has ever lived.
Armstrong had 180 professional fights across his 14-year professional boxing career but his best days came as a featherweight. The American scored nearly 100 knockouts across his career and was seen as unbeatable during his time as featherweight champion.
5. Abe Attell
Abe Attell held the world featherweight championship for an incredible six years. In 1903, aged just 20, he beat Johnny Reagan in a 20-round decision to claim the featherweight title.
Attell successfully defended his title twenty-two times between 1906 and 1912, which to this day remains a division record. His brother Monte Attell held the bantamweight championship, making them the first brothers to hold world titles simultaneously.
4. Vasily Lomachenko
People often forget Vasily Lomachenko’s dominance at featherweight before moving up to challenge himself against the big men. The Ukrainian came into the professional game late after winning two Olympic gold medals and decided to make up for lost time.
Lomachenko dared to be great and fought for a world title in just his second contest but missed out. He eventually won the belt in his next fight, defeating Garry Russell Jr. by knockout. The Ukrainian possesses some of the greatest skills of any fighter to have graced the sport.
3. Manny Pacquiao
The great Manny Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion was undefeated during his time at featherweight. Pacquiao defeated Barrera and was unlucky to draw against Marquez before moving up in weight to beat Morales.
‘Pac Man’ is regarded as one of the best fighters to have ever lived, defeating some of the greatest fighters to have lived. Pacquiao finally faced off with his longtime rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015, losing on points to the American.
2. Salvador Sanchez
Many say Salvador Sanchez could have been the greatest fighter to have ever lived if it wasn’t for his unfortunate death at the age of 23. The fighter held the title for two years before his death but still had an impressive record of 44 victories and 1 defeat.
Sanchez started his professional career aged 16 and became world champion at just 21 years old. The Mexican defeated Wilfredo Gomez, Danny Lopez, and Juan Laporte during his career and was one of the biggest stars of the sport.
1. Willie Pep
The greatest featherweight to have ever lived. Pep won an astounding 229 of his 241 fights and held the championship twice between 1942 and 1950. Pep was also voted the number one featherweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization in 2005.
The American used his outstanding footwork, speed, and defense to bamboozle his opponents. One even described fighting him as like trying to stomp out a grass fire. Pep will go down in history as the best-ever featherweight.