GGOATRANK
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Boxing · Lightweight · Scotland

Ken Buchanan

1965–1982 · Undisputed lightweight champion and Fighter of the Year in 1970.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
83.9
Cultural & brand footprint 58/100 · total legacy 77.3
Undisputed world titles
1
Professional wins
61
Knockouts
27
British titles
1
Fighter of the Year awards
1

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
92
Longevity
80
Honours
82
Statistics
84

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
196540
196649
196759
196868
196977
197087
197196
197290
197383
197477
197570
197664
197757
197851
197944
198038
198131
198225

Data sources

  • International Boxing Hall of Fame
  • BoxRec records
  • World sanctioning body archives

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Ken Buchanan ranks #153 in Boxing

Ken Buchanan ranks 153rd among Boxing athletes on GOAT Rank and 1172nd of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 83.9 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 92, Longevity 80, Honours 82, Statistics 84. Those categories are normalised against the full Boxing reference universe of 231 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1965–1982 with 18 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1971, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes undisputed world titles 1, professional wins 61, knockouts 27, british titles 1.

Immediately ahead sits Tony Zale on 83.9, a gap of 0.0 points. Directly behind is Michael Carbajal on 83.9. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Ken Buchanan GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Buchanan stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full Boxing cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1971. Scored 92/100.
Longevity80/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 17 years of competition and 18 recorded seasons. Scored 80/100.
Honours82/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 82/100.
Statistics84/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 84/100.

Ken Buchanan — frequently asked

Is Ken Buchanan the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Ken Buchanan ranks 153rd in Boxing with a GOAT Score of 83.9, behind Sugar Ray Robinson on 94.3.
What is Ken Buchanan's GOAT Score?
83.9 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 80 (20%), Honours 82 (20%), Statistics 84 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Ken Buchanan rank all time?
1172nd of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 153rd within Boxing.
Ken Buchanan vs Tony Zale: who ranks higher?
Ken Buchanan, on 83.9 against Tony Zale's 83.9 — a margin of 0.0 points.
Compare with Robinson