- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1940–1965
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 95.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
GOAT Rank · 17
Greatest Boxers who debuted in the 1940s
This ranking is led by Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Pep and Ezzard Charles. GOAT Rank currently ranks 17 eligible boxers who debuted in the 1940s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Sugar Ray Robinson ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 94.3.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1940–1966
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1940–1959
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1946–1971
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1943–1970
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1948–1967
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1946–1960
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1940–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1943–1958
- Country
- 🇨🇺 Cuba
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1947–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1941–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1940–1955
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1944–1956
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1948–1961
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1942–1952
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1948–1962
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1941–1954
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 74.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar Ray Robinson | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1965 | 94.3 |
| 23 | Willie Pep | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1966 | 89.8 |
| 24 | Ezzard Charles | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1959 | 89.8 |
| 44 | Harold Johnson | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1971 | 88.4 |
| 54 | Joe Brown | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1943–1970 | 87.8 |
| 67 | Joey Giardello | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1967 | 87.1 |
| 71 | Jimmy Carter | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1946–1960 | 86.9 |
| 75 | Beau Jack | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1955 | 86.8 |
| 77 | Kid Gavilán | Boxing | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 1943–1958 | 86.5 |
| 86 | Rocky Marciano | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1947–1956 | 86.3 |
| 93 | Billy Graham | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1941–1955 | 86.3 |
| 129 | Jimmy Bivins | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1940–1955 | 85.1 |
| 134 | Sandy Saddler | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1944–1956 | 84.9 |
| 141 | Carmen Basilio | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1961 | 84.6 |
| 182 | Rocky Graziano | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1942–1952 | 82.8 |
| 192 | Tony DeMarco | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1962 | 82.0 |
| 217 | Jake LaMotta | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1941–1954 | 80.2 |
Compare the leaders
Sugar Ray Robinson vs Willie PepRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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