- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1977–2006
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
GOAT Rank · 17
Greatest Boxers who debuted in the 1970s
This ranking is led by Thomas Hearns, Larry Holmes and Wilfredo Gómez. GOAT Rank currently ranks 17 eligible boxers who debuted in the 1970s using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Thomas Hearns ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 91.4.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1973–2002
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1974–1989
- Country
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1979–2008
- Country
- 🇬🇭 Ghana
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1977–1997
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 93.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1973–1990
- Country
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1970–1988
- Country
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1974–1981
- Country
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1973–1987
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1973–1990
- Country
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1976–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1971–1989
- Country
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1972–1988
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1977–1988
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1976–1990
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 68.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1971–1995
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 68.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Boxing
- Career
- 1975–1982
- Country
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 56.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Thomas Hearns | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1977–2006 | 91.4 |
| 9 | Larry Holmes | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1973–2002 | 91.4 |
| 27 | Wilfredo Gómez | Boxing | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 1974–1989 | 89.5 |
| 42 | Azumah Nelson | Boxing | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1979–2008 | 88.4 |
| 45 | Sugar Ray Leonard | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1977–1997 | 88.2 |
| 89 | Wilfredo Benítez | Boxing | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 1973–1990 | 86.3 |
| 97 | Carlos Zárate | Boxing | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 1970–1988 | 86.1 |
| 108 | Yoko Gushiken | Boxing | 🇯🇵 Japan | 1974–1981 | 85.8 |
| 115 | Marvelous Marvin Hagler | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1973–1987 | 85.4 |
| 126 | Wilfred Benítez | Boxing | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 1973–1990 | 85.2 |
| 133 | Jeff Chandler | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1984 | 85.0 |
| 135 | Pipino Cuevas | Boxing | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 1971–1989 | 84.9 |
| 151 | Bobby Chacon | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1972–1988 | 84.0 |
| 171 | Michael Spinks | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1977–1988 | 83.1 |
| 201 | Aaron Pryor | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1990 | 81.5 |
| 223 | Ron Lyle | Boxing | 🇺🇸 United States | 1971–1995 | 79.0 |
| 224 | Salvador Sánchez | Boxing | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 1975–1982 | 78.8 |
Compare the leaders
Thomas Hearns vs Larry HolmesRead 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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