Boxing

Shakur Stevenson Slights Manny Pacquiao And Muhammad Ali In Blind Ranking Of Greatest Boxers

Shakur Stevenson's blind ranking of boxing legends is going to irk some fans.

Grant Young

Legendary Filipino boxer Manny Macquiao seen during a joint a press conference on July 20, 2023.
Legendary Filipino boxer Manny Macquiao seen during a joint a press conference on July 20, 2023. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Despite his inarguable success in the boxing ring, current WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson hasn't done a ton to endear himself to the boxing community of late.

This was shown when he sent a scathing message to boxing fans on February 10 by saying, "[People] talked bad about me. They act like I'm not this person that I've been my whole life. So f*** them!" per an X post from Ring Magazine.

And Ring Magazine's most recent X post of Stevenson isn't going to earn him any favor among boxing fans.

Stevenson was asked to do a blind ranking of boxing’s top 10 greatest fighters on February 16. This means Stevenson would be given a boxer's name, and he would have to position them 1-10 (with 1 being the greatest and 10 being the least great) without knowing what names would come afterward.

The first name given was Tyson Fury, who Shakur placed at No. 6. Next came Oleksandr Usyk, who Stevenson placed one spot above at No. 5. Julio Chavez was placed at the very last spot at 10 before Sugar Ray Leonard was placed at No. 3.

Next, Manny Pacquiao was placed at No. 8.

Many fans in the comments are making their frustration about Pacquiao being ranked so low known, considering his success in the sport. And that wasn't all they were frustrated with, as Stevenson listed the legendary Muhammad Ali at No. 9.

The top two spots were given to Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Ray Robinson, with Joe Louis rounding out the top 10 at No. 4.

There's no question that Muhammad Ali is the most iconic boxer of all time, and some believe he's the boxing GOAT based on his pedigree. And while Stevenson deserves some slack given how the blind ranking game works, placing Ali at No. 9 of all-time boxing greats is certainly going to upset some fans.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.