Whenever there’s a discussion about a boxer who holds the record for remaining unbeaten for most fights, we often think of Floyd Mayweather Jr (50-0) or Rocky Marciano (49-0). But the true record-holder of the sport is not who you think it is. Let’s take a look at the Longest Unbeaten Streaks In Boxing.
Boxers take a huge amount of pride in their unbeaten records and how long they can remain unconquered in the ring. The mystique of seeming invincible gives a fighter something that those who have been beaten cannot have.
There are great fighters today who are yet to be beaten :
- Andre Ward
- Gennady Golovkin
- Terence Crawford
However, they are well behind these guys in terms of undefeated runs. Here are the longest unbeaten streaks in boxing history.
| RANK | BOXER | UNBEATEN STREAK |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Wilde | 93-0-1 |
| 2 | Julio Cesar Chavez | 89-0-1 |
| 3 | Packey McFarland | 70-0-5 |
| 4 | Willie Pep | 62-0 |
| 5 | Jimmy Barry | 59-0-10 |
| 6 | Ricardo Lopez | 51-0-1 |
| 7 | Floyd Mayweather Jr | 50-0 |
| 8 | Larry Holmes | 48-0 |
| 9 | Chris John | 48-0-3 |
| 10 | Cesar Rene Cuenca | 48-0 |
1). Jimmy Wilde – 93-0-1
Jimmy Wilde was born and raised in Wale. The Welshman made his debut against Ted Roberts on New Year’s Day 1911. He knocked out Ted Roberts in three rounds and this was to be the start of a truly incredible career. Wilde fought 28 times in 1911 and finished the year with a record of 27-0-1. Later at the end of 1914, he had recorded the longest unbeaten record in boxing history of 93-0-1 – a record which still stands to this day.
The 5’ 2” sensation was the first flyweight world champion and owner of two of the best nicknames in the sport’s history:
- ‘’The Mighty Atom”
- ‘The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand’‘ due to his freakish power for a tiny man.
He finished his career with a ridiculous record of 132-3-1, frustratingly notching up 99 knockouts rather than the round ton.
2). Julio Cesar Chavez – 89-0-1
Julio Cesar Chavez was the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. For many years, especially in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, He remains the greatest fighter. Julio Cesar Chavez was a true phenom of nature, i.e from super featherweight up to super lightweight. By 1993 Chavez has a record of 87-0. At that time, he was a world champion at three weight divisions and the undisputed pound-for-pound king.
He just overreached at that point when he took on Pernell Whitaker at welterweight and scraped a draw. Three fights later he suffered his first defeat to Frankie Randall, ending his unbeaten run at 90 fights. El León de Culiacán was still fighting in 2005 when he finished his career with a record of 107-6-2.
3). Packey McFarland – 70-0-5
Incredibly, McFarland holds a 70-0-5 record and yet he never got a shot at a world title in his 11-year professional career. The Chicago native was devastating at lightweight and welterweight from 1904 until his final fight in 1915 but never got the shot he deserved.
He defeated future world champions Freddie Welsh and Jack Britton but his own crack at world honors remained elusive. As mentioned, Newspaper Decisions are not coming into this, but if they were, Packey finished with a stellar record of 105-1-6.
4). Willie Pep – 62-0
Willie Pep was known for his famous win. Less than a year after making his pro debut in July 1940 he had amassed a record of 24-0. By March 1943 Willie who was known as Will o’ the Wisp had stacked up 62 wins against his name. His output was incredible as he traveled the States racking up wins.
In January 1943 alone he scored three victories over 10 rounds, one in New Orleans, one in New York, and the other in Connecticut. Pep lost to Sammy Angott in 1943 but he went on to win the world featherweight title twice and end his career on an incredible score of 229-11-1.
5). Jimmy Barry – 59-0-10
Jimmy Barry famously known as ‘The Little Tiger’ made his way back in 1891. Due to a lack of sources, it’s not sure about the record. Hence Records are not the most reliable but it appears that Barry went for 60 fights without losing a single one and also claimed world titles at ‘100lbs’ and bantamweight. Standing 5’2” from Chicago, Barry knocked out his first 11 opponents, all of whom were making their debuts.
It was a fun career that ended with eight straight draws which were probably fairly generous to keep the legendary fighter’s undefeated streak going.
