Ranking The Top American Fighters of the 21st Century: Red, White and Boom

The article discusses the author's opinion on the top 10 pound-for-pound American boxers of the 21st century. The list includes fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and Oscar De La Hoya. The author also critiques a upcoming fight between Eimantas Stanionis and Vergil Ortiz Jr.

I had the incredible opportunity to fulfill one of my childhood dreams recently. I parked my car, walked down Exchange Boulevard in the beautiful city of Rochester, New York, and made my way to the War Memorial Auditorium. I was there to cover my very first live boxing match.

The fight that night was a rematch between local hero Charles Murray and Jake Rodriguez. Rodriguez had stunned Murray with a majority decision over two years ago in Atlantic City. This time, Murray emerged victorious with a seventh-round TKO.

As I reflected on the fight over the weekend, I had an idea. If this marked the beginning of my career as a boxing writer, I wanted to know who the best fighters of this era were. Since it was Independence Day, I decided to narrow the list down to the best American fighters of the 21st century.

I chose to start the list from January 1, 2000, as it seemed like a fitting starting point. It's important to note that we're only considering performances from the 21st century. Fighters like Thomas Hearns and Mike Tyson had fights in the 2000s, but they didn't live up to their prime years in the '80s and '90s.

Now, let's dive into the list of the top 10 pound-for-pound American fighters of the 21st century:

10. ERROL SPENCE JR. - Despite still being an active professional, Spence has already made a significant impact in his 11-year career. With six years as a champion and six successful defenses, he has proven his dominance in the ring. If he secures a victory on July 29, we can expect him to climb even higher on this list.

9. TIMOTHY BRADLEY - Known as "Desert Storm," Bradley is often underestimated, but his achievements speak for themselves. He was a two-division champion and holds wins over Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. While his Hall of Fame status is debatable, there's no denying his success in the U.S. over the past 23 years.

8. OSCAR DE LA HOYA - De La Hoya had already achieved greatness before the turn of the century, but he continued to impress with memorable fights against Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, and Ricardo Mayorga. Although he lost some of the biggest fights of his career, his victories solidify his place on this list.

7. WINKY WRIGHT - Often forgotten, Wright was a dominant force in the 154-pound division. He defeated Shane Mosley twice and Felix Trinidad on his way to becoming a middleweight champion. Close fights against Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins show just how skilled Wright was.

6. TERENCE CRAWFORD - The second active fighter on this list, Crawford has achieved three weight-class titles and has a remarkable ability to switch stances seamlessly during fights. His aggression and skill make him a formidable opponent in the ring.

5. SHANE MOSLEY - Although he was defeated by Winky Wright and Oscar De La Hoya, Mosley's incredible physical attributes, including his hand speed and power, cannot be ignored. He spent two years as the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter and consistently performed at a high level.

4. BERNARD HOPKINS - B-Hop's consistency over a long period of time is unmatched. He was ranked in The Ring's top 10 nine times from 2000 to 2009 and held the middleweight record. Even at the age of 49, he was still a legitimate champion.

3. ANDRE WARD - While Ward's career may not have had the longevity of others on this list, his dominance from 2004 to 2017 cannot be denied. He won the Super 6 tournament at 168 pounds and defeated tough opponents like Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch. His victories over Sergey Kovalev solidify his place as one of the best.

2. ROY JONES JR. - Jones was a force to be reckoned with in the '90s and early 2000s. His skills were unmatched, and he won nine straight fights from 2000 to 2003. Although he experienced a decline after his loss to Antonio Tarver, he remains one of the greatest fighters of his time.

1. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. - Love him or hate him, Mayweather's record speaks for itself. He was consistently ranked in the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters from 2000 to 2013, with multiple first-place finishes. He never lost a fight and proved himself in rematches when victories were debated. Since 2000, Mayweather has undoubtedly been the best American fighter.

Now, let's shift our focus to an upcoming fight between Eimantas Stanionis and Vergil Ortiz Jr. While this is an exciting matchup between welterweight contenders, it's important to note that it is not a title fight. With the highly anticipated unification fight at 147 pounds just around the corner, we shouldn't give any attention to unnecessary belts from sanctioning bodies.

Please keep in mind that the fights discussed in this article only include those involving full-fledged title holders from sanctioning bodies. Interim, diamond, silver, and other titles are not considered. Additionally, fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.