BOXERS from Mexico

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Mexican Boxers of all time. This list of famous Mexican Boxers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Mexican Boxers.

1. Canelo Álvarez (1990 - )

With an HPI of 49.23, Canelo Álvarez is the most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán (Latin American Spanish: [saˈul ˈalβaɾes]; born 18 July 1990), commonly known as Canelo, is a Mexican professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes from light middleweight to light heavyweight, including unified titles in three of those weight classes and lineal titles in two. Álvarez is the first and only boxer in history to become undisputed champion at super middleweight, having held the World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version), World Boxing Council (WBC) and Ring magazine titles since 2020, and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles since 2021. Álvarez is known as an excellent counterpuncher, being able to exploit openings in his opponents' guards while avoiding punches with head and body movement. He is also known as a formidable body puncher. As of April 2024, Álvarez is ranked as the world's fourth best active boxer, pound for pound, by The Ring; third by BoxRec; and fifth by the TBRB. One of boxing's biggest ever pay-per-view stars, he is consistently one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, making Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

2. Julio César Chávez (1962 - )

With an HPI of 48.20, Julio César Chávez is the 2nd most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Julio César Chávez González (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxuljo ˈsesaɾ ˈtʃaβes ɣonˈsales]; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the Ring magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chávez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively. Chávez holds records for the most total successful defenses of world titles (27, shared with Omar Narváez), most title fight victories and fighters beaten for the title (both at 31), and most title fights (37); he has the second most title defenses won by knockout (21, after Joe Louis with 23). His fight record was 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw before his first professional loss to Frankie Randall in 1994, before which he had an 87-fight win streak until his draw with Pernell Whitaker in 1993. Chávez's 1993 win over Greg Haugen at the Estadio Azteca set the record for the largest attendance for an outdoor boxing match: 136,274. He is ranked as the 17th best boxer of all time, pound for pound, by BoxRec, #24 on ESPN's list of "50 Greatest Boxers of All Time", and 18th on The Ring's "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years". In 2010 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011. He is the father of current boxers Omar Chávez and former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr.

3. Alfonso Zamora (1954 - )

With an HPI of 43.32, Alfonso Zamora is the 3rd most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alfonso Zamora Quiroz (born 9 February 1954) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 1980. He was the Lineal and WBA bantamweight champion, and made five title defenses. As an amateur, he won a silver medal in the bantamweight event at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

4. Francisco Cabañas (1912 - 2002)

With an HPI of 42.16, Francisco Cabañas is the 4th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Francisco Cabañas Pardo (22 January 1912 – 26 January 2002) was a Mexican boxer. He competed in the flyweight class during the 1932 Summer Olympics and, although he lost the final against Hungarian István Énekes, he became the first Mexican athlete to ever win an individual Olympic medal.

5. Fidel Ortiz (1908 - 1975)

With an HPI of 40.99, Fidel Ortiz is the 5th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Fidel Ortiz Tovar, also known as Fidelón (10 October 1908 – 9 September 1975) was a Mexican boxer who represented his country in the 1928 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In the later competition, he defeated Swedish pugilist Stig Cederberg to win the bronze medal in the Bantamweight class.

6. Juan Manuel Márquez (1973 - )

With an HPI of 39.20, Juan Manuel Márquez is the 6th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Juan Manuel Márquez Méndez (born August 23, 1973) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2014. He is the third Mexican boxer (after Érik Morales and Jorge Arce) to become a world champion in four weight classes, having held five world major titles from featherweight to light welterweight, including the lineal championship at lightweight. In a career that spanned over twenty years, Márquez was known for being a fast and highly technical boxer who was exceptionally skilled at combinations and counterpunches, yet also willing to engage in slugfests with opponents. He was also credited for his toughness, and never lost a fight by stoppage. His most notable bouts include his four-fight saga with Manny Pacquiao and his fight against fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. Márquez was named The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year in 2012. He is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, and is ranked by BoxRec as the thirteenth greatest boxer of all time and the fifth greatest Mexican boxer of all time, pound for pound. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the class of 2020.

7. Marco Antonio Barrera (1974 - )

With an HPI of 38.88, Marco Antonio Barrera is the 7th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2011. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes between 1995 and 2007, from super bantamweight to super featherweight. Barrera is well known for his trilogy with fellow Mexican legend Erik Morales, his duology with Manny Pacquiao, and his rivalries with Naseem Hamed and Juan Manuel Márquez. BoxRec currently Barrera 55th in its list of the greatest boxers of all time, pound for pound, while ESPN ranked Barrera as 43rd on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

8. Érik Morales (1976 - )

With an HPI of 38.57, Érik Morales is the 8th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Erik Isaac Morales Elvira (born September 1, 1976) is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He is the first Mexico-born boxer in history to win world championships in four weight classes, ranging from super bantamweight to light welterweight. Morales defeated fifteen world champions during the course of his career, and is famous for his trilogies with fellow Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as Manny Pacquiao. ESPN ranked Morales at number 49 on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. Morales was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June 2018.

9. Óscar Valdez (1990 - )

With an HPI of 28.95, Óscar Valdez is the 9th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Óscar Rafael Valdez Fierro Jr. (born 22 December 1990) is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, holding the WBC super featherweight title from 2021 to 2022, and the WBO featherweight title from 2016 to 2019. As an amateur boxer, Valdez qualified for the 2008 Olympics at the age of 17 and became the first Mexican Youth World Champion. Four years later, he qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Valdez is known for his aggressive fighting style, punching power and combination punching. He holds a 72% knockout-to-win percentage.

10. Abner Mares (1985 - )

With an HPI of 23.68, Abner Mares is the 10th most famous Mexican Boxer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Abner Mares Martínez (born November 28, 1985) is a Mexican-American professional boxer who also works as a boxing analyst and commentator for Showtime. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF bantamweight title from 2011 to 2012, the WBC super bantamweight title from 2012 to 2013, the WBC featherweight title in 2013, and the WBA (Regular) featherweight title from 2016 to 2018. As an amateur boxer, Mares won numerous medals at international tournaments while representing Mexico. He grew up in the city of Hawaiian Gardens, California and holds dual citizenship with Mexico and the United States.