The Ring magazine Fight of the Year

The Ring magazine was established in 1922 and has since named a Fight of the Year, which this list covers.

Fights of the Year by decade

1920s

1922 – Harry Greb W 15 Gene Tunney
1923 – Jack Dempsey KO 2 Luis Firpo – see Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Ángel Firpo
1924 – Gene Tunney KO 15 Georges Carpentier
1925 – Harry Greb W 15 Mickey Walker
1926 – Gene Tunney W 10 Jack Dempsey I
1927 – Gene Tunney W 10 Jack Dempsey II – see The Long Count Fight
1928 – Tommy Loughran W 15 Leo Lomski
1929 – Max Schmeling KO 9 Johnny Risko

1930s

1930 – Jackie Kid Berg W 10 Kid Chocolate I
1931 – Max Schmeling KO 15 Young Stribling
1932 – Tony Canzoneri W 15 Billy Petrolle II
1933 – Max Baer KO 10 Max Schmeling
1934 – Barney Ross W 15 Jimmy McLarnin I
1935 – Joe Louis KO 4 Max Baer
1936 – Max Schmeling KO 12 Joe Louis I – see Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling
1937 – Joe Louis W 15 Tommy Farr
1938 – Henry Armstrong W 15 Lou Ambers I
1939 – Joe Louis KO 11 Bob Pastor II

1940s

1940 – Ceferino Garcia D 10 Henry Armstrong
1941 – Joe Louis KO 13 Billy Conn I
1942 – Willie Pep W 15 Chalky Wright I
1943 – Beau Jack W 15 Bob Montgomery II
1944 – Bob Montgomery W 15 Beau Jack III
1945 – Rocky Graziano KO 10 Red Cochrane I
1946 – Tony Zale KO 6 Rocky Graziano I
1947 – Rocky Graziano KO 6 Tony Zale II
1948 – Marcel Cerdan KO 12 Tony Zale
1949 – Willie Pep W 15 Sandy Saddler II

1950s

Sugar Ray Robinson being held aloft by Gene Fullmer and Carmen Basilio in 1965. Basilio engaged in five consecutive Fight of the Year contests from 1955 to 1959, with three of them contested against either Robinson or Fullmer.

1950 – Jake LaMotta KO 15 Laurent Dauthuille II
1951 – Jersey Joe Walcott KO 7 Ezzard Charles III
1952 – Rocky Marciano KO 13 Jersey Joe Walcott I
1953 – Rocky Marciano KO 11 Roland La Starza II
1954 – Rocky Marciano KO 8 Ezzard Charles II – see Rocky Marciano vs. Ezzard Charles II
1955 – Carmen Basilio KO 12 Tony DeMarco II
1956 – Carmen Basilio KO 9 Johnny Saxton II
1957 – Carmen Basilio W 15 Sugar Ray Robinson I
1958 – Sugar Ray Robinson W 15 Carmen Basilio II
1959 – Gene Fullmer KO 14 Carmen Basilio I

1960s

1960 – Floyd Patterson KO 5 Ingemar Johansson II
1961 – Joe Brown W 15 Dave Charnley II
1962 – Joey Giardello W 10 Henry Hank II
1963 – Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) W 10 Doug Jones – see Cassius Clay vs. Doug Jones
1964 – Muhammad Ali KO 7 Sonny Liston I – see Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston
1965 – Floyd Patterson W 12 George Chuvalo
1966 – José Torres W 15 Eddie Cotton
1967 – Nino Benvenuti W 15 Emile Griffith I
1968 – Dick Tiger W 10 Frank DePaula
1969 – Joe Frazier KO 7 Jerry Quarry I

1970s

Muhammad Ali was involved in more Fight of the Year contests than any other boxer in history; six spanning almost two decades.

1970 – Carlos Monzón KO 12 Nino Benvenuti I
1971 – Joe Frazier W 15 Muhammad Ali I – see Fight of the Century
1972 – Bob Foster KO 14 Chris Finnegan
1973 – George Foreman KO 2 Joe Frazier I – see Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman
1974 – Muhammad Ali KO 8 George Foreman – see The Rumble in the Jungle
1975 – Muhammad Ali TKO 14 Joe Frazier III – see Thrilla in Manila
1976 – George Foreman KO 5 Ron Lyle
1977 – Jimmy Young W 12 George Foreman
1978 – Leon Spinks W 15 Muhammad Ali I – see Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks
1979 – Danny Lopez KO 15 Mike Ayala

1980s

1980 – Matthew Saad Muhammad KO 14 Yaqui Lopez II
1981 – Sugar Ray Leonard KO 14 Thomas Hearns I – see Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns
1982 – Bobby Chacon UD 15 Rafael Limon IV
1983 – Bobby Chacon W 12 Cornelius Boza-Edwards II
1984 – José Luis Ramírez KO 4 Edwin Rosario II
1985 – Marvelous Marvin Hagler KO 3 Thomas Hearns – see Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns
1986 – Stevie Cruz W 15 Barry McGuigan
1987 – Sugar Ray Leonard W 12 Marvelous Marvin Hagler
1988 – Tony Lopez W 12 Rocky Lockridge I
1989 – Roberto Durán W 12 Iran Barkley

1990s

1990 – Julio César Chávez TKO 12 Meldrick Taylor I – see Julio César Chávez vs. Meldrick Taylor
1991 – Robert Quiroga W 12 Akeem Anifowoshe
1992 – Riddick Bowe W 12 Evander Holyfield I – see Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe
1993 – Michael Carbajal KO 7 Humberto González I – see Michael Carbajal vs. Humberto Gonzalez I
1994 – Jorge Castro KO 9 John David Jackson I
1995 – Saman Sorjaturong KO 7 Humberto González
1996 – Evander Holyfield TKO 11 Mike Tyson I – see Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
1997 – Arturo Gatti KO 5 Gabriel Ruelas
1998 – Ivan Robinson W 10 Arturo Gatti I
1999 – Paulie Ayala W 12 Johnny Tapia I

2000s

Arturo Gatti at the post-fight press conference after his third fight with Micky Ward, 2003

2000 – Erik Morales W 12 Marco Antonio Barrera I – see Érik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera
2001 – Micky Ward W 10 Emanuel Augustus
2002 – Micky Ward W 10 Arturo Gatti I
2003 – Arturo Gatti W 10 Micky Ward III
2004 – Marco Antonio Barrera W 12 Erik Morales III – see Érik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera III
2005 – Diego Corrales KO 10 José Luis Castillo I – see Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo
2006 – Somsak Sithchatchawal TKO 10 Mahyar Monshipour
2007 – Israel Vázquez TKO 6 Rafael Márquez II
2008 – Israel Vázquez W 12 Rafael Márquez III
2009 – Juan Manuel Marquez KO 9 Juan Diaz I

2010s

2010 – Giovani Segura KO 8 Ivan Calderon I
2011 – Victor Ortiz W 12 Andre Berto
2012 – Juan Manuel Marquez KO 6 Manny Pacquiao IV – see Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Márquez IV
2013 – Timothy Bradley W 12 Ruslan Provodnikov
2014 – Lucas Matthysse KO 11 John Molina, Jr.
2015 – Francisco Vargas TKO 9 Takashi Miura
2016 – Francisco Vargas D 12 Orlando Salido
2017 – Anthony Joshua TKO 11 Wladimir Klitschko – see Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko
2018 – Canelo Álvarez W 12 Gennady Golovkin II – see Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II
2019 – Naoya Inoue W 12 Nonito Donaire – see 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series – bantamweight division