A brilliant boxing record is not just made of how great a boxer is, but also who they have fought against. Who does not like a good neck-and-neck fight, anyway? But who had the toughest opponents of them all? Cuban fighter, Yordenis Ugas has named three such fighters on his list that faced the most brutal opponents.

Ugas, 27-6, is a fighter who instills a sense of fear in his weight class. In his career, he’s fought the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and Shawn Porter. He’s had his share of losses to these iconic fighters. However, he’s also known as one of the very few who’ve managed to defeat Pacquiao. While he very well could make to a list of fighters who’ve had tough opponents in their career, he has a list of his own. Who does he feature on it?

Yordenis Ugás puts on a historian’s hat

On his X, formerly Twitter, the welterweight named Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya, and Roberto Durán as his top 3 fighters who went against the best opposition. He wrote, “For me, three of the fighters who had the best opposition in history… Ali-De La Hoya-Durán.”

All the three fighters that the 37-year-old has mentioned have been seen as leading fighters of their own era. The ‘Greatest’ Ali absolutely ruled the heavyweight class in the 60s and 70s. De La Hoya was a famous welterweight in the late 90s and 2000s. Durán on the other hand, led the lightweight division in the late 80s and 90s.

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How true is Ugas’ claim?

Ali was a historic fighter in his truest sense. He was the first heavyweight ever to win the world championship for the division on three separate occasions. He successfully defended his titles 19 times. In his illustrious career of 61 fights, he fought some of the most dangerous and skillful fighters of his time like Archie Moor (1962), Sonny Liston (1964, 1965), Floyd Patterson (1965, 1972), Joe Frazier (1971, 1974, 1975), George Foreman (1975), Ken Norton (1973, 1973, 1976), Earnie Shavers (1977),  and Larry Holmes (1980). Ali hung his gloves in 1981, leaving a record of 56-5.

De La Hoya, now a prolific promoter, turned pro in 1992 after winning a gold in the Olympics in the same year. In his 45-fight-long career, the ‘Golden Boy’ fought against names like Jeff Mayweather (1993), Julio Cesar Chavez (1996 and 1998), Pernell Whitaker (1997), Félix Trinidad (1999), Shane Mosely (2000, 2003), and Bernard Hopkins (2004), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2007) and Manny Pacquiao (2008). When he finally retired in the wake of his Pacquiao loss, he went down as a boxer with a record of 39-6.

Panama-based Duran, who recently was rushed to hospital for a health scare, is one of the most legendary fighters in history. After turning pro in 1970, he fought Ken Buchanan (1972), Sugar Ray Leonard (1980, 1980, 1989), Wilfred Benitez (1982), Marvin Hagler (1983), Thomas Hearns (1984), and Hector Camacho (1996 and 2001). When he retired in 2001, the entire boxing world bowed in respect as he spearheaded a stellar record of 103-16.

It seems Yordenis Ugás is not too far off from right in noting these 3 as the ones that had the best opposition in boxing history. Do you agree with the three names Ugas has mentioned? Tell us your three top fighters who had the best opposition in the comments section below.

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