'' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Round of the Year since 1945, which this list covers. The award is based on the magazine's writers' criteria.

Rounds of the Year by decade

1940s

*1945:

Willie Joyce Willie Joyce (September 2, 1917 – December 5, 1996) was an American boxer from Chicago. He was the 1936 National AAU Bantamweight champion, and the 1937 (126 lb) Chicago & Intercity Golden Gloves Champion. Joyce was 24-1-4 in 1937 to ...

vs.

Ike Williams Isiah "Ike" Williams (August 2, 1923 – September 5, 1994) was a lightweight world boxing champion. He took the World Lightweight Championship in April 1945 and made eight successful defenses of the title against six different fighters prior to ...

, round 12 *1946:

Tony Zale Anthony Florian Zaleski (May 29, 1913 – March 20, 1997), known professionally as Tony Zale, was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel", reinforced by his reputat ...

vs.

Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing hi ...

, round 6 *1947: Joe Louis vs.

Jersey Joe Walcott Arnold Raymond Cream (January 31, 1914 – February 25, 1994), best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the NYSAC, NBA, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952 ...

, round 4 *1948: Joe Louis vs. Jersey Joe Walcott II, round 11 *1949:

vs.

Charley Fusari Charley Fusari born Calogero Fusari (August 20, 1924 – November 4, 1985) was an Italian-American boxer born in Italy. Fusari was born in Alcamo, in the Province of Trapani and emigrated to the US with his family when a boy. Charlie fough ...

, round 10

1950s

*1950: Jake LaMotta vs.

Laurent Dauthuille Laurent Dauthuille (20 February 1924 – 10 July 1971) was a French boxer. Arriving in Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Q ...

II, round 15 *1951:

Rocky Marciano Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the onl ...

vs. Joe Louis, round 8 *1952: Rocky Marciano vs.

, round 13 *1953:

Kid Gavilán Gerardo González (January 6, 1926 – February 13, 2003), better known in the boxing world as Kid Gavilan, was a Cuban boxer. Gavilán was the former undisputed welterweight champion from 1951 to 1954 having simultaneously held the NYSAC, WB ...

vs.

Carmen Basilio Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was the world champion in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title. An ir ...

, round 2 *1954:

Archie Moore Archie Moore (born Archibald Lee Wright; December 13, 1913 – December 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time (December 1952 – May 1962). He had one of the longest ...

vs. Harold Johnson V, round 14 *1955: Archie Moore vs.

Bobo Olson Carl Olson (July 11, 1928 – January 16, 2002) was an American boxer. He was the World Middleweight champion between October 1953 and December 1955, the longest reign of any champion in that division during the 1950s. His nickname, Bobo, was ba ...

, round 3 *1956:

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regard ...

vs. Bobo Olson IV, round 4 *1957: Sugar Ray Robinson vs.

Gene Fullmer Lawrence Gene Fullmer (July 21, 1931 – April 27, 2015) was an American professional boxer and World Middleweight champion. Professional career Fullmer began his professional career in 1951 and won his first 29 fights, 19 by knockout. His mana ...

II, round 5 *1958: Ingemar Johansson vs.

Eddie Machen Edward Mills "Eddie" Machen (June 15, 1932 – August 8, 1972) was an American professional boxer. He was one of 6 children of a rural mail carrier. Machen dropped out of high school and became an amateur boxer. However, after just 3 bouts he wa ...

, round 1 *1959: Ingemar Johansson vs.

Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in hi ...

, round 3

1960s

*1960: Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson II, round 5 *1961: Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson III, round 1 *1962: Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson, round 1 *1963: Sonny Liston vs. Floyd Patterson II, round 1 *1964:

José Torres José ("Chegüi") Torres (May 3, 1936 – January 19, 2009) was a Puerto Rican-born American professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he d ...

vs. Bobo Olson, round 1 *1965: José Torres vs.

Willie Pastrano Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American former professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1965. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' light heavyweight titles between 1963 and 1965. Earl ...

, round 6 *1966: Carlos Ortiz vs. Sugar Ramos, round 5 *1967:

Dick Tiger Dick Tiger (born Richard Ihetu; August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971) was a Nigerian-born professional boxer who held the undisputed middleweight and light-heavyweight championships. Tiger emigrated to Liverpool, England to pursue his box ...

vs.

Roger Rouse Roger Rouse (June 3, 1934 – March 7, 1999) was an American boxer. He competed in the men's middleweight event at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was one of the top collegiate boxers while attending Idaho State University, and later as a pr ...

, round 12 *1968: Bob Foster vs. Dick Tiger, round 4 *1969:

Nino Benvenuti Giovanni "Nino" Benvenuti (born 26 April 1938) is an Italian former professional boxer and actor. He held world titles in two weight classes, having held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from June 1965 to June 1966 and the undisput ...

vs.

Luis Manuel Rodríguez Luis Manuel Rodríguez (17 June 1937 – 8 July 1996) was a Cuban professional boxer. Known as "El Feo", he began his career in pre- Castro Havana. In Cuba, he twice defeated the ill-fated future welterweight champion Benny Paret. He held the W ...

, round 11

1970s

*1970: Muhammad Ali vs. Oscar Bonavena, round 15 *1971:

Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as ''The Fight Of The Century'' or simply ''The Fight'', was a heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and former undisputed heavyweight cham ...

, round 15 *1972: Muhammad Ali vs. Bob Foster, round 5 *1973: George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier, round 2 *1974: Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman, round 8 *1975: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, round 12 *1976: George Foreman vs.

Ron Lyle Ronald David Lyle (February 12, 1941 – November 26, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980, and in 1995. He challenged unsuccessfully for the world heavyweight championship, losing to Muhammad Ali in 1975. Kno ...

, rounds 4 and 5 *1977: Jimmy Young vs. George Foreman, round 12 *1978: Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali, round 15 *1979: Matthew Franklin vs. Marvin Johnson, round 8

1980s

*1980: Matthew Saad Muhamad vs.

Yaqui López Álvaro López (born May 21, 1951, in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico) is a Mexican former boxer and current member of the Boxing Hall of Fame. A native of Zacatecas, Zacatecas, López was very popular among Mexicans and is considered by many as ...

, round 8 *1981:

William "Caveman" Lee William Lee (born September 27, 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former professional middleweight boxer who fought out of the fabled Kronk Gym in Detroit. Career One fight for which Lee is noted was with John LoCicero in July, 1981. Tele ...

vs. John LoCicero, round 5 *1982: Wilfredo Gómez vs. Lupe Pintor, round 3 *1983:

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Ea ...

vs.

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wo ...

, round 9 *1984:

Juan Meza Juan Meza (born March 18, 1956), also known for his nickname Kid Meza, is a Mexican former professional boxer who was world Super Bantamweight champion. Meza was born in Mexicali, Mexico. Short biography Mesa was born Jesus Fernández. Prior to b ...

vs. Jaime Garza, round 1 *1985: Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns, round 1 *1986: Steve Cruz vs.

Barry McGuigan Finbar Patrick McGuigan MBE (born 28 February 1961) is an Irish boxing promoter and former professional boxer. Born in Clones, Ireland, McGuigan was nicknamed ''The Clones Cyclone'' and held the WBA and lineal featherweight titles from 198 ...

, round 15 *1987: Kelvin Seabrooks vs. Thierry Jacob, round 1 *1988: Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks, round 1 *1989: Lupe Gutierrez vs.

Jeff Franklin Jeffrey Steven Franklin (born January 21, 1955) is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for being the creator of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC sitcom ''Full House'' and its Netflix sequel ''Fuller House (TV ...

, round 12

1990s

*1990: Aaron Davis vs.

Mark Breland Mark Anthony Breland (born May 11, 1963) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1997, and held the WBA welterweight title twice between 1987 and 1990. He later became an actor with a wide range of movie and television ...

, round 9 *1991: no award given *1992: Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield, round 10 *1993:

Terry Norris Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Ame ...

vs.

Troy Waters Troy Weston Waters (23 April 1965 – 18 May 2018) was an Australian light middleweight boxer and member of the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame. Waters fought for the world title three times during his career, losing to Gianfranco R ...

, round 2 *1994: Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson, round 9 *1995:

Saman Sorjaturong Saman Sorjaturong (born Saman Sriprated on 2 August 1968 in Amphoe Khlong Lan, Kamphaeng Phet province) is a Thai former world boxing champion. Early life He was born in a peasant family in Kamphaeng Phet province, upper central Thailand, with ...

vs. Humberto González, round 7 *1996: Frankie Liles vs. Tim Littles, round 3 *1997:

Arturo Gatti Arturo Gatti (April 15, 1972 – July 11, 2009) was an Italian-Canadian professional boxer who competed from 1991 to 2007. A world champion in two weight classes, Gatti held the IBF junior lightweight title from 1995 to 1998, and the WBC supe ...

vs.

Gabriel Ruelas Gabriel Ruelas, (born on July 23, 1970 in Yerbabuena, Jalisco, Mexico), is a Mexican former professional boxer. Professional career Ruelas turned pro in 1988 and in 1993 challenged WBC Super Featherweight Title holder Azumah Nelson, losing a ...

, round 5 *1998: Ivan Robinson vs. Arturo Gatti II, round 3 *1999:

Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya ( , ; born on February 4, 1973) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championshi ...

vs.

Ike Quartey Isufu "Ike" Quartey (born 27 November 1969) is a Ghanaian former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2006. He held the WBA welterweight title from 1994 to 1998, and challenged once for IBF junior-middleweight title in 2000. Early year ...

, round 6

2000s

*2000: Érik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, round 5 *2001: Bernard Hopkins vs. Félix Trinidad, round 10 *2002:

Micky Ward George Michael Ward Jr. (born October 4, 1965), often known by his nickname, "Irish" Micky Ward, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2003. He challenged once for the IBF light welterweight title in 1997, and held ...

vs. Arturo Gatti, round 9 *2003: Acelino Freitas vs.

Jorge Rodrigo Barrios Jorge Rodrigo Barrios (born August 1, 1976) is an Argentine former professional boxer who held the WBO junior lightweight title. Professional career Barrios made his professional boxing debut on August 10, 1996 with a second-round knockout vic ...

, round 11 *2004: Érik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera III, round 11 *2005: Diego Corrales vs. José Luis Castillo, round 10 *2006:

Somsak Sithchatchawal Somsak Sithchatchawal ( th, สมศักดิ์ ศิษย์ชัชวาลย์; born July 17, 1977) is a Thai former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2010. He held the WBA super-bantamweight title in 2006. In March 2006 ...

vs.

Mahyar Monshipour Mahyar Monshipour ( fa, مهیار منشی‌پور; born 21 March 1975 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian-born French boxer who was the World Boxing Association's super bantamweight champion for nearly three years between 2003 and 2006. He lost ...

, round 10 *2007: Israel Vázquez vs. Rafael Márquez II, round 3 *2008: Israel Vázquez vs. Rafael Márquez III, round 4 *2009: Marcos Maidana vs.

Victor Ortiz Victor Ortiz (born January 31, 1987) is an American professional boxer and film actor. He held the WBC welterweight title in 2011, and was formerly rated as one of the world's top three active welterweights by most sporting news and boxing web ...

, round 1

2010s

*2010: Juan Manuel López vs.

Bernabe Concepcion Bernabe "Abe" Concepcion (born 1988) is a retired Filipino featherweight boxer. Concepcion resides in Rizal, Viga, Catanduanes, Philippines. Being from a boxing-oriented family, he trained from a young age. He turned professional at the age of 1 ...

, round 1 *2011: James Kirkland vs.

Alfredo Angulo Alfredo Angulo López (born August 11, 1982) is a Mexican professional boxer who held the WBO interim light middleweight title from 2009 to 2010. As an amateur he represented Mexico at the 2004 Olympics, reaching the first round of the mid ...

, round 1 *2012: Juan Manuel Márquez vs. Manny Pacquiao IV, round 5 *2013:

Timothy Bradley Timothy Ray Bradley Jr. (born August 29, 1983) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2016. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light welterweight title twice between 2008 a ...

vs.

Ruslan Provodnikov Ruslan Mikhailovich Provodnikov (russian: link=no, Руслан Михайлович Проводников; born 20 January 1984) is a Russian former professional boxer and politician. In boxing he competed from 2006 to 2016, and held the WBO ...

, round 6 *2014: Tommy Coyle vs.

Daniel Brizuela Daniel Eduardo Brizuela (born 29 December 1985) is an Argentine professional boxer. As an amateur he competed for Argentina at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he was stopped in the first round of the men's featherweight event by Germany ...

, round 11 *2015:

Amir Imam Amir Imam (born November 5, 1990) is an American professional boxer who challenged once for the WBC super lightweight title in 2018. Professional career Imam vs. Granados Imam turned professional in 2011 and won 18 consecutive fights before ...

vs. Fidel Maldonado, round 3 *2016: Skender Halili vs. Jason Thompson, round 2 *2017: Dominic Breazeale vs.

Izu Ugonoh Izuagbe Ugonoh (born 2 November 1986) is a Polish mixed martial artist and former professional boxer and kickboxer. He is a graduate of the Jędrzej Śniadecki University School of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk. Early life Izuagbe wa ...

, round 3 *2018: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury, round 12 *2019: Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua, round 3

2020s

*2020: Jose Zepeda vs. Ivan Baranchyk, round 5 *2021:

Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder III (billed as "Once And For All") was a professional boxing trilogy fight between WBC and ''The Ring'' heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, and former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder. The bout took place ...

, round 4 *2022:

Sebastian Fundora Sebastian Alexander Fundora (born 28 December 1997) is an American professional boxer. He is the current WBC interim Light middleweight champion, having held the belt since April 2022. As of November 2022, he is ranked as the third best active l ...

vs. Erickson Lubin, round 7

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ring magazine Round of the Year * Boxing awards Round of the year