No. 96 - Ricky Hatton

Ricky Hatton was a British welterweight and light-welterweight who was content for a long time just dominating European competition.

Hatton fought a remarkable 34 title fights, but the vast majority of them were for minor belts. At various times, Hatton held these championships.

• BBB of C Central Area Super Lightweight Title
• WBO Inter-Continental Super Lightweight Title
• WBA Inter-Continental Super Lightweight Title
• WBU Super Lightweight Title

Finally, in 2005, after 25 of these minor title fights, Hatton stepped on to a world stage and soundly beat Kostya Tszyu of Australia for the IBF World Super Lightweight Title. A heavy underdog, the win earned Hatton the 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

A no-holds-barred brawler with a large, vocal fanbase, the Tszyu victory earned Hatton a ticket to big money competition and there he hit a wall. In 2007, he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. by a TKO in the 10th round in a highly anticipated fight of undefeated champions.

Hatton rebounded with two wins over solid fighters, earning a shot at Manny Pacquiao in 2009. Pacquiao, though, knocked Hatton out in the second round. Hatton waited more than three years to get in the ring again and retired for good after getting knocked out by Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Ricky Hatton
Significant Fights
Opponent	Result	Fight Points	Title Points	HOF Points	Total	x Win %	Final Total
Tommy Peacock	KO	100	20		120	100.00%	120.0
Dillon Carew	KO	100	20		120	76.92%	92.3
Bernard Paul	KO	100	20		120	72.41%	86.9
Mark Winters	KO	100	20		120	86.67%	104.0
Pedro Alonso Teran	KO	100	20		120	86.67%	104.0
Ambioris Figuero	KO	100	20		120	88.89%	106.7
Gilbert Quiros	KO	100	20		120	84.62%	101.5
Guiseppe Lauri	KO	100	20		120	95.00%	114.0
Jon Thaxton	KO	100	20		120	79.17%	95.0
Tony Pep	KO	100	20		120	85.71%	102.9
Jason Rowland	KO	100	20		120	96.15%	115.4
John Bailey	KO	100	20		120	73.08%	87.7
Freddie Pendleton	KO	100	20		120	65.28%	78.3
Justin Rowsell	KO	100	20		120	96.88%	116.3
Mikhail Krivolapov	KO	100	20		120	94.44%	113.3
Eamonn Magee	UD-W	90	20		110	92.00%	101.2
Stephen Smith	UD-W	90	20		110	96.88%	106.6
Joe Hutchinson	KO	100	20		120	89.29%	107.1
Vince Phillips	UD-W	90	20		110	86.27%	94.9
Aldo Nazareno Rios	KO	100	20		120	94.59%	113.5
Ben Tackie	UD-W	90	20		110	85.71%	94.3
Dennis Holbaek Pederson	KO	100	20		120	95.65%	114.8
Carlos Wilfredo Vilches	UD-W	90	20		110	91.11%	100.2
Michael Stewart	KO	100	20		120	94.74%	113.7
Ray Oliveira	KO	100	20		120	83.93%	100.7
Kostya Tszyu	KO	100	40	50	190	96.88%	184.1
Carlos Maussa	KO	100	60		160	90.91%	145.5
Luis Collazo	UD-W	90	40		130	96.30%	125.2
Juan Urango	UD-W	90	40		130	100.00%	130.0
Jose Luis Castillo	KO	100	40		140	88.71%	124.2
Floyd Mayweather	KOd	-25			-25		-25
Juan Lazcano	UD-W	90	20		110	90.24%	99.3
Paul Malignaggi	KO	100	20		120	96.15%	115.4
Manny Pacquiao	KOd	-25			-25		-25
Total (32-2-0, 24 KOs, 2 KOd)							3,458.8
Record in non-significant fights
13-1-0, 8 KOs, 1 KOd		1,150
% of fights toward 50 (100%)		1,150				35.27%	405.6
2 fight adjustment up to 50		29.0			58.0	75.00%	43.5
Total							439.1
PEAK 5 Fights
Kostya Tszyu							184.1
Carlos Maussa							145.5
Juan Urango							130.0
Luis Collazo							125.2
Jose Luis Castillo							124.2
PEAK 5 Total							708.9
Final totals (significant, non-significant, PEAK 5)							4,616.8

Boxing's 100 Countdown
Rank	Fighter	Significant Fights	Non-Significant Fights	Peak 5	Final Total
96.	Ricky Hatton	3,458.8	449.1	708.9	4,616.8
97.	Ismael Laguna	1,059.5	2,659.4	889.9	4,608.7
98.	Ramon "Chocalatito" Gonzalez	2,187.1	1,771.9	638.6	4,597.5
99.	Wilfredo Benitez	1,439.4	2,223.0	914.4	4,586.8
100.	Carlos Zarate	1,124.2	2,707.1	751.5	4,582.8

No. 97 - Ismael Laguna

Ismael Laguna of Panama was a two-time lightweight champion who took on the very best the division had to offer in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Laguna's signature win was his 1965 majority decision over all-time great Carlos Ortiz. Ortiz had held the lightweight title since 1962 and had defended it four times before losing to Laguna. The win made Laguna an overnight hero in Panama and the small country's first world champion since Panama Al Brown in the 1920s.

Ortiz and Laguna would fight two more times with Ortiz winning both. Laguna would regain the lightweight title in 1970 and defend it once before losing it to Ken Buchanan in 1970. Laguna fought Buchanan again in 1971, lost and retired.

In all, Laguna fought 12 significant fights and had a middling 5-6-1 record. He was 1-2 against Ortiz. He had a draw against Hall of Famer Nicolino Locche and two wins over Hall of Famer Lloyd Marshall. He lost his only match to Flashe Elorde and both to Buchanan.

You had to be great, though, to bother Laguna, who was known for his smooth, elusive, hit-and-move style. He was 60-3 in non-significant fights.

It was his big victory over Ortiz and wins over Marshall that powered him into the top 100.

Ismael Laguna
Significant Fights
Opponent	Result	Fight Points	Title Points	HOF Points	Total	x Win %	Final Total
Vicente Saldivar	UD-L	0			0	96.00%	0
Carlos Ortiz	SD-W	75	100	100	275	90.00%	247.5
Nicolino Locche	D	50		50	100	96.61%	96.6
Carlos Ortiz	UD-L	0			0	87.18%	0
Flashe Elorde	UD-L	0			0	86.89%	0
Carlos Ortiz	UD-L	0			0	83.33%	0
Lloyd Marshall	KO	100		100	200	82.61%	165.2
Mando Ramos	KO	100	100		200	90.32%	180.6
Guts Ishimatsu	KO	100	100		200	76.19%	152.4
Ken Buchanan	SD-L	25	25	25	75	97.30%	73.0
Lloyd Marshall	UD-W	90		100	190	75.86%	144.1
Ken Buchanan	UD-L	0			0	89.02%	0
Total (5-6-1, 3 KOs, 1 SD, 1 SDL)							1,059.5
Record in non-significant fights
60-3-0, 34 KOs, 1 MD, 1 SDL		5,750
% of fights toward 50 (60.3%)		3,467.25				76.70%	2,659.4
PEAK 5 Fights
Carlos Ortiz							247.5
Mando Ramos							180.6
Lloyd Marshall							165.2
Guts Ishimatsu							152.4
Lloyd Marshall							144.1
PEAK 5 Total							889.9
Final totals (significant, non-significant, PEAK 5)							4,608.7

Boxing's 100 Countdown
Rank	Fighter	Significant Fights	Non-Significant Fights	Peak 5	Final Total
97.	Ismael Laguna	1,059.5	2,659.4	889.9	4,608.7
98.	Ramon "Chocalatito" Gonzalez	2,187.1	1,771.9	638.6	4,597.5
99.	Wilfredo Benitez	1,439.4	2,223.0	914.4	4,586.8
100.	Carlos Zarate	1,124.2	2,707.1	751.5	4,582.8

No. 98 - Ramon "Chocolatito" Gonzalez

Ramon "Chocolatito" Gonzalez was a dominant force in the light weight classes out of Nicaragua.

Gonzalez's idol and mentor was former three-weight class world champion Alexis Arguello and Gonzalez surpassed his marks by winning titles in four classes - minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight and super flyweight.

Known for an aggressive, pressure fighting style, Gonzalez held championships at some weight class from 2008 to 2017 while racking up an impressive KO record.

He was 46-0 with 39 KOs heading into a WBC super flyweight title fight against Wisaksil Wangek, also known of Sor Rungvisai, of Thailand. Wangek knocked Gonzalez down in the first round and went on to win by majority decision. One judge scored the fight a draw, while the other two scored it 114-112 in favor of Wangek. ESPN's judge, though, saw it as a 117-109 runaway for Gonzaelz and the crowd agreed.

Gonzalez was granted an immediate rematch, but this time Wangek left no doubt, knocking out Gonzalez in the fourth round. Since the knockout, Gonzalez has fought just once and doesn't have an opponent lined up for 2019, but reports are he plans to continue fighting.

Even if he doesn't step into a ring again, he retains an impressive 47-2 record with 20 wins in title fights. The reason he doesn't rank higher and is unlikely to climb after his career ends is the fact that he has few signature victories.

Gonzalez chased titles across four weight classes, but he fought no unification fights and continued to just hold down one of the four major titles in his weight class. It doesn't appear likely that any of the fighters he defeated will be Hall of Fame inductees so he won't gain HOF points post-career. Most of the fighters he beat in title fights had winning percentages of less than 90 percent.

So even though the record is stellar, it's fair to ask whether Gonzalez really sought out the best in each weight class.

Ramon Gonzalez
Significant Fights
Opponent	Result	Fight Points	Title Points	HOF Points	Total	x Win %	Final Total
Oscar Murillo	KO	100	20		120	52.38%	62.9
Juan Francisco Centeno	KO	100	20		120	60.87%	73.0
Jose Luis Varela	KO	100	20		120	87.50%	105.0
Miguel Tellez	KO	100	20		120	72.00%	86.4
Yutaka Niida	KO	100	40		140	95.83%	134.2
Francisco Rosas	SD-W	75	40		140	75.00%	105.0
Manuel Vargas	UD-W	90	40		130	80.56%	104.7
Omar Salado	KO	100	40		140	88.00%	123.2
Ramon Garcia Hirales	KO	100	40		140	84.21%	117.9
Juan Francisco Estrada	UD-W	90	40		130	96.30%	125.2
Akira Yaegashi	KO	100	40		140	86.96%	121.7
Rocky Fuentes	KO	100	40		140	82.50%	115.5
Edgar Sosa	KO	100	40		140	86.44%	121.0
Brian Viloria	KO	100	40		140	90.00%	126.0
McWilliams Arroyo	UD-W	90	40		130	88.89%	115.6
Carlos Cuadras	UD-W	90	40		130	100.00%	130.0
Wisaksil Wangek	SD-L	25	10		35	91.30%	32.0
Wisaksil Wangek	KO'd	-25			-25		-25
Total (20-2-0, 14 KOs, 1 SDL, 1 KO'd)							2,187.1
Record in non-significant fights
27-0-0, 25 KOs		2,680
% of fights toward 50 (100%)		2,680				64.33%	1,724.0
1 fight adjustment up to 50					63.9	75.00%	47.9
Total							1771.9
PEAK 5 Fights
Yutaka Niida							134.2
Carlos Cuadras							130.0
Brian Viloria							126.0
Juan Francisco Estrada							125.2
Omar Salado							123.2
PEAK 5 Total							638.6
Final totals (significant, non-significant, PEAK 5)							4,597.5

Boxing's 100 Countdown
Rank	Fighter	Significant Fights	Non-Significant Fights	Peak 5	Final Total
98.	Ramon "Chocalatito" Gonzalez	2,187.1	1,771.9	638.6	4,597.5
99.	Wilfredo Benitez	1,439.4	2,223.0	914.4	4,586.8
100.	Carlos Zarate	1,124.2	2,707.1	751.5	4,582.8

No. 99 - Wilfredo Benitez

Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Benitez is kind of the forgotten star in the years of Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Benitez remains the youngest fighter to win a world title. He was just 17 years old when he beat Hall of Famer Antonio Cervantes, who was still in his prime at age 30, by split decision to win the WBA Light Welterweight Title.

Despite winning the title at such a young age, Benitez ended up having just 11 "significant" fights - title fights or fights against Hall of Famers. He was 9-2 in those fights, beating Duran for his greatest victory, but losing by knockout to Sugar Ray Leonard and by majority decision to Thomas Hearns.

Benitez was just 24 years old when he lost to Hearns and carried an impressive 44-2-1 record, but his career declined rapidly. He was just 9-6 from 1983 to 1990.

Wilfredo Benitez
Significant Fights
Opponent	Result	Fight Points	Title Points	HOF Points	Total	x Win %	Final Total
Antonio Cervantes	SD-W	75	60	100	235	91.67%	215.4
Emiliano Villa	UD-W	90	60		150	92.31%	138.5
Tony Petronelli	KO	100	60		160	97.22%	155.6
Ray Chavez Guerrero	KO	100	20		120	83.33%	100.0
Carlos Palomino	SD-W	75	60		135	96.43%	130.2
Harold Westin	UD-W	90	60		150	78.79%	118.2
Sugar Ray Leonard	KO'd	-25			-25		-25
Maurice Hope	KO	100	60		160	93.75%	150.0
Carlos Santos	UD-W	90	60		150	100.00%	150.0
Roberto Duran	UD-W	90	60	100	250	97.37%	243.4
Thomas Hearns	SD-L	25	15	25	65	97.22%	63.2
Total (9-2, 3 KOs, 1 SDL, 1 KO'd)							1,439.4
Record in non-significant fights
44-6-1, 28 KOs, 2 SD, 3 KO'd, 1 SDL		3,985
% of fights toward 50 (76.5%)		3,048.5				73.25%	2,233.0
PEAK 5 Fights
Roberto Duran							243.4
Antonio Cervantes							215.4
Tony Petronelli							155.6
Maurice Hope							150.0
Carlos Santos							150.0
PEAK 5 Total							914.4
Final totals (significant, non-significant, PEAK 5)							4,586.8

Boxing's 100 Countdown
Rank	Fighter	Significant Fights	Non-Significant Fights	Peak 5	Final Total
99.	Wilfredo Benitez	1,439.4	2,223.0	914.4	4,586.8
100.	Carlos Zarate	1,124.2	2,707.1	751.5	4,582.8