#1 Sergey Kovalev
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Kovalev, aka the “Krusher” (sic), is The Ring Magazine’s current number four pick in its prestigious rating, “pound for pound all weights,” and he has earned it.
Kovalev’s professional record stands at 31 wins, 27 by knockout. He only lost twice to the now retired light heavyweight champion, Andre Ward, but he was still able to floor the aging Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins.
Kovalev is mostly known for the crushing power of his straight right.
Sergey Kovalev vs Bernard Hopkins
Kovalev vs Nadjib Mohammedi
Kovalev vs Jean Pascal
Kovalev vs Cedric Agnew
#2 Alexander Povetkin
Pavel Lisitsyn/Sputnik
Povetkin won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and since then he has been unleashing tremendous punishment on his challengers. He held a WBA Regular Heavyweight title from 2011 to 2013 when he lost it to Ukraine’s Vladimir Klitschko.
Widely feared for his thunderous and quick hooks, Povetkin quickly recovered from the loss and nailed seven victories since then. His next fight to defend his WBA Intercontinental and WBO Heavyweight titles with Britain’s David Price is scheduled for March 31.
Povetkin vs Johann Duhaupas
Povetkin vs Carlos Takam
Povetkin vs Manuel Charr
Other KOs
#3 Kostya Tszyu
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This Russian-born boxer took Australian citizenship at the behest of his trainer, John Alfred "Johnny" Lewis. Nevertheless, Tszyu’s popularity in Russia remains great, and he remains one of the most widely known athletes in the Motherland. He even inspired a Russian signer who composed an ode to him in English. This hard punching light welterweight was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.
Tszyu vs Sammy Fuentes
Tszyu vs Calvin Grove
Tszyu vs Jan Piet Bergman
Other KOs
#4 Nikolay Valuev
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Some doubt this killing machine is human. Valuev’s abnormal appearance makes other heavyweight fighters look like dwarfs running from a giant rock. Standing at 2.14 meters (7 feet) and weighing 149 kilograms (328 pounds) he is the biggest world champion in boxing history. His technical skill might not be as artful as other boxers, and his punches not as precise, but who needs all these with a weight of 328 pounds?
Valuev vs Neil Kirkwood
Valuev vs Otis Tisdale
Valuev vs Dick Ryan
Valuev vs Clifford Etienne
The only other boxer feared more than Valuev was his extravagant and garrulous trainer, Mangwell Gabrielyan. What to see him in action? Check this out.
#5 Murat Gassiev
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Though not as famous as the above-mentioned fellows, Gassiev is a rising star who works out at the Summit Gym run by Gennady GGG Golovkin’s famous trainer, Abel Sanchez. Gassiev’s professional record stands at 26-0-1, with 19 fights won on KOs. His latest TKO victory in Sochi pushed him up on the path to the Ali Trophy, the main prize of the 2017–18 World Boxing Super Series. To claim the trophy, Gassiev will face Ukraine’s Olexandr Usyk in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 11.
Gassiev vs Yunier Dorticos
Other KOs
You don't have to be a professional boxer to fight in Russia; writers fight here as well.