In the sport of boxing, the war of words between two fighters can often be just as entertaining as the action in between the ropes. For many boxers, gaining a psychological edge over their opponent before stepping into the ring is a crucial part of their pre-fight planning.

When it’s done right, trash talk can be a crucial factor in selling a bout. Some of the biggest boxing pay-per-view events of all time have been built upon the verbal sparring between the participants on fight week.

Whether it’s to get inside a foe’s head or simply to drive ticket and pay-per-view numbers, many of the sport’s biggest stars are masters at laying a verbal beatdown on their opponents and we’ve taken a look at boxing’s 10 best-ever trash talkers below.

10 best trash talkers in boxing history

Position
Boxer
Professional record

10.
Oscar De La Hoya
39-6

9.
Roy Jones Junior
66-10

8.
Ryan Garcia
24-1

7.
Sugar Ray Leonard
36-3-1

6.

5.
George Foreman
76-5

4.
Tyson Fury
34-2-1

3.
Mike Tyson
50-7

2.
Floyd Mayweather
50-0

1.
Muhammad Ali
56-5

10Oscar De La Hoya

Professional record: 39-6

‘The Golden Boy’ was a master at getting under the skin of his rivals, often making use of his ability to speak both English and Spanish to both rile up his opposition and appeal to a hispanic audience. This, combined with his impeccable delivery, helped him to build up his rivalries with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley. Even after retiring following his 2008 loss to Manny Pacquiao, De La Hoya continued to use trash talk to sell fights, this time as a promoter. His ongoing feud with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is proof of this – as Oscar rarely misses an opportunity to take a pop at the Mexican superstar.

9Roy Jones Jr

Professional record: 66-10

Jones’ verbal ability almost matched his outrageous level of talent between the ropes. Never short on confidence, the American is one of the only fighters to ever sing himself to the ring. The trash talk didn’t end once the bell rang either, as Jones became famous for talking to his opponents as he was putting a beating on them. He rarely let his foes get the better of him in the trash talk stakes either – often having a comeback ready for any taunts they might fling in his direction.

8Ryan Garcia

Professional record: 24-1

‘King Ry’ has more than played his role in helping to promote two of the biggest-selling fights to have taken place in recent years. His contests with Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney both did huge numbers at the box office – and a lot of the buzz surrounding them was created by the California native. Garcia has never been afraid to push boundaries when selling a fight – something that has landed him in hot water on more than one occasion – but he remains one of most prolific trash talkers in the sport today. Making full use of his vast social media following, Garcia has never hesitated to directly attack his opposition in front of the world, and it’s proven to be a highly effective strategy in building his fights.

7Sugar Ray Leonard

Professional record: 36-3-1

As a five-time world champion, Leonard knew just how good he was – and he wouldn’t think twice about reminding his opponents of that – even while they were in the middle of a fight. Sugar Ray trash talked the likes of Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns during their bouts. While his foes hated it, the crowd lapped it up. Leonard is just as fondly remembered for his showboating as he is his ability in the ring.

6Larry Holmes

Professional record: 69-6

With a sharp wit and unshakable confidence, Holmes went toe-to-toe with the great Muhammad Ali and never gave an inch on the microphone or in the ring. He talked to Ali throughout their 1980 fight as he delivered a dominant performance to win via 10th round stoppage. ‘The Easton Assassin’ was never afraid to make things personal – either inside or outside the ring. More often than not, it gave him the upper hand in fights.

5George Foreman

Professional record: 76-5

Foreman was far more respectful than some on this list in his approach to trash talk. However, when ‘Big George’ spoke, everybody listened. The American always made it clear that he expected to come out on top in a fight, without resorting to cheap tactics. However, when you are up on stage with Muhammad Ali – as Foreman was for 1974’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ and the pair’s 1976 rematch – you have to be able to hold your own. Foreman more than did that.

4Tyson Fury

Professional record: 34-2-1

Former lineal world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is so physically intimidating and skilled in the ring that he could easily just let his work in between the ropes do his talking for him. However, few love to fling an insult in the direction of their rivals more than ‘The Gypsy King’. Whether it’s branding Oleksandr Usyk a ‘rabbit’ or referring to long-time rival Anthony Joshua as ‘a sausage’, Fury has embraced trash talk as part of his pre-fight ritual. Although he recently announced his retirement from the ring, don’t expect Fury to be quiet for too long, regardless of whether he decides to reverse his decision to hang up the gloves.

3Mike Tyson

Professional record: 50-7

While Tyson remains one of the most iconic figures in boxing history, he has been no stranger to controversy during his time in the sport. He famously bit off the ear of Evander Holyfield during their 1997 rematch, but one fight in his career actually managed to beat that spectacle for the amount of bad blood involved. In the build-up to his much-anticipated showdown with British superstar Lennox Lewis, Tyson insisted he wanted to eat his rival’s children in a clip that has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. As outrageous as the comment was, it did help to promote their fight, which went on to draw nearly two million buys on pay-per-view.

2Floyd Mayweather Jr

Professional record: 50-0

Of the top 10 most successful pay-per-view boxing matches ever, Floyd Mayweather was involved in five of them – including each of the top four. A defensive master, Floyd’s bouts weren’t necessarily the most exciting, but by that point, fans had already been talked into parting with their cash. In the latter stages of his career, ‘Money Mayweather’ made every one of his fights seem personal, doing all he could on the microphone to hype up rivalries with the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez, Conor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao and more. Such was Mayweather’s love of trash talk, that he would even take aim at those he wasn’t fighting, such as veteran HBO commentator Larry Merchant, who he famously blasted for ‘not knowing s*** about boxing’ after his September 2011 victory over Victor Ortiz.

1Muhammad Ali

Professional record: 56-5

Imagine being so renowned for your trash talking ability that you become one of the most legendary sports figures of all time. That’s exactly where Muhammad Ali’s verbal skills took him. The American was certainly no mug in the ring, winning the world heavyweight title on three occasions, but it was his rhythmic taunts that truly made him stand out to the masses. His trademark phrases such as ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’ have become even more iconic than his fights. Ali always aimed to be more entertaining than he was outright mean, something that endeared him to boxing fans around the world. Despite his confidence and swagger, he was seen as a man of the people – and is still called ‘The Greatest’ to this day.