Sugar Ray Robinson Award

History

The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) first presented the trophy in 1938. The original purpose of the trophy was to recognize "an individual who did the most for boxing in the previous year."

The ** mark indicates the boxer was not active in the year he actually won the award. Over time, the award went strictly to the best fighter of each year as decided by the BWAA. The members of the BWAA vote to decide the best boxer each year regardless of weight class or nationality.

The award was previously named for Edward J. Neil, an Associated Press sportswriter and war correspondent who was killed in 1938 while reporting on the Spanish Civil War. The 2009 award was renamed after boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson. The "Fighter of the Year" award is presented with other honors given by the BWAA at an annual awards dinner.

Starting with the 1990s, the BWAA also began to give an award for "Joe Louis Fighter of the Decade." The winners of this award are listed in a separate section.

Past recipients

1930s

• 1938 – USA Jack Dempsey**
• 1939 – USA Billy Conn

1940s

• 1940 – USA Henry Armstrong
• 1941 – USA Joe Louis
• 1942 – USA Barney Ross**
• 1943 – USA Boxers of the Armed Forces
• 1944 – USA Benny Leonard**
• 1945 – USA James J. Walker**
• 1946 – USA Tony Zale
• 1947 – USA Gus Lesnevich
• 1948 – USA Ike Williams
• 1949 – USA Ezzard Charles

1950s

• 1950 – USA Sugar Ray Robinson
• 1951 – USA Jersey Joe Walcott
• 1952 – USA Rocky Marciano
• 1953 – CUB Kid Gavilán
• 1954 – USA Bobo Olson
• 1955 – USA Carmen Basilio
• 1956 – USA Floyd Patterson
• 1957 – USA Carmen Basilio (2)
• 1958 – USA Archie Moore
• 1959 – SWE Ingemar Johansson

1960s

• 1960 – USA Floyd Patterson (2)
• 1961 – USA Gene Fullmer
• 1962 – NGR Dick Tiger
• 1963 – United States Virgin Islands Emile Griffith
• 1964 – USA Willie Pastrano
• 1965 – USA Muhammad Ali
• 1966 – NGR Dick Tiger (2)
• 1967 – PRI Carlos Ortiz
• 1968 – USA Bob Foster
• 1969 – USA Joe Frazier

1970s

• 1970 – GBR Ken Buchanan
• 1971 – USA Joe Frazier (2)
• 1972 – ARG Carlos Monzón
• 1973 – USA George Foreman
• 1974 – USA Muhammad Ali (2)
• 1975 – USA Muhammad Ali (3), USA Joe Frazier (3)
• 1976 – USA Howard Davis Jr., USA Leo Randolph, USA Sugar Ray Leonard, USA Leon Spinks, USA Michael Spinks
• 1977 – USA Ken Norton
• 1978 – USA Larry Holmes
• 1979 – USA Sugar Ray Leonard (2)

1980s

• 1980 – USA Thomas Hearns
• 1981 – USA Sugar Ray Leonard (3)
• 1982 – USA Aaron Pryor
• 1983 – USA Marvin Hagler
• 1984 – USA Thomas Hearns (2)
• 1985 – USA Marvin Hagler (2)
• 1986 – USA Mike Tyson
• 1987 – MEX Julio César Chávez
• 1988 – USA Mike Tyson (2)
• 1989 – USA Pernell Whitaker

1990s

• 1990 – USA Evander Holyfield
• 1991 – USA James Toney
• 1992 – USA Riddick Bowe
• 1993 – USA Pernell Whitaker (2)
• 1994 – USA George Foreman (2)
• 1995 – USA Oscar De La Hoya
• 1996 – USA Evander Holyfield (2)
• 1997 – USA Evander Holyfield (3)
• 1998 – USA Shane Mosley
• 1999 – CANGBR Lennox Lewis

2000s

• 2000 – PRI Félix Trinidad
• 2001 – USA Bernard Hopkins
• 2002 – USA Vernon Forrest
• 2003 – USA James Toney (2)
• 2004 – JAM Glen Johnson
• 2005 – GBR Ricky Hatton
• 2006 – PHI Manny Pacquiao
• 2007 – USA Floyd Mayweather Jr.
• 2008 – PHI Manny Pacquiao (2)
• 2009 – PHI Manny Pacquiao (3)

2010s

• 2010 – ARG Sergio Martínez
• 2011 – USA Andre Ward
• 2012 – PHI Nonito Donaire
• 2013 – USA Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2)
• 2014 – USA Terence Crawford
• 2015 – USA Floyd Mayweather Jr. (3)
• 2016 – UK Carl Frampton
• 2017 – UKR Vasyl Lomachenko
• 2018 – UKR Oleksandr Usyk
• 2019 – MEX Canelo Alvarez

2020s

• 2020 – USA Teófimo López
• 2021 – MEX Canelo Alvarez (2)
• 2022 – RUS Dmitry Bivol
• 2023 – JPN Naoya Inoue
• 2024 – UKR Oleksandr Usyk (2)
• 2025 – USA Terence Crawford (2)

Joe Louis Fighter of the Decade

• 1990s: USA Roy Jones Jr.
• 2000s: PHI Manny Pacquiao
• 2010s: USA Floyd Mayweather Jr.

References

References

1. [http://www.bwaa.org/contact.htm About the BWAA]
2. (January 30, 2026). "Terence Crawford is the BWAA 2025 Fighter of the Year". boxingwriters.