Ranking the Top 10 Australian Fighters of All Time

There was a time when Konstantin Borisovich Tszyu was the best light welterweight on the planet.

Born in Russia before emigrating to Australia, he followed up a highly successful amateur career by becoming the leading man in the 140-pound division.

For a 14-month spell, the man who went by the name of Kostya held the WBC, WBA super and IBF titles.

He boasts a 31-2 (25 KOs) record but has not fought since losing to Ricky Hatton in Manchester, England, in 2005.

Saturday is Tszyu's birthday. To celebrate the special occasion, Bleacher Report has ranked the top 10 Australian fighters of all time.

While he was born in Serov, Russia, Tszyu qualifies for the list. It's hard to deny him a place, considering he went by the nickname the Thunder from Down Under.

But does he end up taking top spot? 

Before we begin the countdown, though, it is only right to salute those greats from Australia who didn't quite make the final cut.

Australia has had some wonderful fighters down the years, so some big names were always going to miss out on the top 10.

Young Griffo, Vic Patrick, Ron Richards and Hector Thompson were all seriously considered for the shortlist.

Barry Michael, who defeated Lester Ellis to become a world champion, was unfortunate to miss out, as too was Jimmy Carruthers.

Of the more recent vintage, Anthony Mundine may very well have earned a spot had he turned to boxing earlier.

Still, he deserves great credit for what he has achieved in the ring after his career in rugby league.

Michael Katsidis is a warrior who deserves some recognition, while Daniel Geale has been a world champion at middleweight who has fallen short against the bigger names in his division.

Professional record: 87-10-1 (52 KOs)

Dave Sands could well be the greatest Australian boxer who never won a world title.

Having started out his career fighting at 131 pounds, the New South Welshman flitted between different divisions in a career that saw him win national titles at middle, light heavy and heavyweight.

However, it was at middleweight where he had hoped to get his shot at world glory.

A fight with Sugar Ray Robinson never materialised, though he was in line to face Randolph Turpin for the vacant title, according to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Sadly, Sands never got his opportunity. At the age of 26, he died after suffering serious injuries in a road accident.

Had his life not been cut short, he may well have been much, much higher on this list.

Professional record: 64-7-2 (51 KOs)

Rocky Mattioli is an Italian-Australian who became a world champion at junior middleweight.

Born in Abruzzo, Italy, Mattioli built his reputation Down Under before returning to Europe.

He became the WBC super welterweight title in 1977, defeating Eckhard Dagge in Germany.

His career finished with four victories in the United States, meaning Mattioli finished with a career knockout ratio of 70 percent. 

He was inducted into the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Barry Michael said of former sparring partner Mattioli, per Stathi Paxinos of The Age: "He was aggressive, super-controlled, had good speed and power. He was a pretty complete sort of fighter, he could box a bit as well."

Professional record: 40-8-1 (29 KOs)

Like Tszyu, Vic Darchinyan was born abroad but moved to Australia to further his boxing career.

The Raging Bull competed for his native Armenia at the 2000 Olympics but turned pro later the same year at flyweight in Sydney.

He won his first world title in 2004 at the 112-pound limit, holding the IBF version for nearly three years before suffering a first career defeat when losing to Nonito Donaire.

Darchinyan went on to become a world champion at super fly and bantamweight, though a major belt at featherweight has so far eluded him.

While he now resides in the United States, Darchinyan was given Australian citizenship in 2004. Therefore, he's eligible for this list.

Professional record: 46-4 (29 KOs)

Les Darcy was so good that he just so happened to be Australia's heavyweight champion at the same time as he held a world title at middleweight.

The Maitland Wonder had a short but successful career—he died at the age of 21 from pneumonia, by which time he had moved to the United States.

Still, Darcy achieved plenty during his career. In his last-ever bout, he knocked out George Chip in Sydney to retain the world middleweight title.

He had signed up for active service in World War I but was spared going into battle when his mother claimed he was still a minor, according to BoxRec's biography of the fighter.

Like Sands, his final position in the rankings would have been closer to the top had it not been for his early demise.

Professional record: 23-2 (17 KOs)

Jeff "Hit Man" Harding battled opponents in the ring as well as his demons out of it.

The light heavyweight stunned the boxing world when he knocked out Dennis Andries in the 12th and final round in 1989 to claim the WBC title. It was the first time he had ever been beyond 10 rounds.

Andries claimed his title back the following year, but Harding won their third and final meeting in 1991—this time by way of a majority decision—to become WBC champion again.

He fought just three more times, losing the belt to Mike McCallum in 1994 in what proved to be his final outing.

Harding has been fighting since, battling an alcohol addiction.

He told David Barrett of the Daily Telegraph: "It was a Las Vegas lifestyle. There was lots of money, lots of people showing you around but at the end of the day it's just expensive. Everyone wants to buy you a drink when you're the champ."

Professional record: 41-8 (28 KOs)

Lester Ellis was born in Blackpool, England, but moved to Australia when he was three years old.

He impressed as an amateur and made quick progress through the professional ranks, winning the Commonwealth super featherweight belt on the way to a world-title shot at the age of 19.

Master Blaster duly defeated Hwan-Kil Yuh to become the IBF champion, a crown he defended once before losing it to former training partner Barry Michael.

He moved up through the divisions, winning belts, including jumping from lightweight to junior middleweight in 1995 to become the IBO champion.

Ellis retired after a loss to Calvin Grove in 1996 but was tempted to return in 2002 at the age of 37. He was stopped by fellow Australian Anthony Mundine inside three rounds.

Professional record: 29-3-1

Jeff Fenech was a three-weight world champion who became a national hero for his exploits in the ring.

He won the IBF title at bantamweight in just his seventh professional fight, beating Satoshi Shingaki, and held the strap until moving up in weight.

The Marrickville Mauler was also crowned a world champion at super bantam and featherweight, winning 25 fights in a row until he drew the first of three bouts against Azumah Nelson.

The pair met again the following year, when Nelson stunned the Melbourne crowd by stopping Fenech in the eighth round. The Ring magazine voted the result the upset of the year in 1992, via BoxRec.

When he lost to Philip Holiday in a failed bid to become a world champion at lightweight, Fenech decided to retire.

He was, however, coaxed back into the ring in 2008 for a grudge match against Nelson, with the pair both well into their 40s. Fenech won the 10-rounder by majority decision on the scorecards.

The New South Welshman—who had a brief stint as Mike Tyson's trainer—was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.

Professional record: 56-5-6 (20 KOs)

Johnny Famechon was born in Paris, France, but moved to Australia when he was young.

His family had a background in boxing—Johnny's father had been French lightweight champion—and he followed the same path.

Famechon—who was famed for his defensive abilities—became Australian, Commonwealth and world champion at featherweight.

He defeated Jose Legra in 1969 to claim the WBC belt, successfully defending it twice in two classic bouts against Fighting Harada before then losing to Vicente Saldivar in what turned out to be his final bout.

Jeff Fenech told Grantlee Kieza of the Queensland Sunday Mail: "The skills, the speed, the class. Johnny Famechon was an artist.''

Professional record: 42-11 (12 KOs)

Lionel Rose was the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.

The bantamweight picked up the WBA and WBC belts when he defeated Fighting Harada on points in 1968. 

He had begun his career at the age of 16 and, after initially retiring following a failure to beat Yoshiaki Numata for the WBC super featherweight crown, made a brief comeback in 1975.

His return proved unsuccessful—Rose lost four of his next six bouts before hanging up his gloves for good. 

Those late defeats spoilt his final record slightly but did not tarnish what he had achieved during his prime.

Rose, who enjoyed a brief singing career in the 1970s, passed away in 2011. A statue erected has been erected in his honour in his hometown of Warragul, Australia.

Professional record: 31-2 (25 KOs)

Kostya Tszyu takes top spot in the rankings due to the way he dominated the light welterweight division.

The Thunder from Down Under competed for the Soviet Union as an amateur but emigrated to Australia in 1992 and turned pro that same year.

He became a world champion for the first time in 1995 when he stopped Jake Rodriguez. 

His reign, and unbeaten record, ended at the hands of Vince Phillips, though Tszyu recovered quickly from the loss.

He survived two early trips to the canvas against Diosbelys Hurtado to become the interim WBC champion in 1998 and from then on produced a string of impressive results that included victories over Julio Cesar Chavez, Zab Judah, Jesse James Leija and Sharmba Mitchell (twice).

However, the end of the line for the heavy-handed Tszyu came with a defeat to Ricky Hatton in Manchester, England, in 2005.

There has been the odd threat of a comeback, but he has resisted the urge to step back inside the ring.

Hatton later told Michael Rosenthal of the Ring magazine: "I hit him with some good shots and he stayed in there. In the end, I had to put out quite an effort to take him down."

Do you agree with the list? Is there an honourable mention who should have squeezed into the top 10? 

Have your say via the comments section. But, remember, it's all a matter of opinion.