Sidekick Ranks: Best Kickboxers Of All Time
Kickboxing is one of the most exciting combat sports. The sport started to rise in the 1960s in Japan. It exploded in the early 90s with the birth of the famous K-1 promotion that was the most popular combat sport promotion in the 90s and early 2000s. In modern times, kickboxing might not be as popular as it was, but it is still the most exciting form of fighting.
In this article, we are going to rank the top 5 best kickboxers of all time. We will bring you fighters from different eras, and explain why they deserve a spot on our list.
Best kickboxers of all time
5. Andy Hug
It’s really hard to put together any list of best kickboxers without talking about Andy Hug. Hug was one of the most exciting K-1 fighters of all time who enjoyed a god status in Japan. He was the face of kickboxing back in the 90s.
Hug came into kickboxing from Kyokushin karate where he was a European and World champion. Inside the K-1 ring, he never hesitated to use wild techniques like axe kicks, tornado kicks, and the famous spinning heel kick known as the “Hug Tornado”.
The biggest moment of his career came when he won the K-1 World Grand Prix title in 1996 by beating Mike Bernardo. He also has wins over Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Ray Safo, and Sam Greco.
In 2000, the news came that Hugh lost his battle against leukemia on August 24, just two weeks before his 36th birthday.
4. Remy Bonjasky
Remy Bonjasky is a legend of K-1, and perhaps the best kickboxer of the 2000s. He won the K-1 World Grand Prix title three times. He was a very exciting fighter to watch who has left nothing but carnage every time he stepped in the ring.
Standing 6’4″, Bonjasky had a high reach and he used it to his advantage. Back in the day, he would score a flying roundhouse kick knockouts. This fighting style is what earned him the nickname “The Flying Gentleman”.
Bonjasky never used boxing to do damage but it’s worth pointing up that his defense was on point. He retired from the sport in 2017 with a record of 78 wins and 20 losses.
3. Semmy Schilt
Standing 6’11” and weighing around 255 pounds, Aenmy Schilt is a mountain of a man.However, it’s weird that a man his size is also one of the most talented combat sports athletes. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Glory heavyweight champion.
Despite being so tall and heavy, Schilt never lacked agility and speed. He is considered among the most technical kickboxers of all time who retired from the sport with 43 wins and 6 losses on his record. During his time in K-1, he recorded victories over some of the best fighters like Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Jerome Le Banner, and many, many others.
2. Peter Aerts
Peter Aerts is a legend of kickboxing who stayed on top of the game for more than two decades. From the early 90s to the fall of K-1 in 2011, he had been fighting only the best of the best, and often fighters who were much younger than him.
In this time span, Aerts became the K-1 World Grand Prix champ three times. In the 90s, he was so dominant that the fans gave him the nickname “Mr. K-1”. His other nickname “The Lumberjack”, however, perfectly describes his brutal and reckless fighting style.
Aerts retired from the sport in 2020 with a record of 108 wins and 81 knockouts. That said, there’s no denying the fact that he deserves a spot in our list.
1. Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Hoost is, perhaps, the best K-1 fighter in history. This also makes him one of the best kickboxers of all time. Hoost fought in K-1 for more than a decade, and he won the K-1 title four times, which is a record.
The reason why he is often regarded as the best kickboxer of all time is that he won all of his K-1 titles during the glory days of the promotion. From the late 80s to the mid-2000s, he fought only against top-level competition and he beat them all.
Hoost retired with 99 wins and 21 losses on his record. His nickname “Mr. Perfect” is the only thing you need to know about his flawless fighting style. Being tall and lengthy, He was a master in using his long reach to keep his range and demolish his opponents from the distance. From pinpoint perfect leg kicks to crisp boxing combos, everything he did on the feet was a treat to watch.
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