With names like Mikkel Kessler, Rafael Marquez and Juan Manuel Marquez making cases for inclusion on the pound for pound list; with Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather staging an event that might upset the pound for pound conventional wisdom if the Golden Boy pulls off the upset; and with pound per pound perennial contenders Winky Wright, Bernard Hopkins, and Marco Antonio Barrera maybe sinking off the list for the last time, I decided to enter the realm of myth and pit the current crop of boxers against each other to choose my own top-ten pound for pound fighters.
Most boxing writers and fans agree more or less with who is in the top-ten, but few agree on where they should be. For my list, the usual criteria will be used: quality of opposition, length of time being dominant, length of time taking on top opponents, and so on.
But I also add my own criteria. It is something called “Sugar Ray Points,” named after Sugar Ray Leonard. Sugar Ray Leonard made comebacks against top fighters like Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler and didn’t just win those fights but brought enough drama to them to make him seem beyond the pale of the ordinary big time fighter: he made Duran quit; he used show business and bluff to fool his way to a victory against Marvin Hagler. He didn’t just win; he looked good doing it, too.
I like to put a fighter on top of the pound per pound list not just because of his enormous talent but because of his ability to put on a great show when all eyes are watching as Sugar Ray Leonard once did: Bernard Hopkins schooling Felix Trinidad in September, 2001 and Roy Jones winning a heavyweight championship in March, 2003 were two such events that put them on the pound per pound apex and that gave them those valuable Sugar Ray Points. As Sugar Ray knew, talent isn’t enough in our showbiz world. As anyone following boxing knows, talent isn’t enough when more and more turn to the UFC: in boxing, a little pizzazz is also needed.
Now let’s get to the list.
Manny Pacquiao — This is not surprising because these days most believe P4P supremacy is between him and Mayweather. I have to put Pacquiao on top because of his wins over Barrera, Morales, and Oscar Larios in recent bouts that were all exciting, that all had that Sugar Ray ethos. And although he is not as skilled as Mayweather is as a boxer, in a pound per pound sense I have him beating Mayweather. In a P4P matchup, Pacquiao would be a whirlwind and end up catching Mayweather. Mayweather would probably do what he did to Baldomir: put on his spikes and stick and move and run. Pacquiao would have his miler’s shoes on and catch up to the fleeing Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. – It’s too bad Mayweather fights in an era when the subtleties of boxing are lost on many. His ability to go to the ropes, keep his hands low, and avoid big punches is a testament to his skill and his athleticism. Although he has the tools to beat anyone, he hasn’t taken the chances needed to move to the top spot on the P4P list. And taking on Oscar de la Hoya won’t put him there either. Where’s the drama in fighting a semi-retired boxer? The difference between him and Pacquiao is made by Sugar Ray Points. This doesn’t mean Mayweather is not the best boxer in the world. It just means he’s not pound per pound the best. And I believe there is a difference.
Joe Calzaghe – Anybody having twenty defenses of his title deserves consideration in the top-five pound per pound. Calzaghe’s untested in America sure, but who could he had fought there? Like Bernard Hopkins in the middleweights, he had no big names in Europe other than a faded Chris Eubanks and few big talents to face until late in his career. Just as Hopkins eventually got the opponent that gave him those Sugar Ray points in Felix Trinidad, Calzaghe did too when he fought the heavily touted knockout artist, the American Jeff Lacy. And like Hopkins before, Calzaghe blew his challenger out. With his boxing skills, his speed, his longevity, his exciting south paw style, and his ballsiness – anybody who saw him fight ten rounds with a broken hand against Evans Ashira knows what I’m saying – Calzaghe deserves to be in the top five P4P. So, I have him number three.
Rafael Marquez – He is another fighter high on talent and Sugar Ray Points. Watching him against Israel Vazquez, I saw a lighter fighter looking like the bigger man because of the soundness of his technique. A piston like jab and good pins beneath him, he beat down the champion Vazquez in a fight I though he would lose. Why did I think he would lose? The very thing that gives him his Sugar Ray Points: his big fights often have him perched on the edge of disaster. Against Tim Austin and Mark Johnson before, he had to struggle through getting tagged and hurt and appearing to be on the decline but struggled through and won. Like Felix Trinidad before and Pacquiao today, Marquez has the knack to be in exciting fights and getting through with the “W.” That puts him in my top five pound per pound. And his stock is rising.
Winky Wright – A fighter who got his due after losing to Fernando Vargas back in 1999, Wright like Floyd Mayweather may still be one of the most underestimated and underrated fighters around. But what helps him is what hurts him: a cautiousness borne out of a defense first style; a cautiousness that turns down big fights like a rematch with Jermain Taylor and keeps him on the shelf until a fight with Hopkins comes down the chute. It’s a cautiousness that minimizes his potential to earn Sugar Ray Points. In his fight with Taylor, he would’ve pulled out a victory had he threw a few punches in the final round, the final minute, or the final ten seconds. Or even threw a hard left at the bell. Sugar Ray would never have had to do that: he would have closed the show. Instead, Wright settled for a draw and hasn’t even his junior middleweight title anymore. He has dropped to mid-top ten in my pound per pound list.
Bernard Hopkins – Some may scratch their heads at this, saying “yeah, he beat Antonio Tarver decisively but he lost to Jermain Taylor twice.” Good point but those Taylor fights were very, very close and I tend to put an asterisk next to the result of close fights. What we should remember is Hopkins was number one pound per pound before he fought Taylor and those fights could’ve gone his way. What we should remember was he was a prohibitive underdog against light heavyweight champion Tarver and won big time. This gave him back those Sugar Ray Points he lacked before his losses to Taylor. But what will happen when Hopkins and Wright meet up. The match will not be as sweet as sugar. They will probably show skill, but given their ages not enough aggression to warrant a rise on this list. In fact, their stocks may go down.
Shane Mosley – Now here’s a guy having more comebacks than Sugar Ray Robinson. On top of the world after beating de la Hoya in 2000, he loses to Vernon Forrest twice. On top of the world after beating de la Hoya again, he refuses a trilogy and accepts two losses from Winky Wright. Now, after wins over Fernando Vargas and Luis Collazo, he shows why he was high on everyone’s P4P lists before. He has fast hands, a willingness to fight anyone (that’s why he faced Forrest and Wright in the first place.), and an ability to adapt in the ring. With his name and his resurgence, I expect him to have some big fights soon and perhaps move to the top five of this list.
Mikkel Kessler – maybe he should be higher on the list. He beat champions Anthony Mundine, Eric Lucas, Marcus Beyer, and Librado Andrade in a shut out in his last match, a big feat. He’s got great fundamentals, good footwork, defense, and a jab. And zero losses. But I thought Andrade was too slow for him. Against a fast and hard punching Calzaghe it will be a different story, one that will show whether he belongs up in the top-five in the pound per pound debate.
Juan Manuel Marquez – Marquez showed great heart and beat Barrera in most exchanges in their match. But he looked awkward at times. He leapt in and squared up sometimes, being in a perfect position to be knocked around by Barrera. He was lucky that Barrera seems to have lost a step or two or he would’ve paid for those mistakes. After being knocked down by Barrera in the seventh, he came back hurt and ended up winning the last few rounds. Marquez didn’t look pretty beating Barrera, but he gutted it out, so he received enough Sugar Ray Points to make my top-ten. Another good showing against Pacquiao, win or lose, will only raise his stock. (By the way, I am perhaps the only person in the world who thinks that when Marquez hit the canvas in the seventh against Barrera, it was both a knockdown and a correct call by Jay Nady.)
Miguel Cotto — He had me at Quintana. When he beat down this good south paw with shots to the body I knew he had to be in my top ten but I wasn’t sure where. His last fight against Otkay Urkal in Puerto Rico sucked, sure. But he had been coming off a good run of wins against Paul Malignaggi, Gianluca Branco, and Ricardo Torres. I expect after a couple of more wins, maybe after he beats down Zab Judah – I expect a replay of Cotto-Quintana — and he fights a top-dog welterweight like Margarito, he will rise on the P4P list.
Others considered: Wladimir Klitschko, Jean-Marc Mormeck, Ricky Hatton, Ivan Calderon, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Jermain Taylor.
Thoughts – British lightweight Amir Kahn sure looks like the real thing. He moves well, has fast hands, and throws good combinations. Can’t wait to see him get some British and European titles this summer –— Some say the Calzaghe fight was stopped too soon since Manfredo wasn’t really hurt. Can’t say I agree given that I picked Calzaghe to win in three. Perfect timing by referee Terry O’Connor if you ask me. – ESPN’s Friday Night Fight continues to have some pretty good cards. With Matt Godfrey’s blowout of Felix Cora, many expect Godfrey to get a top ten ranking among cruiserweights. Can’t say this was the best fight of the night though. Over on ShoBox, undefeated heavyweight Travis Walker narrowly defeated George Garcia in a nip and tuck fight. Even though Garcia lost, this 5’8” heavyweight has heart and will be watched by me next time he’s on TV. — This weekend, ex-lightweight Diego Corrales was fighting as a welterweight but weighed in that day as a middleweight; Joshua Clottey fought as a welterweight but weighed in that day as a light heavyweight; super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe fought Peter Manfredo, a junior middleweight; and middleweight Jermain Taylor has been defending his title against junior middleweights but weighing in as a light heavyweight. Can’t say this makes sense to me. Will the same-day weigh in ever be brought back?
Bretter’s Letters
You wrote, “Sam Soliman whipped Winky Wright; Carlos Baldomir outhustled Floyd Mayweather Jr.; Oscar De La Hoya wisely danced the last four rounds against Felix Trinidad. And Evander Holyfield was jobbed when he drew with Lennox Lewis in their first match.”
I just thought Sam won, Mayweather pitched a shutout, de la Hoya danced his way to a draw (Trinidad won 2 of the first 8 rounds , then 9-12 c’mon?), had Vander down by one…not too off from the judges…
Anyway, I think Penalosa won 8-4 (maybe generous to Ponce de Leon?), but I’m guessing from your sarcasm that you view all the above fights very differently from me. What were your scores? Andrew Pickup
Hey Andrew, Many people – writers and judges both – agree with some of your scores. But I have to disagree with them except for maybe the de la Hoya draw, which will continue to be argued until boxing folds up its tent for the last time. For the record, I had Trinidad beating de la Hoya 7 rounds to 5. Wright winning (I think) something like 8 rounds to 4; Baldomir losing (but I scored it closer than most. My frustration with Mayweather’s running getting the better of my judgment); and Evander winning maybe two of the twelve rounds against Lewis.
Everyone has their own style, but when I judge a fight, I try to look at the ebb and flow of the action. If a certain style dominates the action, the fighter with that style usually wins the round. Often, if a fighter shows that his style may take over things I might hedge my bets over to that fighter for that round, seeing if he will build on that momentum to the next. That’s why I had Trinidad beating de la Hoya: I sensed the momentum changing before de la Hoya started running the last four rounds. As for Soliman, for all his action and punches, he never really imposed his will or changed the momentum of the fight: Wright stayed calm and did his job as a professional, so Winky didn’t lose many rounds. At least that’s how I saw things.
Mr. Conway,
This is just a quick note to thank you for publicly voicing what any informed viewer of the Ponce De Leon-Penalosa fight thought. It was a horribly unjust, if not obviously corrupt, decision. Although that is hardly a rarity in the sport, it seems that all too commonly Boxing writers shrug off such injustices, as if regarding them as an inevitability of the sport and, thus, as not worth protesting.
As a case in point, most boxing commentators regarded the J.M. Marquez – Chris John result as a horrible decision, but hardly any protested (preferring to blame Nacho Baristain for agreeing to the fight), and then treated Marquez as if he needed to rebound from a “loss.” Marquez beat John and Penalosa beat Ponce De Leon. The entirety of the boxing community, fans and journalists alike, should protest and then simply proceed upon what they know to be the truth.
Sadly, most writers will note the bad decision and yet, for all practical purposes thereafter, will treat it as if it were legitimate. Such legitimization, however, just furthers and becomes part of the injustice, and makes future injustices more likely. Who is more at fault, the judge/commission/promoter who makes the bad decision, or the journalist who refers to the fighter’s “loss” or “victory” as if justly and legitimately determined by that decision?
Steven Brence
Hi Steven, It is true that writers often go on to new and bigger fights after a bad decision is announced, but this has less to do with ignoring the injustice and more to do with the boxing world continuing to function even when a fighter like Marquez is robbed. Life does go on.
But I disagree about boxing writers shrugging off bad decisions as if they are a part of boxing. Just witness the reactions from Max Boxing writers after the fights on the Marquez-Barrera card were staged and scores were read. They were all discussed: the outrage over the Forbes-Hopkins and Penalosa-Ponce de Leon decisions was well documented and the questionable calls in Marquez-Barrera were mulled over, too.
Having said that, however, I do believe that mainstream sports coverage does ignore what goes on in boxing. Anytime there is a bad decision, it is shrugged off on Sports Center as they move on to the basketball scores or continue to debate whether Barry Bonds is on steroids. That is the nature of the beast: in big times sports, boxing has lost its clout and too often, especially in states without strong boxing regulation or in countries that shamelessly vote for the homer, like Indonesia which you mentioned in your email and Germany – just ask John Ruiz and now Virgil Hill – the wrong guy gets chosen the winner and no one is there to hear the protest.
Who’s to blame for this? Promoters? Managers? Commissions? It’s too complicated for me to understand, but I do believe as a writer I do have the responsibility to get the word out when a bad decision is announced. I do believe the fans, too, have the right to contact commissions and sanctioning organizations when an unjust decision is rendered. And I do believe fighters can protest certain venues. Marquez should not have gone to Indonesia to fight for chump change; Ruiz should not have gone to Germany to lose a bogus decision to Valuev.
On a side note, let me say the only one who used those kinds of venues correctly was Virgil Hill. He earned $1.5 million to fight Henry Maske and didn’t have to sacrifice his title. Now, with their series tied at one, maybe Hill will put up his cruiserweight belt in a rematch and make even more money. But he’s gotta make sure he gets his money up front: is there anyone willing to pay for that trilogy? And after mentioning the possibility of a trilogy featuring those two, is there anyone still awake to finish reading this column?
