Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and the millions who are joining us from around the world, it is time for the very disputed list of boxing’s best pound for pound fighters. This isn’t a list of my favorite fighters, or a list of the most entertaining fighters; if it was Lord knows two or three of these guys wouldn’t be on this list. I polled the your favorite writers at RSR for their top 15 and compiled a list of who we believe to be the top 10. This concoction of warriors is based on who they have beaten, who they have lost to, how good they looked when they lost, and pure boxing skill. Let the disagreeing, throwing, and sailor talk begin, because here is the list:
Tied for 10: Jermain Taylor: 27-0-1, 17 KO’s
How can a young undefeated fighter, who has beaten one fighter on this list twice and fought to a draw with another, be scratching by just to get into the top ten? Unquestionably a lot of it has to do with the snoozer he and Cory Spinks put us through a few weeks back. Cory Spinks is far from a knock out threat, yet Jermain Taylor seemed reluctant to engage with him. Although impressive at times, at other times he looks uninterested and unwilling to listen to Manny Steward. The jury is still out on this fighter; fortunately for him he is a young and raw talent who we may see near the top of this list someday.
Tied for 10: Ricky Hatton 42-0, 32 KO’s
Another undefeated fighter barely makes the ranks. After his win against Kostya Tszyu, it seemed as if boxing had the next spectacular fighter on his way up. Somewhat like Taylor, he has not managed to capitalize on his big win. Although he is 3-0 since his big win, none of his wins were anything to write home about and undoubtedly that is why he just sneaks on this list. His fight later this month, against Jose Luis Castillo, may be just the type of win he needs to catapult him into boxing’s elite. Castillo gave Floyd Mayweather all he could handle in two fights and he may be exactly the household name Hatton needs to beat in order to gain the universal respect he deserves.
9: Shane Mosley 44-4, 37 KO’s
This man has the world in his hands right now; with super fights available from all directions, it is just a matter of who, when, and where. Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Paul Williams, and in a perfect world Floyd Mayweather would all be big time events. Since his losses against (Winky) Wright he has been perfect in the ring. At the time it seemed like those defeats might spell the end for Shane-not the case. Wright has proven to be one of the best in the world and in turn given boxing fans evidence that there is no shame in Mosley losing those fights and that he is still one of the best fighters in the world today.
8: Chris John: 39-0-1, 20 KO’s
Probably more of a reflection of his weight class than his fighting ability; Chris John finds himself at number eight on this list. Generally, as is the case with Heavyweights, Featherweights don’t get the respect from boxing fans in the pound for pound category that other classes do. Having said that, many of our writers had him ranked in their top five-just not enough to land him there on the final list. Having never fought in the United States, Chris is an unknown to some, but his boxing skills haven’t gone unnoticed by the RSR writers. He is dominant in his division and that is enough to earn him a spot.
7: Miguel Cotto: 30-0, 25 KO’s
Miquel Cotto was the most randomly placed man on all of the writer’s lists. He was found as high as number four and as low as number thirteen in some people’s minds. After his entertaining win against Judah, he has established himself as one of the best in the world. The sky is the limit for this guy, and the beautiful thing is that he is young and throws with power-boxing fans will be able to enjoy his fights for a long time to come. A fight with Shane Mosley would be a tremendous event if it happened, and a win there could propel him up this list in many people’s minds.
6: Joe Calazaghe: 43-0, 32 KO’s
Where does Joe go from here? Unfortunately if he doesn’t move up to Light Heavyweight he will probably continue to hover in the middle of this list. His options in his division are few and I have heard chatter about a fight with Antonio Tarver-which would be a good move for both men. If that match ever happened it would solidify their position in boxing’s cream of the crop. Calazaghe was able to make Jeff Lacy look positively amateurish in their fight last year. The biggest fight they could come up with for him recently was against Peter Manfredo, JR., which was more of a money fight than a competitive fight. Joe is one of the best, but a fight against a big time opponent would be just the ticket for him at this point in his career.
5: Rafael Marquez: 37-3, 33 KO’s
Marquez hasn’t lost a fight in over seven years. His rematch with Israel Vazquez is set for August and if the first fight was any clue, it should be a very competitive and exciting match. Another bout that would be huge on the must see list would be with previously mentioned Chris John. I am not sure if Rafael is interested in gaining a few pounds to move up to John’s class, but it would certainly be an interesting thought. If he gets by Vazquez, which is no guarantee, the only other really big name for him might be Daniel Ponce de Leon. For now Marquez sits at number five.
4: Winky Wright: 51-3-1, 25 KO’s
A true professional and a guy that has worked his way up from nothing fights, (Winky) Wright has earned the respect of almost all boxing fans. His July 21 fight with Bernard Hopkins is an exciting and boring thought all at the same time. I would be shocked if this fight was anything more than a tactical battle ending in a disputed decision, but at the same time the idea of two of the best in the world in the ring will earn them my PPV fee. Hopkins will be the third man on this list Wright has fought; the others being Taylor and Mosley (twice). With a resume like that (Winky) earns his spot at number four.
3: Bernard Hopkins: 47-4-1, 32 KO’s
This was the surprise of the list for me. With two losses to number ten on this list, Jermain Taylor, this shows the respect Hopkins has earned in his career. Although he was retired, for about five minutes, he did was he promised and only came back for the big fight. Hopkins has nothing left to prove, but at 42 years young he is still a man many younger fighters want to see in the ring-we all know Tarver would like another shot at him. In another month we will know for certain if we have seen the last of Bernard Hopkins, but everyone enjoy the fight because you will be watching a legend-no matter how boring the fight may be.
2: Manny Pacquiao: 44-3-2, 35 KO’s
The man with one of the most loyal and gigantic followings in boxing is now number two on the list. This is not where I have him but the people have spoken and I have listened. A spot on the pound for pound most entertaining list would certainly be warranted for Manny-maybe even the number one spot. His recent destruction of Erik Morales in their third fight solidified him, in even casual fan’s eyes, as a must see attraction. If someone else on this list holds to their word (which I highly doubt) Manny could very well find himself on the top of many people’s pound for pound best list.
1: Floyd Mayweather JR: 38-0, 24 KO’s
Personally when someone says they are retired I think they lose their spot on this list-whether they are lying or not. It was; however, almost unanimous among the fine writers from this site that even a retired Floyd Mayweather is still the best fighter in the world. Not much more you can say about the guy but as Floyd would say he is the, “Krem day lah krem.”
