RANKING NEW ?BIG THREE? AT 135 LBS.
Pittsburgh, PA- Do you have a few hours to kill? Maybe you want to frustrate the hell out of a fellow boxing fan. Try asking this question: Who is, right now, the best lightweight (135 pound) boxer in the world? This is not a question of who should be the recognized champion, or who is the best pound-for-pound, but who is the best in the division today? With the invasion of the former junior lightweights Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Joan Guzman ? the three best pound-for-pound fighters in the division who have only faced one lightweight (David Diaz) between them to date ? boxing?s second best division (behind welterweight) can now make an argument for supremacy. No division is hotter at the moment, with three big lightweight contests on the horizon. Before I change my mind (again), I offer the current ten best lightweights:
LIGHTWEIGHT FIGHTING WELTER?
1. Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) How can this be, you may ask, when you decry a possible match-up at welterweight (147 lbs.) against Oscar De La Hoya? I?ll answer it this way: At welterweight, Pacquiao would stand nowhere near the top of the division. Pacman ? my pound-for-pound #1 ? may not hold an Usain Bolt-type lead in the lightweight race, but with his total package, he?s out in front of the pack. Next fight: either November 1 against the capable Humberto Soto, or a December 6 welterweight farce against De La Hoya
2. Joan Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) Thank goodness for battle-ready Nate Campbell, or Guzman may not get a title shot. If any universal truth exists in the sport, it?s that styles make fights, and nobody seems to match up well with this slick Dominican. He should decision Campbell. Next fight: September 13 versus WBO-WBA-IBF champ Campbell on Showtime.
3. Nate ?Galaxxy Warrior? Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) Campbell drew the short straw here. After a career night in besting Juan Diaz, he couldn?t get the unification fight he deserved with Joel Casamayor, where I suspect he would have redeemed an earlier loss. Instead, he got stuck with Guzman, who no one else wants to touch with a ten-foot pole. Don?t expect Nate to sulk, though ? he?s coming to win the current best fight in the division. Next fight: September 13 versus Joan Guzman on Showtime.
4. Juan ?Baby Bull? Diaz (33-1, 17 KOs) Not to take anything away from Campbell?s excellent outing against the ?Baby Bull in March, but am I the only one that questions whether part of the loss can be attributed to Diaz overextending himself? Being a full-time student is admirable and a great story for the sport, but can?t he go part-time? He can?t get these years back, especially the way he fights. Next fight: can?t-miss September 6 slugfest versus Michael Katsidis on HBO.
5. Juan Manuel Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs)Manny Pacquiao?s worst nightmare won?t go away; however, he doesn?t bring with him the physical attributes from 130 pounds that Guzman and Pacquiao do. Nevertheless, I favor him to out-box Joel Casamayor. Next fight: September 13 versus Ring magazine and linear champ Casamayor on HBO PPV.
6. Joel ?El Cepillo? Casamayor (36-3-1, 22 KOs) I?m not sold that the 37 year old is still on top at this stage of his career. He?s one fight removed from a gift decision over Jose Santa Cruz, and the importance of his March knockout over unproven Katsidis, while impressive, is overstated. Next fight: September 13 versus the aforementioned Juan Manuel Marquez.
7. Amir Khan (18-0, 14 KOs) Technically and physically, Khan is destined for a future atop the division. But boxing?s not just about technique and skill. Time will tell with famed British promoter Frank Warren?s project. Next fight: September 6 against undefeated Colombian Breidis Prescott, in Manchester, UK.
8. Jose Armando Santa Cruz (26-3, 15 KOs) Santa Cruz should be defending his Ring title, but he remains mired just below the more prominent stars, looking for another shot that this skilled boxer deserves. Next fight: September 20 WBC eliminator versus Antonio Pitalua in Monterey, Mexico.
9. Julio Diaz (35-4, 26 KOs) Don?t count out Julio because of his submission last year to Juan Diaz. He?s 28 and still may have one more run in him. Next fight: November 8 on the Roy Jones-Joe Calzaghe undercard in Madison Square Garden, against Pittsburgh-based Ghanaian Ray Narh.
10) Ali ?Rush Hour? Funeka (30-1-2, 25 KOs) Zahir Raheem (29-3), who has beaten the likes of Erik Morales, may not possess the most crowd-pleasing style, but he does have skill and had never been knocked out ? that is, until the 6? Funeka took him out in 4 rounds last month in his native South Africa. Next fight: unscheduled.
