“The more outrageous a subject can get, the more I like it.” – Alfred Hitchcock
In the boxing world, three boxers have no peers. They stand alone amongst several good fighters in their respective weight divisions. Pound for pound (whatever that means) they are the top three in the world of boxing. I am stepping out on the proverbial limb, but life would not be fun if we simply let HBO tell us what and how to think.
My first pick is a fighter in a division full of top ranked talent. In this day and age where everyone and their dog is a champion or at least the #1 contender, “King” Kostya Tszyu is the undisputed best at 140 lbs. A fighter possessed with many skills: hand speed, quick feet, and KO power with either hand. His most impressive talent is Ring Generalship. Tszyu may be the best fighter ever when it comes to strategy on the fly. It rarely takes him more than one round to decide his path to victory. Ever wonder why Messieurs Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosely skipped the 140 lb. division on their why to the Middleweight division? Easy answer; Mr. Tszyu would have ruined their careers if they had the guts to try and capture one of his belts. There is an unwritten rule in boxing: Don’t take a tough fight unless it is absolutely necessary. You don’t see all the good 140 lb. Fighters begging to fight Tszyu. Floyd Mayweather knows his career ends with a Tszyu fight. Miguel Cotto wants nothing to do with Tszyu. Hopefully, Arturo Gatti will not step into the ring with Tszyu. Gatti is full of heart and the referee would have to bring a merciful end to the fight. Many remember the beatings Gatti took from Mickey Ward but I remember the light hitting De La Hoya knocking down Gatti several times on his way to a fifth round KO. I personally wish Gatti would quit this sport. One look at his face and you see a fighter that has already taken too much punishment. Money will cause Arturo to sacrifice his health. Lately there have been rumors that De La Hoya would like to fight the great Tszyu. I say Oscar, Miguel, Floyd, Arturo, and the rest of the clowns at 140 lbs. don’t have the huevos to fight Tszyu. “King” Kostya Tszyu has taken on all that had the intestinal fortitude to fight this great champion, most probably the best ever at 140 lbs.
Let’s continue down the outrageous path. We will stop at the Featherweight Division. Manny Pacquiao lives in that division. There are not enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe his dominance of this division. Once again, he has plenty of trouble finding opponents. Pacquiao is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen in a training camp. His main weapons are a razor like left hand combined with blinding speed. The left is the most powerful this side of Corrie Sanders. His hand speed, foot speed, and power, set him apart from his peers. There are three great Mexican champions in the Featherweight division, M.A. Barrera, J.M. Marquez, and Erik Morales. Manny is poised to pull a rare trifecta, beating all three champions. With Barrera and Marquez in the bag, Morales waits his turn for the certain KO from Pacman. You can bet the house that Manny will make quick work of Morales who most recently lost to Barrera. You must have punching power to have an inkling of a chance to beat Pacman. Barrera has power but all that did was get him knocked out by Manny. Pacman is a fighter who loves to be challenged and hats off to the great Mexican fighters who come to fight. The problem for Manny is that once these fighters have tasted his power, they will not enter the ring with him again. Witness Marquez and Barrera who have both turned down the chance of a PPV date with the Filipino. Morales is forced to try his luck with Pacquiao as he tries to regain the fame he lost in the Barrera fights. Look for a quick KO, Manny doesn’t like to play around with chance. At 26 years of age, he will dominate this division and certainly become an all time great. Fight fans will long remember Barrera, Marquez, and Morales. Burnt into their memories will also be the defeats these champions suffered by Manny Pacquiao. Who else in the Featherweight division would dare take on Pacquiao? The Mexican champions have proved they have the heart to fight. Is anyone else willing to step into the ring for a shot at greatness? Pound for pound, Manny is second only to the great Tszyu.
Think I’m being outrageous? I haven’t even got to the outrageous part of this article. Have you ever heard of Felix Strum? At present, he is the best Middleweight fighter in the world. Best remembered for the total dismantling of Oscar De La Hoya last year in Las Vegas. Felix packs the best left jab since Larry Holmes was in his prime. At the end of the De La Hoya fight, Oscar looked like a creature from a bloody horror movie. He had his butt kicked so bad that Bob Arum is on record as saying because of the Strum fight, Oscar is no longer such a big draw for PPV events. Most recently Felix Trinidad thought he would be the macho man of the month and fight Strum. Tito probably reviewed a tape of the De La Hoya fight and quickly backed out of a fight with Strum. At 6’1″, Strum is a tall Middleweight. His best skill is an impenetrable defense that is second to none in the boxing world. I’m sure that many fight fans have been brainwashed into thinking Bernard Hopkins is the best Middleweight. Is this the same fighter that lost to Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney? At 40 years of age, his only claim to fame is a KO of Oscar. Why are all the top ranked Middleweight fighters avoiding Felix Strum? The answer lies in the word FEAR. No one is willing to risk a certain loss that would put a dent in their pot of gold dreams. With so many alphabet world organizations and the multi layered division champions, it is becoming very easy for good fighters to avoid fighting someone who would scramble their eggs. Felix Strum is the third best fighter in world, pound for pound.
The next time you get the opportunity to watch Tszyu, Pacquiao, or Strum, look in their eyes. You will see the steely determination of a focused fighter who refuses to lose.
Writing this piece has been loads of fun. The late Alfred Hitchcock would have loved this kind of article. However, at Ringsports.com we understand that you may have a different opinion about the best boxers in the business. We would like to hear your opinion about today’s great fighters. Feel free to contact the website editor, Roland Munoz. His address is [email protected].
Lead with your left, David Tyler
