Filipino-born Southern Californian Nonito Donaire had been a somewhat polarizing figure on the boxing landscape. The talent was obvious. There were some questions to be had about just how strong the resume was, how much his talent had been proven.
Sure, he nuked one of the most accomplished little men of the last generation or two in Vic Darchinyan, but a cynic could worry about overrating him, about subconsciously giving him credit for what Darchinyan went on to accomplish after that nasty loss.
There is no need for cynicism anymore, not after doing veteran Fernando Montiel, the Mexican three division titlist in the midst of the best run of his career, with the sort of counter left hook that sends corners calling for an exorcist.
Nonito Donaire is exactly what he looks like. He might even prove to be better than that. Unlike most of the men who will occupy space with him in arguments about the overall best fighter in the world in the next year or two, Donaire is just hitting his prime.
Look at the calendar.
The upside almost always rides with youth.
For now, it?s enough that Donaire finds himself firmly ensconced with the games genuine elite and taken the lead position in boxing?s best current division. He said after the second round stoppage of Montiel that he wants to unify Bantamweight before moving on. Given the talent in the field, that could be just the path for Donaire to improve on his standing here.
As will be seen, after the Montiel win, there isn?t much room to grow.
This is the BoxingScene Pound for Pound Top Ten. 1) Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KO) Age: 32 Current Title: WBO Welterweight/147 lbs. (2009-Present, 1 Defense) Lineal World Championships: World Flyweight/112 lbs. (1998-99, 1 Defense); World Featherweight/126 lbs. (2003-2005, 2 Defenses); World Jr. Lightweight/130 lbs. champion (2008); World Junior Welterweight (2009-10) Additional Titles: WBC Flyweight (1998-99, 1 Defense); IBF Jr. Featherweight/122 lbs (2001-03, 4 Defenses); Ring Magazine Featherweight (2003-05, 2 Defenses); Ring/WBC Jr. Lightweight (2008) WBC Lightweight/135 lbs. (2008); Ring Jr. Welterweight (2009-10); WBC Jr. Middleweight/154 lbs. (2010-11) Record in Title Fights: 14-1-2, 11 KO, 1 KOBY (Overall); 6-1-1, 5 KO, 1 KOBY (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Antonio Margarito (UD12), Joshua Clottey (UD12), Miguel Cotto (TKO12), Ricky Hatton (KO2), Oscar De La Hoya (RTD8) Next Opponent: May 7, 2011 vs. Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KO)
The Take: 2010 was another wildly successful year for Pacquiao even if those successes were greater out of the ring than inside of it. His two mega-shows at Cowboys Stadium and a 60 Minutes profile were graphic illustrations of the biggest foreign fistic star in the U.S. since the heyday of Julio Cesar Chavez. Inside the ring, matters were more pedestrian. Joshua Clottey was a solid foe on paper but froze. Margarito did nothing to deserve a Pacquiao fight and took a savage beating, even if it was entertaining in spots. The fight was made worse with a so-called vacant ?eighth world title? on the line, at a catchweight, in a division where neither fighter merited a rating. The outrage was boiling over as Pacquiao announced plans to face what seems to be the ghost of Shane Mosley. It has cooled with the announcement of network T.V. getting involved in the promotion but it?s a band-aid in the long run. It?s not too early to break out the ?Money? Pacquiao jokes?.but?Pacquiao remains the game?s best offensive fighter even if 2010 was his slowest year since 2007. His defense and footwork have caught up to his hand speed and power and he is the only fighter in history to win legitimate, lineal World championships in four weight divisions. If he blows through Mosley, and he should, the Pacquiao backlash can be expected to grow but, for now, he has so much distance on anyone else in the pack that he can afford a little bad press.
2) Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 KO) Age: 28 Current Title: WBC/WBO Bantamweight/118 lbs. (2011-Present, 0 Defenses) Additional Titles: IBF Flyweight (2007-09, 3 Defenses) Record in Title Fights: 5-0, 5 KO (7-0, 6 KO including interim title fights) Last Five Opponents: Fernando Montiel (TKO2), Wladimir Sidorenko (KO4), Hernan Marquez (TKO8), Manuel Vargas (KO3), Rafael Concepcion (UD12) Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: Once is impressive. Twice is a trend. Three times is the road to commonplace. For Donaire, that?s what wrecking proven fighters has seemingly become. Commonplace. Routine. There is no question about Donaire and he is earning his reputation as a gamer. In his first title shot, versus Darchinyan in 2007, Donaire seized the moment and left Darchinyan separated from his senses. Since then, out of the ring issues stymied his rise just a bit, though he had some quality wins over future titlist Moruti Mthalane and tough contender Raul Martinez. There was nothing on the level of Darchinyan though, a point made glaring as Darchinyan went on to be the first man to unify three belts at 115 lbs. among a string of strong wins (and some rugged losses) over the last couple years. In his last two fights, Donaire has caught back up to all of the expectations the Darchinyan win created. In consecutive bouts, against opponents every bit as respectable as Darchinyan, Donaire has been sensational. Sidorenko was a proven, solid professional that had lost only narrowly to some of the world?s best. Montiel, with 18 title fight wins in three divisions, was coming off arguably the best year of his career. Neither had ever been stopped. Darchinyan has never come close to being stopped since. Donaire wiped the floor with each of them and it?s almost frightening to think of what he can do from here. Some may balk at seeing Donaire leap over Mayweather. They should not as Mayweather is hardly active these days. The fact is, should Pacquiao make a trend of facing shopworn names instead of serious competition past the unnecessary Mosley affair, Donaire is in the perfect division to make a run on the top spot.
3) Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KO) Age: 33 Current Title: Lineal World Welterweight (2010-Present) Lineal World Championships: World Jr. Lightweight (1998-2002, 8 Defenses); World Lightweight (2002-2004, 3 Defenses); World Welterweight (2006-08, 1 Defense) Additional Titles: WBC Jr. Lightweight (1998-2002, 8 Defenses); Ring/WBC Lightweight (2002-2004, 3 Defenses); WBC Jr. Welterweight (2005); IBF Welterweight (2006); Ring/WBC Welterweight (2006-08, 1 Defense); WBC Jr. Middleweight (2007) Record in Title Fights: 19-0, 9 KO (Overall); 16-0, 8 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Shane Mosley (UD12), Juan Manuel Marquez (UD12), Ricky Hatton (TKO10), Oscar De La Hoya (SD12), Carlos Baldomir (UD12) Up Next: TBA
The Take: Mayweather may well be out of these ratings by the summer as he heads towards a year out of the ring. He has no fights scheduled and the only fight he managed to get into after Shane Mosley in May was at home. Instead of fighting Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather is fighting to stay out of legal trouble. More activity is a must; so is a showdown with Pacquiao. There is no denying Mayweather?s prodigious in-ring talents or the deep resume of this three-division lineal, five-division overall, champion. One wonders if Mayweather is already satisfied enough with what he?s done not to need any more.
4) Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO) Age: 37 Current Title: Lineal World Lightweight Champion (2008-Present, 3 Defenses) Additional Titles: IBF Featherweight (2003-05, 4 Defenses); WBA Featherweight (2003-05, 3 Defenses); WBC Jr. Lightweight (2007-08, 1 Defense); Ring Lightweight (2008-Present, 3 Defenses); WBO/WBA Lightweight (2009-Present, 2 Defenses) Record in Title Fights: 10-3-1, 4 KO or 12-3-1, 6 KO including interim title fights (Overall); 4-1-1, 3 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Michael Katsidis (TKO9), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L12), Juan Diaz (UD12, TKO9), Joel Casamayor (TKO11), Manny Pacquiao (L12) Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: It has become fashionable to move Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez ahead of all but the likes of the Mayweather?s and Pacquiao?s. It makes sense. He?s got speed, personality, and he?s new. It?s easy to take the enduring excellence of someone like Marquez for granted. Let there be no mistake though: his excellence does endure. After losing decisively, two divisions higher than he had any business being, to Floyd Mayweather in 2009, Marquez returned to the Lightweight domain and dominated the two leading contenders to his title. The latter, Katsidis, joined a club of men that includes Freddie Norwood, Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacquiao, and Mayweather, as men who have had Marquez on the deck. Like them, he could not keep Marquez there and, despite a gutsy effort, was methodically outclassed by a genuine master. Marquez may have lost a step from his prime, but his overall skill set is still a step ahead of just about anyone in the game.
5) Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO) Age: 35 Current Titles: Lineal World Middleweight/160 lb. champion (2010-Present, 1 Defense) Additional Titles: WBC Jr. Middleweight (2009-10); Ring/WBC Middleweight (2010-Present, 1 Defense); WBO Middleweight (2010) Record in Title Fights: 3-0-1, 2 KO including interim title fights (Overall); 2-0, 1 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Kelly Pavlik (UD12), Paul Williams (L12, KO2), Kermit Cintron (D12), Alex Bunema (RTD8), Archak TerMeliksetian (TKO7) Next Opponent: March 12, 2011 vs. Sergiy Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KO)
The Take: No matter if his reign ends soon or goes on for a few years, Martinez seized one of boxing?s most storied division?s by the throat in 2010 and scored the sort of knockout that guarantees him a piece of immortality. Five, ten, fifty years from now, the knockout of Williams will still be on some highlight reel. Piggybacking on an off the floor win over Kelly Pavlik to take the crown earlier in the year, Martinez earned every bit of the accolades he is likely to receive. There is no other choice for Fighter of the Year in 2010. There is, however, still plenty of room to grow in pound-for-pound terms. Pavlik and Williams have been a fantastic coming out party for a guy who worked in the shadows too long but now we find out how Martinez handles being hunted rather than hunter. It?s one thing to string together a few great performances; it?s another to keep the momentum going. The speed, flair, and underrated skill and power of Martinez make it a safe bet to assume he will do just that. It won?t be easy though. He has arguably the best Jr. Middleweight in the world up next and Dzinziruk?s size, speed and reliable fundamentals will make for a chess match.
6) Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KO) Age: 45 Current Title: None Lineal World Championships: World Middleweight (2001-05, 6 Defenses) Career Titles: IBF Middleweight (1995-2005, 20 Defenses); WBC Middleweight (2001-05, 7 Defenses); Ring/WBA Middleweight (2001-05, 6 Defenses); WBO Middleweight (2004-05, 1 Defense) Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight (2006-08, 1 Defense) Record in Title Fights: 22-3-2, 13 KO, 1 No Contest (Overall); 7-2, 4 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Jean Pascal (D12), Roy Jones Jr. (UD12), Enrique Ornelas (UD12), Kelly Pavlik (UD12), Joe Calzaghe (L12) Next Opponent: May 21, 2011 vs. Jean Pascal (26-1-1, 16 KO)
The Take: Even granting some layoffs in the stretch, and a couple ugly performances, how many 40-plus year old fighters could face a reigning Light Heavyweight, Super Middleweight, and Middleweight champion the way Hopkins has in his last five fights. Look at the men ahead of him and their quality of competition in their last five fights. Look again at Hopkins. He may have faced the toughest run of any of them. Between those three champions, only Pascal had a loss heading into his fight with Hopkins and only Calzaghe escaped without a blemish. Calzaghe, like Hopkins, is a future Hall of Famer and theirs was a competitive fight. It?s astounding. So too is Hopkins ability at an advanced age. His work to the body, and accurate right hands, had the younger Pascal on the run in spots. His balance, conditioning, and defense, remain top notch. Unlike most of the men who surround him on this list, Hopkins will go down as one of the greatest ever to lace gloves and he can still go with the best of them. That counts for a lot. We?ll see if he has magic one more time in the Pascal rematch.
7) Timothy Bradley (27-0, 11 KO) Age: 27 Current Titles: WBO Jr. Welterweight (2009-Present, 3 Defenses); WBC Jr. Welterweight (2011-Present) Additional Titles: WBC Jr. Welterweight (2008-09, 2 Defenses) Record in Title Fights: 5-0, 1 No Contest Last Five Opponents: Devon Alexander (TD10), Luis Abregu (UD12), Lamont Peterson (UD12), Nate Campbell (NC3), Kendall Holt (UD12) Next Opponent: TBA My Take: Bradley is the best fighter in arguably boxing?s deepest current pool of talent. After his last outing, he?s going to get a healthy argument from WBA titlist Amir Khan. Thankfully for the fans, Bradley-Khan seems inevitable for 2011 or early 2012. There are some divisions that struggle to field more than five real candidates for the top of the class. Jr. Welterweight has a top ten which isn?t big enough for all of the talent swimming around. Bradley burst from the pack in 2008 with an upset win, on the road, over the long avoided Brit Junior Witter to win the WBC belt. Since then, he?s only faced one fighter (Cherry) who would be considered a softer touch. In defeating Alexander in a much touted, if too technical, unification clash, Bradley showed off what makes him so hard to beat. Fast hands, excellent balance, educated use of the head, and relentless pressuring make him a long night for anyone. Fun fact: Due to boxing politics, Bradley regained the WBC belt he had to give up for not making a mandatory versus Alexander in 2009. Having previously won the WBO belt in a unification with Kendall Holt, Bradley ends where he started.
8) Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO) Age: 34 Current Title: Lineal World Heavyweight Champion (2009-Present, 2 Defenses) Career Titles: WBO Heavyweight (2000-02, 5 Defenses); IBF Heavyweight (2006-Present, 9 Defenses); WBO Heavyweight (2008-Present, 5 KO); Ring Heavyweight (2009-Present, 2 Defenses) Record in Title Fights: 16-2, 14 KO, 2 KOBY (Overall); 3-0, 3 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Samuel Peter (KO10), Eddie Chambers (KO12), Ruslan Chagaev (RTD9), Hasim Rahman (TKO7), Tony Thompson (KO11) Next Opponent: April 30, 2011 vs. Dereck Chisora (14-0, 9 KO)
The Take: Klitschko is the most dominant division ruler in the sport right now. It?s not always entertaining to watch, but Klitschko has all but cleaned out the Heavyweight division, short of a fight with his big brother. A knockout of Sam Peter made it thirteen straight wins. Those wins included three active titlists (Chris Byrd, Ibragimov, and Chagaev). Even excepting that this is a historically bad Heavyweight era, Klitschko is clearly a skilled, powerful champion. The question, the only question, that matters at Heavyweight is whether Klitschko will finally face rival David Haye. It is the biggest fight in the Heavyweight division, globally if not particularly in the U.S., since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson. Klitschko has shown a champion?s willingness to face Haye. Haye has shown a blustering willingness to talk about fighting Klitschko. It?s an opponent even Klitschko detractors can respect and, with both men perceived (if somewhat unfairly) to be a bit chinny, it could be a dramatic affair when they meet.
9) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (79-3-1, 43 KO) Age: 33 Current Title: Lineal World Flyweight Champion (2010-Present, 1 Defense) Lineal World Championships: World Flyweight (2001-07, 17 Defenses) Additional Titles: WBC Flyweight (2001-07, 17 Defenses); Ring/WBC Flyweight (2010-Present, 1 Defense) Record in Title Fights: 22-1-1, 9 KO including interim title fights (Overall); 20-1-1, 8 KO (Lineal Only) Last Five Opponents: Ego Yohan (KO3), Heri Purnomo (TKO4), Suriyan Por Chokchai (UD12), Ray Megrino (KO1), Koki Kameda (MD12)
Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: Thailand?s Wonjongkam walked onto undefeated Koki Kameda?s home turf in Tokyo, a little slower and a little more reserved than he was in his prime, but with all the education that his many rounds have given him. He left the ring having regained lineal and WBC Flyweight honors, added recognition from Ring Magazine, and probably sealing his eventual induction to the Hall of Fame. The Kameda win also allowed for a new perspective on Wonjongkam. In recent vintage, since losing the title to rival Daisuke Naito in their third fight in 2007, he?s gone 10-0-1, made a strong case to having reclaimed the title in the fourth Naito fight (ruled a draw), and bested solid contender (now titlist) Julio Cesar Miranda. Across his career, since the lone stoppage loss of his career in 1996, Wonjongkam has gone 66-1-1; he?s broken Hall of Famer Miguel Canto?s consecutive title defense record at 112 lbs. by three with seventeen; and now he has masterfully outboxed the biggest young star in the world below Bantamweight to reclaim his title. It all adds up to earned recognition as one of the best fighters in the world but age may be creeping on him. The Chokchai fight was far closer than could have been predicted and sent him sliding a notch below Klitschko. Wonjongkam needs to be moved sooner than later towards opponents who can add something substantive to his ledger. For now, he?s wrecking hapless stay busy opponents with an intriguing mandatory against former 108 lb. titlist Edgar Sosa looming. 10) Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KO) Age: 25 Current Titles: WBA Bantamweight (2008-Present, 7 Defenses) Record in Title Fights: 8-0, 1 KO Last Five Opponents: Nehomar Cermeno (SD12, SD12), Frederic Patrac (TKO11), Jorge Otero (TKO6), Mahyar Monshipour (SD12), Wladimir Sidorenko (SD12)
Next Opponent: TBA vs. Lorenzo Parra (31-2-1, 18 KO)
The Take: After a highly impressive thrashing of Sidorenko to end his 2010 campaign, this slot could easily have gone to Donaire. For now, the highly skilled Moreno remains as he rides a lengthy winning streak against a high quality of foe. The second best fighter in boxing?s best division might actually be its most skilled; he just needs that key win to prove it. At 25, he?s shown the willingness to travel and the ability to win on hostile turf with a style more Pernell Whitaker than Eder Jofre. Don?t let the split decisions fool; Moreno is winning with room to spare but the road is a harrowing minefield. He?s navigating it anyways, traveling in five title fights so far. He?s so good they haven?t found a reason to rob him as the visiting team. The world will miss out if Moreno isn?t worked into the current Bantamweight inferno sooner than later. Nowhere could be hotter than in a ring with Nonito Donaire. Offense versus defense at incredible speed; what more could fight fans ask for?
Five More Who Could Easily Be Here: Giovanni Segura, Miguel Cotto, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Luican Bute
Five More Who Could Be Here Shortly: Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Amir Khan, Paul Williams, Joseph Agbeko As always, feel free to agree?and disagree. This list is for entertainment purposes only and based purely on imagination, hypotheticals and conjecture just like every other pound for pound list ever written. Neither it nor any other such list made up of such illusory ingredients should be used to forward corporate agendas of any kind.
That doesn?t make it any less fun to argue about.
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Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at [email protected]
