No sooner than anyone can drink his coffee, several sports scribes are now saying Argentinian Sergio Martinez should be ranked ahead Filipino boxing icon Many Pacquiao following his stoppage win over Sergiy Dzinziruk over the weekend.
While I do not begrudge others for positing their opinion, I cannot help but wonder if there is a concerted effort to downplay Pacquiao?s lofty ranking in the pound for pound list and supplant him with boxers of his critics? choice.
The pound for pound boxing list is of course a mythical thing. And depending on whose list it is, the ranking is only as good as its writer.
But I am a firm believer that one?s pound for pound list should consider the quality of one?s opponent and not merely on one or two fights. It must be over a period, say two years or his last five fights or better yet last ten fights.
Martinez may have scored scintillating wins over Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron, but the quality of opposition is nowhere near the fighters that Manny fought over the last two years or over his last ten fights.
When the dust is settled, how many of Martinez? vanquished foes will walk through boxing?s Hall of Fame?
True, the pound for pound ranking is all about the present. You can score spectacular knockouts one after another and proclaim yourself the best. But if these are over club fighters, then forget about it.
I am not saying Williams and Pavlik are club fighters. No they are not. They are the best in the division, for now. But they are non-entities when ranged and pitted against those who fought as middleweights in the past. I even seriously doubt Martinez will last two rounds against Thomas Hearns.
That is why I am not even ranking Martinez in my top five pound for pound fighter.
Compared to Pacquiao, Martinez cannot boast of any of his last ten opponents as shoo-ins to the Hall of Fame.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has at least five in Oscar de la Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and perhaps Miguel Cotto. Not to mention of course bigger and quality opponents like Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Riicky Hatton and the level of excitement and enthusiastic fight fans Pacquiao brings into the arenas and living rooms every time he fights.
Unless somebody top that record, Manny will be my top pound for pound ? until he retires or he loses to somebody with equally sterling record. But hey, is there anybody out there?
Too bad, Manny Pacquiao does not have anyone lurking behind his back for now, except for fast disappearing Floyd Mayweather Jr, to serve as measuring stick to his greatness as a boxer. The gap between him and the rest in the top 10 pound for pound list is now too wide everyone is frantically looking for anyone to replace him at the top.
Sorry. But Sergio Martinez is not and will not be the man who is going to replace Manny at the top any sooner.
To anybody suggesting he is, try a little harder.
