It’s high time we updated our pound-for-pound list and we want your help to set a new one.
I doubt there will be a new man at number one – Floyd Mayweather would not be judged too harshly even if he loses to the Big Show surely – but the fights in the last few months may influence you to alter the rest of the rankings.
Related Links Boxing Setanta Boxing Did Manny Pacquiao’s performance in his controversial victory over Juan Manuel Marquez suggest he should drop a notch or two in the rankings? Perhaps Miguel Angel Cotto should move up even before his bout with Alfonso Gomez by virtue of the performance his victim Carlos Quintana put in against Paul Williams?
Maybe Ricky Hatton should be dropped out of the top ten at the expense of David Haye? And no matter how dull he was against Sultan Ibragimov it seems harsh to deny Wladimir Klitschko a position on the board.
Let us know your thoughts and we will update the list at the end of the week. The new one should last at least until the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight.
Here is our list, as was:
1. Floyd Mayweather: Welterweight 39-0 (25KOS) Unquestionably, the finest boxer on the planet, ‘Pretty Boy’ established himself as a true superstar with wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in 2007. Blessed with blistering speed, incredible footwork, superb balance and remarkable agility, Mayweather is a joy to behold in the ring. However, he also proved in his impressive stoppage of Hatton, that he is capable of boxing on the inside to devastating effect. A loud, arrogant and garrulous character, who has a fondness for trash-talking and flaunting his wealther, Mayweather may not be a very likeable character but his talent and achievements in the ring demand respect. He has now won world titles in five different weights, racking up wins over great fighters such as Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo and Zab Judah along the way, and is almost certain to now at least be mentioned when people discuss the greatest fighters of all time.
2. Manny Pacquiao: Super-Featherweight 45-3-2 (35KOS) Manny Pacquiao is, in many people’s eyes, the most exciting fighter on the planet at the moment. The all-action Filipino southpaw has repeatedly sought out the best and, more importantly, beaten the best. Indeed, he became the first man to stop Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, at a time when the Mexican was still at the peak of his powers, before claiming another win over ‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ last October, this time by decision. He also fought Erik Morales three times, losing the first on points before gaining revenge in emphatic fashion with successive stoppages. Pac Man controversially won a split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez to become a three-weight world champion and will attempt to add a fourth when he takes on David Diaz in June.
3. Bernard Hopkins: Light-Heavyweight 48-4-1 (32KOS) Perhaps the most remarkable fighter in the list. Bernard Hopkins is 42 years of age but still one of the finest boxers in the world. A living legend, Hopkins is masterful defensive fighter who knows every trick in the book. He reigned supreme in the middleweight division for nearly a decade, making an incredible 20 title defences during that time. Successive defeats to Jermain Taylor suggested that the time had come for ‘B-Hop’ to call it a day but he defied the ravages of time by stepping up to light-heavyweight and dethroning the king of the division, Antonio Tarver. A subsequent win over Ronald ‘Winky’ Wright only served to underline Hopkins’ talents are not on the wane and should he beat Joe Calzaghe later this year, it will rank as one of the greatest victories in modern-day boxing.
4. Joe Calzaghe: Super-Middleweight 44-0 (32KOS) For so long viewed with suspicion for his reluctance to fight outside Britain or take on ‘big-name’ fighters, Joe Calzaghe has established himself as one of the best boxers in the world over the past two years. His breakthrough, particularly in terms of American audiences, came when he systematically dismantled Jeff Lacy in March, 2006. Calzaghe’s superb mix of speed and power made the world sit up and take notice that night but he only became a true boxing superstar after his thrilling points win over the previously undefeated Mikkel Kessler in an epic unification title fight last November. ‘The Pride of Wales’ is now being spoken of as the finest fighter to come out of Britain and should he defeat Bernard Hopkins this year, few would begrudge this silky-silled southpaw such an accolade.
5. Juan Manuel Marquez: Super-Featherweight 48-3-1(35KOs) For many Juan Manuel Marquez won both bouts against Manny Pacquiao but was given a draw in the first and then lost a split decision on March 15. His ability to outbox Pac Man for much of both fights despite being on the brink in the first round of the 2004 bout and the third round of the recent bout should what a brave, resilient and technically-gifted fighter he is though. In-between these bouts Marquez?s stock fell a little with his surprise defeat to Chris John in 2006 but he cemented his status as a superbly talented boxer with a dominant points win over fellow Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera last year.
6. Miguel Cotto: Welterweight 31-0 (25KOs) Puerto Rico?s newest boxing superstar, Miguel Cotto is making a good fist of trying to emulate the achievements of his compatriot, Felix Trinidad, who once ruled the welterweight division. ?Junito? is a quiet and reserved individual outside of the ring but inside it he is as explosive and destructive as they come. He is the type of fighter that fans love, one that is always prepared to force the issue and take the fight to his opponent. His propensity for knocking out his opponents also makes him one of the most attractive and exciting fighters in the world today. He also has heart as he has proved on numerous occasions, most notably in his win over DeMarcus Corley. Cotto has beaten all comers, with his most notable scalps coming in his last two outings ? Zab Judah and Shane Mosley ? and it seems the only real fight left out there for him is Floyd Mayweather. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, though.
7. Israel Vazquez: Super-Bantamweight 43-4 (31KOs) Israel Vazquez is fast becoming as big a legend in the boxing world as his Mexican predecessors, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. ?Magnifico? first came to prominence when he claimed the vacant IBF super-bantamweight title by knocking out Jose Luis Valbuena but it was only after his incredible third-round knockout of WBC champ Oscar Larios in 2006 that people really began to sit up and take notice. After wins over Ivan Hernandez and Jhonny Gonzalez, Vazquez was paired with the other great Mexican fighter in the 122lb division, Rafael Marquez. The latter triumphed, forcing Vazquez to retire at the end of the seventh but their quickly-arranged rematch, ?Magnifico? reclaimed his title by stopping Marquez in the sixth round of an epic contest which deservedly won Ring Magazine?s Fight of the Year award for 2007. Unsurprisingly, a rubber match was quickly arranged. Again, it was a classic and again Vazquez triumphed. However, it was via a controversial split decision and a fourth meeting is now in the offing. We can’t wait!
8. Ronald Wright: Middleweight 51-4-1 (31KOs) Ronald Wright was for many years kept in the shadows of world boxing. A superb technician with an impenetrable defence, ?Winky? was ducked by countless big-name fighters and ignored by the knock-out hungry networks. However, after years of biding his time, and suffering no end of contentious decision losses, Wright was finally given a long overdue chance by ?Sugar? Shane Mosley, who was then the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Wright completely outfoxed and outboxed Mosley not once, but twice. This gifted southpaw followed that up with an incredibly one-sided points win over Felix Trinidad before drawing with the then undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in a bout that many believe he won. His move up to light-heavyweight to fight boxing?s other great defensive master, Bernard Hopkins, resulted in a points defeat but Wright is still one of the finest boxers on the planet and one which many just do not want to fight.
9. Kelly Pavlik: Middleweight 33-0 (29KOs) A contentious inclusion in our list perhaps, given Pavlik is just 25 and has yet to truly prove himself but ?The Ghost? is after all undefeated and the current undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Blessed with incredible punching power, Pavlik is perhaps the hardest hitter on our list. Indeed, he might not be the greatest boxer in the world from a technical perspective but he is a gloriously exciting fighter, as he proved during his stunning seventh-round knockout of the previously undefeated Jermain Taylor last September. Dropped in the second, Pavlik fought his way back into the bout before decking ?Bad Intentions? in the seventh before forcing a stoppage. Pavlik got the better of Taylor again in this month’s rematch, taking a unanimous points decision in a far more technical bout which took place at a catch-weight of 166lbs. Pavlik is stepping back down this summer, though, and it will be fascinating to see if he can rule the middleweight division for years to come.
10. Ricky Hatton: Light-Welterweight 43-1 (31KOs) There is a lot of pessimism surrounding Ricky Hatton at the moment following his punishing tenth-round stoppage defeat at the hands of Mayweather but there really shouldn?t be. ?The Hitman? simply bit of more than he could chew in stepping up to welterweight to fight the best boxer in the world and a swift return to light-welterweight should quickly see Hatton remind everyone why he is one of the most exciting fighters to ever have come out of Briton. This likeable, down-to-earth and quick-witted Mancunian, who is renowned for his fearsome body punching, is an irrestible force at 140lbs, something he proved in thrilling fashion when he stopped Kostya Tszyu to win the IBF title in 2005, and also in his stunning knockout victory over Jose Luis Castillo last year underlined his status as the best light-welterweight in the world. If Hatton can now drop back down and unify the division in which he belongs, his legacy as one of the finest British fighters of all time will be assured ? if it?s not already.
