Pound for Pound
Editor’s Note: Rankings are compiled on an even basis of figher ability and accomplishment.
Boxing Herald Champion:
Floyd Mayweather Jr.: Though his fighting style and recent opponent choices (Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya twice?) can be called into question, Mayweather remains the most dominating undefeated fighter in the sport today. And his resume speaks for itself. With wins over Jose Luis Castillo, the late Diego Corrales, Zab Judah, and Ricky Hatton, Mayweather has proved time and time again that he is the sport’s premier pugilist.
1.. Joe Calzaghe:
Calzaghe’s long title reign at super middleweight coupled with his wins over Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler, and Bernard Hopkins make him one of the sport’s most prominent fighters. His heart is unquestionable; his hand speed, exceptional. Calzaghe has never tasted defeat, and if he can trounce one of the world’s top light-heavyweights, he’ll go down as one of the greatest two-division champions in history.
2. Manny Pacquiao:
The Philippines’ favorite son has banged with the best fighters of his generation — and for the most part has come out on top. A ferocious fighter with the perhaps largest fan base in the sport, Pacquiao has never ducked a challenge. Future wins against fellow 130 pounders Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero would only up his prestige.
3. Kelly Pavlik:
“The Ghost” haunts middleweight opponents with his vicious right hand. Former champ Jermain Taylor tasted that robust punch frequently en route to two losses at the hands of the stronger Pavlik in the pair’s bouts within the past seven months. If Pavlik can get by a pair of soft title defenses lined up later this year, he could find himself in a showdown with fellow middleweight belt holder Arthur Abraham in early 2009.
4. Miguel Cotto:
Despite inconsistencies in the ring throughout his undefeated career, Cotto seems to have come into his own at 147 pounds. His wins over Zab Judah and Shane Mosley corroborate his new found success.
5. Juan Manuel Marquez:
The Mexican technician, who holds a win over Marco Antonio Barrera and a draw with Pacquiao, is coming off a split decision rematch loss to the tenacious Filipino. But Marquez, who many thought won the second fight with Pacquiao, showed great skill and heart in defeat. He’d still be favored to win against any other super featherweight in the world.
6. Joan Guzman:
A champion at 122 and 130 pounds, Guzman is perhaps the most underrated fighter in boxing today. His dominant wins over Jorge Rodrigo Barrios and Agapito Sanchez are impressive, but what sets Guzman apart from other champions is his masterpiece UD win over rugged Mexican Humberto Soto. Many experts, including ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, thought Soto was the stacked 130 pound division’s dark horse; Guzman out-pointed Soto in dynamic fashion.
7. Israel Vasquez:
Vazquez always fights the best pugs in his division, and in the majority of his big fights, he wins in dramatic fashion. He took two out of three fights against both Oscar Larios and Rafael Marquez, and he holds a knockout victory over the talented Johnny Gonzalez. He may be the stacked 122 pound division’s most talented fighter.
8. Cristian Mijares:
Though a largely unknown entity in the boxing world, Mijares is one of the fight game’s most talented pugs. His super-slick style is so unorthodox that fans enjoy watching him fight even though they rarely see him score knockouts. Mijares’ dominant wins over Jorge Arce and Jose Navarro evince his high status in the boxing world. And his most recent victory — a split decision nod over the talented Alexander Munoz — moves him up in these rankings.
9. Ricky Hatton:
Don’t let Hatton’s one-sided welterweight loss to Mayweather fool you — the Brit can still fight. At 140 pounds, Hatton is a near unstoppable force who steamrolls opponents with a diverse, two-fisted attack. Hatton struggled in his most recent bout against Juan Lazcano, but we can excuse “The Hitman” for the poor performance. He did, in fact, fight only five months after losing to Mayweather.
10. Ivan Calderon:
Now a champion in two weight classes (105 and 108 pounds), Calderon is finally using his mega-talent to rack up impressive wins. Excuse his lack of competition early in his career — Calderon is now besting the world’s top fighters with his slick style. His victory over Hugo Cazares for the WBO light flyweight title may have been the biggest victory in that weight class’s history.
Heavyweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Wladimir Klitschko
2. Ruslan Chagaev
3. Sam Peter
4. Nikolay Valuev
5. Tony Thompson
6. Alexander Povetkin
7. John Ruiz
8. Sultan Ibragimov
9. Chris Arreola
10. Andrew Golota
Cruiserweight
Boxing Herald Champion: David Haye
1. Steve Cunningham
2. Jonathan Banks
3. Firat Arslan
4. Rudolf Kraj
5. Jean Marc Mormeck
6. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
7. Tomasz Adamek
8. Marco Huck
9. B.J. Flores
10. Aaron Williams
Note
: Guillermo Jones is not ranked due to inactivity.
Light Heavyweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Joe Calzaghe
1.Chad Dawson
2. Glen Johnson
3. Antonio Tarver
4. Roy Jones Jr.
5. Zsolt Erdei
6. Adrian Diaconu
7.Elvir Muriqi
8. Clinton Woods
9. Reggie Johnson
10. Julio Cesar Gonzalez
Super Middleweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Mikkel Kessler
2. Lucian Bute
3. Anthony Mundine
4. Librado Andrade
5. Carl Froch
6. Edison Miranda
7. Denis Inkin
8. Fulgencio Zuniga
9. Jeff Lacy
10. Sakio Bika
Middleweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Kelly Pavlik
1. Jermain Taylor
2. Arthur Abraham
3. Ronald “Winky” Wright
4. Felix Sturm
5. Randy Griffin
6. Sebastian Sylvester
7. Giovanni Lorenzo
8. John Duddy
9. Ray Joval
10. Joe Greene
Light Middleweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Vernon Forrest
2. Joachim Acline
3. Travis Simms
4. Verno Phillups
5. Sergiy Dzinziruk
6. Alex Bunema
7. James Kirkland
8. Yuri Foreman
9. Cory Spinks
10. Joel Julio
Welterweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
1. Miguel Cotto
2. Shane Mosley
3. Carlos Quintana
4. Paul Williams
5. Antonio Margarito
6. Kermit Cintron
7. Zab Judah
8. Joshua Clottey
9. Andre Berto
10. Jesus Soto Karass
Light-Welterweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Ricky Hatton
1. Timothy Bradley
2. Ricardo Torres
3. Kendall Holt
4. Junior Witter
5. Demetrius Hopkins
6. Andreas Kotelnik
7. Francisco Figueroa
8. Lamont Peterson
9. Herman Ngoudjo
10. Randall Bailey
Lightweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Nate Campbell
1. Joel Casamayor
2. Amir Khan
3. David Diaz
4. Juan Diaz
5. Zahir Raheem
6. Michael Katsidis
7. Jorge Armando Santa Cruz
8. Prawet Singwancha
9. Julio Diaz
10. Anthony Peterson
Super Featherweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Manny Pacquiao
1. Juan Manuel Marquez
2. Joan Guzman
3. Edwin Valero
4. Marco Antonio Barrera
5. Humberto Soto
6. Cassius Baloyi
7. Alex Arthur
8. Kevin Mitchell
9. Rocky Juarez
10. Mzonke Fana
Featherweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Chris John
1. Jorge Linares
2. Robert Guerrero
3. Steve Luevano
4. Orlando Salido
5. Hector Velazquez
6. Choi Tseveenpurev
7. Mario Santiago
8. Jorge Solis
9. Nicky Cook
10. Hiroyuki Enoki
Super Bantamweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Israel Vasquez
1. Celestino Caballero
2. Rafeal Marquez
3. Daniel Ponce De Leon
4. Steve Molitor
5. Johnny Gonzalez
6. Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym
7. Juan Manuel Lopez
8. Rey Bautista
9. Ricardo Cordoba
10. Akifumi Shimoda
Bantamweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Gerry Penalosa
2. Hozumi Hasegawa
3. Abner Mares
4. Veerapol Sahaprom
5. Wladimir Sidorenko
6. Joseph Agbeko
7. Luis Perez
8. Anselmo Moreno
9. Simone Maludrotto.
10. Jorge Arce
Super Flyweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Christian Mijares
2. Fernando Montiel
3. Vic Darchinyan
4. Z Gorres
5. Dimitri Kirilov
6. Alexander Munoz
7. Jose Navarro
8. Nobuo Nashiro
9. Luis Maldonado
10. Jose Lopez
Flyweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Nonito Donaire
1. Daisuke Naito
2. Koki Komeda
3. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
4. Roberto Vasquez
5. Takefumi Sakata
6. Omar Navarez
7. Brian Viloria
8. Bernard Inom
9. Denkaosan Kaowichit
10. Andrea Sarritzu
Light Flyweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Ivan Calderon
1. Ulises Solis
2. Edgar Sosa
3. Hugo Cazares
4. Giovanni Segura
5. Omar Nino Ramero
6. Julio Cesar Miranda
7. Muvhuso Nedzanani
8. Nelson Dieppa
9. Daniel Reyes
10. Phumzile Matyhila
Minimumweight
Boxing Herald Champion: Vacant
1. Yutaka Niida
2. Florante Condes
3. Donnie Nietes
4. Muhammad Rachman
5. Oleydong Sithsamerchai
6. Nkosinathi Joyi
7. Eagle Kyowa
8. Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym
9. Denver Cuello
10. Raul Garcia
