With everyone jumping up and down the weights like demented kangaroos it?s becoming more and more difficult to analyze the protagonists in any one weight class at any given time ? but it?s fair to say that the crop of fighters in reach of 10 stone is as exciting now as it has ever been. It may be enlightening that the universally recognized best 10-stoner, Ricky Hatton, has proven, if nothing else, that staying at your most comfortable weight does wonders for your fistic legacy, even if it does less to boost your bank balance. It seems that with Manny Pacquiao?s shock victory over Oscar De La Hoya, the Hitman will be permitted to stay within his championship weight in accepting the challenge of the amazing Filipino. The question is: at what weight do we now assess Pacquiao?
I think the answer lies in the De La Hoya fight, the outcome of which was decided as much by the issue of weight, as it was by boxing ability or any other factor. I was in the majority before the fight that the contest was a circus event, designed to generate dollars, and I had De La Hoya winning the fight with ease. I?ll take that on the chin with one rider: Oscar was a mere husk of the man who fought so many great battles, an empty shell of a man who had so drained himself to make weight that as early as the 2nd round he was unable to work his arms. That Pacquiao was able to avoid any punishment from the Golden Boy was due not to his ability to avoid punches, but to De La Hoya?s chronic inability to throw any. Oscar?s Achilles heel has always been a singe-minded pursuit of dollars over the perfection of his art, and in the Pacquiao fight he may have sacrificed his legacy for greed. I?m not alone in this view, by the way ? consider the views of Eric Brown (Pacquiao?s assistant trainer) when he was asked to recap Manny?s sensational victory:
?I?m not sure if Oscar was a hundred percent. It appeared as though he (Oscar) went overboard in trying to maintain his lower weight. He may have gone too long in camp in coming down in weight that his stomach shrunk and he wasn?t able to eat properly anymore because he was too drained. I believe he was over trained.?
For me, therefore, the jury remains out on Pacquiao?s ability beyond Light-Welter. I just can?t see him competing with an Antonio Margarito, or Shane Mosley, or even Miguel Angel Cotto, assuming they come to the ring fit and healthy, which De La Hoya palpably did not. I do, however, believe that his phenomenal ability will make him an ideal Light-Welter, and so I?m including him in this examination of the division. I?ve given each fighter a rating from A ? F, which gives the reader an impression of their potential as well as their past endeavors.
1. Ricky Hatton ? A, 45-1, 32 KO?s
The redemptive nature of Ricky?s demolition of Paulie Malignaggi places him for me at the head of the list. Ricky is all-action, a fabulous body puncher, and a better defensive boxer than he?s given credit for. Will Mayweather, SR., improve him? Not a jot. Ricky is Ricky, and he will always be Ricky. The change in training regime and in surroundings and personnel undoubtedly provided an impetus that had gone stale under Billy Graham, but I don?t hold with those who say they saw something different about the Hitman in demolishing the credible Malignaggi. Am I also alone in believing that had Ricky taken into the ring with Mayweather, JR., the same calm disposition, the same focus on the wood not the trees he exhibited against Paulie, that he could have beaten the Pretty Boy, and may yet still get the opportunity to do so?
2. Manny Pacquiao ? A, 48-3, 36 KO?s
I?ve said what I want to say about the De La Hoya fiasco ? and the fact that Pacquiao can still get a rating this high at 140 pounds is an extraordinary testament to an extraordinary talent. It is now being mooted that Floyd, JR., may step out of retirement to ambush the Pacquiao-Hatton extravaganza. I hope not, and I feel sure when Manny?s accountants put their heads together and do the math, they?ll realize that a barn-storming stadium fight in the UK involving the Hitman will put far more money in the Pacman?s pocket than a Vegas showdown with the defensive-minded Mayweather. That said, I think Ricky will over-power Manny and stop him in the late rounds.
3. Timothy Bradley ? B, 23-0, 11 KO?s
The best of a coming crop, and the WBC Champion, courtesy of a comprehensive points victory of the highly capable Junior Wittor, Hatton?s countryman. Few thought Bradley could do to Witter what he managed, including dropping the elusive British fighter in the 6th, and a subsequent wide points victory over Edner Cherry has cemented his position. There is a suspicion that his power may not be as pronounced now that he?s up in world class (the Witter knockdown was more about timing than brute force), and he?ll need a knockout punch to dislodge either Hatton or Pacquiao should he ever be awarded so lucrative an option.
4. Junior Witter ? B, 37-2, 22 KO?s
Still a factor, despite a poor showing against Bradley in losing his hard-won WBC Title. Witter?s problem now is how to entice the top fighters into the ring with him, as he possesses the style and speed to make anyone look bad, without the countering effect of being a big enough draw to make the risk financially worthwhile. I suspect that Hatton will have been quietly pleased to see Witter lose, as there had begun to gather quite a clamor for the two to meet in the UK, which had Junior kept winning would eventually have been too loud for Ricky to ignore. Witter will give anyone a fight, presuming they?ll step into the ring with him in the first place. For now, he is looking for fights in Europe to re-establish himself.
5. Andreas Kotelnik ? C, 30-2, 13 KO?s
Kotelnik looked quality in taking the WBA Title from Gavin Rees in March this year, and has already fitted in a defense over the lightly regarded Norio Kimura. It has to be said that a loss to Witter three years ago, despite a commendable performance, marks him as the weakest of the current Champions, and a probable target for the challengers coming through.
6. Kendall Holt ? C, 24-2, 13 KO?s
The WBO Champion looks vulnerable to the big punchers. Sure, after being controversially stopped by Ricardo Torres in 2007, he came back in July to plaster Torres in less than a round, but it should not be forgotten that he hit the floor twice in that first round. Couple this with a first round loss to journeyman Thomas Davis back in 2004, and one suspects that Holt, while being a highly capable operator, has reached his level.
7. Ricardo Torres ? B, 32-2, 28 KO?s
I?ve rated Torres below Holt simply because last time out, he got starched by the American. I?m going to treat that as an aberration and say now that I expect Torres to return the favor when they eventually meet for the third time. Torres carries a concussive punch, as indicated by his knockout record, and if he lands he?s going to knock anyone out. He gave Miguel Angel Cotto all he could handle, back when Cotto was carrying all before him, and would be a testing opponent for any of our top three
8. Paulie Malignaggi ? C, 25-2, 5 KO?s
Damaged goods? Not yet. Certainly the Hatton fight proved, for all Paulie?s protestations about his damaged hands, that the Magic Man couldn?t knock over a pot plant, and that his much-lauded performance in taking Cotto the distance owed more to an inflated view of Cotto, than it did to Malignaggi?s skills. He?s still young enough to battle back, and he?s possessed of such overwhelming confidence (assuming Hatton didn?t knock it out of him) that he could still be a factor, assuming he steers clear of our top four or five fighters.
9. Juan Urango ? C, 20-1, 16 KO?s
The Colombian was well-beaten by Hatton in early 2007, but has with three solid wins since, and is lined up to fight Herman Ngoudjo of the Cameroons for the IBF Title in January 2009. Bull-like and thickly muscled, Urango looks bigger than 10 stone, and the Natton loss remains his only setback. He may yet prove to be a force in the division, although one suspects that he would be outsmarted by most of the guys we?ve rated above him here.
10. Herman Ngoudjo ? D, 25-2, 9 KO?s
Two losses to the lighter Jose Luis Castillo, and then to the aforementioned Malignaggi have tarnished his reputation, which he gets to polish up in January in challenging for the IBF title that Maliganggi relinquished to take Hatton on. Ngoudjo?s lack of power at world level isn?t quite as startling as Paulie?s, but is weak enough to put him in trouble when faced with monster punchers like Torres, Pacquiao and Hatton. I take him to be bullied out of it by Urango, and possibly even have him stopped for the first time, which may see him drop out of the reckoning.
