Back when Yours Truly was but a mere pup, Mama and Papa Coyote would ask me every year around the holidays to make a list of the things I wanted for Christmas. It was never easy because, even to this day, I thought asking for gifts was a speck pretentious. If I was good, I figured my good deeds wouldn’t go unnoticed and Mr. Kringle would merely give me what he thought I deserved (and I have a deep respect for Santa. Who else on Mother Earth has the trustworthy exterior of Wilford Brimley, the jocular kindness of Father Mulcahey and the stealth of Snake-Eyes?) Besides, I always thought I was better at making lists nobody asked for.
And I get bored. Here’s another one…
Coyote’s Absolutely Unnecessary and Hate-Filled E-Mail-Provoking Pound-for-Pound List (Patent Pending)
1. Manny Pacquiao (THE RING magazine World Junior Welterweight Champion/WBO welterweight titlist), 50-3-2 (38) I really think, not unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr., most fans are gonna be one way or the other when it comes to the seemingly unstoppable Pinoy. As a member of a number of message boards, I’ve had the amusing privilege (and I genuinely mean that. There are no better, smarter assemblages of fight fans available anywhere than in online discussion groups…*enter shameless suck-up move*…namely the Maxboards, Doghouse Boxing’s Dog Pound or the FightHype community) of observing the warring factions. It’s mostly funny but it can get a little out of hand. What’s more important is what Pacquiao has done this year. After pulling the plug on Oscar De La Hoya’s career in December of 2008, “Pac-Man” did the right thing and faced and stopped Ricky Hatton in two for the World Junior Welterweight Championship. Not one to rest on his laurels, Pacquiao continued to do the right thing and beat up former WBO welterweight titleholder Miguel Cotto over the course of 12 rounds; sending a message to the rest of the 147-pound division that, indeed, he is as much a welterweight as Mayweather is. If this March 13th fight is on the real, the winner will emerge simply as the best fighter on the planet today. No “ifs”, “ands” or “buts.” Until then, Manny Pacquiao is solidly THE Man.
2. Shane Mosley (WBA welterweight titlist), 46-5 (39) with one no-contest Mosley couldn’t seem to catch a break, could he? For a guy with a notable alphabet strap, it sure seems like few welter contenders want any part of him. After Mayweather’s high-priced exhibition-style win over Juan Manuel Marquez, Mosley made no bones about breaking any gaps in communication or any out-of-control rumor mills. He straight-up called out “Money” and that was that. Instead of being reciprocated, Mosley was publicly bounced between tentative matches against former IBF titlist Joshua Clottey and WBC titlist Andre Berto, finally making a unification fight with Berto official for January 30. By this time, “Sugar Shane” will have been inactive for a year but getting here in actions (Mosley’s ninth-round TKO throttling of Antonio Margarito) and words (take your pick: the Mayweather incident or a Twitter war with Andre Berto…I wasn’t there. I don’t “tweet.” Hell, I’m not even a “Twindian.”…forget it) keeps Mosley here.
3. Bernard Hopkins (light heavyweight contender), 50-5-1 (32) with one no-contest The elder statesman of anyone’s pound-for-pound list is in a weird situation. On the brink of a superfight (in his own mind) against former superman Roy Jones Jr., The former Undisputed Middleweight Champion/THE RING magazine World Light Heavyweight Champion now wanders in limbo after his own usual timeless performance with a win over Enrique Ornelas when, on the same day, Jones fell victim to cruiserweight Danny Green in less than a round. In a surprising move, “The Executioner” is now calling out WBA heavyweight titleholder David Haye. What’s more surprising is how serious many fans are taking this proposition. A better fight for Hopkins would be two-time light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson or even THE RING magazine World Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek. But as history teaches us, there’s nothing any of us can do to convince a guy like “B-Hop” to act in any particular way. And if he loses, it’s certain it won’t be an embarrassment.
4. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (welterweight contender), 40-0 (25) Yes, number four. Deal with it. Yes, the former RING World Welterweight Champion faced a legitimate pound-for-pounder in current World Lightweight Champion (and yes, that’s a 12-pound difference) Juan Manuel Marquez but why should “Money” be any higher than four? If Mayweather decided to face WBA/IBF junior featherweight titleholder Celestino Caballero in his comeback and beat him in the manner he beat Marquez, would the accolades have flowed in as equally? Hardly. Then again, the awe heaped on Mayweather mightn’t have been any less. Look, I appreciate Mayweather’s skills. I honestly do. And that’s why it’s so damn frustrating when the fighter formerly known as “Pretty Boy” places so much importance on his career decisions. He believes his own hype and that’s a dangerous habit when stepping up to a live dog like Manny Pacquiao. If the March 13 mega-fight is really, truly signed and sealed…well, I don’t need to tell you-or Mayweather-what he needs to do: Grow up. Oh, damn. I just did.
5. Celestino Caballero (WBA/IBF junior featherweight titlist), 33-2 (23) The Little Panamanian That Could, Caballero is much like Shane Mosley in that he didn’t do much this year but he’s locked in for what he got done. More so, in the past year and change, “Pelenchin” defeated two top ten junior feathers in Steve Molitor and Jeffrey Mathebula. Nothing’s on the horizon for the dual titleholder (He stopped Francisco Leal in eight last August) but wouldn’t a jump to feather be nice? Should WBO 122-pound titlist Juan Manuel Lopez succeed in annexing Steven Luevano’s WBO feather belt next month, “JuanMa” could be looking at a ready-when-you-are fight we could all get down with.
6. Juan Manuel Marquez (THE RING magazine World Lightweight Champion), 50-5-1 (37) Since dropping a VERY expected and VERY one-sided decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September, the current World Lightweight Champion’s guess is as good as ours as to where he’s going from here and his dance card is blank. A legitimate pound-for-pound dweller, Marquez has no shame in his loss to Mayweather. Despite what other pundits think, I don’t think Marquez had any business being in that ring with “Money” but big ups to “Dinamita” anyway. Rumor has it that Marquez might face former Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton in 2010. If so, it’s a better match between two better matched competitors whose trades will be nothing short of thunderous. Marquez’ chances of a victory are decidedly better as well. In the here and now, however, Marquez’ February TKO win over former lightweight multi-titlist Juan Diaz and proud loss to Floyd Mayweather keep him on my list.
7. Paul Williams (junior middleweight/middleweight contender), 38-1 (27) You’ve gotta hand it to Paul Williams. Here’s a guy who puts that subtle definition to “pound-for-pound” in a very actionable way. After soundly defeating former Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion Winky Wright in April, “The Punisher” was looking for his one big shot at middleweight greatness in a shot against Undisputed Champion Kelly Pavlik. Unfortunately, not unlike the champion wielding the moniker, the opportunity itself was “Ghost like Swayze” when Pavlik dropped out due to a nagging staph infection. When junior middleweight contender Sergio Martinez stepped in, we still got a real fight on our hands until referee Pierre Benoist f**ked up a perfectly good night and gave the fight to Williams from jump with a 119-110 score resulting in a majority decision win. It goes without saying that Martinez isn’t pound-for-pound material…yet, but Williams still is and looks to further cement that position should he get that shot at Pavlik after all. Here’s hoping the champ gets past Miguel Espino on the 19th of this month. At least for his own sake.
8. Chad Dawson (light heavyweight contender), 29-0 (17) By now, the former two-time light heavyweight titlist has to be frustrated as all hell. Not only have his last four fights been against only two fighters (former World Champions to boot) but the man Chad Dawson really wants, former World Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins doesn’t seem to know “Bad Chad” is even alive. So what to do? Wait around for WBC titlist Jean Pascal to invite him into the ring, should the Haitian-born titleholder get past Adrian Diaconu in their rematch on Friday? Although a win over Pascal would make Dawson’s own “interim belt” whole again (a Christmas miracle..sometime in 2010…bear with me. Right now, it’s December, it’s late and I’m feeling surreal), I’ve got two words for you: Tavoris Cloud. Who wouldn’t want to see this fight? I know. People who hate babies, puppies and “Criminal Minds.” A potential stretch of inactivity might hurt Dawson’s chances of remaining on any list but he probably won’t settle for one unless the contender well, fringe or otherwise, went dry. And what if Dawson did? What’s the WBC gonna do about it? Name an “interim interim” titlist? Please…
9. Vitali Klitschko (WBC heavyweight titlist), 38-2 (37) Curiously, Vitali Klitschko has done more to stake a claim as World Heavyweight Champion in his return from an injury-induced retirement than his brother, THE RING Champion, Wladimir, has done since winning the vacant belt against former WBA titleholder Ruslan Chagaev. Even prior to the Chagaev fight, Baby Brother faced relatively non-challenges in Hasim Rahman and Tony Thompson in successful defenses of his alphabet straps. So what puts Vitali on this list? It’s his “above and beyond” spirit and willingness to not only decisively beat his opponents, mandatories or not, but beat his brother without actually facing off against him in the squared circle. Mama Klistchko said it shouldn’t be done. Vitali says it can.
10. Miguel Cotto (welterweight contender), 34-2 (27) Poor Miguel Cotto. Hell, poor Coyote Duran, man. I swore up one side and down the other that the former WBO junior welterweight/two-time welterweight titlist would show Manny Pacquiao who was boss against an in-his-prime opponent. I, among many other scribes, was wrong. Cotto, a mainstay on many a list, is good-to-go (albeit barely hanging on) on mine still until replaced by the will and skill of another all-around top-ten’er. Cotto had no quit up into the 12th round when stopped by pound-for-pound great Pacquiao nor should a silly list quit on him. It’s too early to judge where Cotto should go from here. Polish welter contender Rafal Jackiewicz, fresh off an IBF eliminator win over Delvin Rodriguez, would be an ideal opponent. If IBF titlist Isaac Hlatshwayo gets past Jan Zaveck on Friday and is goodly enough to engage Cotto, we could have a reasonable welter excursion that could very well keep Cotto on anyone’s mythical list.
Hmmm…after this, I might just have to draw up a Christmas list. I could use a new laptop, Santa. Mine’s kind of up there in years…
Santa? Hellooooo…
Must be a Mayweather fan.
