Yahoo?s resident boxing writer Kevin Iole drew a ton of flak from Filipino boxing fanatics for putting Floyd Mayweather Jr ahead of Manny Pacquiao in his latest pound for pound ranking.
The two top boxers ? Mayweather and Pacquiao ? incidentally share the same weight division, in the welterweights, and are coming off impressive wins.
Mayweather survived a scary second round against veteran Shane Mosley to knot his 41st win and kept his immaculate record as clean as white linen.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, fashioned out one of the most lopsided wins in his career, shutting out Ghanian Joshua Clottey in twelve rounds.
It is easy to understand why Iole replaced Pacquiao from the top of boxing?s pound for pound list.
For one, Mayweather continues to be the marquee boxer that he was before he un-retired to face Juan Manuel Marquez last year. Mayweather did not show any diminished form in racking up two straight victories ? although Marquez was a midget welterweight and Mosley an ageing warrior.
I am taking exception with Iole?s ranking, however.
Until Mayweather beats the lights out of Pacquiao, he should remain the second best in the welterweight division and in the pound for pound list.
Pacquiao?s most recent victories are something that cannot be taken out of the Filipino whirlwind.
In succession, he stopped David Diaz, Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Angel Cotto before fashioning out a runaway victory against Clottey who simply refused to engage the Filipino boxer despite being the bigger man.
In all of those five fights except for Hatton, Manny went up in weight. And all but Diaz and Clottey were marquee boxers. Now, if that feat is not a barometer for greatness then nothing would ever satisfy Iole.
Mayweather, on the other hand, had only stopped one fighter in his last six fights ? a blown up welterweight in Ricky Hatton and that came more than two years ago, the last fight he took before retiring at the close of 2007.
I suspect the dislodgement of Pacquiao from the top in the pound for pound list is anchored more on the economics of his and Mayweather?s next fight.
With Manny now willing to undergo drug testing under a 14-day window before the fight, Mayweather will find himself in the bind.
Will he or won?t he take the fight without imposing yet another outrageous condition?
According to the reports, Mayweather?s fight with Mosley generated 1.4 million buys as opposed to Manny?s some 800,000 pay per view numbers against Clottey.
It is however worth taking note that Pacquiao and Clottey were two foreigners fighting before an American audience. If anything, it was Manny who drew the crowd and the PPV buys as Clottey was and is still virtually a non-entity in the US.
In contrast, both Mayweather and Mosley are American marquee boxers who fought in America.
That is what you call handicapping.
I still believe Manny deserves to remain on the top of anyone?s pound for pound list. Until he loses or performs miserably in his next fight against any opponent not named Mayweather, Manny is boxing?s best.
And if he defeats Mayweather, he could become the all time great of the sports that produced legends that go by the names of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Leonard and many more.
