I’ve been struggling to understand the logic in which The Ring magazine and ESPN are using when determining their rankings for the top Boxers in each weight class and pound for pound best. According to both organizations, Manny Pacquiao is ranked as the #1 pound for pound fighter but is not even the best fighter in his weight class. That honor has been bestowed upon Floyd Mayweather Jr presumably because of his win over Shane Mosley.
So then, how is Manny the best boxer in the world but only second best in his weight class? This makes very little sense to me and the numerous fans whom have filled my email with the same question. Let’s examine further:
The Ring Rankings
Pound for Pound
Weight Classes
ESPN Rankings
Pound for Pound
Weight Classes
Controversy It’s been stated numerous times over that Oscar De La Hoya owns The Ring Magazine and therefore has a big influence on the rankings. This suspected influence has many shouting conspiracy. However, ESPN’s Dan Rafael echoes the same logic in his rankings. So, instead of shouting conspiracy, I’m trying to understand the logic and as of the typing of this article, I am still unable to understand.
Illogical If we were to take this logic and apply it to other sports, it wouldn’t make any sense either. For example, Lebron James is considered the best NBA player yet nobody says that he’s the second best player at his position. Perhaps even more relative to this argument, Anderson Silva is usually considered the best pound for pound MMA fighter and he’s not ranked as the second best middleweight. Even if you want to argue that George St. Pierre is the pound for pound best, he’s still not ranked second in his weight class (welterweight).
Sherdog Rankings:
Pound for Pound
Weight Classes
Last fights Mayweather Jr deserves credit for his perseverance in what turned out to become a one sided fight. The 2nd round proved that Mayweather Jr can overcome adversity in the ring and does have a chin. Pacquiao overwhelmed Joshua Clottey with 1200 punches that left Clottey seeing Manny’s fists in his sleep for weeks after the fight.
Both fighters defeated solid welterweights. Yes, Shane was ranked higher but he was also older and coming off a longer layoff in between fights. I don’t see how Floyd’s performance moves him up the rankings over Manny.
Conclusion Despite solid wins by both fighters, if Floyd Mayweather Jr doesn’t jump Manny as the Pound for Pound best then how can he be ranked higher on the list as a welterweight. Both fighters fight in the same weight class. It’s not like we are talking about two different weight classes. Both men have gone up and down through the divisions. But they both call the welterweight division ‘home’ for now. If you think Floyd is better than Manny Pacquiao as a welterweight then you should also think he’s the better pound for pound fighter.
