There’s good news and bad news on the world pound-for-pound beat this month.
The bad news is that Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao looks no closer to being made after ‘Money’ Mayweather’s ugly recent video tirade.
Floyd goaded Manny in a ridiculous, and racist, video rant a few week ago but thankfully the ‘Pac Man’ has maintained a dignified silence.
The pound-for-pound top dogs remain at loggerheads and I wouldn’t like to wager on them getting it on anytime soon, with Pacquiao set to box Antonio Margarito before the end of the year.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that there has been plenty of action involving pound-for-pound pugilists for us to consider over the past few weeks.
Chad Dawson was pretty high on most P4P lists before tangling with Jean Pascal last month, but after being handled pretty easily by the Canadian in Montreal ‘Bad Chad’ is a ‘can’t miss’ superstar no more and, rightly or wrongly, he’s lost much of his lustre.
Such is the nature of the sport.
It’s not the first time an undefeated star getting the big build up by the TV paymasters has been exposed, and it’s all about how the Connecticut native reacts to his August 14 beating that will ultimately define him.
He was competitive against Pascal but there can be no complaints about his technical decision defeat (he was trailing 106-103 twice and 108-101 when time was called due to a cut in the penultimate stanza) and as a result he moves a few places down out latest list.
There is no place yet for Pascal, but there will be room at the top table should he beat Bernard Hopkins in Quebec on December 18 when those two duke it out for the WBC light-heavyweight title.
Dawson is young enough to come again but his place on the list for now is taken by ‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire.
Donaire has been top dog at flyweight ever since smashing Vic Darchinyan to defeat in five astonishing rounds back in 2007.
A lack of credible challengers has meant he’s not got the props his considerable talents deserve until now but anyone who has seen him at close quarters will attest that there are some serious nuances to his skills.
The California-based Filipino was last seen destroying capable Mexican Hernan Marquez back in July up at super-fly, and he claimed the interim WBA title off the back of that win.
Hugo Fidel Cazares is the WBA champ proper at the weight and a match between him and Donaire would be one to savour.
However, the match the boxing world wants to see is Donaire against Los Mochis banger Fernando Montiel.
Montiel is the current WBC and WBC bantamweight king but the difference between bantam and super-fly is but three pounds and Montiel was campaigning at the latter weight as late as 2008.
Historically matches between champions in the lighter weight divisions have not captured the public imagination but given the skill set on show, and the Philippines v Mexico angle, Donaire v Montiel could do great business.
Donaire needs to keep winning and that means beating former WBA bantam strap holder Volodymyr Sydorenko in December, but at 27 Donaire is at the peak of his powers and will take all the beating.
The same could be said of Yuriorkis Gamboa, the prodigiously talented Cuban who added the IBF featherweight belt to the WBA crown he already owns a couple of weeks ago as he topped Orlando Salido in Las Vegas.
Gamboa is wildly exciting and was again dropped by Salido before getting up to win in style.
That’s five knock downs he’s suffered already in his relatively short pro career but he’s got up to win each time which shows you just what he’s all about.
The Cuban, who defected from his homeland in 2006, is known as ‘El Ciclon de Guantanamo’ and is blowing towards a mega-money showdown with fellow featherweight standout Juan Manuel Lopez.
Lopez is also unbeaten and gets a decent test next against Rafael Marquez in November. Should he come through that then Lopez v Gamboa looks like being just about the hottest fight that could be made in 2011 and both men have moved up a place on our latest list.
Finally, Wladimir Klitschko went over old ground in beating Samuel Peter recently but his display was much more convincing this time round and it just might be possible that at 34 the man they call ‘Steelhammer’ could be improving.
Wlad was dropped several times first time round against the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ but totally bossed their return, handing out a beating before closing the show in the 10th.
Granted Klitschko’s style is an acquired taste but Manny Steward has unquestionably made him a more complete boxer, both defensively and offensively, since hooking up with him.
He’s unbeaten since 2004 and is IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight champion.
The 55-3 (49) behemoth wants David Haye next and while I don’t feel the level of recent opposition he’s been facing merits him a place on the P4P list I do feel he will be worthy of serious consideration should he meet and then do a job on the Londoner.
Sportinglife.com pound-for-pound world top 10:
