Look, Manny Pacquiao is still the world’s best fighter.
You can declare “period” after that. Bottom line, whatever.
And no matter how the Ring Magazine, or any other boxing outlet for that matter, decided on it, it’s going to remain that way in this scribe’s book.
Right now, it’s unanimous, even undisputed. There was never any doubt in the first place.
You can even encompass Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in that. The stationary superstar likewise has a stranglehold on his spot, at No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings. But his inactivity prevents him from challenging for the top spot, and thus that grip might loosen pretty soon.
But all this pound-for-pound stuff is in discussions because of a certain Sergio Martinez. The name may not ring a loud bell to the casual boxing fan (i.e. ones who only tune in only to see Pacquiao, Mayweather, or anyone connected to them in big fights), but Martinez has made a name for himself in the sport of boxing.
After more than a decade of toiling in obscurity, mostly against mediocre competition, the now-35-year-old boxer from Argentina has finally broken out and made his mark. It’s uncertain why it took him too long to get here, but the important thing is that he’s here, and hopefully, for the sake of the sport, he stays for good, for a while.
Ultra athletic and extremely versatile, Martinez has put on a string of sensational performances, within a year, that has catapulted him to the elite of the sport. From unknown (and possibly avoided), he suddenly became boxing’s “Fighter of the Year” for 2010.
It wasn’t easy getting here. When he finally landed a bout with a remotely recognizable name in 2008 against Alex Bunema (who holds wins against then-top-ten junior middleweights Vince Philips and Roman Karmazin, and who has fought Jermain Taylor), he made well of it to become WBC’s “interim” titlist.
Following that, he faced strong puncher Kermit Cintron. In what was supposed to be a breakout performance, Martinez was robbed of a win while his opponent was gifted a draw. He then scored a
fight with Paul Williams, who belonged in anyone’s top ten pound-for-pound lists at the time. It was a fight of the year candidate, but it was a disappointing loss for Martinez. The guy couldn’t catch a break.
But after that, he picked it up, big time. He went on to face – and defeat – legitimate middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Then, in the much-anticipated rematch against Paul Williams, Martinez made quick work of his 6-foot-2 adversary by devastating him with a memorable left hook in just the second round (it was The Ring’s knockout of the year for 2010).
On Saturday, he defended his world middleweight championship against Sergei Dzinziruk. Dzinziruk, a top ten Jr. Middleweight, offered the challenge, and with pressure from HBO, Martinez took the challenge, and then took it right to Dzinziruk. Putting on a fantastic show, the competitive veteran knocked the heck out of Dzinziruk, who was then undefeated in 37 professional bouts. Martinez knocked him down a total of five times (concluding it in the eighth), the only times in Dzinziruk’s entire boxing career (in the amateurs and the pros).
After a long, rough road, the veteran is finally having a smooth ride. That ride has taken him near the top of the sport.
That’s where Pacquiao (and Mayweather) is. That’s also where the arguments spawn.
See, what fans need to understand is that the pound-for-pound discussion, in its subjective nature and core, is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately matter. Mayweather has done zilch lately, and Pacquiao has done it against opponents who offered zilch challenges. Both have had better careers over a longer period of quality time than Martinez. That’s that.
Martinez’ last three wins, as impressive as they are, don’t cancel out the first dozen years of his career. If we are judging for the hall of fame, that is. (Martinez has a long way to go, if you want to know). But for pound-for-pound evaluation? It kind of does. That first 12 years of Martinez’ career doesn’t mean as much in him making the list.
Since Mayweather is a non-factor in boxing recently, Martinez gets the comparison to Pacquiao right away. After May 7, the date Pacquiao meets Mosley, these mythical pound-for-pound lists may be
called to be updated. When that happens, the last three fights of both fighters will surely be taken into account. So let’s factor it all into a simple equation:
Williams + Pavlik + Dzinziruk > Clottey + Margarito + Mosley.
Context is crucial in judging history. One might say that the collective careers of Clottey, Margarito, and Mosley are more successful than that of Martinez’ last three opponents, but in judging for the accomplishments of fighters, one should examine beyond the opponents, and always take it contextually. Now, in pound-for-pound appraisals, observers should put a stress on recently.
None among Martinez’ last three opponents are hall-of-fame bound (at least yet), but at the time Matinez beat them, one is a top ten pound-for-pounder (Williams), one is a world champion (Pavlik), and one is a top ten in his weight class, undefeated and never even knocked down (Dzinziruk). On the other hand, when Pacquiao fought them, Clottey just came off a loss to another fighter beaten by Pacquiao (Miguel Cotto), Margarito is not even a top ten fighter in welterweight or jr. middleweight (not after an unappealing win over Robert Garcia following a one-year suspension, no), and Mosley is coming off a draw and a loss prior (won only two of last five fights).
That seems too long an explanation to justify Martinez’ accomplishments vis-?-vis Pacquaio, it’s just giving Martinez his due.
Yet – and that’s a big yet – Pacquiao is still No. 1. That’s how great and accomplished he is.
When, in my last article, I said that Martinez was threatening for Pacquiao’s top spot, it wasn’t my ego talking. I was only speaking about the implications of Martinez’ words (and recent in-ring actions). The whole point of that write-up was simple enough, and was in fact derived from the insinuations by Martinez himself: to keep his spot, it’s imperative for Pacquiao to have a great performance against Mosley (who, I posited, may not present much of a challenge).
At the end of the day, as great as Martinez has been in his recent efforts, and as undeserving and unchallenging as Pacquiao’s recent opponents are or are perceived to be (counting Mosley), Martinez
still won’t get the top spot. All Martinez can do is hope for Pacquiao to produce a less-than-stellar showing in his next outing. Get that.
But the possibilities of a shake-up in boxing should be welcomed. It’s exciting, and believe it or not, it will be good for the sport. Pacquiao is already a superstar, and he has done a lot for the sport of boxing. It won’t hurt, though, to have another star, and Martinez could be that man. He came to the big leagues years late, after a long journey (against journeymen), and now he still has to wait. He has the potential, even at an advanced age, but Pacquiao is the status quo in boxing.
Martinez’ best bet is to just see if Pacquiao falters against Mosley (either perform poorly or lose). Yeah, right. Or better yet, they could settle it someday in the ring, if that’s even a possibility.
But it will be a herculean task to bring down Pacquiao from where he is. Pacquiao is so good right now that his biggest enemy is only himself.
