Sergio Martinez may be in the autumn of his career, but the 36-year-old Argentine marvel is on such an amazing run right now that many are calling him out as the best ‘pound-for-pound’ fighter in the world.
That’s ahead of Manny Pacquiao and ahead of Floyd Mayweather due largely to his exploits over the last 12 months. In that time Martinez has beaten Kelly Pavlik to annex WBO and WBC middleweight titles, iced Paul Williams in two rounds in defence of the WBC middleweight belt and in his last fight totally dominated the previously unbeaten Sergiy Dzinziruk for the vacant WBC Diamond middleweight title.
Without a doubt it’s an impressive recent resume and the 2010 Fighter of the Year (as voted for by the Boxing Writers Association of America) is now eagerly trying to nail down a fight with Pacquiao, insisting he’d have no qualms about dropping back down to light-middle to accept the dance.
However as good as Martinez has been I can’t have him above either Manny or Floyd at present. ‘Pound-for-pound’ ratings are of course by their very nature subjective but should always consider a fighter’s results from the divisions he has competed at and his potential.
Martinez has compiled a fine 47-2-2 (26) record and has been punching for pay since 1997. He’s in phenomenal shape considering his advancing years but his entire body of work can’t be compared to Pacquiao, who began life as a light-flyweight but who has gone on to beat men of the calibre of Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya.
Similarly you would have to say that Mayweather, an outlandish talent who has barely lost a round in 41 pro fights but whose recent career seems to have stalled due to legal strife in his native America, remains a level above the likes of Martinez.
I would say that Sergio is quite obviously the best of the rest right now and he moves up to three on our latest list but I believe ‘Pac Man’ and ‘Money’ remain ‘once in a lifetime’ fighters and it’s a shame it looks unlikely they will ever get to share a ring.
Another fighter with the world seemingly at his feet is Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa. The Guantanamo gunslinger is now WBA and IBF featherweight champion after his recent annihilation of the classy Jorge Solis.
Many were tipping Solis for the upset in Atlantic City but Gamboa was at his very best and he dropped his hapless opponent five times in all before the fight was called off in round four.
Despite suspicions he may not be able to hold a shot at the top level (Gamboa has been down several times already as a pro but always got up to win) he’s already streaked to 20-0 and all but four of those wins have come inside schedule.
The clamour for him to be matched with fellow ‘pound-for-pound’ unbeaten Juan Manuel Lopez continues and I am told that’s a fight that could happen this year provided both keep on winning.
Gamboa v Lopez would be a difficult fight to call but I’m edging towards the former. Speed kills in this game and while Lopez is fast Gamboa is like lightning. What’s not up for debate is that it’s a fight that could potentially illuminate the sport.
Another Cuban emerging on the ‘pound-for-pound’ radar is Guillermo Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux of course is a double Olympic champion and a fighter widely regarded as one of the best amateurs ever to emerge from the Pearl of the Antillies.
He defected from his homeland in 2007 and is now the interim WBA super-bantamweight champion who blitzed Ireland’s Willie ‘Big Bang’ Casey in Dublin recently.
It was another display of staggering power mixed with precision. His body shots remind me of those of a prime Don Curry and while he doesn’t really have time to waste at the age of 30 it’s clear after just eight pro fights that this one is a little special.
It will be interesting to see how quickly he is moved and whether Rigondeaux looks to unify at super-bantam or chase the mega-matches with the likes of fellow exiled countryman Gamboa and Puerto Rican star Lopez at the higher weights.
Sportinglife.com pound-for-pound world top 10:
1 Manny Pacquiao
2 Floyd Mayweather
3 Sergio Martinez
4 Juan Manuel Marquez
5 Nonito Donaire
6 Bernard Hopkins
7 Miguel Cotto
8 Yuriorkis Gamboa
9 Shane Mosley
10 Juan Manuel Lopez
Honourable mentions: Andre Ward, Paul Williams, Timothy Bradley, Wladimir Klitschko and Amir Khan.
