Boxing, like all sports, is a fount of passionate opinions.
Many of them are poured out in pubs, clubs and wine bars around the world as well as at ringside and it is almost impossible to reach an absolute consensus.
Muhammad Ali is generally regarded as the GOAT ? Greatest Of All Time ? but not even on that does everyone agree.
Both Sugar Rays ? Robinson and Leonard ? have their advocates, among others.
The question of who are the greatest pound-for-pound fighters currently active arouses some of the most heated debate among the blood brotherhood and this week this column begins ranking the top 10 in the world and in the UK.
As we start, Carl Froch is the only British fighter in my world ratings but David Haye, against Wladimir Klitschko in his heavyweight unification fight in Hamburg this Saturday, and Amir khan, in his light-welterweight title defence against Zab Judah in Las Vegas on July 23, have their chance to break through.
Froch heads my British list and our world super-middleweight champion will climb higher in the world rankings if he defeats America’s highly-rated Andre Ward in the final of the Super Six tournament in the US this October.
In placing both Froch and Khan above Haye in the UK top 10, I have taken into account their higher class of recent opponents.
Floyd Mayweather Jnr would have been omitted from the world rankings because of more than a year’s inactivity had he not signed to come back against Victor Ortiz this September.
Let the arguments begin.
