It’s time once again for the most interesting “not a pound-for-pound list” rankings in the business. But first, I’d like to say a few words about a boxer who was once the top guy on this list, and now is at a point where we may never see him on here again.
I’m not talking about Kelly Pavlik, who at least showed signs of getting his career back on track last weekend. No, my friends, I’m referring to Juan Manuel Lopez, who was battered into a TKO stoppage for a second time by Orlando Salido since the last time we released the rankings.
Since our formula, rewards staying active, winning and knocking people out while not fighting total stiffs, it loved Juanma in 2009 and 2010. Now? Not so much. I’m not saying he can’t make a return one day, but since the scores are based on a rolling three-year period, realistically it’s going to take until the Fall of 2014, when his first Salido loss stops counting against him, for that to happen.
And he’s got to get back to winning, which could be the trickier part. I hope it happens, though. We’ve got nothing but love for Juanma here.
Now, on with the list:
BOXER POWER RANKINGS – APRIL 2012
1. Nonito Donaire – 19.31 – The Filipino Flash sort of takes over the top spot by default, as both of the fighters in front of him had KO victories back in March 2009 that fell out of the three-year rolling window. That’s taking nothing away from Donaire, but he’ll be looking to really get his buzz back when he takes on Cristian Mijares in July.
2. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez – 18.10 – Here’s the young man who will most likely be sitting at number one come summertime. Fresh off inking a sponsorship deal with Under Armour, Canelo could soar with a big victory over Sugar Shane Mosley in May – and that feels likely.
3. Lucian Bute – 17.56 – Boxing fans have been waiting for Bute to have a bout that truly validates his place in a talent-filled super middleweight division, and he’ll get it next month courtesy of Carl Froch. That’s a fight that should not be missed.
4. Sergio Martinez – 17.34 – Maravilla needed a lot of rounds to do it, but he scored another scintillating stoppage by putting away Matthew Macklin late. Can he line up a fight against Floyd Mayweather before Father Time gets to him first? It’s an intriguing question.
5. Wladimir Klitschko – 15.83 – He’s been dominant, obviously, just not active enough over the past three years to be even higher up this list. Wlad will change that a bit by fighting Tony Thompson (again!) in July, just four months after his most recent victory.
6. Vitali Klitschko – 15.56 – Big brother Klitschko loses some ground because his knockout of Juan Carlos Gomez is now too old to count. Unless something totally unexpected happens, though, he should be somewhere in our top 10 until he retires.
7. Amir Khan – 14.35 – Like Juanma, King Khan is a guy who the formula used to be madly in love with. Now it’s more like a strong case of like. He can change that back by stopping Lamont Peterson in their May rematch.
8. Yuriorkis Gamboa – 12.18 – Should we even rank him after he dropped out of his bout with Brandon Rios? Our precedent has been to forgive boxers for their moves outside the ring, no matter how ill advised, so he stays in… for now.
9. Manny Pacquiao – 11.80 – Speaking of non-boxing matters, Pac-Man has been in the headlines over the past month for things other than the sweet science. He’ll need as few distractions as possible to prepare for his summer showdown with Timothy Bradley, a guy who could easily give Pacquiao fits.
10. Orlando Salido – 10.17 – No real explanation necessary here if you read the opening paragraphs. Some of Salido’s competition over the past three years hasn’t done much for his score, but his twin KOs of Juanma weigh heavily enough for him to crack the top 10.
The next seven: Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Andre Ward, Felix Sturm, Andre Berto, Lamont Peterson, Miguel Vazquez
