TOP TEN IN BOXING BASED ON A NUMBER OF FACTORS
Los Angeles, CA-Many so-called boxing experts and journalists have their own criteria for what makes an elite fighter. “Pound for Pound” is an overused term that promoters look for to sell their guys to the public. I believe that the quality of opposition is the biggest sell when it comes to being referred as a pound for pound level fighter. If you don’t seek out the best challenges or fight the best fighters available, how can you consider yourself to be a great pugilist? Nowadays too much emphasis is based on how many losses a boxer has on his ledger, when more emphasis needs to be given to fighters who take risks against a wide variety of styles of opposition. A boxer will most likely always look good against a come forward brawler, especially if the boxer is defensively sound. The puncher will do well against a fighter with little punch resistance. And the prizefighter who excels against a multitude of styles, exemplifies what it means to be on the ‘pound for pound’ list. And oh yeah, winning consistently doesn’t hurt your cause, nor does performing exceptionally in big fights.
JAILBIRD FLOYD STILL AT THE TOP
Mayweather Still On Top, But For How Long?
1. Floyd Mayweather(43-0, 26 KOs) (154 lbs)- Floyd appears to be slipping a bit, doesn’t move as much and is more willing to trade punches. This is what makes a fighter great. When his physical attributes and reflexes begin to erode, an older fighter normally has to rely more on skills. Floyd, fortunately for him, still has the fundamentals to be the best boxer in the world.
2. Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KOs) (168 lbs)- Ward won the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament comfortably and fought all the top fighters in the division at the time. Defeated Carl Froch another fighter who makes the list. A 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, Ward’s skills are top notch, and his willingness to face the best gets him this spot. If he beats Chad Dawson convincingly in September he may overtake Mayweather at #1 because of the large gaps of inactivity and Floyd handpicking the opposition.
3. Sergio Martinez (49-2, 28 KOs) (160)- Has looked stellar in stopping his last four opponents. Suffers on this list only because of a weak division. The fight on September 15 against a much improved Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KOs) should be difficult.
MANNY SLIDES DUE TO LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCES
4. Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2, 38 KOS) (147)- Manny is obviously one of the best fighters in the world, but based on his close win versus Juan Manuel Marquez and the loss to Tim Bradley, it’s hard to rank him above the aforementioned three. Hasn’t been impressive lately against elite opposition, and he lost a close fight to Bradley that in my opinion could have gone either way.
5. Nonito Donaire (29-1, 18 KOs) (122)- Has received criticism for his the level of opposition in his last three bouts, but you can’t ignore how impressive he was in his two biggest fights. “The Filipino Flash” has won belts from flyweight (112) up to super bantamweight (122) where he currently resides and deserves a lot of credit for that. Hard to put him ahead of men who’ve fought better opposition recently, and looking good against them. In addition, Donaire appears to be running from 122 lb. fellow champ Guillermo Rigondeaux.
6. Tim Bradley (29-0, 12 KOs) (147)- Most observers though he lost to Pacquiao clearly, while I disagree. Other than that bout and the one with Kendall Holt, Bradley clearly dominated every other opponent and has fought some solid guys in his reign at 140.
7. Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KOs) (168)- Destroyed Lucian Bute (30-1, 24 KOs) in May, who was considered by many to be the world’s second best 168 pound fighter. Lost a wide decision to Ward in the Super Six Finale, but has probably the best overall resume in boxing in terms of quality of opposition.
8. Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1, 39 KOs) (140)-Marquez’s pattern of only fighting twice a year hurts him in my opinion. He hasn’t had a meaningful win since beating Juan Diaz in 2010. Many people thought he was robbed against Pacquiao in 2011, however I believe he lost a close fight. Still a great fighter, but seems only interested in fighting Pacquiao and no one else. Looked pedestrian in his last outing against Serhiy Fedchenko (30-2, 13 KOs).
9. Chad Dawson(31-1, 17 KOs) (175)- I felt reluctant to put him here, but the numbers don’t lie. Chad’s beaten a solid number of light heavyweights, including beating Tomasz Adamek (31-0 at the time) to win his first title. His only loss was to Jean Pascal(26-2-1, 16 KOs), a loss I feel he needs to avenge. Lacks focus at times in fights which may be a major problem in his matchup with Andre Ward in September.
10. Anselmo Moreno (33-1, 12 KOs) (118)- Great blend of skills and defense and has been on quite a run. This is a case where you have to rate a fighters skills, Moreno has them and there’s a reason fighters around his weight aren’t lining up to fight him. Outboxed Vic Darchinyan (37-5-1, 27 KOs) with ease in December 2011.
*I do not include Heavyweights on my Pound for Pound lists.
-Kevin Perry