Punching Above Their Weight: The Top 10 Pound-for-Pound List (Will the #1 be Manny Pacquiao?)
By Eoin Redahan
Any pound for pound list will inevitably be controversial. This specific list was compiled on the basis of all-around pugilistic skill, dominance, experience, and the caliber of opposition faced (where possible).
The following are my top 10 pound-for-pound boxers in the world today:
#10: Shane Mosley – He may have buckled Floyd Mayweather. JR.’s knees in the second round, but Mosley received a solid beating for the rest of their recent welterweight bout.
Sugar Shane has been terrific to watch down the years, but his skills are in decline. That said, he is still a very difficult man to beat at 147 lbs and could yet pull out another shock performance similar to the beating he gave Antonio Margarito.
#9: Bernard Hopkins – The veteran ringsmith is a receding shadow of his former self, but he still has the wiles to win. His decision to fight a completely shot Roy Jones Junior frustrated fans, but hopefully he will cross mitts with either Chad Dawson or Lucian Bute in the coming year.
#8: Ivan Calderon – The diminutive Puerto Rican has been one of the purest technicians in the sport in recent years. He combines balletic foot movement and poise with excellent combinations from a variety of angles.
Calderon looked unbeatable at minimum weight, though he looks more vulnerable at light flyweight due to his small size. While he could probably do with plaster-set fists at this higher weight level, he remains unbeaten.
#7: Sergio Martinez – The Argentine has shouldered injustice with admirable dignity. He was on the wrong side of a controversial decision loss to Paul Williams, before falling victim to a disgraceful drawn verdict against Kermit Cintron.
The slick southpaw finally got the decision he deserved against Kelly Pavlik after a dominant display. Expect the battle-hardened middleweight to fight Paul Williams in a second epic within the next year.
#6: Paul Williams – Williams’ shining reputation has lost some of its Luster in recent times. He looked very ordinary against Kermit Cintron before their match was aborted due to the latter’s unfortunate injury. He had previously eked a decision victory over Sergio Martinez, but glaring defensive weaknesses were exposed by the Argentine.
Nevertheless, the prolific punching, rangy southpaw came through both bouts. The queue to fight him is short for good reason.
#5: Wladimir Klitschko – The younger Klitschko will not be the most popular choice at number five. However, few can argue against his performance level in the past five years. Under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, he has constantly sought out – and beaten – the best the heavyweight division has had to offer.
He has developed a defense that is seldom breached, a punishing jab, and a knockout ratio of almost 85% from his 54 fights. He may not be particularly exciting to watch, but he is the most dominant heavyweight since Lennox Lewis.
#4: Chad Dawson – The stage is set for Dawson to become one of the sport’s marquee names. The converted southpaw boasts blurring hand speed and ring smarts beyond his years.
He has gradually cleared his way through the division’s seasoned campaigners, and his wide points victory against Tomasz Adamek is looking better and better as time passes. Dawson faces hard-hitting, yet one-dimensional Canadian Jean Pascal next. Surely, victory over Pascal will clear the way for his rite of accession bout against Bernard Hopkins.
#3: Juan Manuel Marquez – Marquez’s ill-advised fight against Floyd Mayweather Junior should not detract from the Mexican’s standing as one boxing’s finest practitioners. He should never have jumped up that far in weight and was duly punished.
Nevertheless, Marquez remains the outstanding lightweight in the world at the moment and his resume is packed with victories against stellar names; even his defeat and draw against Manny Pacquiao fortified his reputation.
He is scheduled to fight Juan Diaz on July 31st back at lightweight. Hopefully, this will pave the way for a crowd-pleasing match-up against the explosive Aussie Michael Katsidis.
#2: Manny Pacquiao – Perhaps the Pacman is unfortunate to be ousted into second position. The biggest draw in boxing has traversed the divisions with ease to become a seven-weight world champion. He combines devastating hand and foot speed with considerable power and extraordinary fitness levels.
He is probably the only boxer in the surrounding weight classes who is capable of beating Floyd Mayweather, JR.
#1: Floyd Mayweather, JR – The self-proclaimed Pretty Boy might have been absent for two years, but he returned with two awe-inspiring performances against future Hall-of-Famers Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Floyd has perfected the art of hitting without getting hit, and is generally regarded as the best defensive technician since Pernell Whitaker. It remains to be seen whether he can negate the speed of Manny Pacquiao, but he has made a career habit of making excellent boxers look ordinary.
Honorable mentions:
Nonito Donaire, Celestino Caballero, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Lopez, Rafael Marquez, Andre Ward, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Fernando Montiel, and Vitali Klitschko.