Pound for Pound: The True Definition of the Term

By “The Commissioner” Alan J. Kindred

What is the true meaning of the term “Pound for Pound” and what does it mean to be on the “Pound for Pound” list. The term was created for Sugar Ray Robinson many decades ago to reflect his greatness. If you told someone at that time Robinson was better than Joe Louis they may have laughed at you and said, “yeah right, Louis is a heavyweight and too big for Robinson,” which is true objectively. This is why the subjective and hypothetical term “Pound for Pound” was created. Robinson supporters could now say Robinson was better than Louis in a pound for pound sense, meaning if they were both the same size, whether heavyweight or welterweight, Robinson is better and would defeat Louis. So the term “Pound for Pound” was born.

There are quite a few myths that many people have begun to believe about the term. For instance, many think it has to do with how many divisions one has climbed and won titles in. This isn’t true however, as there have been fighters such as Marvin Hagler who stayed in one division and was ranked high up on the Pound for Pound lists. Some believe it has to do with how long someone has been a champion, or how many defenses they’ve made. This again isn’t true. You don’t even have to be a champion to be on the Pound for Pound lists, you just have to be exceptionally good.

Being a champion in multiple weight classes, long reigning, and with many defenses of your titles is a good thing and likely fighters with these achievements are so skilled they will also be on the Pound for Pound lists, but an achievement or legacy list is not the same thing as a pound for pound list. A pound for pound list reflects who the consensus believes are the best fighters regardless of weight, meaning if all fighters were the same weight, hypothetically, who is the best in head to head match-ups. A good example of this concept would be to look at the Omar Narvaez vs Naoya Inoue match-up. Heading into the fight Narvaez had the far superior achievement or legacy, and would have been listed much higher on such a list than Inoue would have been. He had only been a champion in one weight class at the time, even if he had won it very young and in very few fights. Narvaez had been a champion for years with a great many defenses. Even after Inoue was victorious in their match, some could say Narvaez has the superior resume in terms of numbers. However, when looking at it from a pound for pound perspective it is obvious who is the better fighter pound for pound between the two. Even before they fought, you could study film between the two and come to that conclusion.

This is one reason why many are clamoring for Wladimir Klitschko to be number one pound for pound, but I feel it is because they are confusing lists, particularly the achievement and legacy list with the pound for pound list. They are not the same thing. There is no denying, now that Floyd Mayweather JR. has retired, that Wladimir Klitschko has perhaps the best resume legacy wise in the sport. Does this mean though that he is the best in the sport regardless of size? Do you think Wladimir Klitschko could defeat heavyweight versions of Rigondeaux, Gonzalez, Ward, Crawford, and etcetera? Could you imagine a welterweight version of Wladimir Klitschko competing against the best that division has to offer? Would he have such a long reign and as many defenses in that case? Being that it is all hypothetical no one can be for certain, more than any other mythical hypothetical match-up. It is important however to be able to separate legacy from pound for pound, because they are two distinct manners in which to evaluate fighters.

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