Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather JR Resolved: Wilbur’s Top 10 Pound For Pound
By Brian Wilbur
Boxing eras are judged on two factors. First is the number of superstars. Second is the depth of talent just below the elite status fighters. This generation of boxers has two outstanding future hall of famers in Pacquiao and Mayweather. This era is tremendously weak when it comes to the second category, depth of talent.
In years past I had a strong desire to extend my pound for pound list to 15 or 20 positions because I felt like there were at least than many names who deserved the recognition and honor.
Trying to put together this pound for pound list was a chore and I really wanted to stop after #4. Boxers don’t put together good resumes anymore because there is too much fear to maintain glossy records. The lack of risk taking means that boxing fans are forced to watch blatant mismatch after mismatch, or not watch boxing at all.
Regrettably I give you my top 10 pound for pound list.
1. Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao is the only bright spot on this list. He is on an epic run right now having not lost since 2005 and decimating some of the sport’s elite talents for half a decade. The only problem with Pacquiao is that he has no one formidable to fight anymore since Mayweather won’t man up. Manny is an all time great and the only active boxer without fear to match his talents against anyone willing to step in the ring against him. Some criticize Manny for fighting Mosley instead of Andre Berto. Though that may have been a more interesting fight, Berto is not ready for Pacquiao. Manny would be a monumental step up in class for Berto, who has never fought a marquee opponent. You have to crawl before you can walk. Berto’s managers need to take away Andre’s pacifier.
2. Floyd Mayweather
An elite talent for sure, but his activity level sucks. Mayweather fights on his terms and whenever he wants to or he doesn’t fight at all. Floyd “retires” if he feels like the conditions are not right for a massive payday in a low risk/high reward fight. The safety-first approach that Mayweather has employed lately in his fights and his business decisions is sickening to hardcore boxing fans. Fans want to see the best fight the best in good action bouts and Mayweather spits in their face with indifference.
3. Sergio Martinez
Okay, so I guess I lied when I said that Pacquiao was the only bright spot on this list. Martinez is a terrific fighter who is on a roll. He reminds me of the middleweight version of Lennox Lewis because he hit his peak on the wrong side of 30 after not having the opportunities during traditional prime years. Martinez, like Lewis, is an outstanding, well-rounded boxer-puncher who can beat you with his brain or his brawn. His movement, counterpunching, and strikes are near flawless, which makes me wonder where the heck this guy came from and why he was hiding for so long. Sergio’s three best wins are his last three fights. Martinez had dominant performances over (at the time) fellow pound for pounders Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams, and most recently he made the talented undefeated European champ Serhiy Dzinziruk look like an amateur.
4. Nonito Donaire
Donaire has had two phenomenal wins in his career. They are early knockout wins over Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel. Both wins for Donaire came when his opponents were at their peak and very highly regarded. For those two wins alone, Donaire certainly earns a spot in the top 10 pound for pound. The problem is that those two wins were four years apart and Nonito has done very little to bolster his resume in between. That is pretty standard for fighters at the lower weight classes though. There historically has not been a large pool of talent in the lower weight classes and this era is no different. However, in the past when there were standouts amongst the little guys, they would find a home ranked between #8-10. Ricardo Lopez, for example, was even better than Donaire, fought a similar level of opponents, yet nobody in their right minds ever had him ranked higher than #8 because the quality of his opposition did not merit it. You would have had to bump a much more accomplished and proven fighter. What kind of era is this when the king of the mini fighters is ranked in the top 5 pound for pound? A pathetic one.
5. Juan Manuel Marquez
Marquez has shown signs of age in all of his last five or so fights, yet somehow finds a way to win most of the time. That is a testament to his championship resolve and unquestioned counter punching ability. Make no mistake though, Marquez is mostly known for his losses to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao than any of his wins. There is no shame in losing to those two, so I stand by this ranking of Marquez at #5 because he was able to rebound and beat much younger contenders like Michael Katsidis and Juan Diaz. Still, a 37 year old geezer like Marquez who is clearly on the decline and has lost two of his last six shouldn’t be ranked this high. Nobody else deserves to be ahead of him though.
6. Timothy Bradley
Bradley is a tough fighter who does everything well but nothing spectacular. In that regard, I see him as the Evander Holyfield of the light welterweight division. I am a fan of Bradley and what he brings to the table because he never stops coming forward and pressing the fight. Bradley is one of the rare fighters who does not seem to be overly cautious when selecting opponents. Unfortunately for him, the other top fighters in his division, primarily Amir Khan, are extremely cautious and avoid Bradley like the plague. Timothy should be commended for fighting in and winning two unification bouts at junior welterweight, against Kendall Holt and Devon Alexander. Bradley has yet to challenge himself against a fellow pound for pound fighter and until then I have a hard time putting him in the top 5.
7. Juan Manuel Lopez
Only because I hold Rafael Marquez in so much esteem do I have Lopez ranked this high. The second Juan Manuel on the list burst onto the scene in 2008 with a first round blitzing of Daniel Ponce De Leon. Since then he has beaten an aging veteran in Gerry Penalosa, blown through a slew of second tier opponents, and defeated Marquez in an entertaining war. His record is clearly padded, though you can recognize the talent from the few marquee fights that Lopez has had. The over protection drives me crazy though since I believe that Lopez has the talent to beat anyone at or around his weight class. His weak resume, consisting of a padded undefeated record, does not do him justice or represent his immense talent.
8. Miguel Cotto
Cotto is probably the only other recognizable name on this list besides Pacquiao and Mayweather to casual fans. Cotto is a good fighter with an offensive frame of mind so he makes for exciting fights. I am not surprised by Miguel’s fame considering his ability and fighting style. However I would say that he falls short of being a hall of fame entrant. His best wins were against former stars past their prime, and his two losses were crushing knockouts. I see Cotto as the Fernando Vargas of his generation. He is good enough to make for high profile and competitive match ups against anyone, but will ultimately loss to the best. The fact that a fighter like Cotto, coming off of recent losses, is still able to crack the list doesn’t bode well for the state of boxing.
9. Andre Ward
Ward is the only undefeated boxer in the Super Six tournament and is the favorite to win, but let’s look at him objectively. Andre has not won the Super Six yet and has had the easiest road to the final four out of all of the entrants. Ward can box well but I have questions about his chin and toughness. Prior to entering the tournament he had zero significant wins. Now he has a few pretty good wins but is still light years away from being a quality, proven champion. Like #5-10 on the list, Ward made it to #9 by default, not by merit.
10. Amir Khan
Khan is essentially on this list because of two wins. First because of his stoppage win over Paulie Malignaggi, but mainly due to his decision win over Marcos Maidana. I loathe having such an unproven and protected fighter in the top 10 pound for pound. Khan needs to step up and challenge the best in the division, not continually pick on the lower half of the top 20. He really does not deserve this spot and in no other point in time would he even be close to such a prestigious ranking. But I feel like I have no other choice. Who else am I going to put here?
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam? No, he is a regional fighter who never showed the slightest interest of fighting international stars in his weight class like Jorge Arce.
Lucian Bute? He is an exceptionally talented fighter for sure, but he still has everything to prove. Bute is being unnecessarily protected.
What a sad state of affairs boxing is in right now. Between lack of talent, rampant coddling by promoters, and over protection by matchmakers, I am all but ready to abandon this stupid sport.