It has been a personal hobby of mine to keep a pound-for-pound boxing list to compare with those of others, including those of major publications. Like in the computerized system, I try to put neutrality first and determine who the very best fighters of the world are, independent of weight divisions.
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Declaring #1 is easy. Fresh off of his dominant win over Ricky Hatton, Floyd has proven time and time again that he is the top fighter in the world, in terms of ability, and accomplishment.
2. Manny Pacquiao – By default more than anything, Pacquiao remains at #2. I can’t say I’ve been impressed with his recent performances. But, his accomplishments in the past few years assure that he remains as high as #2. However, this placement will definitely be up for debate after his March fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez – JM Marquez is likely the best technical boxer in the entire sport. In his first bout at 130 against Barrera, he was not at all impressive. However, he has since looked excellent. Look for him to knock off Pacquiao in March.
4. Bernard Hopkins – Although at age 43, his skills are leaving him, you cannot deny his recent ledger. In the past couple years, he may very well have the best opposition quality of anyone in the sport. Not to mention that he is THE Light Heavyweight champion of the world. He always finds a way to win, but along with his gradually declining skills, he tends to leave the fight’s decision in the judge’s hands a bit too much. This is a recipe for disaster, as he found out in his fights with Jermain Taylor.
5. Joe Calzaghe – Let it be known that this placement is justified by his skill level and not by his accomplishments. Before he fought Kessler, I had him at around #13. However, some other fighters above him lost, and he did thoroughly impress me in decisioning a strong, but overrated and robotic Kessler. Although Calzaghe currently holds a Top 5 spot, he’s only holding onto it by the skin of his teeth.
6. Israel Vazquez – Although he lost the first fight against Marquez, I think it was more of a fluke situation due to the nose injury. I didn’t think this at the time, but he sure validated that line of thought after stamping out Rafael in the rematch. The trilogy should answer a lot of questions, but I think Vazquez is tops at 122.
7. Kelly Pavlik – Some think this is a bit of an overshoot, but let’s face it. The guy has power. And when you can take a shot, power gets you places. He knocked out the undisputed Middleweight champion after nearly being knocked out himself in the 2nd round. I don’t fancy his chances in the rematch though, as his technical prowess is not great.
8. Winky Wright – Wright, like Hopkins, may be in decline. But you can’t look past his recent body of work, which leaves him with some prestige and a top 10 ranking. In my book, “pound for pound” is more about proof, then it is potential.
9. Miguel Cotto – Although his performance against Shane Mosley was impressive, I don’t think it justified a unanimous decision win. The fight felt more like a draw, but I have to give Cotto his just due.
10. Rafael Marquez – Dominated at 118, but is finding it harder to take a shot against a big puncher (Vazquez) at 122. I think his “pound for pound” potential is limited, but like his brother Juan Manuel, he is one of the most technically sound boxers in the entire sport.
Rounding out the Top 25
11. Shane Mosley
12. Jermain Taylor
13. Ricky Hatton
14. Juan Diaz
15. Chris John
16. Wladimir Klitschko
17. Cristian Mijares
18. Arthur Abraham
19. Oscar De La Hoya
20. Cory Spinks
21. Joan Guzman
22. Hozumi Hasegawa
23. Mikkel Kessler
24. Alexander Munoz
25. Nonito Donaire