By Cliff Rold
Sometimes, the wait can be months. This time, it is mere weeks. The relative lack of activity in the sport for top names can make it a little silly to update a pound-for-pound list too often.
Let’s put aside whether doing one at all is full of silliness to begin with.
On October 12, the main event results in Las Vegas arrived competitively and without much in the way of controversy. Those results dictate a change in the top five.
Juan Manuel Marquez has ever reason to feel like he did enough to win. He fought hard and landed some big stuff. Timothy Bradley has more reason to feel the victor, earning the most significant win of his career with deft boxing and ring generalship.
Bradley, who has been on the fringes of pound-for-pound regard for quite awhile, made the statement he needed for more universal regard. Where does he land? Was the Marquez win enough to move him into the top three (Marquez was previously rated third) or does a disputed win over Manny Pacquiao remain a factor?
Marquez, whose loss was close, only slips slightly. With Bradley’s arrival, someone had to go. The man rated tenth prior to this change, Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko, continued a lengthy reign against Alexander Povetkin on October 5 but he didn’t look good doing it. In a performance that could have drawn a disqualification with a different referee, Klitschko scored four knockdowns (two, and perhaps three, of them badly called) but landed more hugs than punches.
He confirmed he remains the best Heavyweight in the world but looked nothing like one of the best fighters in the world regardless of weight. His competition already suffered greatly in comparison to the depth of talent in the classes below him.
Considering the quality of competition available to the men who made the cut, and some of the men knocking at the door for recognition, it could be tough for Klitschko to return any time soon.
The full update is a click away.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
