By Cliff Rold
With names still lingering like Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (previously #9) and Giovanni Segura (previously one of five “Who Could Easily Be Here”) as of yesterday, it’s pretty clear the BoxingScene Pound-for Pound list was in need of Spring-cleaning.
And with seven of the ten men on the updated list slated for action in the relatively near future, another update could come sooner than later.
Wonjongkam went down to defeat on March 2nd at the hands of unheralded Sonny Boy Jaro. It’s going to be a tough nut to crack for anyone else to pass that one as the Upset of the Year. Segura was bested by knockout against Brian Viloria late last year, a stinging loss for the Mexican banger and a career renaissance for the former U.S. Olympian.
Neither Jaro nor Viloria gets further mention from here.
Here are some notes on what’s ahead:
• The top four remain unchanged. None of them have fought since the last update. Why would anything change?
• Numbers five and six flip positions. Here’s the question on number six: does he have a fully developed next gear? Or is he more like an Oscar De La Hoya, able to execute a fight plan and capitalize on great talent but without the improvisation and adaptability of a truly great fighter?
• The former number ten moves up a notch after Wonjongkam’s defeat but could easily slip again due to a weak (but improving?) weight class and smaller men with better foes all around him.
• Number ten returns more based on talent and what he’s done overall than what he’s done in the last year. He could be out again shortly…or on the way up with a bullet. Guess who?
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com