By Cliff Rold
Bring on the ‘teens.
The first decade of the 21st century is over and, for boxing, it was a doozy. Beginning last week, BoxingScene has been taking a trip down recent memory lane, recalling some of the highlights, key figures, and violence which make this science still sweet.
The top fighters in any given span of time can be defined many ways and a note on what can go into such voting is in order. Fighters who defy the scale, challenging multiple divisions with success, will always receive their accolades. There are others who stay confined to one weight division but establish new numerical standards for achievement. There are fighters whose peaks are short but thrilling, others who supply longevity and steady presence, each significant and worthy of praise in their own way.
All those ingredients can be found in the final voting results. Of the top ten, only seven were found on all ballots with a number of fighters beneath them receiving varying degrees of top ten recognition.
So far, the following have been revealed as BoxingScene’s best of the decade selections:
Fight of the Decade: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=24510
Fighter Pt. I – Missing the Cut: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=24538
Fighter Pt. II – 11-25: https://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=24591
Today, it is the top ten fighters of the decade, beginning with…
10) Erik Morales – Jr. Featherweight/Featherweight/Jr. Lightweight/Lightweight
Record: 48-6, 34 KO, 2 KOBY
Record in the 00’s: 13-6, 6 KO, 2 KOBY
Lineal Championships: None
Belts Held: WBC Jr. Featherweight carried over from the 90s-2000, 1 Defense; WBC/WBO Jr. Featherweight; WBC Featherweight 2001-02, 1 Defense; WBC Featherweight 2002-03, 2 Defenses; WBC Jr. Lightweight 2004, 1 Defense; WBC/IBF Jr. Lightweight 2004
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: 2000 – Ring: SD12 Barrera; 2004 – Ring/BWAA: L12 Barrera
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Marco Antonio Barrera (SD12); Kevin Kelley (TKO7); Guty Espadas Jr. (UD12, KO3); In-Jin Chi (UD12); Paulie Ayala (UD12); Jesus Chavez (UD12); Carlos Hernandez (UD12); Manny Pacquiao (UD12)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat: Marco Antonio Barrera (L12, L12); Manny Pacquiao (TKO by 10, KO by 3); David Diaz (L12)
Why He’s Here: Perhaps the biggest overachiever of this generation’s fab four, Morales made up for lax defense with a world class chin, accurate punching, and incredible courage. He got off to a loudly cheered and loudly debated start in February 2000, scoring a controversial decision over Barrera in a Jr. Featherweight unification war which begat a trilogy. He was courting controversy again in early 2001 with a disputed win over Guty Espadas for his first title at Featherweight. The rebound made up for it with an exciting defense against Korean In Jin Chi in the summer of 2001 and, after almost a year layoff, a controversy weighed against him by way of a first loss to Barrera. He ended 2002 with a win over Ayala and scored a measure of revenge over Espadas in a 2003 which would be his otherwise most forgettable year. In 2004, he moved up to Jr. Lightweight, quickly unifying the WBC and IBF belts with decisions over Chavez and Hernandez before losing the third and final epic with Barrera. Morales would have only one more moment in the spotlight, becoming the only man to officially defeat Pacquiao on the decade. He lost his final four fights after that, on points to Zahir Raheem and debatably to David Diaz with two knockout losses to Pacquiao in between. Morales has not fought since 2007 though rumors of a return still come up. With a second half of the decade as strong as his first, Morales likely climbs even higher.
9) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam – Flyweight
Record: 74-3-1, 39 KO, 1 KOBY
Record in the 00’s: 44-1-1, 25 KO
Lineal Championships: World Flyweight 2001-07, 17 Defenses
Belts Held: WBC Flyweight 2001-07, 17 Defenses; interim WBC Flyweight 2009-Present, 1 Defense
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Malcolm Tunacao (TKO1); Daisuke Naito (KO1, TD7)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat or Draw: Daisuke Naito (L12, D12)
Why He’s Here: Unheralded outside of Asia, Wonjongkam posted a historic title reign at 112 lbs. while maintaining one of the game’s most active dockets. His seventeen consecutive defenses broke the record of the great Miguel Canto by three. While the title was more fractured in this era than in Canto’s, it was still an accomplishment. Beginning his reign in March 2001 with a first round knockout of Tunacao, Wonjongkam faced most of his best challengers in the first half of his reign. Decisions over Alex Baba, Hidenobu Honda, and Hussein Hussein and Trash Nakanuma were all quality wins as was a Flyweight title record time (34 seconds) first round knockout of Naito in their first of four battles. He would best Naito on a technical decision again in 2005 only to be upset in their third fight in 2007. Naito would prove in a five defense reign, including a draw in the 2008 fourth fight with Wonjongkam, to be of higher quality than anyone knew. While a fifth fight may be unlikely, Wonjongkam will have a chance to make it possible sometime in 2010. Wonjongkam earned a mandatory shot at Naito’s eventual conqueror, Koki Kameda, with a win over tested veteran and top contender Julio Cesar Miranda, his last significant victory of the 00’s. In a less fractured market, and one that incentivized clash at the lowest divisions more often, Wonjongkam may have been able to further stamp his place in Flyweight history with unification contests during a decade when Flyweight was of fairly consistent quality.
8) Wladimir Klitschko – Heavyweight
Record: 53-3, 47 KO, 3 KOBY
Record in the 00’s: 22-2, 18 KO, 2 KOBY
Lineal Championships: World Heavyweight, 2009-Present
Belts Held: WBO Heavyweight 2000-03, 5 Defenses; IBF, 06-Present, 4 Defenses; IBF/WBO, 08-Present, 3 Defenses; Ring/IBF/WBO, 09-Present
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Chris Byrd (UD12, TKO7); Frans Botha (TKO8); Ray Mercer (TKO6); Samuel Peter (UD12); Lamon Brewster (RTD6); Sultan Ibragimov (UD12); Hasim Rahman (TKO7); Ruslan Chagaev (RTD9)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat: Corrie Sanders (TKO by 2); Lamon Brewster (TKO by 5)
Why He’s Here: As he crawled towards his corner, seemingly defeated more from the aggression of Lamon Brewster than his punches in April 2004, it was hard to imagine Klitschko as the best Heavyweight in the world almost six years later. It was especially hard to fathom considering he had been flattened in two by Sanders in 2003. And yet, as the decade ended, it was Klitschko riding an eleven fight win streak and holding the strongest claim to the lineage of the Heavyweight title that any fighter has held since the retirement of Lennox Lewis. He began the decade winning the WBO belt from Chris Byrd and used the same man to win the IBF belt in rebounding from catastrophe. The Byrd win came after rising from the floor three times against Samuel Peter and he later defeated the reigning WBO titlist (Ibragimov) and WBA titlist (Chagaev though the belt was not up for grabs due to political issues) while toppling good contenders in former Olympian Calvin Brock and Thompson and scoring a revenge knockout of Brewster. The losses hurt his standing but he was the best Heavyweight of the decade and a major star in Europe who sold his share of tickets in the U.S. Where Klitschko stacks in pound for pound terms is a place where great debate can occur, but one can never completely ignore the literal case for superiority. In other words, Klitschko might not beat some of the men ahead of and behind him if ‘they were all the same size,’ but he literally could level most of the field.
7) Miguel Cotto – Jr. Welterweight/Welterweight
Record/Record in the 00’s: 34-2, 27 KO, 2 KOBY
Lineal Championships: None
Belts Held: WBO Jr. Welterweight 2004-06, 6 Defenses; WBA Welterweight 2006-08, 4 Defenses; WBO Welterweight 2009, 1 Defense
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Cesar Bazan (TKO11); Carlos Maussa (TKO8); Lovemore N’Dou (UD12); Randall Bailey (TKO6); DeMarcus Corley (TKO5); Ricardo Torres (KO7); Paulie Malignaggi (UD12); Carlos Quintana (TKO5); Zab Judah (TKO11); Shane Mosley (UD12); Joshua Clottey (SD12)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat: Antonio Margarito (TKO by 11); Manny Pacquiao (TKO by 12)
Why He’s Here: Cotto is the first of the final seven fighters who were found unanimously on all top ten ballots and a quick review of his level of competition says a lot about why. Losses in 2008 to Margarito and Pacquiao were of the violent variety that makes it unlikely he’ll be around long into the ‘teens. However, over the last six years of the decade, it’s hard to argue anyone faced the consistent level of opposition he did and few were as consistently memorable. Maussa and N’Dou came even before his first title win over undefeated Kelson Pinto for the vacant WBO 140 lb. belt. Defenses against Corley and Torres were wars, a hammering of Olympic rival Mohammed Abdullaev a revelation of how far he’d come, and a decision over Malignaggi a validation of both men. At Welterweight, Cotto’s run through Quintana, Oktay Urkal, Judah, and Mosley stamped him as one of the game’s proven best if only for a little while. Even between losses, he managed one last gusty win in the 00’s, stealing victory from the possibility of defeat against a game Clottey. The most that can be asked of a fighter at the elite level is to regularly challenge themselves while winning more than they lose. Cotto met the request.
6) Marco Antonio Barrera – Jr. Featherweight/Featherweight/Jr. Lightweight/Lightweight
Record: 65-7, 43 KO, 1 KOBY
Record in the 00’s: 16-5, 7 KO, 1 KOBY
Lineal Championships: World Featherweight 2001-03, 4 Defenses
Belts Held: WBO Jr. Featherweight 2000, 3 Defenses; Ring/WBC Featherweight 2002-03, 2 Defenses; WBC Jr. Lightweight 2004-05, 2 Defenses; WBC/IBF Jr. Lightweight 2005; WBC Jr. Lightweight 2005-07, 2 Defenses
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: 2000 – Ring: L12 Erik Morales; 2004 – Ring/BWAA: MD12 Erik Morales
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Jesus Salud (TKO6); Naseem Hamed (UD12); Enrique Sanchez (RTD6); Erik Morales (UD12, MD12); Johnny Tapia (UD12); Kevin Kelley (TKO4); Paulie Ayala (TKO10); Mzonke Fana (KO2); Robbie Peden (UD12)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat: Erik Morales (L12); Manny Pacquiao (TKO by 11, L12); Juan Manuel Marquez (L12); Amir Khan (LTD 5)
Why He’s Here: When the decade began, he was still largely regarded as a hair on fire warrior who was too brave for his own good. The highly debatable loss to Erik Morales to begin his 00’s campaign showed off that version of Barrera, but then a metamorphosis which had begun in the late nineties became the norm. Barrera became a technician, using a jab, pacing, and defense with the same acuity as he displayed in his assaults to the body. In April 2001, the refined “Baby Faced Assassin” showed his transition perfected with a clinical dismantling of the then-undefeated lineal Featherweight king Hamed, a distinction he’d hold through four defenses. Those included a rematch with Morales where the scoring, like their first fight, remains a source of debate. A 2003 drubbing at the hands of Pacquiao, and news that Barrera was fighting with a metal plate in his head where a piece of his skull once had been, left the world wondering if he’d had the course. Instead he bounced back in 2004, becoming the only fighter ever to stop Ayala and then finishing the Morales trilogy with a clear decision win in yet another classic for the WBC belt at 130 lbs. A brief unification of belts with IBF titlist Robbie Peden followed as did two wins over former U.S. Olympian Rocky Juarez as highlights through 2006 before an all-Mexican showdown over a decade in the making. Faced with Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2007, Barrera would score a knockdown but couldn’t finish and was ultimately outboxed over twelve. Seven months later, he added a decision loss to Pacquiao in their rematch and has fought only three times since, the last time in a 2009 loss to young Amir Khan, the torch passing to a new era.
5) Juan Manuel Marquez – Featherweight/Jr. Lightweight/Lightweight
Record: 50-5-1, 37 KO
Record in the 00’s: 20-3-1, 14 KO
Lineal Championships: World Lightweight 2008-Present, 1 Defense
Belts Held: IBF Featherweight 2003, 1 Defense; IBF/WBA Featherweight 2003-05, 3 Defenses; interim WBO Featherweight 2006, 1 Defense; WBC Jr. Lightweight 2007-08, 1 Defense; Ring Lightweight 2008-Present, 1 Defense; Ring/WBA/WBO 2009-Present
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: 2009 – TKO9 Juan Diaz
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Daniel Jimenez (RTD7); Robbie Peden (RTD10); Manuel Medina (TKO7); Derrick Gainer (TD7); Marco Antonio Barrera (UD12); Joel Casamayor (TKO11); Juan Diaz (TKO9)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat or Draw: Manny Pacquiao (D12, L12); Chris John (L12); Floyd Mayweather (L12)
Why He’s Here: While his last fight of the decade was a one-sided loss, it was also the only clear loss Marquez took in the 00’s. It was the only clear loss he’s suffered to date, period. In 2000, Marquez remained one of the world’s most avoided fighters, ducked openly by Naseem Hamed and conveniently missed by more established Mexican stars. Quietly, with wins over Manuel Medina and Derrick Gainer, he unified a pair of Featherweight belts but still struggled for attention and purses commensurate to his talents. In a word, the surgical tactician left many fans bored. All of that changed in the first Pacquiao battle in April 2004; dropped three times in the opening frame, Marquez roared back to earn a draw in a fight whose outcome is still heavily debated as to who deserved the win. Another lull settled over Marquez’s career as stubborn and occasionally baffling management decisions culminated with his being forced to give up the IBF belt in a mandatory no one would bid on and a controversial loss to John for the WBA 126 lb. strap in 2006. It turned out only to be the calm before a storm with the Barrera win in 2007 and a highly debated rematch loss to Pacquiao in 2008 setting the stage for his two finest victories. In a largely unseen but entertaining affair, Marquez became the first man to stop Casamayor for the lineal Lightweight crown in September 2008 and, six months later, he’d add the scalp of the much younger Diaz in true classic. That he ended with the loss to Mayweather was not all bad; Marquez leapt from 135 to 147 lbs. just to see if he could do it (and get paid handsomely of course). He couldn’t, but he’d done more than enough already to make up for it.
4) Bernard Hopkins – Middleweight/Light Heavyweight
Record: 50-5-1, 32 KO
Record in the 00’s: 14-3, 5 KO
Lineal Championships: World Middleweight 2001-05, 6 Defenses
Belts Held: IBF Middleweight carried over from the 90s-2001, 3 Defenses in the 00’s; IBF/WBC Middleweight 2001, 1 Defense; Ring/IBF/WBC/WBA Middleweight 2001-04, 5 Defenses; Ring/IBF/WBC/WBA/WBO 2004-05, 1 Defense; Ring Light Heavyweight 2006-08, 1 Defense
Fighter of the Year: 2001 – Ring/BWAA
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Keith Holmes (UD12); Felix Trinidad (TKO12); Carl Daniels (TKO10); William Joppy (UD12); Oscar De La Hoya (KO9); Antonio Tarver (UD12); Winky Wright (UD12); Kelly Pavlik (UD12)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat: Jermain Taylor (L12, L12); Joe Calzaghe (L12)
Why He’s Here: Archie Moore and George Foreman are about all anyone can come up with when asked to think of someone in their mid-40s who was still as good as Hopkins is today. He’s still better than all but a handful of men at least a decade younger than him. The same was true ten years ago, even if few knew it yet almost halfway through Hopkins 20-defense IBF title reign at 160 lbs. It took inclusion in Don King’s Middleweight unification tournament, an event created almost solely to boost the credentials of Felix Trinidad, for Hopkins to move into conversation with the great Middleweights. After unifying easily against WBC titlist Keith Holmes in April 2001, Hopkins wore the colors of the American flag into the ring just weeks after 9/11 and took the undefeated Trinidad apart. Vindicated after years of waiting for a chance to show his wares to the world, Hopkins career was largely stalled through 2003 by a feud with King but in 2004, as a free agent, Hopkins took the challenge of Oscar De La Hoya for a career high payday and profile enhancing win. The following year would see two debated decision losses to Taylor but the “Executioner” was far from done…to everyone’s surprise. In a four fight run from 2006-08, he faced Tarver for the Ring Light Heavyweight title, defended against former Jr. Middleweight king Wright, lost it to Calzaghe, and then dominated reigning Middleweight king Pavlik. It would be fair to say, in terms of opponents, Hopkins saved his best for last…if only for the fact that he’s still not done. It seems crazy to think Hopkins could end up being among the best of one more decade, but with Hopkins anything is possible.
3) Joe Calzaghe – Super Middleweight/Light Heavyweight
Record: 46-0, 32 KO
Record in the 00’s: 19-0, 9 KO
Lineal Championships: World Super Middleweight 2006-08, 3 Defenses
Belts Held: WBO Super Middleweight carried over from the 90s-06, 14 Defenses in the 00’s; Ring/WBO/IBF Super Middleweight 2006, 1 Defense; Ring/WBO Super Middleweight 2006-07, 2 Defenses; Ring/WBO/WBC/WBA Super Middleweight 2007-08; Ring Light Heavyweight 2008-09, 1 Defense
Fighter of the Year: None
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Richie Woodhall (TKO10); Charles Brewer (UD12); Byron Mitchell (TKO2); Jeff Lacy (UD12); Mikkel Kessler (UD12); Bernard Hopkins (SD12); Roy Jones Jr. (UD12)
Why He’s Here: Barely edging out Hopkins in the voting, Calzaghe can be a polarizing figure for fight fans who will long debate his place among the game’s lasting elite. The facts weigh well on his side. Already well into his record-tying run of 21 consecutive defenses at 168 lbs. when the decade began, Calzaghe’s opposition had peaks and valleys at Super Middleweight. Wins over then-viable Omar Sheika, Woodhall, Brewer, and Mitchell were all solid credential builders and entertaining viewing experiences. They weren’t quite at the elite level though, failing to get him near the recognition he craved and falling short of the challenges he needed to prove his talents. Those things wouldn’t come until later unification bouts, first with Jeff Lacy and then Mikkel Kessler. In both cases, Calzaghe handled younger, hungry, undefeated pretenders to his throne in dominant fashion. In the case of Lacy, the beating he laid down utterly ruined his foe. In between Lacy and Kessler, he managed a rugged, occasionally ugly win over later Contender Season Three winner Sakio Bika and, having cleaned out the Super Middleweights Calzaghe finally moved up a class for a showdown with then recognized Light Heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins. The two had come near to fighting earlier in the decade, but Hopkins went in a different direction. In a competitive 2008 affair, Calzaghe came off the floor in the first to outwork and outhustle Hopkins for the decision win. A farewell outing with Roy Jones wasn’t worth much beyond seeing Calzaghe again come off the floor in the first considering the state Jones was in, but it was still a nice night cap for a fighter who, then 36, decided to call it a day without a loss on his ledger. Calzaghe’s opposition wasn’t the strongest of his time but there was enough quality to earn him the same measure of greatness endowed on other historically remembered battlers with a similar lack of deep quality to their resumes like Larry Holmes and Ricardo Lopez.
2) Floyd Mayweather – Jr. Lightweight/Lightweight/Jr. Welterweight/Welterweight/Jr. Middleweight
Record: 40-0, 25 KO
Record in the 00’s: 18-0, 8 KO
Lineal Championships: World Jr. Lightweight carried over from the 90s-2002, 4 defenses in the 00’s; World Lightweight 2002-04, 3 Defenses; World Welterweight 2006-08, 1 Defense
Belts Held: WBC Jr. Lightweight carried over from the 90s-2002, 4 defenses in the 00’s; Ring/WBC Lightweight 2002-04, 3 Defenses; WBC Jr. Welterweight 2005; IBF Welterweight 2006; Ring/WBC Welterweight 2006-08, 1 Defense; WBC Jr. Middleweight 2007
Fighter of the Year: 2007 – Ring/BWAA
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Gregorio Vargas (UD12); Diego Corrales (TKO10); Carlos Hernandez (UD12); Jesus Chavez (TKO9); Jose Luis Castillo (UD12, UD12); DeMarcus Corley (UD12); Arturo Gatti (TKO6); Sharmba Mitchell (TKO6); Zab Judah (UD12); Carlos Baldomir (UD12); Oscar De La Hoya (SD12); Ricky Hatton (TKO10); Juan Manuel Marquez (UD12)
Why He’s Here: Floyd Mayweather didn’t miss the top spot my much and, with a few different career choices, likely ends up there. A lackluster run of competition from 2003-05, and a twenty month layoff/retirement between 2007 and 2009, allowed the competition to pull just slightly ahead. While Mayweather garnered a reputation as somewhat reluctant during the 00’s, the record shines on the talented “Money” more than it does not. Finishing a Jr. Lightweight title run which rates with the best the division has ever seen in 2000 and 2001, Mayweather’s domination of Corrales stands out as arguably the best single performance of the last ten years. The addition of defenses against Hernandez and Chavez was icing on a potent cake. In April 2002, Mayweather struggled to a debatable win over Castillo for the Lightweight crown but solved the rugged Mexican in a rematch later in the year to show off his adaptability. The lost years of his peak followed, Mayweather matched with a string of foes who had little chance of competing, Corley giving him the only sort of test and challenger Henry Bruseles standing as one of the worst opponents for an elite talent since the Roy Jones-Ricky Frazier debacle in the 1990s. 2006 saw a rapid turnaround with decisive wins over former Welterweight champion Zab Judah and lineal Welterweight king Carlos Baldomir and 2007 would provide Mayweather his best year since 2001. It was also his ascent to megastar status. In May, he bested a still game De La Hoya and in December stopped previously undefeated World Jr. Welterweight champion Hatton to record national and international pay-per-view numbers. The long rest followed and, while he was heavily favored to win, Mayweather was still impressive in a return that saw him win every round against Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, a man some believed had never clearly lost a fight. It says a lot that, when the decade began, Floyd was considered among a handful of the very best in the game and, when it ended, he was still there having added at least a major belt to his resume in four new divisions.
With numbers two through twenty-five accounted for, there is only one slot left to go. With a near unanimous vote, that slot belongs to…
The Fighter of the Decade
Manny Pacquiao – Jr. Featherweight/Featherweight/Jr. Lightweight/Lightweight/Jr. Welterweight/Welterweight
Record: 50-3-2, 38 KO, 2 KOBY
Record in the 00’s: 23-1-2, 20 KO
Lineal Championships: World Featherweight 2003-05, 2 Defenses; World Jr. Lightweight 2008; World Jr. Welterweight 2009-Present
Belts Held: IBF Jr. Featherweight 2001-03, 4 Defenses; Ring Featherweight 2003-05, 2 Defenses; WBC/Ring Jr. Lightweight 2008; WBC Lightweight, 2008-09; Ring Jr. Welterweight 2009-Present; WBO Welterweight 2009-Present
Fighter of the Year: 2006 – Ring/BWAA; 2008 – Ring/BWAA; 2009
Fight of the Year: None
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Defeated: Lehlo Ledwaba (TKO6); Jorge Eliecer Julio (TKO2); Marco Antonio Barrera (TKO11, UD12); Erik Morales (TKO10, KO3); Oscar Larios (UD12); Juan Manuel Marquez (SD12); David Diaz (TKO9); Oscar De La Hoya (RTD8); Ricky Hatton (KO2); Miguel Cotto (TKO12)
Current/Former Titlists/Champions Faced in Defeat or Draw: Agapito Sanchez (Tech. Draw 6); Juan Manuel Marquez (D12); Erik Morales (L12)
Why He’s Here : When a Jr. Featherweight Pacquiao knocked out someone named Arnel Barotillo to start his 21st century campaign, he was a former WBC and lineal World Flyweight champion almost unrecognizable outside of Asia. That would change quickly. His Flyweight title doesn’t count as an achievement in this decade. It still helps with perspective when considering he skipped Jr. Bantamweight and Bantamweight before a record setting addition of six title claims (three lineal, three of the just-a-belt variety) in six consecutive weight classes from 122 to 147 lbs.
A late replacement foe for Ledwaba in 2001, Pacquiao exploded onto the American scene to win a belt at 122 lbs. and never looked back, developing into the most exciting fighter of this generation. He’d reach worldwide acclaim as the biggest winning member of a “Fab Four” which included Barrera, Marquez, and Morales, posting a mark of 5-1-1 only to continue to achieve even as all of those men began to subside. As noted following his win over Cotto in November for a seventh divisional title :
The Cotto and Hatton wins this year have…probably allowed him to Usain Bolt the field as Fighter of the Decade….A record four lineal world titles at Flyweight, Featherweight, Jr. Lightweight, and Jr. Welterweight along with major belts at Jr. Featherweight, Lightweight and Welterweight is only one indication as to why.
In all seven divisions where he claimed some title accolade, he can only be caught arguably cherry picking once in the seven. In order of titles won, he defeated Chatchai Sasakul, Lehlo Ledwaba, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, David Diaz, Hatton and now Cotto.
Only Diaz was considered reasonably less than the best fighter in his class.
Ledwaba had a case as the best at 122 at the time; Cotto was no worse than number two at Welterweight. Everyone else was the consensus best man Pacquiao could face and only Marquez went the distance. Two knockouts of Mexican great Erik Morales, against a competitive decision loss, in non-title affairs with Erik Morales further buff Pacquiao’s resume.
The decade didn’t end with Cotto of course. Failed negotiations to make a fight with the number two man on this list, with nasty and to date unfounded allegations of performance enhancing drug use leveled at Pacquiao, have become an endless pool for debate and a bigger story than any fight either man has had. One day, it is likely they will settle their differences in the ring and retrospect could change the order of this list.
It shouldn’t.
In the first decade of the 2000’s, Manny Pacquiao did things no fighter has ever done in terms of championship achievement and did it against real competition. The men who have had the audacity to challenge the scale and win the way Pacquiao has, across the history of the sport, are rare. The names which immediately come to mind speak only to greatness: Hearns, Canzoneri, Armstrong, McLarnin, Duran.
Manny Pacquiao.
The Fighter of the Decade.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com