By Cliff Rold

While there may yet be punches thrown before the year is out, the heart of the boxing season has come to a close.  Year-end awards are right around the corner.  The new season hovers only weeks away.

And, with the calendar all but closed, the ten men who represent the best of the sport of boxing at the end of this latest twelve months is ready to be debated.

This has been a year of career validating wins (think Fernando Montiel), losses that forced rethinking (think Paul Williams…ouch), and steady as she goes depending on the fighters in question.  After the most recent tilt for the Light Heavyweight title, one thing is abundantly clear:

No matter his age or occasional inactivity, no matter if he appears to have an off night here or there, until someone genuinely lays a whooping on the great Bernard Hopkins, he remains one of the best fighter’s in the world.  Regardless if one thinks Hopkins was robbed in his December 18 challenge of Jean Pascal or whether they feel the draw verdict was justified, the fact at night’s end was that Hopkins beat up Pascal a lot more than the opposite. 

Hopkins has moved in and out of this list over the last couple years.  He’s back in after Pascal and will not be removed again without some genuinely compelling evidence.  

Hopkins joins nine others in this final Pound-for-Pound list of 2010 and the first list since early November.

1) Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KO)

Age: 32

Current Titles: WBC Jr. Middleweight/154 lbs.; WBO Welterweight/147 lbs.

Career Titles: World Flyweight/112 lb. champion (1998-99); World Featherweight/126 lb. champion (2003-2005); World Jr. Lightweight/130 lb. champion (2008); World Junior Welterweight (2009-10); additional alphabelts at 112, 122, 130, and 135 lbs.

Last Five Opponents: Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya

Next Opponent: May 7, 2011 vs. Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KO)

The Take: 2010 was another wildly successful year for Pacquiao even if those successes were greater out of the ring than inside of it.  His two mega-shows at Cowboys Stadium and a 60 Minutes profile were graphic illustrations of the biggest foreign fistic star in the U.S. since the heyday of Julio Cesar Chavez.  Inside the ring, matters were more pedestrian.  Joshua Clottey was a solid foe on paper but froze.  Margarito did nothing to deserve a Pacquiao fight and took a savage beating, even if it was entertaining in spots.  The fight was made worse with a so-called vacant ‘eighth world’ title on the line, at a catchweight, in a division where neither fighter merited a rating.  Now, the outrage is boiling over as Pacquiao prepares to fight what seems to be the ghost of Shane Mosley.  It’s not too early to break out the “Money” Pacquiao jokes….but…Pacquiao remains the game’s best offensive fighter even if 2010 was his slowest year since 2007.  His defense and footwork have caught up to his hand speed and power and he is the only fighter in history to win legitimate, lineal World championships in four weight divisions.  If he blows through Mosley, and he should, the Pacquiao backlash can be expected to grow but, for now, he has so much distance on anyone else in the pack that he can afford a little bad press.   

2) Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KO)

Age: 33

Current Title: World Welterweight

Career Titles: World Jr. Lightweight champion (1998-2001); World Lightweight champion (2002-04); World Welterweight/147 lbs. (2007-09); additional alphabelts at 130, 135, 140, 147 & 154 lbs.

Last Five Opponents: Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Carlos Baldomir

Up Next: TBA

The Take: Mayweather may well be out of these ratings by the summer.  He has no fights scheduled and the only fight he managed to get into after Shane Mosley in May was at home.  Instead of fighting Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather is fighting to stay out of legal trouble.  That said, like Pacquiao, Mayweather has so much cushion on just about any other fighter that it doesn’t affect him much for now.  Even if others may be passing the ‘what have you done for me lately’ test with higher marks, Mayweather has shown to still be near the top of his game and hasn’t exactly faced slouches in his most recent outings.  More activity is a must; so is a showdown with Pacquiao.  But as 2010 ends, there is no denying Mayweather’s prodigious in-ring talents or the deep resume of this three-division lineal, five-division overall, champion.    

3) Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KO)

Age: 37

Current Title: World Lightweight/135 lb. Champion (2008-Present)

Career Titles: Additional alphabelts at 126, 130 lbs.

Last Five Opponents: Michael Katsidis, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Diaz (Twice), Joel Casamayor, Manny Pacquiao

Next Opponent: TBA

The Take:   It has become fashionable to move Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez into the #3 slot for some.  It makes sense.  He’s got speed, personality, and he’s new.  It’s easy to take the enduring excellence of someone like Marquez for granted.  Let there be no mistake though: his excellence does endure.  After losing decisively, two divisions higher than he had any business being, to Floyd Mayweather in 2009, Marquez returned to the Lightweight domain and dominated the two leading contenders to his title.  The latter, Katsidis, joined a club of men that includes Freddie Norwood, Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacquiao, and Mayweather, as men who have had Marquez on the deck.  Like them, he could not keep Marquez there and, despite a gutsy effort, was methodically outclassed by a genuine master.  Marquez may have lost a step from his prime, but his overall skill set is still a step ahead of just about anyone in the game.  Since Pacquiao and his blustery promoter don’t want anything to do with a third Marquez fight, a nostalgic battle with Erik Morales could emerge next year along with more challenges in a younger, exciting field at 135 lbs.  For now, it is enough to say Marquez has proven to remain behind only the last two men to defeat him and no others.

4) Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KO)

Age: 31

Current Title: WBO Bantamweight/118 lbs. (2009-Present); WBC Bantamweight (2010-Present)

Career Titles: Additional alphabelts at 112, 115 lbs.

Last Five Opponents: Jovanny Soto, Rafael Concepcion, Hozumi Hasegawa, Ciso Morales, Alejandro Valdez

Next Opponent: February 19, 2010 vs. Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KO)

The Take: The best fighter in boxing’s best division is guaranteed a lofty slot in the ratings.  Picking up the best win of one’s career doesn’t hurt either and, along with Marquez, keeps him ahead of Martinez fort now. Traveling to Japan to face the red hot Hozumi Hasegawa in April, Montiel landed an impaling pair of left hands to hurt his man and finished him along the ropes, winning the first unification match at Bantamweight in almost forty years.  Hasegawa left with a broken jaw and Montiel arrived, finally, at the sort of accolades predicted for him many years ago.  A titlist in three weight classes with a record in title fights of 17-2 with 13 stops, Montiel has finally found a way to get his body of work and the moment to line up.  Like Marquez, he can easily be overlooked in the excitement of now while being on the cusp of experiencing it.  In February, he faces one of the most gifted fighters in the game in Donaire.  Donaire has long appeared to have the talent of the best in the world but has struggled to build the resume that decisively proves it since knocking out Vic Darchinyan in 2007.  It is one of the best fights that can be made in boxing and Montiel has earned the right to hold his slot until the results of that challenging outing are in. 

5) Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO)

Age: 35

Current Titles: World Middleweight/160 lb. champion (2010-Present)

Career Titles: Alphabelt at 154 lbs.

Last Five Opponents: Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams (twice), Kermit Cintron, Alex Bunema, Archak TerMeliksetian

Next Opponent: TBA

The Take: No matter if his reign ends soon or goes on for a few years, Martinez seized one of boxing’s most storied division’s by the throat in 2010 and scored the sort of knockout that guarantees him a piece of immortality.  Five, ten, fifty years from now, the knockout of Williams will still be on some highlight reel.  Piggybacking on an off the floor win over Kelly Pavlik to take the crown earlier in the year, Martinez earned every bit of the accolades he is likely to receive.  There is no other choice for Fighter of the Year in 2010.  There is, however, still plenty of room to grow in pound-for-pound terms.  Pavlik and Williams have been a fantastic coming out party for a guy who worked in the shadows too long but now we find out how Martinez handles being hunted rather than hunter.  It’s one thing to string together a few great performances; it’s another to keep the momentum going.  The speed, flair, and underrated skill and power of Martinez make it a safe bet to assume he will do just that.

6) Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KO)

Age: 45

Current Title: None

Career Titles: Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight (2006-08); Lineal World Middleweight (2001-05); additional alphabelts at Middleweight

Last Five Opponents: Jean Pascal, Roy Jones Jr., Enrique Ornelas, Kelly Pavlik, Joe Calzaghe

Next Opponent: TBA

The Take: Even granting some layoffs in the stretch, and a couple ugly performances, how many 40-plus year old fighters could face a reigning Light Heavyweight, Super Middleweight, and Middleweight champion the way Hopkins has in his last five fights.  Look at the men ahead of him and their quality of competition in their last five fights.  Look again at Hopkins.  He may have faced the toughest run of any of them.  Between those three champions, only Pascal had a loss heading into his fight with Hopkins and only Calzaghe escaped without a blemish.  Calzaghe, like Hopkins, is a future Hall of Famer and theirs was a competitive fight.  It’s astounding.  So too is Hopkins ability at an advanced age.  His body work, and accurate right hands, had the younger Pascal on the run in spots.  His balance, conditioning, and defense, remain top notch.  Unlike most of the men who surround him on this list, Hopkins will go down as one of the greatest ever to lace gloves and he can still go with the best of them.  That counts for a lot.

7) Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KO)

Age: 26

Current Title: WBO Jr. Welterweight (2009-Present)

Career Titles: Additional alphabelt at Jr. Welterweight

Last Five Opponents: Luis Abregu, Lamont Peterson, Nate Campbell, Kendall Holt, Edner Cherry, Junior Witter

Next Opponent: January 29, 2010 vs. Devon Alexander (21-0, 13 KO)

My Take: Bradley is the best fighter in arguably boxing’s deepest current pool of talent.  There are some divisions which struggle to field more than five real candidates for the top of the class.  Jr. Welterweight has a top ten which isn’t big enough for all of the talent swimming around.  Bradley burst from the pack in 2008 with an upset win, on the road, over the long avoided Brit Junior Witter to win the WBC belt.  Since then, he’s only faced one fighter (Cherry) who would be considered a softer touch and through 2009, Bradley found ways to look better in each outing.  He came off the floor to win a unification battle with Holt and was dominating veteran former Lightweight titlist Nate Campbell before an accidental cut shortened their affair in the third.  Perhaps most impressive, Bradley bested the unbeaten Lamont Peterson while showing off a fully developed toolbox.  Bradley began aggressively, dropping Peterson, and then met him in the trenches for sustained warfare as Peterson willed himself back into the fight.  As Peterson got close, Bradley changed tactics again, moving and boxing to contain the affair.  He has become a genuine jack of all trades, a combination of elite speed, footwork, defense, and offensive activity who reminds that the application of the sweet science need not be dull.  A toe in the water at Welterweight versus Abregu hinted at potential futures but business remains at 140.  A unification showdown with Alexander, who looks deceptively vulnerable after his last outing, is one of the best matches that can be made among boxing’s rising stars. 

8) Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KO)

Age: 34

Current Title: World Heavyweight Champion (2009-Present)

Career Titles: Multiple Heavyweight alphabelts

Last Five Opponents: Samuel Peter, Eddie Chambers, Ruslan Chagaev, Hasim Rahman, Tony Thompson

Next Opponent: TBA

The Take: Klitschko is the most dominant division ruler in the sport right now.  It’s not always entertaining to watch, but Klitschko has all but cleaned out the Heavyweight division, short of a fight with his big brother.  A knockout of Sam Peter made it thirteen straight wins.  Those wins included three active titlists (Chris Byrd, Ibragimov, and Chagaev).  Even excepting that this is a historically bad Heavyweight era, Klitschko is clearly a skilled, powerful champion.  The question, the only question, that matters at Heavyweight is whether Klitschko will finally face rival David Haye.  It is the biggest fight in the Heavyweight division, globally if not particularly in the U.S., since Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson.  Klitschko has shown a champion’s willingness to face Haye.  The Brit appears to be coming around but there are some big T.V. money problems to work out (arguably the most real culprit in the delays to now).  It’s an opponent even Klitschko detractors can respect and, with both men perceived (if somewhat unfairly) to be a bit chinny, it could be a dramatic affair when they meet. 

9) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (77-3-1, 41 KO)

Age: 33

Current Title: World Flyweight/112 lb. Champion (2010-Present)

Career Titles: World Flyweight (2001-07)

Last Five Opponents: Suriyan Por Chokchai, Ray Megrino, Koki Kameda, Rodel Tejares, Takahisa Masuda

Next Opponent: January 6, 2011 vs. Roland Latuni (5-6-2, 2 KO)

The Take:   Thailand’s Wonjongkam walked onto undefeated Koki Kameda’s home turf in Tokyo, a little slower and a little more reserved than he was in his prime, but with all the education that his many rounds have given him.  He left the ring having regained lineal and WBC Flyweight honors, added recognition from Ring Magazine, and probably sealing his eventual induction to the Hall of Fame.  The Kameda win also allowed for a new perspective on Wonjongkam.  In recent vintage, since losing the title to rival Daisuke Naito in their third fight in 2007, he’s gone 10-0-1, made a strong case to having reclaimed the title in the fourth Naito fight (ruled a draw), and bested solid contender (now titlist) Julio Cesar Miranda.  Across his career, since the lone stoppage loss of his career in 1996, Wonjongkam has gone 66-1-1; he’s broken Hall of Famer Miguel Canto’s consecutive title defense record at 112 lbs. by three with seventeen; and now he has masterfully outboxed the biggest young star in the world below Bantamweight to reclaim his title.  It all adds up to earned recognition as one of the best fighters in the world but age may be creeping on him.  The Chokchai fight was far closer than could have been predicted and sent him sliding a notch below Klitschko.  Wonjongkam needs to be moved sooner than later towards opponents who can add something substantive to his ledger.  For now, he’s got a hapless stay busy opponent in January but an intriguing mandatory with former 108 lb. titlist Edgar Sosa is coming in 2011.

10) Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KO)

Age: 25

Current/Career Titles: WBA Bantamweight (2008-Present)

Last Five Opponents: Nehomar Cermeno (twice), Frederic Patrac, Jorge Otero, Mahyar Monshipour, Wladimir Sidorenko

Next Opponent: February 18, 2011 vs. Lorenzo Parra (31-2-1, 18 KO)

The Take: After a highly impressive thrashing of Sidorenko to end his 2010 campaign, this slot could easily have gone to Donaire.  For now, the highly skilled Moreno remains as he rides a lengthy winning streak against a high quality of foe.  The second best fighter in boxing’s best division might actually be its best; he just needs that key win to prove it.  At 25, he’s shown the willingness to travel and the ability to win on hostile turf with a style more Pernell Whitaker than Eder Jofre.  With a tournament on Showtime, and Montiel-Donaire on tap, Bantamweight is red hot.  The world will miss out if Moreno isn’t worked into the inferno sooner than later.   

Five More Who Could Easily Be Here: Giovanni Segura, Nonito Donaire, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Luican Bute

Five More Who Could Be Here Shortly: Juan Manuel Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Paul Williams

As always, feel free to agree…and disagree.  This list is for entertainment purposes only and based purely on imagination, hypotheticals and conjecture just like every other pound for pound list ever written.  Neither it nor any other such list made up of such illusory ingredients should be used to forward corporate agendas of any kind. 

That doesn’t make it any less fun to argue about.

For the latest BoxingScene Divisional Ratings: https://www.boxingscene.com/forums/view.php?pg=boxing-ratings

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