Top 15 Welterweights of the 21st Century

The welterweight division has been at or near the forefront of our sport for as long as boxing has stood under the Marquess of Queensberry, filling the upper echelon of seats with the likes of Robinson, Napoles and Leonard. The last 14 years haven't been any different, with the two best of their generation plying their trade for some time at the 147lb limit, not to mention stand outs such as Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and so on. So here's my list of the top 15 fighters at 147lb from the start of the year 2000 to today: 1. Manny Pacquiao Notable wins over Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Joshua Clottey, Juan Manuel Marquez and honestly, twice over Timothy Bradley make the Pacman a clear choice for number one. The Mosley fight was admittedly a farce and the Marquez KO loss does dent Pacquiao a bit but his body of work is still incredible. 2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. The other side of boxing's richest coin, Mayweather, love him or hate him has stayed undefeated at welterweight but lack of names such as Cotto, Margarito, Williams and a younger Mosley really start to drown an otherwise decent resume at 147. Any one or two of those fights would have elevated him to number 1, instead we've seen Baldomir, Mitchell, Ortiz, Guerrero and co. 3. Shane Mosley Mosley's two losses to Vernon Forrest, a good, solid operator but far from great really hurt him, not to mention the shady circumstances of his win over Oscar but at 147lb he was still a force to be reckoned with and his speed, accuracy and power were second to none. 4. Miguel Cotto Cotto, for better or for worse has carved out one of the most memorable careers in boxing and at his best he was a terrific boxer with a great left hook. A victory over Mosley proves just that. He does how ever, have the knack of losing some of the bigger fights but hey, when you lose to the best of your generations, that's not so bad. 5. Zab Judah What if? That one phrase defines Judah's career, what if he had the mental fortitude? What if he could take a punch? What if...But even with all that, he still managed a reign at welterweight and for some 5 rounds, matched Mayweather for speed and accuracy. His demons though, almost always won out. 6. Antonio Margarito The most controversial man on this list, Margarito in his prime was a feared fighter with dynamite in both fists but that is often off set by accusations of cheating. But beyond the headlines, he was a gifted fighter with an iron chin, the beating he lay on Cotto and the punches he took in return will go down in legend. 7. Vernon Forrest A strong, skilled and often quick boxer who knew how to fight, Forrest was never great, his body at times too fragile but two wins over a man who was regarded by some at the time as the best P4P fighter on the planet. Losses to Mayorga, a limited slugger hurt and it's why he's further down my list than some would have him. 8. Paul Williams Williams is often overlooked, even when he was near the forefront of his division people never seemed to mention him. He was a name only amongst the hardcore and for those of us who witnessed him fight, we loved him. A busy fighter, strong, quick and unusually tall for a welterweight Williams was avoided by top dogs like Mayweather and Mosley, just goes to show how good he was. 9. Cory Spinks A solid fighter would probably be the best way to describe him. He mostly looked good and every now and then he might even have looked excellent but his constant yo-yoing in weight damaged his chances for sustained success. His victories over Mayorga and Judah show us he was good enough. 10. Ricardo Mayorga A brawler, by every definition of the word, vicious, hard hitting and dangerous. His lack of fundamentals and a need to box often let him down but for how ever long the fight lasted, he was exciting and value for money. His resume has it's ups and downs, just like his boxing technique but some good wins over Forrest can't be denied. 11. Timothy Bradley Lil Timmy, one of the most pugnacious fighters of his generation would be a lot higher if his victory over Pacquiao had not been controversial. Quick, agile, athletic and tonnes of heart, Bradley may well go down as one of the greats but right now it's difficult to rank him higher. 12. Juan Manuel Marquez His knock out victory over Pacquiao in their 4th meeting and an almost victory in the 3rd fight shoots Marquez up this list. It's a great accomplishment, not to mention the fact that he has managed to maintain his swift counter punching and stamina at a higher weight. 13. Andre Berto Much maligned but he had a decent run as champion and holds some good wins, plus the war with Ortiz shows he has heart, grit and determination. Not every fighter can be great and Berto is the perfect example of a fighter with many tools needed for greatness but lacking that extra edge, what ever that may be. 14. Paulie Malignaggi With little to no power, Malignaggi has crafted a more than decent career for himself with his quick feet, quick hands and quicker mouth. His Indian summer, which lasted some 2 years, allowed him to hold a portion of the world title and a win over rival Judah. Not bad at all. 15. Carlos Quintana A rangy southpaw who holds a win over Williams, that's not bad for a guy with a suspect chin and a sometimes unwilling nature. When he was on his game, he could be brilliant. What do you guys think? Post your own lists.