Tweet
Who is the world's best fighter, regardless of weight class? See my top 20 below.
And don't forget to check out the divisional rankings, now updated weekly.
For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.
Note: Results through May 21.
TOP 10
1. Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight and super middleweight champion
Hits: In the wake of Floyd Mayweather's retirement, Calzaghe ascends to No. 1 and he's got the resume to back it up. Where to start? He's a legitimate champion in two divisions; undefeated; has been a champion for 11 years; has made 21 super middleweight title defenses; is the longest active reigning champion in boxing; and is coming off an April win against top-5 fighter Bernard Hopkins. It was a tough pick between Calzaghe and Manny Pacquiao, but Calzaghe edged him out.
Misses: It could be a very short run in the No. 1 position depending on how good Pacquiao looks when he moves up in weight to fight for a lightweight belt on June 28. And let's not forget that there are some who thought he lost a close decision to Hopkins.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Manny Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs)
Junior lightweight champion
Hits: You can argue that Calzaghe and Pacquiao are No. 1 and No. 1A. Pacquiao is also a great fighter with serious accomplishments as well. He's won world titles at flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight and goes for a belt at lightweight when he faces David Diaz on June 28. Pacquiao also owns victories against the big three Mexican fighters of the era: Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Misses: Instead of fighting Diaz, there are legions who would like to see a third fight with Marquez, with whom he has unfinished business. Many of those folks believe Pacquiao lost both of fights against Marquez and didn't deserve the draw he got in their first fight in 2004 or the points win he got in the rematch in March.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Juan Manuel Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: How badly does Marquez want Pacquiao again? Since he can't get a third fight with him at the moment, he's chasing him up to lightweight, where he will fight for the legitimate championship against Joel Casamayor instead of a lesser alphabet belt. A win over Casamayor sure will put the pressure on Pacquiao to fight him again.
Misses: Marquez is a counterpuncher at heart. So is Casamayor. Would anyone be surprised if their fight turned a wee bit ugly? Hopefully, that won't happen. Oh, and Casamayor-Marquez is going to be on HBO PPV. Do you think it's worth $44.95?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Miguel Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs)
Welterweight titlist
Hits: Sure, Cotto would have liked to fight Floyd Mayweather, but retired and had been ducking Cotto anyway. But Cotto didn't pout. Instead, he signed on for the toughest fight he could find in Mayweather's absence, a July 26 showdown with Antonio Margarito. It's going to be a fabulous fight. Cotto is one of those guys who will fight anyone, any time, anywhere. And get this -- a win over Margarito could give boxing fans a match between Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya in December.
Misses: When a guy this good fights all comers, entertains the crowd, shows humility and appreciation for his fans and the media and is respectful to his opponents, what is there to complain about? Boxing could use 1,000 Cottos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight
Hits: Although Hopkins hasn't made too many entertaining fights in recent years, he's been awfully effective. You can make a darn good argument that he deserved the decision against Calzaghe when they met in April.
Misses: There have been murmurs that Top Rank and Golden Boy are talking about putting together a fight between Hopkins and middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in the fall. No offense to Hopkins, but that's not a fight anyone wants to see. What is the point? Hopkins is 175-pounder now and Pavlik is a 160-pounder with better fights out there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs)
Middleweight champion
Hits: Everyone knew that Gary Lockett was a massive underdog with little chance to defeat Pavlik, but Pavlik still had the pressure on him to take care of business and look good doing it. That's just what Pavlik did. He looked outstanding, knocking Lockett to his knees three times and stopping him with ease in the third round of his first title defense on June 7.
Misses: Unfortunately for Pavlik, Calzaghe appears to have decided not to defend the super middleweight title against him in the fall in order to instead face Roy Jones Jr. in a light heavyweight title defense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Israel Vazquez (43-4, 32 KOs)
Junior featherweight champion
Hits: It's nice to see Vazquez just chillin' this summer after three bruising fights in a row with Rafael Marquez. Vazquez deserves the time off to enjoy his rubber match victory, his summer and his family. Is anyone not looking forward to his return either later this year or in early 2009?
Misses: As long as he doesn't take too much time off how can anyone complain about what he has accomplished or about the thrills he's given all of us in recent years?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Rafael Marquez (37-5, 33 KOs)
Junior featherweight
Hits: Though he lost fights II and III to Vazquez, they were all-time great scraps and he was competitive all the way. That means we're probably going to get a fourth fight eventually, which should put a smile on our faces and, hopefully, fill up Marquez's bank account.
Misses: If Vazquez opts to fight somebody else, is there a big-time fight out there for Marquez? Doesn't look like it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Cristian Mijares (35-3-2, 14 KOs)
Junior bantamweight champion
Hits: Not only has Mijares emerged as a dominant champion in the deep 115-pound division, but he's also a active champion. Including his clear victory against Alexander Munoz to unify title on May 17, Mijares has already fought six times since the beginning of 2007, four bouts of which have come against high-quality opponents. That's wonderful to see, and he's not relaxing either with another bout slated for Aug. 2.
Misses: It's hard to have patience when there's such a great match sitting there that we all want to see: Mijares against Fernando Montiel to further unify the division. The fighters and their handlers have expressed interest and it looks like it will eventually happen, but you never know what might come along to screw it up. In boxing, you make a fight when it is ready. Mijares-Montiel is ready right now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon (31-0, 6 KOs)
Junior flyweight champion
Hits: With Mayweather retired, Puerto Rico's Calderon, who faces a dangerous rematch with former champ Hugo Cazares on Aug. 30, is the best technical boxer in the game today, bar none. The former strawweight champ is like a boxing machine in the ring and has only lost a handful of rounds in his entire career. He's not all that well known, but Canastota awaits when he's done.
Misses: Can we get a knockout once in awhile?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next 10
11. Winky Wright
12. Shane Mosley
13. Oscar De La Hoya
14. Ricky Hatton
15. Jermain Taylor
16. Chris John
17. Antonio Margarito
18. Joan Guzman
19. Nate Campbell
20. Juan Diaz
What you think of the new list
And don't forget to check out the divisional rankings, now updated weekly.
For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.
Note: Results through May 21.
TOP 10
1. Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight and super middleweight champion
Hits: In the wake of Floyd Mayweather's retirement, Calzaghe ascends to No. 1 and he's got the resume to back it up. Where to start? He's a legitimate champion in two divisions; undefeated; has been a champion for 11 years; has made 21 super middleweight title defenses; is the longest active reigning champion in boxing; and is coming off an April win against top-5 fighter Bernard Hopkins. It was a tough pick between Calzaghe and Manny Pacquiao, but Calzaghe edged him out.
Misses: It could be a very short run in the No. 1 position depending on how good Pacquiao looks when he moves up in weight to fight for a lightweight belt on June 28. And let's not forget that there are some who thought he lost a close decision to Hopkins.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Manny Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs)
Junior lightweight champion
Hits: You can argue that Calzaghe and Pacquiao are No. 1 and No. 1A. Pacquiao is also a great fighter with serious accomplishments as well. He's won world titles at flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight and goes for a belt at lightweight when he faces David Diaz on June 28. Pacquiao also owns victories against the big three Mexican fighters of the era: Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Misses: Instead of fighting Diaz, there are legions who would like to see a third fight with Marquez, with whom he has unfinished business. Many of those folks believe Pacquiao lost both of fights against Marquez and didn't deserve the draw he got in their first fight in 2004 or the points win he got in the rematch in March.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Juan Manuel Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: How badly does Marquez want Pacquiao again? Since he can't get a third fight with him at the moment, he's chasing him up to lightweight, where he will fight for the legitimate championship against Joel Casamayor instead of a lesser alphabet belt. A win over Casamayor sure will put the pressure on Pacquiao to fight him again.
Misses: Marquez is a counterpuncher at heart. So is Casamayor. Would anyone be surprised if their fight turned a wee bit ugly? Hopefully, that won't happen. Oh, and Casamayor-Marquez is going to be on HBO PPV. Do you think it's worth $44.95?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Miguel Cotto (32-0, 26 KOs)
Welterweight titlist
Hits: Sure, Cotto would have liked to fight Floyd Mayweather, but retired and had been ducking Cotto anyway. But Cotto didn't pout. Instead, he signed on for the toughest fight he could find in Mayweather's absence, a July 26 showdown with Antonio Margarito. It's going to be a fabulous fight. Cotto is one of those guys who will fight anyone, any time, anywhere. And get this -- a win over Margarito could give boxing fans a match between Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya in December.
Misses: When a guy this good fights all comers, entertains the crowd, shows humility and appreciation for his fans and the media and is respectful to his opponents, what is there to complain about? Boxing could use 1,000 Cottos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight
Hits: Although Hopkins hasn't made too many entertaining fights in recent years, he's been awfully effective. You can make a darn good argument that he deserved the decision against Calzaghe when they met in April.
Misses: There have been murmurs that Top Rank and Golden Boy are talking about putting together a fight between Hopkins and middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in the fall. No offense to Hopkins, but that's not a fight anyone wants to see. What is the point? Hopkins is 175-pounder now and Pavlik is a 160-pounder with better fights out there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Kelly Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs)
Middleweight champion
Hits: Everyone knew that Gary Lockett was a massive underdog with little chance to defeat Pavlik, but Pavlik still had the pressure on him to take care of business and look good doing it. That's just what Pavlik did. He looked outstanding, knocking Lockett to his knees three times and stopping him with ease in the third round of his first title defense on June 7.
Misses: Unfortunately for Pavlik, Calzaghe appears to have decided not to defend the super middleweight title against him in the fall in order to instead face Roy Jones Jr. in a light heavyweight title defense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Israel Vazquez (43-4, 32 KOs)
Junior featherweight champion
Hits: It's nice to see Vazquez just chillin' this summer after three bruising fights in a row with Rafael Marquez. Vazquez deserves the time off to enjoy his rubber match victory, his summer and his family. Is anyone not looking forward to his return either later this year or in early 2009?
Misses: As long as he doesn't take too much time off how can anyone complain about what he has accomplished or about the thrills he's given all of us in recent years?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Rafael Marquez (37-5, 33 KOs)
Junior featherweight
Hits: Though he lost fights II and III to Vazquez, they were all-time great scraps and he was competitive all the way. That means we're probably going to get a fourth fight eventually, which should put a smile on our faces and, hopefully, fill up Marquez's bank account.
Misses: If Vazquez opts to fight somebody else, is there a big-time fight out there for Marquez? Doesn't look like it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Cristian Mijares (35-3-2, 14 KOs)
Junior bantamweight champion
Hits: Not only has Mijares emerged as a dominant champion in the deep 115-pound division, but he's also a active champion. Including his clear victory against Alexander Munoz to unify title on May 17, Mijares has already fought six times since the beginning of 2007, four bouts of which have come against high-quality opponents. That's wonderful to see, and he's not relaxing either with another bout slated for Aug. 2.
Misses: It's hard to have patience when there's such a great match sitting there that we all want to see: Mijares against Fernando Montiel to further unify the division. The fighters and their handlers have expressed interest and it looks like it will eventually happen, but you never know what might come along to screw it up. In boxing, you make a fight when it is ready. Mijares-Montiel is ready right now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon (31-0, 6 KOs)
Junior flyweight champion
Hits: With Mayweather retired, Puerto Rico's Calderon, who faces a dangerous rematch with former champ Hugo Cazares on Aug. 30, is the best technical boxer in the game today, bar none. The former strawweight champ is like a boxing machine in the ring and has only lost a handful of rounds in his entire career. He's not all that well known, but Canastota awaits when he's done.
Misses: Can we get a knockout once in awhile?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next 10
11. Winky Wright
12. Shane Mosley
13. Oscar De La Hoya
14. Ricky Hatton
15. Jermain Taylor
16. Chris John
17. Antonio Margarito
18. Joan Guzman
19. Nate Campbell
20. Juan Diaz
What you think of the new list