Tweet
Please Post your new reformed list.
I was at Fox sports and I found this...
Let's hit it
The sport has seen a bunch of shake-ups this summer and BoxingScene's Cliff Rold ranks the fighters as of mid-September.
1Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs)
For now the top spot remains with Pacquiao. His accomplishments are unparalleled in his time or any in terms of titles won. No fighter in history has ever reigned as lineal flyweight champion and then added the historical crowns at featherweight, junior lightweight and junior welterweight. In each of those classes, he beat the best man available.
2Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs)
He's back and if it feels like "Money" never left it's probably because his eventual return was so obvious. It probably felt disrespectful to some when his return bout against Juan Manuel Marquez was labeled as a tuneup but ultimately it was. It was the perfect choice of foe, high on name value but too high on the scale to even be marginally competitive. And yet, no one at any weight had ever dominated Marquez. No one had ever decisively beaten him. However, when Mayweather takes on a true welterweight star, the world will have a better gauge of just how "back" he really is.
3Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs)
While inactivity could see Hopkins removed from this list soon, it is no commentary on his quality. There were some dull performances from Hopkins in recent years, performances that made him look like his age was catching up to him as defense came too often before offense. The win over Kelly Pavlik was the opposite, Hopkins' best performance since the Felix Trinidad fight and, all things considered, perhaps even better than that gem. Given the proof that Hopkins is still capable of fighting at the level he showed against Pavlik, and given the retirement of his most recent conqueror in Joe Calzaghe, there is no way he can rest anywhere else amongst the world's best fighters than near the top.
4Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO)
It is a sad commentary when a 38-year old fighter off of a career redefining win is forced to resort to almost begging for fights. It is also a bit of a compliment. Mosley's destruction of the iron chin of Margarito created enough stir and scare to keep him on the shelf for what seems certain to be the rest of 2009. Few fighters have ever moved up in weight for an extended time only to come back down and sit near the top the class. Talent and experience say a lot; the strategic mind of trainer ****m Richardson and his ability to work older fighters into huge wins speaks volumes as well. Could Richardson and Mosley solve the Floyd Mayweather riddles?
5Paul Williams (37-1, 27 KOs)
At 6-foot-1, with speed, fluidity and an off-the-charts work rate, Williams will challenge Kelly Pavlik for the middleweight title. It's the sort of fight that could make or break either man's career. Pavlik needs a win to remind the world he's out there. Williams needs a win to make all the momentum he's generated continue. So far, he's been the goods all but once, defeating Antonio Margarito, stopping Verno Phillips for the first time in two decades and avenging his lone defeat to Carlos Quintana with a first-round knockout. It might be the case that, putting resumes aside, it is Williams who is the best active fighter in the sport right now at any weight.
6Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs)
This light heavyweight star in the making has put together an impressive run since toppling veteran Eric Harding in 2006. His win over Tomasz Adamek was almost bell-to-bell control. Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver give him wins over two recent, popular choices for light heavyweight champion. The Johnson bout in April 2008 could have gone either way but he survived a war and came out a better fighter for it, showing the improvements in handling a game Tarver last October. An endorsement from Floyd Mayweather as the sport's best fighter while he was out may be premature, but Mayweather knows his boxing.
7Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs)
Is he all the way back from the loss to Antonio Margarito? It's impossible to say but he certainly showed positive signs in the win over Joshua Clottey. There have been criticisms that having such a hard fight is not indicative of one of the world's best fighters. It's silly thinking. What mattered is Cotto weathered some storms and made it to the next major platform for his talents. While he has been treated as almost an opponent in the broader hope for a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout, he should be anything but. Cotto consistently fights the highest level of opposition since the height of the Oscar De La Hoya years and has fallen short only once.
8Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs)
It may seem unfair for Marquez to drop in the ratings. He made a bold move, challenged the scale and lost to a man who probably beats him at any weight. History says his best days will be behind him, particularly faced with the speed of young lightweights. But, he could still prove the world wrong. As it stands, he is a testament to patience. A fighter who waited years for his first belt, still more for a chance to be a star, has gone from good fighter to Hall of Famer all since 2004. The loss to Floyd Mayweather cannot change that.
9Ivan Calderon (33-0-1, 6 KOs)
You'll read from many a knowledgeable scribe that this diminutive Puerto Rican champion "might be the best pure boxer in the sport." Calderon can do it all in the ring short of knock opponents out. His game is all skill with just enough thrill (usually) to make his fights worth watching. Despite his quality over the years, the light flyweight champ drops a few slots after two lackluster performances against Rodel Mayol.
10Hozumi Hasegawa (27-2, 11 KOs)
Hasegawa's second consecutive first-round knockout in July over a solid contender who had never been stopped further illuminated just how impressive the slick Japanese bantamweight has become. The southpaw's last five foes are not household names but they had a combined record of 100-8 and only one of the foes got out of the second round and made it to the finish. Hasegawa has nine straight title defenses and is on a 24-fight winning streak dating to 2001.
My top P4P top 10 list
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Miguel Cotto
5. Shane Mosley
6. Israel Vasquez
7. Nonito Donaire
8. Juan Manuel Marquez
9. Paul Williams
10. Wladimir Klitscko
Honorable Mention..CHad Dawson, Ivan Calderon, Rafael Marquez, Kelly Pavlik, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Timothy Bradley, Carl Froch, Felix Sturm, Tomasz Adamek, Vitali Klitschko, Joshua Clottey, Lamont Peterson,
The winner of the super 6 is automatically in the top 5
I was at Fox sports and I found this...
Let's hit it
The sport has seen a bunch of shake-ups this summer and BoxingScene's Cliff Rold ranks the fighters as of mid-September.
1Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs)
For now the top spot remains with Pacquiao. His accomplishments are unparalleled in his time or any in terms of titles won. No fighter in history has ever reigned as lineal flyweight champion and then added the historical crowns at featherweight, junior lightweight and junior welterweight. In each of those classes, he beat the best man available.
2Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs)
He's back and if it feels like "Money" never left it's probably because his eventual return was so obvious. It probably felt disrespectful to some when his return bout against Juan Manuel Marquez was labeled as a tuneup but ultimately it was. It was the perfect choice of foe, high on name value but too high on the scale to even be marginally competitive. And yet, no one at any weight had ever dominated Marquez. No one had ever decisively beaten him. However, when Mayweather takes on a true welterweight star, the world will have a better gauge of just how "back" he really is.
3Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs)
While inactivity could see Hopkins removed from this list soon, it is no commentary on his quality. There were some dull performances from Hopkins in recent years, performances that made him look like his age was catching up to him as defense came too often before offense. The win over Kelly Pavlik was the opposite, Hopkins' best performance since the Felix Trinidad fight and, all things considered, perhaps even better than that gem. Given the proof that Hopkins is still capable of fighting at the level he showed against Pavlik, and given the retirement of his most recent conqueror in Joe Calzaghe, there is no way he can rest anywhere else amongst the world's best fighters than near the top.
4Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO)
It is a sad commentary when a 38-year old fighter off of a career redefining win is forced to resort to almost begging for fights. It is also a bit of a compliment. Mosley's destruction of the iron chin of Margarito created enough stir and scare to keep him on the shelf for what seems certain to be the rest of 2009. Few fighters have ever moved up in weight for an extended time only to come back down and sit near the top the class. Talent and experience say a lot; the strategic mind of trainer ****m Richardson and his ability to work older fighters into huge wins speaks volumes as well. Could Richardson and Mosley solve the Floyd Mayweather riddles?
5Paul Williams (37-1, 27 KOs)
At 6-foot-1, with speed, fluidity and an off-the-charts work rate, Williams will challenge Kelly Pavlik for the middleweight title. It's the sort of fight that could make or break either man's career. Pavlik needs a win to remind the world he's out there. Williams needs a win to make all the momentum he's generated continue. So far, he's been the goods all but once, defeating Antonio Margarito, stopping Verno Phillips for the first time in two decades and avenging his lone defeat to Carlos Quintana with a first-round knockout. It might be the case that, putting resumes aside, it is Williams who is the best active fighter in the sport right now at any weight.
6Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs)
This light heavyweight star in the making has put together an impressive run since toppling veteran Eric Harding in 2006. His win over Tomasz Adamek was almost bell-to-bell control. Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver give him wins over two recent, popular choices for light heavyweight champion. The Johnson bout in April 2008 could have gone either way but he survived a war and came out a better fighter for it, showing the improvements in handling a game Tarver last October. An endorsement from Floyd Mayweather as the sport's best fighter while he was out may be premature, but Mayweather knows his boxing.
7Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs)
Is he all the way back from the loss to Antonio Margarito? It's impossible to say but he certainly showed positive signs in the win over Joshua Clottey. There have been criticisms that having such a hard fight is not indicative of one of the world's best fighters. It's silly thinking. What mattered is Cotto weathered some storms and made it to the next major platform for his talents. While he has been treated as almost an opponent in the broader hope for a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout, he should be anything but. Cotto consistently fights the highest level of opposition since the height of the Oscar De La Hoya years and has fallen short only once.
8Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs)
It may seem unfair for Marquez to drop in the ratings. He made a bold move, challenged the scale and lost to a man who probably beats him at any weight. History says his best days will be behind him, particularly faced with the speed of young lightweights. But, he could still prove the world wrong. As it stands, he is a testament to patience. A fighter who waited years for his first belt, still more for a chance to be a star, has gone from good fighter to Hall of Famer all since 2004. The loss to Floyd Mayweather cannot change that.
9Ivan Calderon (33-0-1, 6 KOs)
You'll read from many a knowledgeable scribe that this diminutive Puerto Rican champion "might be the best pure boxer in the sport." Calderon can do it all in the ring short of knock opponents out. His game is all skill with just enough thrill (usually) to make his fights worth watching. Despite his quality over the years, the light flyweight champ drops a few slots after two lackluster performances against Rodel Mayol.
10Hozumi Hasegawa (27-2, 11 KOs)
Hasegawa's second consecutive first-round knockout in July over a solid contender who had never been stopped further illuminated just how impressive the slick Japanese bantamweight has become. The southpaw's last five foes are not household names but they had a combined record of 100-8 and only one of the foes got out of the second round and made it to the finish. Hasegawa has nine straight title defenses and is on a 24-fight winning streak dating to 2001.
My top P4P top 10 list
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Bernard Hopkins
4. Miguel Cotto
5. Shane Mosley
6. Israel Vasquez
7. Nonito Donaire
8. Juan Manuel Marquez
9. Paul Williams
10. Wladimir Klitscko
Honorable Mention..CHad Dawson, Ivan Calderon, Rafael Marquez, Kelly Pavlik, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Timothy Bradley, Carl Froch, Felix Sturm, Tomasz Adamek, Vitali Klitschko, Joshua Clottey, Lamont Peterson,
The winner of the super 6 is automatically in the top 5
Comment