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A Shaken Up Bakers Dozen
15 Rounds with Steve Kim (October 17, 2005) Photo © Chris Farina, Top Rank
Send this page to friend Give us your feedback A lot has changed since I did my last pound-for-pound list back several months ago. Long time staples like Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales and Kostya Tszyu all suffered losses, while Diego Corrales just recently got stopped.
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This latest 'Bakers Dozen' - my personal list of the best 13 fighters in the world today, is a bit shaken up, but many of the familiar names will still be found, albeit in unfamiliar places.
And while it's clear that in college football that the race to the Heisman Trophy is between Vince Young of Texas and Reggie Bush (I think USC fans will even tell you that it's this electric talent who has been their best player in 2005, not their left-handed signal caller), determining who the game's best fighter is, as we speak, is a bit murkier.
13 - Antonio Margarito: His nickname should be the 'Mexican Ghost' because despite being lauded as one of the game's best welterweights, it seems everyone near and around him that can face him acts as if he's invisible. Floyd Mayweather flat out turned him down and will face Sharmba Mitchell instead and it seems like the recognized welterweight champion, Zab Judah, has no interest in fighting him either.
Margarito - who just recently dispatched of the undefeated Kermit Cintron - is a big, strong, tough, durable fighter who makes for good fights. But of course, it would be nice if one of the marquee fighters from 147-154 would step up to the plate and face him.
12 - Zab Judah: Perhaps 'Supa' Judah will now start to fulfill the promise that many had for him when he first came up as a prospect in the late 90's. Now, will his production match the hype given to him by Max Kellerman? Probably not, since Ray Robinson himself couldn't fulfill those lofty expectations, but Judah is a mesmerizing blend of speed, power and quickness.
But here's the problem, the closest he's actually gotten to facing a guy like Mayweather is by getting into a war of words with his former crony. Guys, that's fine for Nas and Jay-Z, but this is boxing, and fans would actually like to see guys get it on with their fists.
11 - Erik Morales: Based on his body of work, I simply couldn't drop him like a hot potato off my list. But the fact remains he has lost two of his last three fights and he looked flatter than a punctured tire against Zahir Raheem. But don't make the mistake of writing this guy off (something I've done more than once.)
And he gets a chance at redemption when he faces Manny Pacquiao in January. I know many of you are getting your shovels out in anticipation of burying this guy, but ask yourself this, do you really think he will prepare for 'the Pac Man' as he did for Raheem? Just a gut feel, but I think he has one more 'Terrible' performance in him.
10 - Diego Corrales: I only dropped him a few notches in light of his KO loss to Jose Luis Castillo because it wasn't as if there weren't a few extenuating circumstances regarding that bout.
But in looking at his recent run, a rematch victory over Joel Casamayor, stopping Acelino Freitas and then his riveting off-the-canvas win against Castillo in May, you have to give this guy his due. Yeah, is he vulnerable against certain styles? Absolutely. But you know what, when you face enough quality fighters after another, flaws, no matter how minute will be exposed. Just ask guys like Shane Mosley and Roy Jones.
There's something to be said about a guy who takes on one tough guy after another.
9 - Rafael Marquez: For my money, he's the best bantamweight in the world and one of the most exciting. But he has a tough fight coming up in early November against Silence Mabuza. And as dynamic a puncher as he is, he's also a bit vulnerable in the chin department.
But anyone who can down both Tim Austin and Mark Johnson has to be given his due. But like his brother, their conflicts with Top Rank have really hindered his career. He may have to move up to 122 if he wants to participate in high-profile bouts.
8- Manny Pacquiao: 'The Pac Man' is among the most exciting boxers in the game today, and while this rating will seem a bit low to many (especially those in Manila) I still think the best may yet be to come from the Filipino icon.
He no longer has to worry about his conflicts with his former promoter - hey, it has to be difficult to box with both hands in your pockets - and his training camps promise to be more detailed and focused in the future with his trainer Freddie Roach. And if he should defeat Morales in their return bout, a huge rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera looms.
Wins against those two will have him in the highest of stratospheres.
7 - Marco Antonio Barrera: Yes, I know Pacquiao bludgeoned Barrera in November of 2003, but my ratings are based more on just head-to-head comparisons. He has won two out of three against Morales and was sharp in dispatching Robbie Peden to win another championship belt just recently.
Barrera could have some thoughts of moving up to face newly minted IBF lightweight titlist Jesus Chavez. They say that an 'old dog can't learn new tricks,' but Barrera perhaps proves that adage untrue. And it's not that he's learned anything new, but he's evolved into the consummate boxer/puncher, someone who can outclass some foes with his technique (like he did with Peden) and still out-fight the toughest of fighters (like he did with Morales last November).
6 - Bernard Hopkins: I, for one, had dropped 'The Executioner' from the top spot on my 'BD' before his loss to Jermain Taylor in July, my thinking being that Hopkins had slipped a bit physically at the age of 40. While still a craftsman, he simply couldn't press the gas pedal for as long as he once did.
Which turned out to be the case against Taylor - a fight that I thought he won fairly easily. While he came on strong, too many other observers believed he gave up too many of the early frames.
He can still do a lot of things in the ring, he just can't do them as much. And the quandary he faces in his December rematch is that if he does begin his second go-around with Taylor faster, will that leave him susceptible to Taylor's early attack?
But give him this: year-for-year, he is still the sport's best.
5 - Jose Luis Castillo: It's funny you talk about any pound-for-pound discussion with this guy since he was someone without a real weight class in his rematch with Corrales. But long overlooked as one of the game's elite fighters (not be me, I've always had him fitted for a bakers hat), he is now universally accepted as a top fighter.
He's one that has given Mayweather 24 of his toughest rounds, gave a prime Stevie Johnston hell in two bouts, blew out Cesar Bazan and recently had a run that included Juan Lazcano, Casamayor, Julio Diaz and his two fight series with 'Chico'.
His style isn't hard to decipher, but what's hard to contend with are his heavy hands, steady pressure and vastly underrated guile in the ring. He has long walked out of the shadows of being Julio Cesar Chavez's sparring partner.
Now, it's time to move up to junior welterweight. Officially, that is.
4 - Juan Manuel Marquez: OK, this guy has long been one of my personal favorites, but he needs to get going. Despite his impressive skills and overall resume, this talented counter-puncher has grossly underachieved in many respects.
And I hate to say it, but I think much of that lies at the feet of his manager, Nacho Beristain, and himself. It's too bad they haven't been a bit bolder in their career path (like when he turned down a shot at Naseem Hamed in 2000 and then overpriced himself for the Pacquiao rematch) because it's basically relegated Marquez into a guy that names like Barrera and Morales have no interest or financial gain in facing.
Marquez, as of now, is that MC whose best work is on underground mix tapes, appreciated by the hardcore fans, but will never truly enjoy commercial success.
3 - Floyd Mayweather Jr.: I've said it for a while, if there's anyone who can lock down the pound-for-pound mantle for the next decade, it's the mercurial one out of Grand Rapids.
But unfortunately, he's doing a pretty good imitation of Roy Jones in fleecing HBO out of their licensing money in recent times. Just think about it - his 2005 will have consisted of Henry Bruseles, Arturo Gatti and now the faded Mitchell. Quick, when was the last time Mayweather was really involved in a tough fight that everyone anticipated?
15 Rounds with Steve Kim (October 17, 2005) Photo © Chris Farina, Top Rank
Send this page to friend Give us your feedback A lot has changed since I did my last pound-for-pound list back several months ago. Long time staples like Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales and Kostya Tszyu all suffered losses, while Diego Corrales just recently got stopped.
See More MaxTV Videos
It's good to be a member
This latest 'Bakers Dozen' - my personal list of the best 13 fighters in the world today, is a bit shaken up, but many of the familiar names will still be found, albeit in unfamiliar places.
And while it's clear that in college football that the race to the Heisman Trophy is between Vince Young of Texas and Reggie Bush (I think USC fans will even tell you that it's this electric talent who has been their best player in 2005, not their left-handed signal caller), determining who the game's best fighter is, as we speak, is a bit murkier.
13 - Antonio Margarito: His nickname should be the 'Mexican Ghost' because despite being lauded as one of the game's best welterweights, it seems everyone near and around him that can face him acts as if he's invisible. Floyd Mayweather flat out turned him down and will face Sharmba Mitchell instead and it seems like the recognized welterweight champion, Zab Judah, has no interest in fighting him either.
Margarito - who just recently dispatched of the undefeated Kermit Cintron - is a big, strong, tough, durable fighter who makes for good fights. But of course, it would be nice if one of the marquee fighters from 147-154 would step up to the plate and face him.
12 - Zab Judah: Perhaps 'Supa' Judah will now start to fulfill the promise that many had for him when he first came up as a prospect in the late 90's. Now, will his production match the hype given to him by Max Kellerman? Probably not, since Ray Robinson himself couldn't fulfill those lofty expectations, but Judah is a mesmerizing blend of speed, power and quickness.
But here's the problem, the closest he's actually gotten to facing a guy like Mayweather is by getting into a war of words with his former crony. Guys, that's fine for Nas and Jay-Z, but this is boxing, and fans would actually like to see guys get it on with their fists.
11 - Erik Morales: Based on his body of work, I simply couldn't drop him like a hot potato off my list. But the fact remains he has lost two of his last three fights and he looked flatter than a punctured tire against Zahir Raheem. But don't make the mistake of writing this guy off (something I've done more than once.)
And he gets a chance at redemption when he faces Manny Pacquiao in January. I know many of you are getting your shovels out in anticipation of burying this guy, but ask yourself this, do you really think he will prepare for 'the Pac Man' as he did for Raheem? Just a gut feel, but I think he has one more 'Terrible' performance in him.
10 - Diego Corrales: I only dropped him a few notches in light of his KO loss to Jose Luis Castillo because it wasn't as if there weren't a few extenuating circumstances regarding that bout.
But in looking at his recent run, a rematch victory over Joel Casamayor, stopping Acelino Freitas and then his riveting off-the-canvas win against Castillo in May, you have to give this guy his due. Yeah, is he vulnerable against certain styles? Absolutely. But you know what, when you face enough quality fighters after another, flaws, no matter how minute will be exposed. Just ask guys like Shane Mosley and Roy Jones.
There's something to be said about a guy who takes on one tough guy after another.
9 - Rafael Marquez: For my money, he's the best bantamweight in the world and one of the most exciting. But he has a tough fight coming up in early November against Silence Mabuza. And as dynamic a puncher as he is, he's also a bit vulnerable in the chin department.
But anyone who can down both Tim Austin and Mark Johnson has to be given his due. But like his brother, their conflicts with Top Rank have really hindered his career. He may have to move up to 122 if he wants to participate in high-profile bouts.
8- Manny Pacquiao: 'The Pac Man' is among the most exciting boxers in the game today, and while this rating will seem a bit low to many (especially those in Manila) I still think the best may yet be to come from the Filipino icon.
He no longer has to worry about his conflicts with his former promoter - hey, it has to be difficult to box with both hands in your pockets - and his training camps promise to be more detailed and focused in the future with his trainer Freddie Roach. And if he should defeat Morales in their return bout, a huge rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera looms.
Wins against those two will have him in the highest of stratospheres.
7 - Marco Antonio Barrera: Yes, I know Pacquiao bludgeoned Barrera in November of 2003, but my ratings are based more on just head-to-head comparisons. He has won two out of three against Morales and was sharp in dispatching Robbie Peden to win another championship belt just recently.
Barrera could have some thoughts of moving up to face newly minted IBF lightweight titlist Jesus Chavez. They say that an 'old dog can't learn new tricks,' but Barrera perhaps proves that adage untrue. And it's not that he's learned anything new, but he's evolved into the consummate boxer/puncher, someone who can outclass some foes with his technique (like he did with Peden) and still out-fight the toughest of fighters (like he did with Morales last November).
6 - Bernard Hopkins: I, for one, had dropped 'The Executioner' from the top spot on my 'BD' before his loss to Jermain Taylor in July, my thinking being that Hopkins had slipped a bit physically at the age of 40. While still a craftsman, he simply couldn't press the gas pedal for as long as he once did.
Which turned out to be the case against Taylor - a fight that I thought he won fairly easily. While he came on strong, too many other observers believed he gave up too many of the early frames.
He can still do a lot of things in the ring, he just can't do them as much. And the quandary he faces in his December rematch is that if he does begin his second go-around with Taylor faster, will that leave him susceptible to Taylor's early attack?
But give him this: year-for-year, he is still the sport's best.
5 - Jose Luis Castillo: It's funny you talk about any pound-for-pound discussion with this guy since he was someone without a real weight class in his rematch with Corrales. But long overlooked as one of the game's elite fighters (not be me, I've always had him fitted for a bakers hat), he is now universally accepted as a top fighter.
He's one that has given Mayweather 24 of his toughest rounds, gave a prime Stevie Johnston hell in two bouts, blew out Cesar Bazan and recently had a run that included Juan Lazcano, Casamayor, Julio Diaz and his two fight series with 'Chico'.
His style isn't hard to decipher, but what's hard to contend with are his heavy hands, steady pressure and vastly underrated guile in the ring. He has long walked out of the shadows of being Julio Cesar Chavez's sparring partner.
Now, it's time to move up to junior welterweight. Officially, that is.
4 - Juan Manuel Marquez: OK, this guy has long been one of my personal favorites, but he needs to get going. Despite his impressive skills and overall resume, this talented counter-puncher has grossly underachieved in many respects.
And I hate to say it, but I think much of that lies at the feet of his manager, Nacho Beristain, and himself. It's too bad they haven't been a bit bolder in their career path (like when he turned down a shot at Naseem Hamed in 2000 and then overpriced himself for the Pacquiao rematch) because it's basically relegated Marquez into a guy that names like Barrera and Morales have no interest or financial gain in facing.
Marquez, as of now, is that MC whose best work is on underground mix tapes, appreciated by the hardcore fans, but will never truly enjoy commercial success.
3 - Floyd Mayweather Jr.: I've said it for a while, if there's anyone who can lock down the pound-for-pound mantle for the next decade, it's the mercurial one out of Grand Rapids.
But unfortunately, he's doing a pretty good imitation of Roy Jones in fleecing HBO out of their licensing money in recent times. Just think about it - his 2005 will have consisted of Henry Bruseles, Arturo Gatti and now the faded Mitchell. Quick, when was the last time Mayweather was really involved in a tough fight that everyone anticipated?
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