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Boxing: Tomasino's Top Ten Fighters
By Dan Tomasino - Feb. 8, 2006
As with any kind of top ten list, it is necessary to explain the criteria I used in evaluating today's fight scene. First, pure boxing skills and ability were considered. Then, the quality of a fighter's opponents as well as his performance against other top fighters. Third, some personal opinion came in to play in certain cases. That is, if I simply feel that one fighter is better than another, I ranked him higher even if most objective data said otherwise. Finally, I asked myself, "would so-and-so beat so-and-so?" So, without further adieu, I present my top ten fighters.
1. Floyd Mayweather, JR., (35-0, 24 KO's)
Floyd is the finest boxer in the world. He has more skills than anyone else, offensively as well as defensively. Punches from all angles, and finds ways to land cleanly regardless of opponent's style. His hand speed is unsurpassed, his upper body movement and footwork are flawless, and he is the most intelligent fighter in the ring today. His ring smarts and mental tenacity are actually his most valuable gifts. He is the most complete fighter in the world and he has fought and defeated fighters of a variety of styles. His one weakness is his lack of a knockout punch, but he is so good at everything else that that doesn't matter.
2. Manny Pacquiao, (41-3-2, 33 KO's)
The Philippine sensation has defeated two other recent elite pound-for-pound entrants, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, and he did so in dominant fashion. Those two wins are more impressive than any other fighter's top two wins over the last couple of years, and add to that a draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao has freakish power for his size, he's quick, he's mentally tough and can take a pretty good punch.
3. Ricky Hatton, (40-0, 30 KO's)
He is undefeated and he beat an all-time great in Kostya Tsyzu to become 140- pound champ, then dominated Carlos Maussa in his first defense. Most pundits rate him lower than this because they want to see him beat another top fighter or two, but this list is based on who I think is the best right now, and Ricky is a better fighter than all those rated below him. He is a strong, aggressive junior welter. A great puncher with a terrifying body attack, great stamina and a good chin. Weakness: tends to cut and bleed.
4. Ronald "Winky" Wright, (49-3, 25 KO's)
Many people rate Wright higher than this, but his reputation is based on a win over an out-of-shape and over-the-hill Felix Trinidad and a pair of close victories over Shane Mosley. Pacquiao's major wins are far more impressive. Winky's defense makes him difficult to beat, however, and he has one of the best jabs around. That's a winning combination.
5. Antonio Margarito, (32-4, 23 KO's)
The man no one wants to fight. Zab Judah, Hatton and Mayweather are among those who have ducked dates with Margarito, for whatever reason. He is a fearless fighter who has one of the best chins around and can serve up quite a bit of punishment and hasn't lost at welterweight since 1996. He does need, however, to land a major fight soon or his stock will fall.
6. Jermain Taylor, (25-0, 17 KO's)
While the jury is still out on Taylor for some folks, he proved a lot in his two wins over Bernard Hopkins. Yes, both fights were close, but when a 27- year-old challenger can take all of Hopkins' antics and tactics and still fight with him on a level playing field, that says something about Taylor's mental makeup. He needs to be more impressive in his next few fights to confirm his place among the sport's elite, but defeating one of the all-time greats in his division twice has to count for something. He's strong, has a very good jab and decent quickness, and never panics, even when fading down the stretch and getting hit with big shots. A fight with Wright would clear up a lot of things, and Taylor would either jump even higher or fall off this list completely based on the outcome.
7. Marco Antonio Barrera, (61-4, 42 KO's)
His loss to Pacquiao knocked him down a few spots, but he came back to win his third fight with Morales and a couple of less meaningful bouts as well. Perhaps a tad past his prime at 32 years of age, he is still a great fighter and still packs a wallop, and has a chance to win a title in a fourth weight class in a couple of months. Needs another big win to climb any higher on this list. Rematch with Pacquiao?
8. Juan Manuel Marquez, (44-2-1, 33 KO's)
One of the greatest tacticians in the game over the past several years, impressed everyone with his ability to come back from three vicious first- round knockdowns by Pacquiao to earn a draw. Since then, however, his results have been unimpressive, though he continues to win. Great counterpunching ability and great ring IQ make him a tough test for anybody. Few can match him mentally.
9. Diego Corrales, (40-3, 33 KO's)
The Lightweight Champion has only lost to Mayweather and Joel Casamayor during his thrilling pro career. I'm not counting the loss to Jose Luis Castillo, as Castillo came in 3 pounds over weight. That's like allowing Alex Rodriguez to use an aluminum bat in a Major League Baseball game and seeing how many homeruns he can hit. Corrales can box and brawl, has a good jab, good movement, and shys away from nothing.
10. Jeff Lacy, (21-0, 17 KO's)
If he beats Joe Calzaghe on March 4 in Manchester, England, everyone will have him on their lists. I'm throwing him on now because these ratings are hypothetical, and hypothetically speaking, Lacy can beat any fighter not on this list. Incredibly strong for a super middleweight, he has the style and charisma to make 168 pounds a glamour division.
A few who came up short:
Jose Luis Castillo, (53-7-1, 47 KO's)
Wouldn't be on most current lists if not for the win over Corrales in their rematch, and as I wrote, I threw that result out.
Antonio Tarver, (24-3, 18 KO's)
May very well deserve to be on the list, but needs to do more than beat a washed-up Roy Jones, JR. to prove he belongs.
Erik Morales, (48-4, 34 KO's)
Has lost three of his last four fights and appears to be past his prime.
Zab Judah, (34-3, 25 KO's)
Disastrous loss to Carlos Baldomir keeps his name far from the top ten, but a victory over Mayweather on April 8 could change that.
By Dan Tomasino - Feb. 8, 2006
As with any kind of top ten list, it is necessary to explain the criteria I used in evaluating today's fight scene. First, pure boxing skills and ability were considered. Then, the quality of a fighter's opponents as well as his performance against other top fighters. Third, some personal opinion came in to play in certain cases. That is, if I simply feel that one fighter is better than another, I ranked him higher even if most objective data said otherwise. Finally, I asked myself, "would so-and-so beat so-and-so?" So, without further adieu, I present my top ten fighters.
1. Floyd Mayweather, JR., (35-0, 24 KO's)
Floyd is the finest boxer in the world. He has more skills than anyone else, offensively as well as defensively. Punches from all angles, and finds ways to land cleanly regardless of opponent's style. His hand speed is unsurpassed, his upper body movement and footwork are flawless, and he is the most intelligent fighter in the ring today. His ring smarts and mental tenacity are actually his most valuable gifts. He is the most complete fighter in the world and he has fought and defeated fighters of a variety of styles. His one weakness is his lack of a knockout punch, but he is so good at everything else that that doesn't matter.
2. Manny Pacquiao, (41-3-2, 33 KO's)
The Philippine sensation has defeated two other recent elite pound-for-pound entrants, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, and he did so in dominant fashion. Those two wins are more impressive than any other fighter's top two wins over the last couple of years, and add to that a draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao has freakish power for his size, he's quick, he's mentally tough and can take a pretty good punch.
3. Ricky Hatton, (40-0, 30 KO's)
He is undefeated and he beat an all-time great in Kostya Tsyzu to become 140- pound champ, then dominated Carlos Maussa in his first defense. Most pundits rate him lower than this because they want to see him beat another top fighter or two, but this list is based on who I think is the best right now, and Ricky is a better fighter than all those rated below him. He is a strong, aggressive junior welter. A great puncher with a terrifying body attack, great stamina and a good chin. Weakness: tends to cut and bleed.
4. Ronald "Winky" Wright, (49-3, 25 KO's)
Many people rate Wright higher than this, but his reputation is based on a win over an out-of-shape and over-the-hill Felix Trinidad and a pair of close victories over Shane Mosley. Pacquiao's major wins are far more impressive. Winky's defense makes him difficult to beat, however, and he has one of the best jabs around. That's a winning combination.
5. Antonio Margarito, (32-4, 23 KO's)
The man no one wants to fight. Zab Judah, Hatton and Mayweather are among those who have ducked dates with Margarito, for whatever reason. He is a fearless fighter who has one of the best chins around and can serve up quite a bit of punishment and hasn't lost at welterweight since 1996. He does need, however, to land a major fight soon or his stock will fall.
6. Jermain Taylor, (25-0, 17 KO's)
While the jury is still out on Taylor for some folks, he proved a lot in his two wins over Bernard Hopkins. Yes, both fights were close, but when a 27- year-old challenger can take all of Hopkins' antics and tactics and still fight with him on a level playing field, that says something about Taylor's mental makeup. He needs to be more impressive in his next few fights to confirm his place among the sport's elite, but defeating one of the all-time greats in his division twice has to count for something. He's strong, has a very good jab and decent quickness, and never panics, even when fading down the stretch and getting hit with big shots. A fight with Wright would clear up a lot of things, and Taylor would either jump even higher or fall off this list completely based on the outcome.
7. Marco Antonio Barrera, (61-4, 42 KO's)
His loss to Pacquiao knocked him down a few spots, but he came back to win his third fight with Morales and a couple of less meaningful bouts as well. Perhaps a tad past his prime at 32 years of age, he is still a great fighter and still packs a wallop, and has a chance to win a title in a fourth weight class in a couple of months. Needs another big win to climb any higher on this list. Rematch with Pacquiao?
8. Juan Manuel Marquez, (44-2-1, 33 KO's)
One of the greatest tacticians in the game over the past several years, impressed everyone with his ability to come back from three vicious first- round knockdowns by Pacquiao to earn a draw. Since then, however, his results have been unimpressive, though he continues to win. Great counterpunching ability and great ring IQ make him a tough test for anybody. Few can match him mentally.
9. Diego Corrales, (40-3, 33 KO's)
The Lightweight Champion has only lost to Mayweather and Joel Casamayor during his thrilling pro career. I'm not counting the loss to Jose Luis Castillo, as Castillo came in 3 pounds over weight. That's like allowing Alex Rodriguez to use an aluminum bat in a Major League Baseball game and seeing how many homeruns he can hit. Corrales can box and brawl, has a good jab, good movement, and shys away from nothing.
10. Jeff Lacy, (21-0, 17 KO's)
If he beats Joe Calzaghe on March 4 in Manchester, England, everyone will have him on their lists. I'm throwing him on now because these ratings are hypothetical, and hypothetically speaking, Lacy can beat any fighter not on this list. Incredibly strong for a super middleweight, he has the style and charisma to make 168 pounds a glamour division.
A few who came up short:
Jose Luis Castillo, (53-7-1, 47 KO's)
Wouldn't be on most current lists if not for the win over Corrales in their rematch, and as I wrote, I threw that result out.
Antonio Tarver, (24-3, 18 KO's)
May very well deserve to be on the list, but needs to do more than beat a washed-up Roy Jones, JR. to prove he belongs.
Erik Morales, (48-4, 34 KO's)
Has lost three of his last four fights and appears to be past his prime.
Zab Judah, (34-3, 25 KO's)
Disastrous loss to Carlos Baldomir keeps his name far from the top ten, but a victory over Mayweather on April 8 could change that.
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