Top 15 Welterweights of the 21st Century

[RetroSpeed05]

Hell nah LOL.

It CAN propel your legacy when your skillset outshine every other fighter in history. Floyd has a stand-out skillset. His whole legacy is built around him being the Best figher Ever. If he had SRL skillset, but he is fighting better foes I wouldnt say he was the best. I would constantly compare him to SRL.

You say he doesnt have an ATG resume, Pac doesnt have no damn ATG resume LOL. Only thing he has is 8 weight classes. With or without a great resume, he STILL has those weight classes. No matter how many bums Pac fought, he still climbed those weight classes and you cant take that away from him.

Now lets talk Floyd. Name a fighter in history that can fight his opponents, and NOT destroy them or murder them, but change their whole fighting style and dominate each of his foes without being hissed, for 18 freaking years. Floyd's skillset and ring dominance IS his legacy.

People just dont want it to be, because if he really got credit we would recognize him as the best fighter in hstory. Thats the reason you all find ways to talk around the elephant in the room that is his in-ring abilities.

He is the best fighter in history and he deserves it. 18 years not getting hit by a single punch. Late 30's dominating guys 18lbs heavier, 15lbs heavier, 10 years younger. This will never happen in boxing again.

1. " If he had SRL skillset, but he is fighting better foes I wouldnt say he was the best." lol come man, how can you say such a statement.

2. I never said Pac has a ATG resume, and trust me i had arguments before with people about the validity of his "8 weight classes'", and how back then they were only 8 not like the in between weight classes we have now.

3. "18 years not getting hit by a single punch". lol again another ridiculous statement.

I do give he credit on how he adapted once his athleticism started to diminish, but on the topic of his skill set, yes he has a great skill set but if you don't use that skill set against ATG fighters how do you know that it would be effective. If Floyd fought SRL i'm sure you think his skill set would beat him, but this is the thing Floyd hasn't fought the competition SRL fought so you can't say his skill set will be effective fighting higher opposition. Until then all your doing is speculating.

[MurkaMan]

jhsfvgWSfvWSvSvSvSSvg

[MurkaMan]

Floyd dominated a shot Mosley at 147, a bum in Baldomir, had a good, tough fight against Hatton, a good tough fight for the first half against Judah and he schooled Guerrero....yep Guerrero and went to hell with Maidana. Thats a good run of fights but he hasn't dominated a top level fighter in a long time.

GTFO!!!! Mosley wasnt shot stop LYIN LOL. When the Mosley fought happened, it HAD to happen. Name a fighter in history that can fight that version of Mosley, and not destroy him or knock him out, but change their whole fighting style and dominate that version of Mosley without getting grazed, and walking him down?

And why did you mention Baldo, Judah, Hatton LOL. I never mentioned those little guys. I mentioned Ortiz, Ghost(he changed his whole fighting style to beat Ghost, and no fighter in history can do to Ghost's awkward style what Floyd did).

I thought Ghost was going to beat Floyd. I didnt expect Floyd to change his whole fighting style. But when he beat him NO one wrote about the adjustments he made to beat him. See Ghost is not Ortiz. Ortiz is a tactical brawler/boxer who bounces on his toes and comes in. Boxrec and tail of the tape may list Ghost as short but he is tall as hell and weighs 163+. Tall, southpaw, pressure swarmer. Unlike Ortiz, his punches are close together so he can clip you with his volume punches.

Look at how Floyd avoided those shots by inches. Im THOROGHLY impressed with him skill for skill this will never happen again.

[MurkaMan]

1. " If he had SRL skillset, but he is fighting better foes I wouldnt say he was the best." lol come man, how can you say such a statement.

2. I never said Pac has a ATG resume, and trust me i had arguments before with people about the validity of his "8 weight classes'", and how back then they were only 8 not like the in between weight classes we have now.

3. "18 years not getting hit by a single punch". lol again another ridiculous statement.

I do give he credit on how he adapted once his athleticism started to diminish, but on the topic of his skill set, yes he has a great skill set but if you don't use that skill set against ATG fighters how do you know that it would be effective. If Floyd fought SRL i'm sure you think his skill set would beat him, but this is the thing Floyd hasn't fought the competition SRL fought so you can't say his skill set will be effective fighting higher opposition. Until then all your doing is speculating.

Since you said Floyd didnt use his skills against ATG fighter, lets talk about the guys he DID use his skills agains; SRL can fight Floyd's foes, and NOT knock them out or destroy them, but change his whole fighting style and dominate them without getting hissed? Skill for skill, SRL is no world beater. In HIS era maybe, but in this era HELL no.

I have no doubt that Floyd would smoke SRL. Im not one of these haters that take the worst version of Floyd, who fought Oscar, and throw him into fantasy fights. Its NO WAY SRL can beat 2013 Floyd. If Floyd walked down Canelo, what the hell is SRL and Tommy Herns tall skinny azzes gonna do?

Because Herns has height and a jab he automatically wins, with two attributes? Floyd has defense, better jab, speed, reflexes, skills, defense etc. Floyd is the most complete fighter in history and the best ever skillwise.

[big_james10]

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.

Your post immediately lost all credibility when you listed Pacquaio as number 1!

[RetroSpeed05]

Since you said Floyd didnt use his skills against ATG fighter, lets talk about the guys he DID use his skills agains; SRL can fight Floyd's foes, and NOT knock them out or destroy them, but change his whole fighting style and dominate them without getting hissed? Skill for skill, SRL is no world beater. In HIS era maybe, but in this era HELL no.

I have no doubt that Floyd would smoke SRL. Im not one of these haters that take the worst version of Floyd, who fought Oscar, and throw him into fantasy fights. Its NO WAY SRL can beat 2013 Floyd. If Floyd walked down Canelo, what the hell is SRL and Tommy Herns tall skinny azzes gonna do?

Because Herns has height and a jab he automatically wins, with two attributes? Floyd has defense, better jab, speed, reflexes, skills, defense etc. Floyd is the most complete fighter in history and the best ever skillwise.

Again that's pure speculation that he would win in this never-ending fantasy match up debate.

Floyd did a good job against Canelo, But what happened with the Maidana fight? I had it 8-4 for Floyd, but he didn't leave the match unscathed.
At this point in his career he needs a certain type a fighter to look good.

[MurkaMan]

Again that's pure speculation that he would win in this never-ending fantasy match up debate.

Floyd did a good job against Canelo, But what happened with the Maidana fight? I had it 8-4 for Floyd, but he didn't leave the match unscathed.
At this point in his career he needs a certain type a fighter to look good.

True but Floyd is now 38? I actually had Marcos winning or maybe a draw. This is an old version of Floyd. Notice I said 2013 version of Floyd. No one is beating him in history. Too strong, aggressive, and versitile.

[RetroSpeed05]

True but Floyd is now 38? I actually had Marcos winning or maybe a draw. This is an old version of Floyd. Notice I said 2013 version of Floyd. No one is beating him in history. Too strong, aggressive, and versitile.

Exacly, at his age he has to have certain type of fighters.

2013 version? what makes you say that?

[_original_]

Good effort OP, but I don't see how you can have Pacquiao at number 1 ahead of Mayweather.

[ShamrockXpress]

It is not only the victory but the manner of victory. He destroyed Paulie and beat Alexander pretty easily as well.

Guys like Mayorga and Judah, don't top that with their record at 147lb. I would say Port beats Mayorga and Judah at 147lbs as well.

Nothing porter could do short of two victories over Mayweather or Pacqiaou could match Mayorgas two wins over Forrest. Dude was a beast and Mayorga beat him down, twice. Forrest on his A game could beat any welterweight of the last 15 years.