Oh, how we all love to debate the mythical, but ever so seriously taken pound-for-pound rankings. Ever since the mythical rankings were introduced – inspired as they were by the one and only Sugar Ray Robinson – fans all over the world have read them, argued over them, even got into fights, physical fights, over them.
Haney’s Controversial Entry at #10
Right now, it’s certain that the inclusion of Devin Haney in the new Ring Magazine top 10 P-4-P rankings is causing debate, perhaps of a fierce kind. Haney, who at the weekend scored a fine win over Brian Norman Jr to become the WBO welterweight champion, the win seeing him become a three-weight champ, is now residing at the #10 spot on the new Ring P-4-P rankings. How can this be? Some fans have asked, and are asking, the question.
Well, Haney, dubbed boring and safety-first, even gun-shy by his harsher critics, defeated in Norman Jr, a fighter many picked to beat him, by KO, and Norman Jr was seen by plenty of us as the best in the world at 147 pounds. But Haney, whether the fight was exciting or not (it wasn’t) beat him. Haney handed Norman Jr his first loss. And the win deserves respect. Enough to grant Haney a pound-for-pound ranking or not is another question, but Haney is a superb boxer, of that there is no doubt.
What Counts in P-4-P Criteria?
So, what do YOU base your own pound-for-pound criteria on: All-round ability and ring generalship with a hefty heap of sound defensive prowess added. Or a balls-to-the-wall, excitement-guaranteed, winning approach?
Haney may indeed be dull to watch in the opinion of some, with his defensive game his main asset, but the fact is, Haney gets the wins. And “The Dream” has picked up plenty of them over excellent opposition. So, to repeat the Q – is Haney deserving of a place at the current pound-for-pound dining table?
Here is the new P-4-P top 10 by ‘The Bible of Boxing.’
1: Terence Crawford
2: Oleksandr Usyk
3: Naoya Inoue
4: Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez
5: Dmitry Bivol
6: Artur Beterbiev
7: Junto Nakatani
8: Shakur Stevenson
9: David Benavidez
10: Devin Haney.
An interesting list, to be sure. And what a mixed blend of fighting styles we have here. Benavidez, who is all-action and sheer pressure, is about as different a fighter from Haney in style and approach as could be imagined. But who is the better, more effective at getting the win, boxer?
Boring or Brilliant? The Haney Question
Inoue is almost flawless, as are “Bud” Crawford and Usyk. Indeed, the top 3 could all be tied as equal as far as the pound-for-pound rankings go. Stevenson, who some fans recently moaned and groaned about as being boring and too mindful of defence, managed to turn plenty of fans’ thinking around in one fight, his last outing, when he stood and fought with William Zepeda. Is Haney capable of doing the same thing?
Right now, Haney has to be looked at as the best welterweight in the world, and, yeah, that’s a bold statement, especially for a fighter who has boxed at the weight just once. But there are no other 147-pounders in the latest Ring Magazine top 10 pound-for-pound rankings.
Whether Haney should be there, well, that’s down to debate. Just take it easy when debating, and leave the fighting to the pros!