Boxing

 

Who is your pound for pound king?

By Yousef Faroniya

30.07 - Boxing has long been obsessed with a mythical ranking which rates boxers against each other with considerations being made according to weight. This has been a great way for people to give their opinion to who the best boxers are, and who isn't.

Heavyweights are excluded from my personal rankings because their weight only has a minimum and
has no maximum. As a division they are not included in a 7 or 8 pound restricted weight, so therefore can be very large and cannot be compared to lighter fighters pound for pound. I used such factors as level of competition, heart, physical skills, and intelligence to make a pound for pound rankings list.

Any readers who disagree with my rankings can send me an email of their own pound for pound rankings at mac14_cle@yahoo.com, and from those, I will compile the rankings of the eastsideboxing.com readers into a new set of rankings in the ensuing column.

1. Bernard Hopkins - A great combination of speed, skills, and heart. His breaking of Monzon's record, and his defeat of former pound for pound champion Felix Trinidad cemented his place as pound for pound champ.

2. Roy Jones Jr. - Probably the most talented fighter on this list, but doesn't look for challenges. It
would be a huge waste if Roy doesn't face some top-level competition soon. Forget the excuses, Roy has been fighting B level competition since James Toney.

3. Kostya Tszyu - A true champion in every way. His low-key style, and workman-like attitude in the ring is not exactly crowd-pleasing, but is well respected and feared by his opponents and the boxing community.

4. Vernon Forrest - All he needed was an opportunity, and he made the most of it. A move to Junior
Middleweight is in his future. A convincing win or over a great fighter such as "Winky" Wright could
expand on his growing accomplishments.

5. Marco Antonio Barrerra - His win over nemesis Erik Morales cemented his place as a future hall of famer. A rubber match with Morales is expected soon.

6. Floyd Mayweather - His glass hands have been a persistent problem and might hinder his career. A more convincing win over former champ Castillo would merit a higher place on this list. Mayweather had a tough fight with a tough fighter in Castillo, there's no shame in that.

7. Shane Mosley - Styles make fights, and Forrest's style has given "Sugar" two losses. Just a case of a great fighter losing to another great fighter. Big paydays await in the Junior Middleweight division with a possible rematch with De La Hoya.

8. Erik Morales - A great warrior, who puts it all on the line every time he fights. His loss was tough,
but we'll have to see how Morales will recover in a possible rubber match.

9. Ricardo Lopez - A legend of the lowest weights. Undefeated in over 50 fights, but is low on the list because of his inactivity.

10. De la Hoya - Oscar is no longer fighting for money or titles. Now, its all about respect. We'll see if he deserves it after his fight with #11.

11. Fernando Vargas - Another case of a pure Mexican warrior. One of the biggest hearts in boxing, is looking for sweet vengeance over his hated opponent de la Hoya, who supposedly disrespected him early in his career. We'll have to wait and see.

12. "Winky" Wright - One of the most overlooked and talented boxers in the sport. Lost a controversial fight to Vargas, but recovered to hold a title in one of the most talented divisions in boxing. After facing Bronco McKart again, Wright will be looking for a big payday against Mosley, Forrest, or Vargas.

13. Darius Michalczewski - The linear light heavyweight champ has been overlooked because he
usually fights in his native Germany. Possesses great power even as he ages. But the real question is, why can't Roy Jones and Darius fight at a place somewhere between the U.S and Germany such as......London?

14. DeMarcus Corley - The quick and versatile Corley is sure to make noise in the future as he campaigns for big fights against undisputed champ Kostya Tszyu and for the welterweight titles soon to be vacated by Forrest and Mosley.

15. Tim Austin - Great athlete, as shown by his TKO win over a game Adan Vargas. At 31, Austin needs to step up and look for the big fights. Maybe a win over Ayala will get Austin the respect he deserves, and more importantly for him, the big paydays.

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