by James Slater – Almost always, when compiling a top-ten pound-for-pound list in boxing, it causes much debate. Though it is nothing more than one person, or one publication’s opinion, a number of fans find plenty to get angry about when scanning most lists. Right now, though, most fight fans on the planet are surely in agreement as to who the # 1 fighter in the world is, pound-for-pound. Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao holds the distinction – just ask the next fellow boxing fan you come across for his or her view and chances are great you will hear the Filipino’s name.
The remainder of today’s top-ten isn’t quite so clear-cut, however, and here one can only give his or her opinion. With that said, in this article this writer gives his own choices for the ten best boxers, pound-for-pound, currently doing their stuff.
Sure to cause debate, as all lists do all the time, the following names are simply the ones I feel deserve to be where they are. The pound-for-pound title is and always was nothing more than a mythical title anyway – and as such it is impossible to say someone’s opinion when it comes to the holder of the crown or the leading contenders for it, is wrong. If all fighters were of equal size and weight, who would win? That is what the mythical pound-ship is all about. Pretty much a piece of fun and nothing more, the lists that say who would be the best, all sizes considered, is never anything to get overly angry about – however much fun debate itself can be.
Anyway, here is my top-ten:
1. Manny Pacquiao, welterweight. Record: 48-3-2(36). Last fight: W RTD 8 Oscar De La Hoya.
2. Juan Manuel Marquez, lightweight. Record: 49-4-1(36). Last fight: W TKO 11 Joel Casamayor.
3. Israel Vazquez, super bantamweight. Record: 43-4(31). Last fight: WS 12 Rafael Marquez.
4. Joe Calzaghe, light heavyweight. Record: 46-0 (32). Last fight: WU 12 Roy Jones Junior.
5. Bernard Hopkins, light heavyweight. Record: 49-5-1(32). Last fight: WU 12 Kelly Pavlik.
6. Paul Williams, light middleweight. Record: 36-1(27). Last fight: W TKO 8 Verno Phillips.
7. Antonio Margarito, welterweight. Record: 37-5(27). Last fight: W TKO 11 Miguel Cotto.
8. Rafael Marquez, super bantamweight. Record: 37-5(33). Last fight: LS 12 Israel Vazquez.
9. Ivan Calderon, light flyweight. Record: 32-0(6). Last fight: W TD 7 Hugo Fidel Cazares.
10. Miguel Cotto, welterweight. Record: 32-1(26) Last fight: L TKO 11 Antonio Margarito.