Ranking the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Boxers After Mayweather-Pacquiao Announcement
The Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao superfight is finally going to happen. Boxing’s two biggest superstars and best fighters will at long last share a ring with each other to help fans decide once and for all whom they should consider the top fighter of the era.
Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have been perennial entries for over six years now atop pound-for-pound lists across the globe. For the better part of that same time frame, at least one of them, if not both, have been slotted at either No. 1 or No. 2.
But now that the fight is actually going down, will it feature the two top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport of boxing? Or has the agreement between the two camps come a tad too late?
Click through to find out where Mayweather and Pacquiao rank among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today. Fighters are ranked by quality of opposition, overall resume as well as their willingness to engage all-comers.
As always with these rankings, special emphasis was given to how a fighter has performed in recent fights.
10. Miguel Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs)
1 of 10
Why He’s Here: Miguel Cotto is the Transnational Rankings, The Ring Magazine and WBC middleweight champion of the world, a feat that won’t soon be forgotten for the former 140-pound titlist. He’s one of boxing biggest and most accomplished superstars, having won legitimate alphabet titles in four different weight classes. The stalwart Puerto Rican boxer-puncher is coming off the best win of his sensational career.
Previous Rank: 10
Last Big Win: Cotto destroyed longtime lineal middleweight champion Sergio Martinez last year in one of boxing’s biggest and best events of 2014. Cotto knocked Martinez down three times in Round 1 and coasted to a Round 10 TKO victory.
Whom He Should Fight Next: It seems Cotto already gambled away his megafight chance for early 2015. It appeared he was on his way to a May or June bout against Canelo Alvarez, but then he got greedy with the idea of rematching Floyd Mayweather Jr. With both those fighters now tied up, the next-best and most lucrative fight for him would be a dangerous unification bout with WBA titleholder Gennady Golovkin.
9. Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs)
2 of 10
Why He’s Here: Sergey Kovalev is the WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion of the world. He’s a technically sound stalker who has incredible power in both hands and knows how to dole out punishment over 12 full rounds.
Previous Rank: 9
Last Big Win: Kovalev earned his best career win last year when he dominated aging all-time great Bernard Hopkins over 12 full rounds like no one had ever done before. Kovalev’s feet were too fleet for Hopkins. He kept the former middleweight champion at the end of his punches and dominated the fight from start to finish.
Whom He Should Fight Next: The fight everyone wants to see at light heavyweight is a unification bout between Kovalev and WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. But since that fight seems unlikely for the near future, Kovalev is doing the next-best thing: beating everyone else up. Next up for perhaps the premier stalker in boxing today is former titleholder Jean Pascal.
8. Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs)
3 of 10
Why He’s Here: Juan Manuel Marquez, age 41, might be on the decline and headed toward retirement. The consummate counterpuncher hasn’t been in the ring since last May, a tougher-than-expected decision win over Mike Alvarado. Still, Marquez remains one of the top fighters in the world until he loses or retires.
Previous Rank: 6
Last Big Win: Marquez sent Alvarado down to the canvas in Round 8 but had to pick himself off of the same blue mat in Round 9 to earn the 12-round decision. He’s been an inactive fighter since and has appropriately dropped a few spots in the rankings.
Whom He Should Fight Next: Manager Bob Arum told Fighthype.com (h/t Tha Boxing Voice) that Marquez is interested in a title bout against several name fighters but none of them are Pacquiao, whom he knocked out in December 2012 but remains 1-3-1 against. Marquez should fight Pacquiao again as it’s really the only bout that matters to the long-successful, multi-division champion.
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7. Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs)
4 of 10
Why He’s Here: The 32-year-old middleweight might not have the resume to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but no one in boxing looks better than Golovkin right now. He’s a perfectly balanced, absurdly calm force of nature that overwhelms his opponents so easily that premier fighters such as Miguel Cotto stay as far away from him as possible.
Previous Rank: 9
Last Big Win: Golovkin earned his 19th knockout in a row over the previously indestructible Martin Murray last week. Golovkin had his way with the former title challenger. The bout was hardly competitive until it was halted in Round 11.
Whom He Should Fight Next: Golovkin is clearly the best middleweight on the planet. In any other sport, he would have already faced and likely destroyed lineal champion Cotto. But Cotto is unlikely to take such a stern challenge, so Golovkin will likely have to keep picking off second-tier contenders until a star such as Cotto or former middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. take the plunge and fight him.
6. Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs)
5 of 10
Why He’s Here: Poor Guillermo Rigondeaux might be the most talented fighter in the world. He’s the junior featherweight champion per the Transnational Ranking, The Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO but can’t seem to catch on among American fight watchers or the television networks that bring them action.
Previous Rank: 8
Last Big Win: Rigondeaux’s Round 11 TKO over Hisashi Amagasa was his most fan-friendly win as a professional prizefighter. Rigondeaux rallied from being sent to the canvas twice in Round 7 for the impressive stoppage win over a tough, game challenger who towered over the diminutive champion.
Whom He Should Fight Next: Rigondeaux’s best course of action right now is to continue to fight where he’s wanted, which appears to be on the other side of the world in Japan, while simultaneously calling out big names like Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz. The idea is that Rigondeaux can't be ducked forever. Right?
5. Timothy Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs)
6 of 10
Why He’s Here: Timothy Bradley’s lone loss is by decision to Manny Pacquiao in 2014. He’s a scrappy, hard-fighting boxer who is adept at all facets of the sweet science. If there’s any one fighter who has gotten the most out of his skill set, it is the tireless Bradley.
Previous Rank: 5
Last Big Win: Bradley dominated Diego Chaves over 12 rounds in December 2014 only to be handed a draw by some wildly incompetent judges. However, as it was with Bradley’s so-called win over Pacquiao in 2012, no one really considers Bradley’s Chaves bout anything more than an unofficial win for him. He’ll now move on to bigger and better things.
Whom He Should Fight Next: It’s possible that Bradley ends up in a bout against Miguel Cotto for Cotto’s middleweight titles. While Bradley doesn’t necessarily deserve the bout based on the fact that he’s never even competed above 147 pounds, the fight itself would be interesting and noteworthy. Moreover, Bradley’s lack of power wouldn’t keep him from boxing smartly and aggressively. He could very well pull the upset.
4. Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs)
7 of 10
Why He’s Here: He’s one of the better heavyweight champions in history, and it appears the long-reigning titleholder is finally getting his due. Klitschko’s jab-cross combination is one of the most devastatingly simple but wildly effective punch sequences in boxing. It seems easy enough to conquer, but no one has beaten him since 2004.
Previous Rank: 4
2014 Highlight: Klitschko crushed No. 1-ranked contender Kubrat Pulev in just five rounds late last year to add yet another highlight-reel win to his ever-growing collection of dominant victories. At age 38, Klitschko looks to be at his peak right now, an impressive accomplishment on its own merit.
Whom He Should Fight Next: Klitschko holds every heavyweight crown except the WBC title recently won by undefeated American Deontay Wilder. That’s the fight most red-blooded boxing fans are beginning to crave in the heavyweight division, but Wilder’s team would be wise to get its fighter more rounds first against top competition. Until then, Klitschko should continue to do what he’s always done: dominate the field. Next up is Bryant Jennings on April 25 in New York City.
3. Roman Gonzalez (41-0, 35 KOs)
8 of 10
Why He’s Here: Roman Gonzalez is the best fighter whom almost no one seems to know about. The Transnational Rankings, The Ring Magazine and WBC flyweight champion is as elite as any fighter in the sport today, and he’s more accomplished than most too. The 27-year-old has a slew of big fights ahead of him. Let’s hope American television networks start to notice his potential.
Previous Rank: 3
Last Big Win: Gonzalez’s Round 9 knockout of Akira Yaegashi made him the lineal champion at flyweight. Gonzalez floored Yaegashi twice in the fight on the way to the stoppage win.
Whom He Should Fight Next: The biggest bout at flyweight is a rematch between Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada. The two previously met in 2012, with Gonzalez grabbing the unanimous decision.
2. Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs)
9 of 10
Why He’s Here: Don’t let anyone tell you Pacquiao doesn’t have a chance against Mayweather in 2015. Even at age 36, the popular Filipino fighter is as elite as they come. His fast hands and solid power give him a legitimate shot at pulling the upset, and his ability to win close rounds might lead him back to the top of this list before he retires.
Previous Rank: 2
Last Big Win: Pacquiao’s last big win was his impressive and borderline dominant win over fellow pound-for-pound elite star Timothy Bradley last year. Pacquiao’s fast hands were too much for the tough and talented Bradley.
Whom He Should Fight Next: Pacquiao is finally fighting Mayweather in the megafight that should have happened every year for the past five or six now.
1. Floyd Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs)
10 of 10
Why He’s Here: Mayweather is a master boxer who uses impeccable defense and sharp counterpunching to win seven or more rounds in every single fight. He’s the best in the world at it, and he’s one of the greatest fighters of any era.
Previous Rank: 1
Last Big Win: Mayweather beat Marcos Maidana by decision twice in 2014, the best of which was his first over the hard-charging slugger back in May. In that fight, Maidana threw everything he could at Mayweather for 12 rounds but still couldn’t quite get the job done. Mayweather took home the majority decision. Could a faster-handed Pacquiao use a similar strategy but do it a little better?
Whom He Should Fight Next: Mayweather-Pacquiao is set for May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This is the exact right fight for Mayweather as has been the case since 2009.
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