Manny Pacquiao and the 25 Best Pound-for-Pound Fighters in the World

Pound-for-pound lists hold a strange fascination for boxing fans and writers. They are ultimately pointless, finely crafted arguments for matters that will mostly never be resolved in the ring.  And yet they are fascinating for the amount of close analysis they require of so many top fighters.

When writing about boxing, I mostly defer the The RIng ratings where applicable, and the various major promotional organizations beyond that.

But like everybody, I've got opinions. In my estimation, these are the top 25 pound-for-pound fighters right now. I have judged based on resume but with particular emphasis on recent fights.

25. Devon Alexander, Welterweight

I doubt that many people would rank Devon Alexander, 23(13)-1, this high on their own lists, though his single career loss came against pound-for-pound top 10 entrant Timothy Bradley in January of 2011.

After losing to Bradley he struggled to earn a split decision his next time out against Lucas Mathysse last June. Truth be told, a lot of people felt he didn't actually deserve to win. 

He claimed to have had trouble making weight at 140 pounds and said he would be a better fighter with a move to 147. Last February, he made good on his promise, beating Marcos Maidana far worse than anybody ever had before, en route to a one-sided 10-round unanimous decision.

That's enough for me to go out on a limb and rank him at 25 here, above other top welterweights like Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Kell Brook and Mike Jones.

If Devon Alexander were a stock, I'd be the guy in the pit buying him up now while he's still going fairly cheap.  

24. Orlando Salido, Featherweight

Orlando Salido, 38(26)-11(5)-2, has a lot of losses for a top-25 pound-for-pound fighter, but that's a hard-knock record for a fighter who was never handled gently on his way up through the ranks.

At this point, he has clearly built himself into a world-class talent and based on his recent performances against the elite in his weight class, I think he deserves inclusion.

Eight of Salido's career losses came when he was a young fighter, still developing his craft. He has been a top fighter for more than a decade. In the past 10 years, his only losses are by unanimous decision to Juan Manuel Marquez and Yuri Gamboa and a split-decision loss to Cristobal Cruz, which he later avenged.  

Twice in the last 13 months, Salido has traveled to Puerto Rico to knock out the very highly-regarded Juan Manuel Lopez, handing the can't-miss prospect his first and second career losses in devastating fashion.

23. Marco Huck, Cruiserweight

Marco Huck, 34(25)-2(1)-1, has been the WBO cruiserweight champion since 2009. Last February, he moved up to heavyweight to challenge WBA title holder Alexander Povetkin, losing a very close majority decision.

Huck is a fighter who stays active, averaging three to four fights a year. Less than three months after losing to Povetkin, he was back down at 200 lbs, defending his belt against the tough Ola Afolabi. He came away with a majority draw (winning 115-113 on a single card). 

At only 27 years of age, Huck is poised to remain near the top of the cruiserweight division for the next few years. A rubber match with Afolabi, who he beat in December of 2009, and a showdown with Yoan Pablo Hernandez are two good potential fights for the Serbian native and German resident. 

22: Alexander Povetkin, Heavyweight

Alexander Povetkin, 24(16)-0, is the "regular" WBA world champion. I have to specify that he is the "regular" world champion due to the fact of Wladimir Klitschko being the WBA's "super" world champion. 

Klitschko used to be the "regular" WBA world champion, but the WBA named him their "super" champion, thereby vacating their "regular" belt and allowing Povetkin to win it by defeating Ruslan Chagaev, instead of Kltischko.

So now, Povetkin is a world champion, sort of, except that even the promotional organization that recognizes him as a world champion also ranks him behind Wladimir Klitschko.

Povetkin has a stellar amateur background, including Olympic gold. He is definitely the No. 3 heavyweight in the world behind the Klitschko brothers. He has beaten world-class opponents like Chagaev, Eddie Chambers, Chris Byrd and Cedrick Boswell. 

He was not entirely impressive last February, when he came away with a majority decision against cruiserweight champion Marco Huck. 

By virtue of the fact that he is a world champion (sort of) but not a Klitschko, he will have no shortage of hungry challengers calling him out in the next couple of years. Hopefully, he will stick around long enough to take on Wladmiri Klitschko and give himself a chance to be a world champion for real. 

21. Hernan Marquez, Flyweight

Last March, Hernan Marquez, 33(25)-2(1), avenged one of his two career losses by defeating Richie Menpranum. His other career loss was to Nonito Donaire, when he went up in weight to challenge for a title at 115. Against Donaire, he was simply overwhelmed physically.

At only 23 years of age, Marquez is already an experienced veteran who continues to improve. He won the WBA flyweight title by TKOing Luis Conception in 11 in April of last year. Six months later in the rematch, he finished Conception inside of the first.

A showdown for Marquez with Brian Viloria would bring genuine excitement and interest to the 112-pound division.  

20. Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Cruiserweight

Cruiserweight is the Rodney Dangerfield of boxing weight classes. They are big guys, but not full-fledged big guys.

And while winning a world title in the 200-pound division is respected as an accomplishment, it's no secret that many very talented boxers who could easily make weight at 200 don't bother since they can make so much more money fighting the big boys at heavyweight.

Eddie Chambers, for instance, could easily make 200 pounds and would quite likely clean out the division. But he's at least competitive against anybody in the world at heavyweight, and the paydays are larger by an order of magnitude.  

Now that Yoan Pablo Hernandez, 26(13)-1(1), has seemingly nailed down the top spot in the cruiser rankings by defeating Steve Cunningham in two straight fights, he will inevitably begin receiving mention as a heavyweight hopeful.

At 6'4", he would seem to have the frame to grow into. With modern training techniques, Hernandez could easily pack on 15-20 pounds of muscle without sacrificing any speed.

A 220-pound Hernandez would have the jab and footwork to give a lot of problems to a lot of top heavyweights.  

19: Saul Alvarez, Junior Middleweight

On May 5 of this year, undefeated WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez, 40(29)-0-1, turned in his most impressive performance yet, roughing up future Hall-of-Famer Shane Mosley en route to a very one-sided unanimous decision victory.

Shane Mosley is 40 years old, so beating him today is not the same as beating the Shane Mosley of five or 10 years ago. On the other hand, this wasn't the same Shane Mosley that spent all night running from Manny Pacquiao a year ago, either.

Mosley made a spirited fight of it against Alvarez, determined to test the 21-year-old's ability to hang with world-class talent. Canelo passed with flying colors.

Again and again, he was able to best Mosley in exchanges, punching through or around his defenses. The quickness of youth alone cannot account for the degree to which Alvarez out-landed Mosley. Alvarez's timing and footwork deserve a portion of the credit as well.

Alvarez was also impressive last November, when he TKO'd Kermit Cintron in five. Since winning the vacant WBC strap in March of 2011 with a unanimous decision over Matthew Hatton, he has looked better and better with each successive defense of his title.

Alvarez has still yet to test himself against an elite fighter at the top of his own game, but that day is coming. He is a very busy fighter. Even since stepping up to top contender status in 2010, he has stayed on a four to five fights a year pace.

He already has a fight scheduled for September in Las Vegas. James Kirkland appears to be the leading candidate for the slot.

I can think of fighters I'd rather see Alvarez face. I even wrote a column on it. But Kirkland is a highly-rated light middleweight and would make for an exciting fight that I believe Alvarez would win by stoppage.

At the rate he works, he'd be ready for another fight sometime next January.   

18. Anselmo Moreno, Bantamweight

Anselmo Moreno, 33(12)-1-1, has not lost a fight since 2002, his first year as a professional. He won the WBA world bantamweight title in 2008 and the WBA elevated him to "super" champion status in December of 2010. 

Koki Kameda then won the "vacant" WBA world bantamweight title by defeating Alexander Munoz. Less than a month later, Hugo Ruiz won the WBA interim world bantamweight title by beating Alvaro Perez. 

Why the WBA needed to name an "interim" world title holder for a weight class where they already had active world and "super" world champions is a mystery to me. 

Moreno suffered somewhat for being the odd man out during the Showtime Bantamweight tournament. He did beat Vic Darchinyan last year by wider margins than the eventual tournament winner Abner Mares beat him by in 2010. 

Between bantamweight and super bantamweight, there should be no shortage of high-quality opponents for Moreno. In a rational universe, he would meet the winner of Kameda-Ruiz in order to get the ridiculous WBA bantamweight belt situation back under control. 

I would love to see him matched against Abner Mares, who won the Showtime tournament but has since moved up to super bantamweight.

And if Bob Arum is determined to develop Nonito Donaire into a pay-per-view attraction, Moreno certainly has the resume to step up and provide a worthy opponent at 122. 

17. Carl Froch, Super Middleweight

Carl Froch, 28(20)-2, entered the Showtime Super Six Super Middleweight tournament with a perfect 25-0 record. During the tournament, he went 3-2.

But even with the two new notches in the loss column, Froch came out of the tournament with greatly improved standing. Stretching back to his showdown with then-undefeated Jean Pascal in 2008, Froch's opponents have been consistently chosen from among the very best available at his weight. 

Froch was decisively beaten by Andre Ward in the tournament final last December. Ward's style proved too tough a puzzle, and as Froch stated in the post-fight interview, "I just couldn't get my punches off."

But it wasn't such a blow out that an eventual rematch seems ridiculous. Froch is 34, but superbly conditioned, and he has a workmanlike, boxer-brawler style that is not overly reliant on speed. Despite his age, he still seems like a fighter who could continue to elevate his game. 

He is due to fight undefeated IBF champion Lucian Bute at the end of this month. 

16. Lucian Bute, Super Middleweight

Lucian Bute, 30(24)-0, is the undefeated IBF super middleweight champion. He has looked sensational in his career, although his level of competition has mostly fallen somewhere below the elite level. 

Since winning the IBF title from Alejandro Berrio by TKO in 2007, he has won eight of ten title defenses by stoppage. He was the odd man out during the Showtime Super Six tournament but faced semifinalist Glen Johnson last November, beating him by one-sided unanimous decision. 

Bute was fantastic against Johnson, using speed and agility to keep the 42-year-old Road Warrior consistently off-balance and vulnerable. This fight took place only about five months after Johnson pushed Carl Froch hard, taking him to the limit in a majority decision loss. 

Bute meets Froch at the end of this month, which should be the toughest challenge in his career to date. 

15. Amir Khan, Junior Welterweight

Amir Khan, 26(18)-2(1), catches more irrational hate than anybody this side of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He has terrific lateral movement and quick, accurate straight punches. His professional resume is very good, and since he is still only 25, he should get the opportunity to make it legendary. 

He is vulnerable against fighters who can rough him up on the inside. He had difficult rounds against Marcos Maidana, and I could not make up my mind whether or not he was making the tactical mistake of engaging Maidana in close or if he was simply not strong enough to prevent the Argentinian from muscling in on him. 

Against Lamont Peterson, I had him winning by a point, even after the questionable point deductions, so that decision smelled like hometown cooking to me. Still, Peterson showed that Khan can be bullied, a problem he will need to fix, especially if he makes a move up to welterweight. 

That loss is tainted now, due to Peterson's recent failed PED test.

Incidentally, I would have had Peterson somewhere in my top 20 if I had done these ratings prior to that failed test. He was one of my favorite boxing stories to come out of 2011, but as it is now, I'm going to have to see him come back and beat some top fighters when I know he is clean before I'll give him full credit again.

There will always be questions about Khan's chin due to his fluke first-round KO loss against Breidis Prescott in 2008. Since that time, he has beaten all-time great Marco Antonio Barrera, given Dimitriy Salita and Paul McCloskey their first professional losses and TKO'd world champion Paul Malignaggi.

I don't think he has gotten anywhere near the credit he should for his destruction of Zab Judah last year. Judah is not as good as he once was and was never as good as he thought he was, but he is a former world champion, one of the more talented boxers of his generation and, as he showed last March against previously unbeaten Vernon Paris, he's still capable of looking very good against a pretty high caliber of competition. 

Anybody who can handle Judah inside of five the way Khan did is an elite boxing talent. I expect him to crack The Ring top 10 before he is through. 

14. Brian Viloria, Flyweight

Former Olympian Brian Viloria, 31(18)-3(1), has had a career of highs and lows, but in the last year, he has seemed to finally blossom into his full potential. Last July, he beat the tough Julio Cesar Miranda for the WBO flyweight belt. 

It was viewed as a nice story: a longtime veteran coming back to win another world title. But when Ring pound-for-pound top-10 ranked light flyweight Giovanni Segura moved up to 112 and the WBO named him the mandatory No. 1, most fans and writers felt Viloria would go down.

Instead, Hawaiian Punch thoroughly out-boxed Segura, putting him away by TKO 30 seconds into the eighth.

Last weekend, he TKO'd Omar Nino Romero, avenging one of his three career losses. If a fight can be made between him and Hernan Marquez, I will be very disappointed if it doesn't get broadcast somewhere on one of the channels I pay for. 

13. Chad Dawson, Light Heavyweight

Chad Dawson, 31(17)-1, is not the most exciting fighter, but he is extremely effective. His one career loss to Jean Pascal I would frankly chalk up to lack of focus on his part. If there is ever a re-match, I believe Dawson will beat him easily. 

Dawson's victory over Bernard Hopkins last month was decisive. If he didn't quite make the 47-year-old Hopkins look his age, he at least made him look within a decade of it.

It will go down in the books as a majority decision, but I really can't imagine what judge Luis Rivera thought he was looking at. The other two judges had it 117-111, which I would say is just about right. 

Dawson also has two wins each over Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, so he has basically beaten three of the best light heavyweights from the last generation. He's time for him to show what he can do against the top 175ers of today.

There's been a lot written lately about the possibility of Dawson fighting super middleweight kingpin Andre Ward.

In a perfect world, maybe the two of them would both lock down their own weight classes a bit more tightly and then face off. But this is far from a perfect world we are living in, so I would be glad to see that fight happen right now. 

12. Abner Mares, Super Bantamweight

Abner Mares, 24(13)-0, got the same kind of benefits out of Showtime's Bantamweight tournament that Andre Ward got from the Super Six. It gave him the opportunity to showcase his talents against some of the fighters universally regarded as among the elite in his division.  

He drew with fellow undefeated prospect Yonnhy Perez in May of 2010 and beat former world champion Vic Darchinyan by split decision that December.

2011 saw him battle Joseph Agbeko twice. In August, he beat Agbeko by majority decision in a controversial bout in which referee Russell Mora did a horrible job of keeping Mares honest in relation to Agbeko's belt line. Mares is an outstanding body puncher, and with Mora turning a blind eye, he had a field day flinging his body shots towards Agbeko without needing to worry about accuracy.

Mora ruled a knockdown in Mares' favor in Round 11 on a punch that was a clear foul. If properly officiated, the single incident would have made for much tighter score cards, and the IBF ordered a mandatory rematch as a result.

Mares won the re-match by wide margins, 118-110, on all three cards. 

Last April, Mares stepped up to super bantamwieght and looked brilliant, beating highly regarded former world champion Eric Morel by scores of 119-109 twice and 120-107 once. He is promoted by Golden Boy, but I am still holding out hope for a showdown with Top Rank's Nonito Donaire.  

11. Miguel Cotto, Light Middleweight

Although Miguel Cotto, 37(30)-3(2), staged a gutsy and inspired challenge against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather earlier this month, the fight was frankly a lot less close than many people have been suggesting since. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 twice.

I scored it 116-112, but upon re-watching it, I can see a much better argument for 117-111 than I could for 115-113. Just about every round was competitive and hard fought, but Mayweather was also clearly the more effective puncher in almost all of them.

It was still a great performance for Cotto. He fought more intelligently than he did against Manny Pacquiao in 2009, and he demonstrated that he still has plenty left in the tank at age 31.

Cotto has looked very comfortable since moving up to 154. It is a division loaded with talent, and Cotto has the drawing power to make any fight he signs for a big-time boxing event.  

10. Wladimir Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko, 57(50)-3(3), is a superstar in Germany and in much of the rest of Europe. He gets very little love among American fans, who find his technically solid but low-risk style boring.

I enjoy technical boxing and enjoy watching the younger Klitschko brother (on YouTube, of course, since his fights are rarely broadcast in the U.S.). He has the best jab of any heavyweight since Larry Holmes, and his big right hand is devastating when he feels comfortable throwing it, as his 50 career stoppages demonstrate.

None of Klitschko's three career losses by knockout came against truly elite competition, and this will always be regarded as a mark against him. He will always be perceived, perhaps fairly, as unable to handle a true heavyweight punch.

The thing is, he uses his jab and footwork so well that he has rarely had to worry about getting hit. He has not lost in over eight years.

His recent opponents have been extremely unimpressive, but that is more a reflection of the state of the heavyweight division. I never believed David Haye was a legitimate heavyweight contender, but he had enough blowhard charisma to make that a credible fight, given Haye's outstanding record at cruiser.

Klitschko won the fight easily, but didn't win any new fans with his play-it safe approach in that fight.

Forty-year-old ex-cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck was less easy to justify as an opponent. Klitschko stopped him inside of four, but that was more matter-of-fact than impressive.

Next up for Wladimir is Tony Thompson, a re-match of their 2009 fight, when he TKO'd Thomspson in 11.   

9. Yuriorkis Gamboa, Featherweight

Yuri Gamboa, 21(16)-0, had his first pro fight in 2007, at 26 years of age, after fleeing Cuba in order to pursue a professional career. Like his Cuban countrymen, Erislandry Lara, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Richard Abril, he has wasted no time in challenging the best available fighters. So far, he has steamrolled everybody in his path.  

If I were to handicap the leading candidates for who will be at the top of lists like this three years from now, I just might make Gamboa the favorite. He has everything as a fighter: feline agility, impeccable footwork, brilliant upper body movement and deadly, explosive hand speed.

Gamboa pulled out of a fight with undefeated lightweight champion Brandon Rios last April in what had been one of the most highly anticipated fights of the spring. My educated guess is that he wants to break or at least re-negotiate with Top Rank. 

Gamboa would have beaten Rios; I am fairly certain of that, but it would have been a tremendously exciting fight. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Rios fan. He's a rugged, athletic young guy who clearly loves to mix it up. But he didn't even beat substitute fighter Richard Abril; judge Adalaide Byrd at 117-111 Abril was the only one of the three to get it right.

I still believe the Gamboa-Rios fight will happen, and with some pretty exciting Face-off and hopefully even 24/7 episodes to drive the heat even higher. 

But the fighter I really have my eye on for Gamboa down the line is undefeated junior lightweight champ Adrian Broner. Or if Gamboa really wanted to go after a legend, I could see him at 140 versus Juan Manuel Marquez.  

8. Vitali Klitschko, Heavyweight

Vitali Klitschko, 44(40)-2(2), ranks behind his younger brother Wladimir in The Ring heavyweight and pound-for-pound rankings. Wladimir holds the lineal title that Vitali vacated when he retired from the sport for four years between 2004 and 2008, so in the most objective view, he does deserve to rank above his older brother.

But in my own opinion, Vitali really is the better fighter. He is as technically sound as his brother, but with a comfortable willingness to brawl that separates him from the more cautious Wladimir. 

He has also displayed a much more solid chin. While Wladimir legitimately has been knocked silly three times, Vitali's two stoppage losses were on cuts to Lennox Lewis in an exciting fight he was very much in a position to win, and on a shoulder injury to Chris Byrd. 

Heavyweights are tough to evaluate as pound-for-pound fighters, especially when they are as huge as the Klitschko boys. Being a nimble giant paired up against a normal-sized heavyweight is very much a part of Vitali's game. 

The Klitschkos also suffer in pound-for-pound comparisons due to the fact that the heavyweight division is so universally viewed as weak in its present state. You are always hearing or reading boxing fans claiming that Jerry Quarry/Ernie Shavers/insert-past-generation-contender would rule the division if he was fighting today.

I have read some absurd hyperbole used to dismiss the Klitschko's abilities, but at the same time, they are no Muhammad Ali, or even Larry Holmes. Either way, the two of them have dominated their division for what amounts to an entire era. 

7. Timothy Bradley, Light Welterweight

Timothy Bradley, 28(12)-0, has his date with destiny this June 9 when he meets Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The WBO welterweight strap will be on the line, but that is meaningless compared to what an upset victory would really mean for Bradley's career.

I think I am probably in a majority among boxing writers in believing that Bradley has a better shot against Pacquiao than Cotto had going in against Mayweather.

It might not be pretty or highly entertaining, but I expect Bradley to be effective, at least to some degree, at tying up Pacquiao and slowing him down. He is slightly shorter, but with a two-inch reach advantage, and he is the naturally larger athlete.

The extra exposure he will get should be good for his career, win or lose. A rematch at 147 with Devon Alexander or a long-awaited showdown with Amir Khan would be great next fights for Bradley, regardless of what happens on June 9.   

6. Andre Ward, Super Middleweight

Andre Ward, 25(13)-0, was an Olympic gold medalist in 2004. In other generations, he would already be a major star. 

The Showtime Super Six tournament did a good deal to help Ward finally start achieving that kind of status. After closing out the tournament with dominant wins over Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch in 2011, Ward was pretty much everybody's choice for Fighter of the Year. 

I had hoped he would fight Lucian Bute next after winning the tournament, but now that Bute is facing Froch instead, I would be glad to see him go up and take on Chad Dawson. Undefeated Anthony Dirrell would be a great opponent, too. 

5. Nonito Donaire, Super Bantamweight

Nonito Donaire, 28(20)-1, has been a dominant fighter at flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight. Last February, he moved up to 122 pounds and captured the WBO belt by beating Wilfred Vazquez, Jr. in a fight that judge Ruben Garcia somehow managed to score as 115-112 for Vazquez.

The other two judges had it correct at 117-111. It was yet another one-sided victory for Donaire.

It does remain to be seen whether or not Donaire will carry that same explosive knockout power with him as he moves up to challenge bigger fighters. His highlight reel KO's of elite-level fighters Vic Darchinyan and Ferdinand Montiel are already on the books.  

4. Juan Manuel Marquez, Light Welterweight

Juan Manuel Marquez, 54(39)-6-1, is most well-known with the mainstream sports audience for being Manny Pacquiao's greatest rival. In three razor-close decisions, Pacman is 2-0-1 against the great Mexican champion, but a lot of writers (myself included) think Marquez deserved the decision in the last two. 

Marquez has had to battle harder than most elite fighters of his generation to get his just due. After dropping his first world title fight by decision to Freddie Norwood in 1999, he didn't get another world title shot for another four years. 

At 38, Marquez might be approaching the end of his greatness, but I think it's way too early to speculate on exactly when that might happen. He is another one of those fighters who takes excellent care of his physical conditioning and has the kind of boxing skills that have never made him reliant on, or even very vulnerable to, speed. 

He still keeps a very active schedule. After his epic clash with Pacquiao last November, he came back and beat Serhiy Fedchenko by unanimous decision last April. He is scheduled to fight an opponent yet to be named in July. 

If Pacquiao still needs another opponent for next winter, expect Marquez to be ready and willing. 

3. Sergio Martinez, Middleweight

Sergio Martinez, 49(28)-2(1)-2, should really have two more wins and one less each of losses and draws. Twice in 2009, he got screwed by judges, first in a majority draw against Kermit Cintron that judge Tom Kaczmarek scored 116-110 Martinez, and next in a majority decision loss to Paul Williams.

Martinez left no doubts in the rematch with Williams, dropping him in the second with what is already viewed as an iconic knockout. After Cintron's destruction at the hands of Saul Alvarez, I doubt there is much outcry of any kind for a rematch  with him.

Martinez ranks so high on so many lists based partly on the eyeball test. He has looked magnificent, but has struggled to find worthy competition. At age 36, he is understandably hungry to land a fight with a big-name, pay-per-view level attraction.

I am not interested in seeing Martinez risk his health dropping to 150-pound catchweight against Manny Pacquiao, and I think he would be too big for Pacman at even 154.

I would love to see him matched with Miguel Cotto. I would favor Martinez, but it would be a true test for him, just as Cotto proved to be for Mayweather. Cotto is patient and would come in with a game plan to slow Martinez down and make him pay for his unorthodox tactics.

Martinez is the fighter that I think would have the best chance of beating Floyd Mayweather in the ring.

There is always a chance he will have a big showdown with undefeated, WBC belt holder Julio Cesar Chavez. I'm not convinced Bob Arum is really willing to risk his star 160-pounder just as he's catching on as an attraction, but if he is, I'll be pretty excited to watch.  

2. Manny Pacquiao, Welterweight

Manny Pacquiao, 54(38)-3(2)-2, is the most popular boxing star of this generation, and arguably the greatest.  He is also a major global celebrity, the biggest international star the sport has had since Muhammad Ali.

Pacquiao's life story reads like an old-school folk hero or Greek myth. Born into desperate poverty in General Santos City, he currently serves as a Filipino Congressman, and his opinions on U.S. politics occasionally make headlines and even influence elections.

Pacman won his first world title at flyweight, still not quite out of his teens. His climb through the weight classes is unprecedented, from 112 pounds all the way up to 147.

While amazing, it must be viewed in proper context. Pacquiao at 112 was an undersized teenager, who had not always gotten enough to eat growing up. Pacquiao at 147 is a grown man and an elite athlete with the very best sports science and nutrition available to him.

Regardless, he is an elite and unique boxing talent. He combines explosive speed with startling agility, allowing him to attack aggressively from a dizzying array of angles. He often overwhelms world class level opponents in the manner of the legendary Henry Armstrong or Aaron Pryor.

Under the guidance of trainer Freddy Roach, Pacquiao has developed into a complete, if unorthodox, fighter. His lead right hook has become as feared as his dangerous overhand left.

Pacquiao has not lost since all-time great Eric Morales out-pointed him in 2005. It is a loss he has avenged twice by stoppage.  

I believe Juan Manuel Marquez beat him the second and third time, but it must also be pointed out that in the first fight, one of the three judges failed to properly award Pacquiao a 10-6 score in the first round, leading to a draw in what should have been a win for Pac.

To my mind, the biggest flaw for Pacquiao has been his over-reliance on letting Bob Arum control his destiny.

I've read a very large percentage of everything written and reported about the never-ending negotiations for the Pacquiao-Mayweather super fight, and I ultimately feel like the biggest obstacle to making it happen has been Bob Arum. 

Arum and Top Rank put together some of the best shows in the sport every year, but Pacquiao is at the point where I believe he would be better off following the example of his superstar peers like Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley.

This has been the era of the stars learning from the past and taking control of their own business interests, and it has been better for boxing. Pacquiao would ultimately benefit from following their example and becoming his own man in the sport.      

2A: Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Light Middleweight

In the wake of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., 43(26)-0, beating Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision in an exciting light middleweight world title clash, The Ring  has changed its pound-for-pound rankings and placed Mayweather and Pacquiao in a tie at second, leaving No. 1 vacant until it can be resolved in the ring. 

I approve 100 percent of this editorial position. If I am inclined to hold Bob Arum most responsible for the perpetual delay of this clash of ring titans, I think there is plenty of blame to go around for both Money and Pac. Until these two full-grown men can figure out how to settle it in the ring, writers should refrain from honoring either with official No. 1 status. 

However, if you were going to ask me as of right now, in light of what Mayweather has shown in his past two fights against Ortiz and Cotto, I would pick him to win against the Filipino Cyclone. While I expect it to be closer, I also wouldn't be completely shocked if he ended up having an easier night than he did against Cotto.

I think Mayweather will be able to do pretty much all the things Marquez did to Pacquiao in terms of disrupting his timing and landing more effectively. But he will also have a speed advantage on Pacquiao, something that has rarely been the case for Pac.

Pacquiao took rounds against Marquez based on flurries of activity where he simply outworked Marquez due to speed. He won't be able to do that against Mayweather.

But my opinion is just one of a million that all add up to nothing until they finally settle it in the ring. So for now, I will follow the Bible and say that both of them are tied for second place.