Predicting the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Boxers at the Start of 2016
Movement happens slowly in the top-10 pound-for-pound rankings. To be widely considered at that level, a fighter must usually beat a solid resume of other top stars and contenders.
But 2015 could be one of those years when things get shaken up. A roster of rising talents and declining stars is creating the right atmosphere for some potential changes, if the right fights can come to fruition.
The right fights getting made is never a guarantee, of course. The potential pound-for-pound list I am presenting here is a stretch. But it could end up being fairly accurate.
If it does, it will mean that 2015 was a good year in boxing.
10. Terence Crawford
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It's a reach to speculate on Terence Crawford entering the pound-for-pound top 10 by the end of 2015. But if he has another year like he did in 2014, it's possible.
Last year, Crawford established himself as the most dominant lightweight in years. He captured the WBO belt from Ricky Burns in Scotland in March. In June, he defended the belt with a Round 9 TKO of previously unbeaten Yuriorkis Gamboa, a former champion who many considered a pound-for-pound talent in his own right.
Crawford ended the year with a shutout, unanimous-decision defense against tough veteran Raymundo Beltran.
If he can bump up a weight class in 2015 and turn in two or three performances of similar quality while capturing a second title, it would put him in the pound-for-pound top 10 in my estimation.
9. Marco Huck
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There is a decent argument that WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck already belongs in the pound-for-pound top 10 or at least close to it. But the 200-pound division gets largely ignored, at least in the United States.
Huck has held his belt for more than half a decade. During that time, he jumped up to heavyweight for a single fight against Alexander Povetkin and turned in a strong performance. He lost by majority decision, but the fight could easily have been scored in his favor.
Povetkin is arguably the second-best heavyweight on the planet right now.
Huck is way overdue for a unification fight. He's always defended against credible opponents, but a win over another champion is the kind of move that would strengthen his case for top-10 pound-for-pound status.
8. Manny Pacquiao
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Manny Pacquiao is still one of the best fighters in the world, but anybody trying to deny that Pac-Man has declined is kidding oneself.
He won easily in November over Chris Algieri, but that fact simply begs the question of what the heck Algieri was even doing in that fight. Pacquiao scored six knockdowns, but all but one came as a result of the Filipino overwhelming Algieri and putting him off balance with speed and superior footwork.
Pacquiao is simply not the same explosive puncher who stopped fighters like Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton in years past. He's also extremely unlikely to fight anybody who can improve his current standing during 2015.
Pacquiao is likely to end the year higher on most lists than I have him rated here. But this is closer to where his true place will be.
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7. Gennady Golovkin
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Undefeated WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin is already on some pound-for-pound lists. The Kazakhstan native has knocked out 18 straight opponents. He's crushed top-five contenders and former world champions with stunning ease.
If GGG can get any of the fights he deserves in 2015, he'll erase all doubt that he belongs in the top 10. And there is a great chance he will get those fights this year.
Golovkin has been one the most avoided fighters in the sport for the past two years. Despite that, he's built incredible momentum. His name recognition has exploded, and he's now one of the sport's hottest fighters.
It's getting to the point where fighting GGG will be lucrative enough to make it worth the risk.
6. Sergey Kovalev
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In October, Sergey Kovalev had the breakout performance of his career. He knocked down Bernard Hopkins and shut him out on the cards, unifying three of the four recognized world titles at light heavyweight in the process. We are close to having a true world champion at 175 pounds.
But it will require WBC and lineal champion Adonis Stevenson to face Kovalev. And I don't really see what choice Stevenson has at this point. If he fights anybody but Kovalev, he'll be viewed as ducking the Russian.
Kovalev has to beat Jean Pascal in March, of course. Pascal is a former world champion and can't be taken lightly. But he's never shown any of the brilliance we've seen out of Kovalev the past two years.
That fight will be held in Stevenson's backyard of Montreal. If Kovalev knocks out Pascal and Stevenson doesn't step up, even his own hometown fans might turn against him.
Status as an undisputed champion should guarantee Kovalev a spot in the top 10, especially given the way he will have earned it.
5. Roman Gonzalez
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Roman Gonzalez finally seems to have gotten the pound-for-pound recognition he deserves in 2014. The explosive Nicaraguan went 4-0 for the year and added a third world title to his resume. He is now 41-0 for his career, with 35 KOs.
And he's just 27, so don't expect him to slow down anytime soon. Gonzalez also seems to have found a strong base of operations in Japan. It's a shame the flyweight superstar continues to be overlooked in the United States, but at least he is finding an audience somewhere.
The first serious potential threat in a long time has finally emerged for Gonzalez, though. Japanese phenom Naoya Inoue won the WBC light flyweight title by TKO over Adrian Hernandez last April in just his sixth professional fight. In December, he jumped over the flyweight division and smashed longtime 115-pound champion Omar Narvaez in two rounds.
Gonzalez vs. Inoue should be one of the most anticipated fights of 2015. They share a promoter, and both have something the other wants.
Inoue represents Gonzalez's chance to become a world champion in a fourth division. A win over Gonzalez would make Inoue a true international superstar.
4. Guillermo Rigondeaux
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Since undressing Nonito Donaire and winning by unanimous decision in just his 12th professional fight in April 2013, Guillermo Rigondeaux has been unable to schedule a truly meaningful follow-up fight. The two-time Olympic champion has also failed to gain the kind of network and casual fan support that his exquisite talent deserves.
I am optimistic that will change in 2015. As the WBA and WBO champion, Rigondeaux is one of three undefeated champions at super bantamweight. WBC champ Leo Santa Cruz and IBF titleholder Carl Frampton are both unbeaten and potential stars.
Some unification bouts at 122 pounds are badly needed for 2015.
3. Wladimir Klitschko
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Wladimir Klitschko ended 2014 with one of his best wins in years, knocking out undefeated challenger Kubrat Pulev in Round 5 in November. At 38, Klitschko has shown little sign of decline.
Klitschko has ruled over the heavyweight division for more than a decade. It's true that this has been a weak era for heavyweights, but Wladimir and his older brother Vitali have also made everybody else look worse by comparison.
He is a technically near-perfect fighter with thunderous punching power. The late Emanuel Steward trained Klitschko to use his length and height to be a nearly unbeatable heavyweight.
He could be headed into his most exciting year in a long time, at least by American standards. There is a solid chance he'll fight twice in the U.S. in 2015, facing undefeated contender Bryant Jennings in the spring and the winner of Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder in the fall.
Klitschko is almost certainly nearing the end of his career. But for one more year, at least, he'll continue to reign at the top of the heavyweight division and among the pound-for-pound top five.
2. Andre Ward
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It has now been over a year since Andre Ward stepped into a boxing ring to compete. By rights, he should no longer be ranked as an active fighter.
But I have to assume he will return to action in 2015, and once again assert himself as one of the sport's true elite. Either of the Dirrell brothers would make a suitable opponent at this point.
Ward has made no secret that he'd like to have a superfight with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. There's no doubt that would be the most lucrative fight out there for Ward. But I expect that GGG's team will want to keep building his momentum for another year before they take a risk like that.
Still, Ward vs. Golovkin is an inevitable fight at some point, and I can't wait for it to happen. It's inevitable that Ward will return to near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings in 2015.
1. Floyd Mayweather
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Floyd Mayweather had his toughest fight in years in 2014, escaping with a majority decision against Marcos Maidana in May. The brawling Argentine contender forced Mayweather into a wild, fast-paced fight that was close enough to justify a rematch.
Mayweather won the second fight with relative ease, proving that even if he has declined to some degree physically, he remains the best in the business at adjusting to an opponent.
Whether we like it or not, Mayweather's next opponent is likely Amir Khan. The Brit's speed could give Mayweather a couple of rounds' worth of trouble, but by the middle rounds, Money's defensive superiority will turn the tide of the fight.
There's also a chance Mayweather will face Miguel Cotto again, in pursuit of another lineal title, this time at middleweight. That fight would probably happen at a catchweight of around 155 pounds and would look pretty much like Cotto and Mayweather's last fight.
I'm not sure how excited I will feel about the pound-for-pound king over the next 12 months, but I do expect him to hold onto his crown. Now 47-0 and entering the twilight of his career, he remains a defensive wizard and the best all-around boxer alive.
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