Ranking the 10 Best Boxers in the Welterweight Class After Danny Garcia's Debut
How good is boxing's loaded welterweight division?
You could literally pick between four or five guys from the upper echelon of the division and slot them into the top 10 of most pound-for-pound lists.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Kell Brook, Amir Khan.
But the list of fighters who could be considered for the top 10 goes on and on.
And now we can add recognized junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia to that mix.
You can't blame him for making the jump.
The welterweight division is where boxing's biggest matchups, money and exposure are to be found, so it's no surprise that Garcia would want to throw his hat into that ring after a successful run as the recognized champ at 140 pounds.
Here, we rank the top 10 fighters in the welterweight division, including recent entrants, fighters who are inactive but still relevant and those we're not quite sure about yet.
Disagree?
You know what to do...
Inactive but Relevant
1 of 12
It's not quite an honorable mention, but these are fighters who would appear in the rankings if they, you know, fought recently or had concrete plans to do so in the near future.
Marcos Maidana (35-5, 31 KO)
Maidana seems to have gone into the witness protection program since dropping a pair of decisions (one close, the other not) against Mayweather last year.
FightHype.com (h/t Wil Esco of Bad Left Hook) chatted with his trainer, Robert Garcia, in May, and the veteran cornerman acknowledged that Chino had ballooned in weight and would need about four or five months to cut weight before he could even train for a fight.
ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported in May that the Argentine was only interested in returning for big fights against big-name opponents and was considering a return to the gym in August or September to see if a late-2015 return could be possible.
We're waiting...
Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KO)
Marquez has been out of action since battering Mike Alvarado for a unanimous-decision win in April 2014. The four-division champion has been dealing with lingering knee issues and hasn't been able to secure the one fight he desires above all others.
Dinamita wants to become Mexico's first-ever five-division champion (he currently shares the four-division honor with Erik Morales and Jorge Arce), but a welterweight title fight has been hard to come by. Miguel Rivera of BoxingScene.com reported last week that Marquez's knee issues have not cleared up but have allowed him to resume training in hopes of staging a fight in Mexico before long.
Once again, we're waiting...
Incomplete: Danny Garcia (31-0, 18 KO)
2 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Garcia, the former unified junior welterweight champion, scored a close and perhaps controversial majority decision over Lamont Peterson in a catchweight bout within the welterweight division in April. He elected to take the plunge and compete at full welterweight after relinquishing his WBC 140-pound title (it was that or be stripped of it) and defeated Paulie Malignaggi this past Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Why He's Here: Garcia has the tools to make some noise in the welterweight division, but we can't fully buy into him at this weight yet—not on the strength of one fight at the division limit against a tough but finished foe who had been out of the ring for 15 months and was brutally knocked out in his prior fight.
Why He's Not Higher: All of Garcia's credibility came at 140 pounds. He beat Amir Khan, Zab Judah and Lucas Matthysse at that weight, the latter being the most impressive performance of his young career in a fight many expected him to lose. But boxing is a "what have you done for me lately" sport, and Garcia still needs to establish himself at 147 against a fighter who isn't past his best days.
10. Sadam Ali (22-0, 13 KO)
3 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Ali picked up right where he left off in 2014 (when he dismantled Argentine puncher Luis Carlos Abregu with stunning ease) and took a competitive decision against the underrated Francisco Santana on the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Bryant Jennings undercard at Madison Square Garden in April.
Why He's Here: Ali represents a solid piece in the wave of younger talent who will compete to see who can lead the division into the inevitable post-Mayweather-Pacquiao era, which is coming sooner than we think. The 26-year-old has good speed, power and a promoter (Golden Boy) and network (HBO) that will help push him through the ranks and into contention for championships.
Why He's Not Higher: He's got the talent and the tools, but there are still a few areas of his game that are raw and in need of refinement. Ali should focus on improving those areas rather than taking too big a jump too fast and getting smacked down by a fighter further down that path.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
9. Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KO)
4 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Rios looked better than he has in years in taking the decisive victory of his all-action trilogy with Mike Alvarado this past January in Denver. The pair had split its previous two fights, with Rios winning by come-from-behind knockout and Alvarado boxing his way to a decision, but Bam Bam left no doubt who was the better fighter.
He battered Alvarado (who looked disinterested) into submission in front of his hometown fans and seems on the way to a title shot against Bradley later in the year, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.
Why He's Here: The second tier of the welterweight division is wide-open, and Rios is a tough son of a gun (or substitute your own word of choice to describe him). He made most of his impact as a lightweight, where he held a world title, but he's won two straight at 147 pounds and looked like he found another gear in dispatching Alvarado.
Why He's Not Higher: Rios will never be an elite fighter, but he can provide a hell of a lot of action and bang for the fans' buck when matched up against someone willing to fight fire with fire. Given Bradley's recent willingness to fight outside his comfort zone and engage, that could turn out to be a really fun fight.
8. Robert Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KO)
5 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Keith Thurman shellacked Guerrero in March. The 32-year-old showed exceptional bravery to stand in there for the full 12 rounds and not wilt under the onslaught, but it might have been one of those decisions that shortens a career. The Ghost returned just three months later—far too soon—and was knocked down by club fighter Aaron Martinez before getting a questionable decision win.
Why He's Here: Guerrero has been through boatloads of personal and professional strife and overcome it all. He's a multi-time, multi-weight champion and still has the guts and guile to be a tough out for most second-tier and maybe a top-tier welterweight or two.
Why He's Not Higher: We don't want to overreact on the basis of one performance, but Guerrero looked really shaky in his first fight back after taking a vicious beating from Thurman. Aron Martinez was a fighter in a no-lose situation with a lot to gain, but Guerrero at his best would've handled him with ease. He still has a name, which means he'll likely be fed to another rising welter in the near future.
7. Shawn Porter (26-1-1, 16 KO)
6 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Porter is in the midst of a nice bounce-back year that has righted his ship after a disappointing loss to Brook last summer left many questioning whether they had bought in too soon. He knocked off late-replacement Erick Bone in a fight that was meaningless beyond getting him back in the win column before decisioning boxing's resident loudmouth, Adrien Broner, in the Battle for Ohio.
Why He's Here: Porter came to fight against Broner, while his foe came to clown and (if possible) do even more to make himself an unlikable and unsympathetic figure among boxing fans. Showtime isn't always pretty in the ring, but he's physically strong and can be a handful in the trenches with his aggressive, grinding style.
Why He's Not Higher: You can't build (or rebuild) Rome in a day. Porter's loss to Brook left a bad taste in many people's mouths. It was the ease with which the 5'9" boxer was able to pick him off coming in and neutralize him on the inside that left many with questions about his ceiling against higher levels of competition. You can be sure that Porter was deeply satisfied with beating Broner—and that's a nice win—but there's still some work to do to get back where he was.
6. Keith Thurman (26-0, 22 KO)
7 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Thurman appeared in the main event of the inaugural Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC in March, brutalizing former multi-weight world champion Robert Guerrero for a unanimous decision. He followed that up with a much-criticized bout against former welterweight titlist Luis Collazo in July, which he won in surprisingly entertaining fashion on cuts after the seventh round.
Why He's Here: Thurman went from the next big thing in boxing to a fighter people love to dump on in about a nanosecond. Sure, his 2014 was unsatisfying (to say the least), and he hasn't lived up to his vaunted puncher label in recent fights. But he's still evolving as a young fighter who has added new wrinkles to his arsenal. What exactly is wrong with a fighter who can both box and punch, again?
Why He's Not Higher: The gap between Thurman and many of the other young fighters on this list is very small. The 26-year-old's been calling out the big dogs, per Boxing News 24's Allan Fox, and sooner or later he might snag one. But for now a matchup with someone such as Khan or Porter would definitely improve his stock. And then the bandwagon jumpers will regret their decision to leave.
5. Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KO)
8 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Khan took a unanimous decision from Chris Algieri in a better-than-advertised fight in May at the Barclays Center. There was a fair bit of consternation when the fight was announced, but Algieri, under new trainer John David Jackson, gave Khan all he could handle in a fight much closer than the official cards would indicate.
The Bolton, England, native has dedicated the rest of his year to a full-court press (without success) in the hopes of landing a lucrative showdown with Mayweather, per the Press Association (via the Guardian).
Why He's Here: Khan has the fastest hands in the game today, and, yes, that includes Mayweather, Pacquiao and anyone else you'd like to throw in the conversation. His three welterweight wins (Collazo, Devon Alexander and Algieri) have all come over former world champions, and there are few fighters in the game who possess his elite natural skill set.
Why He's Not Higher: Sometimes you just need to shut up and fight. Khan's daily pursuit of Mayweather, once interesting and possibly fruitful, has become an annoying sideshow that makes him look desperate. Since making Mayweather the cause of his life, Khan has developed tunnel vision, missing out on the type of career-building fights that might have made him a more attractive foil for the sport's top draw.
4. Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KO)
9 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Bradley has a penchant for the dramatic for better or worse. Lost in all the hoopla of referee Pat Russell's blown call that cost Jessie Vargas a couple of seconds to do what he didn't bother doing for the other 35 minutes and 50 seconds of the fight is that Desert Storm was dominant to that point. He outclassed his younger foe to win a fifth world championship, which he'll likely defend in November against Rios.
Why He's Here: Bradley ducks nobody. He seems shut out from facing any of Al Haymon's loaded stable of top-tier welterweights, but he followed up a nightmare four-fight stretch (Pacquiao, Ruslan Provodnikov, Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao) with a pair of fights against difficult challengers. The judges absolutely robbed him of a victory against Diego Chaves—somehow saddling him with a draw—and then the 31-year-old outhustled Vargas.
Why He's Not Higher: Most feel that Bradley lost both of his fights with Pacquiao, so it's hard to rank him ahead of the injured Filipino icon at this point. But wins over Provodnikov and Marquez, along with his never-say-die attitude and fierce desire to prove himself, show he's one of the most talented and dangerous fighters in the sport.
3. Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO)
10 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Pacquiao (other than when it comes to his bank account) has had a terrible year inside and outside a boxing ring. Many fans placed all of their hopes and anti-Floyd sentiments into Pac-Man as the hero who could finally conquer the pound-for-pound king, and Pacquiao, like so many before him, came up well short.
His post-fight excuses about a shoulder injury added insult to (forgive the wording) injury and just made him look bad. He's on the shelf until at least early next year after surgery to fix a torn rotator cuff, per the Manilla Bulletin (via BoxingScene.com's Edward Chaykovsky).
Why He's Here: Mainly out of respect. We don't know what level of commitment or skill Pacquiao—who will be 37 and close to a year removed from his last fight—will bring with him when he returns in 2016. But, even if he's somewhat diminished, he's still an elite fighter in an elite division.
Why He's Not Higher: Mayweather trounced him, he's injured and we don't know when exactly he'll be back or who he'll fight. Those are a lot of questions without answers.
2. Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KO)
11 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Brook has made two successful defenses of the IBF welterweight championship he took from Porter last year. He dropped mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan—a far trickier fighter than he appeared against Brook—four times en route to a corner stoppage in the fourth round.
He followed that up by pasting compatriot Frankie Gavin in a huge domestic fight this past May. He's rumored to be moving toward a title defense against Chaves later this year, per Elsinio Castillo of BoxingScene.com.
Why He's Here: Brook is a tall, rangy, southpaw boxer with the technical proficiency to give even the best fighters at 147 pounds fits. He's been sprinting toward the top of the division since defeating Porter, and both of his wins this year are impressive, especially coming so close to a machete attack last year that left his career and ability to walk in jeopardy.
Why He's Not Higher: The man ahead of him will remain No. 1 on this list until he loses, retires or shows such severe signs of slippage that we can no longer justify his ranking. Brook has the potential to one day occupy that slot, but that's in the (perhaps not-so-distant) future.
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26 KO)
12 of 12
2015 Year in Review: Mayweather silenced his many in-ring critics with a dominant and career-defining victory over longtime rival Manny Pacquiao in boxing's richest-ever prizefight this past May in Las Vegas.
Post-fight discussions about shoulder injuries—real or exaggerated—should do nothing to diminish or take away from a one-sided dismissal of the man long believed to have the best shot of snatching the pound-for-pound king's elusive zero.
Mayweather is scheduled to return in September for (what he says will be) his final fight, per the Associated Press (via SI.com), and while Andre Berto is the name being mentioned, according to Michael Woods of the Sweet Science (h/t SI Wire), no concrete information has yet emerged.
Why He's Here: Mayweather is undefeated, the universally recognized best fighter in the sport and just crushed the hopes and dreams of his many haters by vanquishing Pacquiao without so much as breaking a sweat. Why shouldn't he be here?
Why He's Not Higher: There's nowhere to go.
Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
