Stock Watch for Boxers Fighting for the Pound-for-Pound Crown
With Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired, other perennial pound-for-pound stars are vying for the top spot in the sport. But while he was unquestionably the best fighter in the world over the last few years, the man who will replace him has yet to fully reveal himself.
Here are the top 10 fighters in boxing according to Bleacher Report, ranked from No. 10 to No. 1. Some of the men listed were also among those shooting for Mayweather’s status as the sport’s biggest star.
But some are not. These rankings and stock reports have nothing to do with how many pay-per-views a fighter can sell or how many people are interested in seeing him fight. Rather, these are the top 10 fighters in boxing regardless of weight class.
As always, fighters are ranked according to the quality of their opposition and their perceived willingness to face every worthy challenger, with special emphasis on how they have performed over the last calendar year.
10. Terence Crawford (27-0, 19 KOs)
1 of 10
Why He’s Here: If anyone is going to vault from the bottom of the top 10 to the very top, it’s Crawford. The former lightweight champion has scored two knockouts in a row since moving up to 140 pounds, and he has the appearance of possessing Mayweather-esque brilliance. He’s fast, lanky, strong and skilled. Better yet, Crawford has a mean streak, as evidenced by the ruthless tenacity he showed after knocking out his last opponent, Dierry Jean.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Crawford just keeps looking better every time out. At junior welterweight, he appears to have even more power than he had at lightweight, possibly because he no longer has to put his body through so much turmoil to make weight. That’s bad news for everyone else at 140 and great news for Team Crawford.
9. Juan Francisco Estrada (33-2, 24 KOs)
2 of 10
Why He’s Here: Not a lot of boxing fans watch Juan Francisco Estrada fight, but the unified flyweight champion is one of the top boxers in the sport. He’s durable, tough, skilled and legitimately one of the most accomplished fighters in boxing. Don’t like watching flyweights do battle? You’re missing out on some of the best action and some of the most elite fighters in the sport.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Estrada could soon find himself back in the ring with lineal flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez, HBO’s darling little fighter from Nicaragua. With HBO’s spotlight and big-budget backing, Gonzalez will certainly someday soon need to call on the likes of Estrada, whom he scraped by in 2012 via unanimous decision.
8. Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs)
3 of 10
Why He’s Here: Honestly, Miguel Cotto has accomplished the unthinkable. Since being fairly convincingly defeated by Austin Trout at junior middleweight in 2012, Cotto has won three fights in a row and become lineal middleweight champion in the process. He destroyed longtime champ Sergio Martinez in 2014 and then shut remaining doubters up with a fast stoppage of former titlist Daniel Geale in 2015.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Cotto has looked practically unbeatable at 160 pounds. Whether the catchweights he’s made his opponents agree to before the fight drained them or not, no one can deny how sharp Cotto has appeared over the last two years. He faces Canelo Alvarez on November 21.
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7. Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs)
4 of 10
Why He’s Here: Unified light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev is one of the most vile and destructive forces in boxing. He is practically the meanest fighter I’ve ever laid eyes on, and his punches look as devastating as any light heavyweight ever. Add to all of those things that he’s a good boxer with balanced footwork, and Kovalev’s potential appears almost limitless.
Why His Stock Is Rising: He doesn’t just win fights—he knocks people out. There’s nothing more exciting or important in boxing. So long as he keeps annihilating his opponents, Kovalev will keep carving out his place among the pound-for-pound elite.
6. Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs)
5 of 10
Why He’s Here: Timothy Bradley has won titles in three different weight classes. He’s a good boxer who can do just about anything. He can box. He can brawl. He can counterpunch. He can move his feet. Bradley isn’t great at anything except perhaps in his ability to take a punch. But he’s very good at just about everything he tries to do. He’s elite.
Why His Stock Is Falling: Since losing to Manny Pacquiao in their 2014 rematch, Bradley has faced nondescript competition. He’s forgone more challenging bouts against the likes of Sadam Ali and instead taken the easier path. He should dominate Brandon Rios on Saturday but needs to step up to better competition soon.
5. Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs)
6 of 10
Why He’s Here: Gennady Golovkin is the best middleweight in the world. He holds two of the four divisional alphabet belts and has knocked out 21 opponents in a row. What makes Golovkin so good is his footwork. He’s always in position to punch and fluidly delivers powerful and devastating shots to the head and body. Some folks believe Golovkin should be closer to No. 1 on this list, but he needs to face better opponents before he soars to the top.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Golovkin defeated David Lemieux with such shocking ease that it isn’t all that ridiculous to think he might well be able to give 168-pounder Andre Ward (who would be No. 1 or No. 2 on this list if he were more active) all he can handle. Hopefully, that fight happens someday. In the meantime, Golovkin has 160-pound titles to collect.
4. Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs)
7 of 10
Why He’s Here: The Cuban southpaw stylist might be the best pure boxer in the world. His fights are boring to some because he’s so dominant at what he does, but Guillermo Rigondeaux is a masterful fighter nonetheless. His hand speed is impeccable, and he has awesome power for a fighter his size. Rigo is as good a fighter as any in the sport today.
Why His Stock Is Falling: Is the Rigolution over? Did it ever really start? Rigo is the lineal junior featherweight champion but hasn’t been in the ring since 2014. He’s already 35 years old, and his promoters (Caribe Promotions) don’t appear to have a clue about how to get him fights. Poor Rigondeaux is left to languish in obscurity, and he has no hope of moving up if he doesn't get fights.
3. Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs)
8 of 10
Why He’s Here: Pacquiao is one of the best fighters of his era. In fact, the southpaw buzz saw will go down in history, along with Mayweather, as one of the best fighters ever. His speed, never-duplicated style and explosive power have helped make him one of the most difficult fighters in boxing to prepare to face. When he’s at his best, Pacquiao appears almost unbeatable save against Hall of Fame-caliber counterpunchers. And there are not a bevy of those in the world.
Why His Stock Is Falling: Is Pacquiao done? He put up a listless effort against Mayweather in May and shockingly confessed after that he went into the fight injured. At age 36, it’s hard to envision seeing anything but a diminished version of Pacquiao from here on out.
2. Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs)
9 of 10
Why He’s Here: American fight fans don’t seem to appreciate him, but Wladimir Klitschko is one of the most accomplished heavyweights ever. He is an exceptional athlete with earthshaking power. His jab is fierce, and just about no one in the sport is as good as he is at getting his opponents to fight his kind of fight. It may have been ugly at times, but Klitschko has been dominant for the better part of a decade.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Klitschko, age 39, might be coming close to the end, but there are a slew of noteworthy and fun challenges in his near future. He faces Tyson Fury later this month and could also find himself in the ring soon with WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder. Those are the types of fights that could vault Klitschko to No. 1.
1. Roman Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs)
10 of 10
Why He’s Here: Roman Gonzalez is the premier pressure fighter in boxing. He’s a relentless savage who throws short, compact punches at maximum velocity. He’s undefeated, the lineal flyweight champion and quite possibly the most aggressive fighter in boxing. Gonzalez has already won titles in three different weight classes and is only 28 years old.
Why His Stock Is Rising: Hardcore fans have known about Gonzalez for quite some time now, but his recent affiliation with HBO has opened up the eyes of the masses. With Mayweather gone, Gonzalez is positioned to stay No. 1 on Bleacher Report's pound-for-pound rankings for a good while. Possible future bouts against Juan Francisco Estrada and Naoya Inoue give him that chance, but they also make things that much harder. Good. Because that's exactly the kind of rough road the top fighter in boxing should take.
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