Ranking the Top 10 Pound-for-Pound Boxers After Canelo vs. Khan
Canelo Alvarez defeated Amir Khan on Saturday night in Las Vegas. After weathering the early storm of Khan's tremendous speed and good game plan of keeping Canelo at a distance, Alvarez was able to hit Khan with humongous power shots, ultimately knocking him out in Round 6.
Alvarez retained the lineal middleweight championship of the world along with an alphabet belt (WBC).
But did Alvarez look dominant enough to warrant a rise? And where do the other top fighters in the sport rank against him?
Bleacher Report presents the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in boxing today.
Ins and Outs
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In: Danny Garcia is back in the top 10. The welterweight is undefeated and should help decide the future of the 147-pound division over the next year or so. Garcia's work at 140 was good enough to highlight his excellence.
Out: Manny Pacquiao, who ranked No. 2 last time, retired after defeating Tim Bradley, so Bleacher Report honors his declaration by removing him from the list of top active fighters in the sport.
The Elephant(s) in the Room
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are both retired, but many in boxing believe their retirements could be short lived. If that’s the case, both men deserve rankings on this list. Mayweather would still be No. 1 and Pacquiao would probably rank No. 3 or No. 4.
However, since they are both officially retired, the last two men to hold the lineal welterweight championship of the world remain absent from our rankings.
Will we see Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 later this year?
10. Danny Garcia (32-0, 18 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Garcia could use a big fight right about now. The gifted counterpuncher and excellent boxer has solid power in his fists, but he’s been served up light touches since he moved up to welterweight from junior welterweight, where he was the lineal champ. Still, he’s accomplished enough at present to be in the top 10.
Previous Ranking: 11
Last Fight: 12-round UD win versus Robert Guerrero
Who He Should Fight Next: Garcia would be the ideal opponent for the winner of this summer’s most important scheduled welterweight bout, Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter.
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9. Terence Crawford (28-0, 20 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Crawford was the lineal lightweight champion, and now he’s one fight away from doing the same at 140. Crawford is a grand practitioner of the sweet science. He’s tough, mean-spirited and a gifted and skilled fighter.
Previous Ranking: 10
Last Fight: Round 5 TKO win over Hank Lundy
Who He Should Fight Next: After some fights everyone in the world knew he would win easily, Crawford is set to face his first big test at 140 against undefeated Viktor Postol. The winner of the bout will be the lineal junior welterweight champion, per the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
8. Timothy Bradley (33-2-1, 13 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: If there were no Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, perhaps the era would have been knows as Bradley’s, at least at 147. But as it is now, Bradley can take solace knowing he is a superstar tough guy whose high competence at all aspects in boxing makes him a purist’s favourite.
Previous Ranking: 9
Last Fight: Round 12 UD loss to Manny Pacquiao
Who He Should Fight Next: Bradley has some interesting rematches to consider. In bouts against Ruslan Provodnikov in 2013 and Jessie Vargas in 2015 he was dazed by hard punches but toughed it out to win on points.
7. Guillermo Rigondeaux (16-0, 10 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: In a perfect world, Rigondeaux would be defending his lineal junior featherweight championship against the best the division has to offer. But his lack of fan support and ability to make just about any opponent look terrible has kept one of boxing’s best talents out of the limelight.
Previous Ranking: 8
Last Fight: 10-round UD win over Drian Francisco.
Who He Should Fight Next: The best possible scenario for Rigondeaux at this point would be a rematch with Nonito Donaire. He beat Donaire in 2013 by decision, and Donaire would probably like some revenge.
6. Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: It’s hard to tell how good Alvarez really might be. Is he a middleweight? If so, he should probably fight someone at 160 soon, preferably Gennady Golovkin. But as it stands, Alvarez is a powerful, compact combination puncher in a made-up 155-pound weight class with good feet and fast reflexes.
Previous Ranking: 7
Last Fight: Round 6 KO of Amir Khan.
Who He Should Fight Next: While fans and media want to see him face Golovkin next, his team would be smarter to put him in with a real 160-pound fighter at least once before that happens. Alvarez vs. David Lemieux would be a nice scrap, and the same promoters represent both fighters so it should be easy to make.
5. Juan Francisco Estrada (33-2, 24 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Estrada is that guy your friend tells you about. You know, that friend who practically watches every single fight he can. Your friend is right on about Estrada. He’s a rugged competitor with solid skills who is one of the very best fighters in boxing today.
Previous Ranking: 6
Last Fight: Round 10 KO win over Hernan Marquez
Who He Should Fight Next: There are plenty of great fights at flyweight. A showdown with Naoya Inoue or a rematch with Roman Gonzalez would be ideal.
4. Gennady Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Golovkin is arguably the best middleweight in the world. It’s not his fault the last three lineal champions—Sergio Martinez, Miguel Cotto and Alvarez—didn’t fight him. Perhaps Alvarez changes that soon, but regardless, Golovkin is almost a perfect offensive fighter. His punches are accurate, thunderous and efficiently timed. He's just plain scary.
Previous Ranking: 5
Last Fight: Round 2 KO win against Dominic Wade
Who He Should Fight Next: Golovkin was ringside for Alvarez-Khan. If he doesn’t get Alvarez, he should focus on the WBO strap worn by Billy Joe Saunders.
3. Sergey Kovalev (29-0-1, 25 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Any of the top three fighters on this list, starting with Kovalev, could be No. 1. There is little that separates the cream of the crop of boxing right now. Kovalev is a scary light heavyweight monster who runs his opponents into his punches like few men have at the weight.
Previous Ranking: 4
Last Fight: Round 7 KO win over Jean Pascal
Who He Should Fight Next: Kovalev is set to face Isaac Chilemba on July 11. It’s a stay-busy fight, one that should be fun for however long it lasts. After that, the hope is Kovalev and Andre Ward get it on in this year's megafight.
2. Andre Ward (29-0, 15 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: If everyone on this list were the exact same size, I’d favor Ward over all of them head-to-head. He’s just that good. He knows how to fight from the outside, inside and everywhere in between. He’s great defensively and his style is one that works against just about everything, too. The only reason he is not No. 1 is because the fighter who is ranked at the top of the list has accomplished more, especially over the last couple of years.
Previous Ranking: 3
Last Fight: 12-round UD win over Sullivan Barrera
Who He Should Fight Next: Ward and Sergey Kovalev would provide high drama, and it seems the fight may happen this fall. After two tryouts at 175, Ward would probably be wise to wait for the Kovalev bout to materialize. If he'd rather fight, someone like former champ Jean Pascal would suffice.
1. Roman Gonzalez (45-0, 38 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Gonzalez is a highly skilled pressure fighter. It’s a feat that should go recognized if for no other reason than how long it’s been since boxing has seen someone so great at doing it. Gonzalez, from Nicaragua, is great enough at what he does to make American fight fans care about flyweights. That’s as impressive as it gets, folks.
Previous Ranking: 1
Last Fight: 12-round UD over McWilliams Arroyo
Who He Should Fight Next: If I could pick any one fight in boxing to really happen, it would be Gonzalez vs. Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue.
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