Bleacher Report Boxing's Updated Pound-for-Pound Rankings
Perhaps boxing's most controversial topic these days is who should sit atop the mythical pound-for-pound rankings. Since the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr., there has been no shortage of capable replacements. Roman Gonzalez, Andre Ward, Sergey Kovalev, Gennady Golovkin and Manny Pacquiao all had a legitimate claim to the throne, but after the last month of boxing action, the picture is becoming more clear now than ever.
Find out who our writers—Jonathan Snowden, Lyle Fitzsimmons, Kevin McRae, Briggs Seekins and myself—rank among the very best fighters on the planet.
Did Ward's win over Kovalev net him the top spot? Was Vasyl Lomachenko's domination of Nicholas Walters enough to give him the crown?
There's only one way to find out.
Ins and Outs
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Let’s face it. Voting panels can be really fickle, especially when it comes to pound-for-pound lists. How could they not be? Unlike divisional rankings, pound-for-pound lists mean pretty much nothing in our sport. It’s just fun banter boxing people like to do to pass the time between big fights.
This go around, Canelo Alvarez leapt into our top 10 without having fought while Juan Francisco Estrada dropped out after decisioning Raymond Tabugon last month. While each fighter has won enough big fights for serious consideration, it seems particularly difficult for smaller fighters to receive recognition for excellence these days—especially those who are not regularly featured on HBO or Showtime.
Also receiving votes were welterweight Kell Brook, junior bantamweight Naoya Inoue and bantamweight Shinsuke Yamanaka.
10. Carl Frampton (23-0-0, 14 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Carl Frampton has been a really good fighter for a while now, but the boxing world took full notice after he handed Leo Santa Cruz his first loss as a professional in July. It was a good little scrap. Frampton threw and landed the more telling blows, and judges rewarded him. The win earned him the WBA title belt along with worldwide fame.
Previous Ranking: 10
Last Fight: 12-round majority decision over Santa Cruz
Who He Should Fight Next: As much as I want somebody around lineal junior featherweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux’s size to provide the Cuban a challenge, a rematch with Santa Cruz is exactly the right fight at the moment. The first one was close, and if he can knock Santa Cruz off again, he will set himself for bigger fights against the loaded talent in and around featherweight.
9. Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: His last two fights notwithstanding, Canelo Alvarez has already faced and defeated elite-level fighters. He challenged tough Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara when he had little reason (other than pride) to do so, and his defeat of the previously unstoppable looking Miguel Cotto was something special. Alvarez should be given guff for facing welterweight Amir Khan, but in his last fight he stopped a solid 154-pound contender in Liam Smith.
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Last Fight: Round 9 knockout over Smith
Who He Should Fight Next: The hottest fight in boxing according to most experts would be Alvarez challenging middleweight monster Gennady Golovkin. He stands a better chance than most of Golovkin’s recent opposition, though he would still likely be a considerable underdog. That would be an intriguing fight, though it would be ideal for Alvarez to face a legit middleweight first to test the weight out more.
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8. Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38. KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Manny Pacquiao has been among the elite pound-for-pounders for over a decade now. While the 37-year-old version isn’t quite as excellent as Pacman was at his peak, he’s still one of the top welterweights in the world and arguably the toughest fight for any fighter from 140 to 154 pounds. His speed, power and wacky style will always give him an edge other fighters just don’t have.
Previous Ranking: 7
Last Fight: Pacquiao dominated Jessie Vargas over 12 rounds for the WBO welterweight strap.
Who He Should Fight Next: As much as promoter Bob Arum likes to link Pacquiao to his other fighters as a promotional ploy, there are only two fights for Pacquiao that make real sense at this point. A fifth bout against rival Juan Manuel Marquez, who knocked Pacquiao out in fight No. 4 or a rematch with retired Floyd Mayweather. Let’s be greedy and hope both are on deck.
7. Guillmero Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Even at age 36, Rigondeaux is probably one of the top two or three fighters in the sport. But Rigo hasn’t fought much over the last couple of years, and the fights he has participated in weren’t all that noteworthy. It’s a real shame. The Cuban southpaw stylist is the best at what he does, and it’s a shame professional fight fans have been robbed of witnessing his greatness.
Previous Ranking: 8
Last Fight: Round 2 knockout win over James Dickens.
Who He Should Fight Next: While many would argue he’s too small, the best fight possible for Rigondeaux’s legacy right now would be him taking a huge risk and moving up in weight to face Vasyl Lomachenko. Less talented fighters have moved up more, so why not expect someone as excellent as Rigo to follow suit?
6. Vasyl Lomaechenko (7-1, 5 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Lomachenko is the current fighter everyone in boxing seems to be raving about. He’s earned it. He fought solid competition, and he’s already moved up in weight. A southpaw, Lomachenko is fluid, skilled and punches hard enough to hurt opponents each time he lands. He’s also measured and lands punches with great accuracy.
Previous Ranking: 6
Last Fight: Lomachenko stopped power puncher Nicholas Walters in a one-sided fight most people thought would be more competitive.
Who He Should Fight Next: Lomachenko doesn’t seem to be interested in fighting Rigondeaux, and it’s not likely his growing body would allow him to move down in weight to make the fight. So if Rigo doesn’t make the fight happen, Lomachenko has a score to settle with Orlando Salido, who decisioned him in Lomachenko’s second professional fight. Either fight would be excellent.
5. Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Golovkin appears to be an almost complete fighter. He’s got fast hands, swift feet and sick power. While Alvarez holds the lineal middleweight crown, most everyone in the sport concedes Golovkin is the true middleweight king. He might actually be too good. There are better middleweights in boxing right now than the competition he’s faced recently, but he’s rearranged so many faces by now it’s been hard to get top contenders in the ring with him.
Previous Ranking: 4
Last Fight: Round 5 knockout of Kell Brook
Who He Should Fight Next: Golovkin’s last decent middleweight competition was David Lemieux in October 2015. He was still a huge favorite in that fight, so he really needs to up the ante and either get a top middleweight to face him, such as Alvarez, or move up to 168 or even 175 pounds. Dream fight? Golovkin vs. Sergey Kovalev at 170-pound catchweight.
4. Terence Crawford (29-0, 20 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Terence Crawford is exceptional. Besides Andre Ward, he may very well be the best American fighter in boxing today. He’s a smoother operator who fights lean and mean. He can fight just as well as a southpaw as he can in his orthodox stance, and his adjustments to what's in front of him on fight night are right up there with best of them. In fact, he may be as great as Mayweather was in his prime, and that’s really saying something special.
Previous Ranking: 5
Last Fight: Crawford defeated Viktor Postol in July via 12-round unanimous decision.
Who He Should Fight Next: Crawford is scheduled to face tough guy John Molina in December. It’s a respectable fight, but Crawford is on deck as a megastar so hopefully after he takes care of business there, he’ll face an elite-level star like Pacquiao or a even just a bigger name. It'd be great to see him handle Adrien Broner.
3. Sergey Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Kovalev has faced and defeated some of the best competition in the sport. He’s a good boxer with effortless power, and he knows how to finish off opponents as well as anyone in the sport. Kovalev knocked Andre Ward around the ring like a rag doll over the first four rounds of their bout but lost a controversial decision when all was said and done. Regardless, Ward has been one the most elite fighters in boxing, so even losing by disputable decision—and one point at that by all three judges—keeps him in our top three.
Previous Ranking: 2
Last Fight: Decision loss to Ward over 12 rounds. The bout was as close and competitive as any recent superight.
Who He Should Fight Next: Kovalev should be doing everything he can to get Ward back in the ring with him as soon as possible. That fight was close, and it looked like Kovalev—at least to my eyes—deserved the nod anyway. Maybe they should fight in Russia next time, or at least have some Russian judges.
2. Andre Ward (30-0, 15 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: Even if you are among those who don’t believe Ward deserved the nod over Kovalev, the man deserves a huge amount of credit for the performance. In fact, if the fight had been scheduled for 15 rounds, one would be fine in thinking Ward would have pulled it off by more than a point. Both fighters are great right now, and Ward, while smaller, showed his heart is as big as any fighter in boxing. He weathered the early storm, adjusted to Kovalev’s attack and took the fight right to the bigger man. Respect.
Previous Ranking: 3
Last Fight: Round 12 UD over Kovalev
Who He Should Fight Next: There was no better fight to be made than the first Ward-Kovalev bout, and it remans true about the rematch. Let’s get the second fight on the schedule right now. The first one was great. The second one could be even better.
1. Roman Gonzalez (46-0, 38 KOs)
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Why He’s Here: The former flyweight king, Roman Gonzalez is now campaigning at junior bantamweight. He’s long been considered the best little fighter in 30 or so years, and he proves it every time out. A stalker, Gonzalez has good power, skilled feet and some of the best offense in boxing today. What sets him apart, though, is his defense. Not many hyper-aggressive fighters take as few punches as Gonzalez, and he looks to be on his way to true boxing greatness.
Previous Ranking: 1
Last Fight: 12-round UD over Carlos Cuadras
Who He Should Fight Next: If Kovalev-Ward 2 or Lomachenko-Rigondeaux aren’t the best fights that could be made in boxing today, then it’s Gonzalez vs. Naoya Inoue. It’s a must-see fight, and it really should be on the horizon now that both are fighting at 115.
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