Quadzilla99
07-10-2006, 12:04 AM
For the few remaining boxing fans like me. No link because it's an Insider article.
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Who is the world's best fighter, regardless of weight class? See my top 20 below.
Click here for my division-by-division rankings, from heavyweight to strawweight.
The rankings will resume being updated on the second Thursday of each month.
Note: Results through June 15.
TOP 10
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (36-0, 24 KOs)
Welterweight titleholder
Hits: If Oscar De La Hoya decides to fight once more, he says he will only face Mayweather, meaning we could have a super fight Sept. 16 between the two stars. That is great for boxing because a De La Hoya-Mayweather fight would easily generate massive public interest and easily surpass 1 million pay-per-view buys.
Misses: If De La Hoya decides to retire, Mayweather is left out in the cold with no fight that comes even close to it in terms of money or profile. And if it does happen, what kind of person is Mayweather for wanting to fight a man that his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., trains? By the same token, what kind of man is Mayweather Sr. for his willingness to train De La Hoya to beat his son? That family needs some serious therapy.
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2. Winky Wright (50-3, 25 KOs)
Middleweight
Hits: It's one tough, significant fight after another for Wright. From two fights in a row with Shane Mosley to a huge fight with Felix Trinidad to a smaller, but still tough, fight with Sam Soliman to a showdown with Jermain Taylor for middleweight supremacy, Wright wants to face only the best opponents available.
Misses: The Taylor fight is his last one with loyal promoter Gary Shaw, whom Wright tried to stab in the back during negotiations only to be forced to honor his commitment to him. It has made Wright and Shaw an odd couple of promotion.
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3. Bernard Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight king
Hits: The former great middleweight champion is bowing out in storybook fashion. After dominating at middleweight for a decade and making a division-record 20 title defenses, he lost a pair of disputed decisions to Taylor last year, then moved up two weight classes for his career finale. So what does he do? He kicks Antonio Tarver's butt all over the ring to claim light heavyweight supremacy in a big upset at 41. Simply amazing.
Misses: Had Hopkins fought Taylor with the same kind of fast start and overall aggressive style, he probably would have defeated Taylor in their first bout. But that's water under the bridge.
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4. Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: If he gets past former junior featherweight champ Oscar Larios in Philippines homecoming, Pacquiao has huge fights in his future -- a fall rubber match against Erik Morales and eventually a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera.
Misses: Given that Pacquiao is going to fight at home in the Philippines, where he is a national hero, it will be almost impossible for him to avoid distractions going into the fight, and that can be very dangerous.
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5. Marco Antonio Barrera (62-4, 42 KOs)
Junior lightweight champion
Hits: It was close, but Barrera showed his champion's heart by pulling out a close split decision against young and hungry Rocky Juarez. Even on an off night, Barrera showed he can still find a way to win.
Misses: After seeing how badly Barrera struggled against Juarez, it's hard not to think that all the years of grueling fights might finally have caught up with him and that the decline might be about to set in.
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6. Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs)
Junior welterweight
Hits: Putting the weight issue aside for a moment, Castillo remains one of the top fighters in the sport. He has faced all comers in recent years and has a tremendous record against them.
Misses: Where do we start? How about his utter lack of professionalism? He failed to make weight for the second time before a lightweight championship fight with rival Diego Corrales, and the damage he and his team did by concealing that he was not on weight is immeasurable. He deserves a significant suspension and a substantial fine from Nevada boxing regulators. Throw the book at him. Or maybe a pizza box.
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7. Rafael Marquez (35-3, 31 KOs)
Bantamweight champion
Hits: Seems to be putting his career back on track by signing with promoter Shaw and getting an Aug. 5 slot on Showtime. With his talent and power, he belongs on premium cable boxing telecasts.
Misses: Unfortunately, his upcoming rematch with Silence Mabuza, whom he destroyed last fall, is pointless. There is absolutely no reason for the fight. Marquez doesn't need it, and Mabuza sure as hell doesn't deserve it. Marquez ought to be going after significant opponents at this stage of his career, not fighting matches no one cares about.
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8. Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs)
Unified middleweight champion
Hits: Anyone who fights back-to-back fights against Bernard Hopkins (and wins), then fights Winky Wright deserves complete respect from all boxing fans.
Misses: Although it is certainly Taylor's prerogative to replace trainer Pat Burns with all-time great trainer Emanuel Steward, the way Burns was sent packing was pretty weak and lacked class.
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9. Joe Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs)
Unified super middleweight champion
Hits: After so many wasted years of fighting lesser fights, Welsh champion finally was making a change, first unifying titles with a terrific performance against Jeff Lacy, then agreeing to take on dangerous former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson this summer.
Misses: Before the fight with Johnson could even be announced officially, brittle Calzaghe suffered yet another injury and will be sidelined until the fall. Momentum? What momentum?
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10. Erik Morales (48-4, 34 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: How much of a competitor is Morales? He backed off his insistence for his rubber match with Pacquiao to be at 132 pounds and has agreed to make 130 pounds. You can be sure Morales will be in the best shape he can be in for the third fight Nov. 18.
Misses: With the timing of the rubber match moved to its third date -- from September to October to November -- do you get the feeling it's not going to happen?
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Second 10
11. Ricky Hatton
12. Shane Mosley
13. Oscar De La Hoya
14. Diego Corrales
15. Antonio Tarver
16. Glen Johnson
17. Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon
18. Chris John
19. Juan Manuel Marquez
20. Antonio Margarito
__________________________________________________ ______
Who is the world's best fighter, regardless of weight class? See my top 20 below.
Click here for my division-by-division rankings, from heavyweight to strawweight.
The rankings will resume being updated on the second Thursday of each month.
Note: Results through June 15.
TOP 10
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (36-0, 24 KOs)
Welterweight titleholder
Hits: If Oscar De La Hoya decides to fight once more, he says he will only face Mayweather, meaning we could have a super fight Sept. 16 between the two stars. That is great for boxing because a De La Hoya-Mayweather fight would easily generate massive public interest and easily surpass 1 million pay-per-view buys.
Misses: If De La Hoya decides to retire, Mayweather is left out in the cold with no fight that comes even close to it in terms of money or profile. And if it does happen, what kind of person is Mayweather for wanting to fight a man that his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., trains? By the same token, what kind of man is Mayweather Sr. for his willingness to train De La Hoya to beat his son? That family needs some serious therapy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Winky Wright (50-3, 25 KOs)
Middleweight
Hits: It's one tough, significant fight after another for Wright. From two fights in a row with Shane Mosley to a huge fight with Felix Trinidad to a smaller, but still tough, fight with Sam Soliman to a showdown with Jermain Taylor for middleweight supremacy, Wright wants to face only the best opponents available.
Misses: The Taylor fight is his last one with loyal promoter Gary Shaw, whom Wright tried to stab in the back during negotiations only to be forced to honor his commitment to him. It has made Wright and Shaw an odd couple of promotion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Bernard Hopkins (47-4-1, 32 KOs)
Light heavyweight king
Hits: The former great middleweight champion is bowing out in storybook fashion. After dominating at middleweight for a decade and making a division-record 20 title defenses, he lost a pair of disputed decisions to Taylor last year, then moved up two weight classes for his career finale. So what does he do? He kicks Antonio Tarver's butt all over the ring to claim light heavyweight supremacy in a big upset at 41. Simply amazing.
Misses: Had Hopkins fought Taylor with the same kind of fast start and overall aggressive style, he probably would have defeated Taylor in their first bout. But that's water under the bridge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: If he gets past former junior featherweight champ Oscar Larios in Philippines homecoming, Pacquiao has huge fights in his future -- a fall rubber match against Erik Morales and eventually a rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera.
Misses: Given that Pacquiao is going to fight at home in the Philippines, where he is a national hero, it will be almost impossible for him to avoid distractions going into the fight, and that can be very dangerous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Marco Antonio Barrera (62-4, 42 KOs)
Junior lightweight champion
Hits: It was close, but Barrera showed his champion's heart by pulling out a close split decision against young and hungry Rocky Juarez. Even on an off night, Barrera showed he can still find a way to win.
Misses: After seeing how badly Barrera struggled against Juarez, it's hard not to think that all the years of grueling fights might finally have caught up with him and that the decline might be about to set in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Jose Luis Castillo (54-7-1, 47 KOs)
Junior welterweight
Hits: Putting the weight issue aside for a moment, Castillo remains one of the top fighters in the sport. He has faced all comers in recent years and has a tremendous record against them.
Misses: Where do we start? How about his utter lack of professionalism? He failed to make weight for the second time before a lightweight championship fight with rival Diego Corrales, and the damage he and his team did by concealing that he was not on weight is immeasurable. He deserves a significant suspension and a substantial fine from Nevada boxing regulators. Throw the book at him. Or maybe a pizza box.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Rafael Marquez (35-3, 31 KOs)
Bantamweight champion
Hits: Seems to be putting his career back on track by signing with promoter Shaw and getting an Aug. 5 slot on Showtime. With his talent and power, he belongs on premium cable boxing telecasts.
Misses: Unfortunately, his upcoming rematch with Silence Mabuza, whom he destroyed last fall, is pointless. There is absolutely no reason for the fight. Marquez doesn't need it, and Mabuza sure as hell doesn't deserve it. Marquez ought to be going after significant opponents at this stage of his career, not fighting matches no one cares about.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs)
Unified middleweight champion
Hits: Anyone who fights back-to-back fights against Bernard Hopkins (and wins), then fights Winky Wright deserves complete respect from all boxing fans.
Misses: Although it is certainly Taylor's prerogative to replace trainer Pat Burns with all-time great trainer Emanuel Steward, the way Burns was sent packing was pretty weak and lacked class.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Joe Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs)
Unified super middleweight champion
Hits: After so many wasted years of fighting lesser fights, Welsh champion finally was making a change, first unifying titles with a terrific performance against Jeff Lacy, then agreeing to take on dangerous former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson this summer.
Misses: Before the fight with Johnson could even be announced officially, brittle Calzaghe suffered yet another injury and will be sidelined until the fall. Momentum? What momentum?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Erik Morales (48-4, 34 KOs)
Junior lightweight
Hits: How much of a competitor is Morales? He backed off his insistence for his rubber match with Pacquiao to be at 132 pounds and has agreed to make 130 pounds. You can be sure Morales will be in the best shape he can be in for the third fight Nov. 18.
Misses: With the timing of the rubber match moved to its third date -- from September to October to November -- do you get the feeling it's not going to happen?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second 10
11. Ricky Hatton
12. Shane Mosley
13. Oscar De La Hoya
14. Diego Corrales
15. Antonio Tarver
16. Glen Johnson
17. Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon
18. Chris John
19. Juan Manuel Marquez
20. Antonio Margarito