Article Written By: Oscar Quinones
The world of boxing is not an easy one. Many fighters come and go but only some stand out. Ali, Frazier and Tyson are just a couple that stand out when talking about pound for pound fighters. Being a pound for pound means you’re at the top of your game and have defeated anyone that comes your way and have delivered yourself completely to the sport. In the last decade we have seen great fighters take boxing and make it an art. Boxers like Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather. They have all left their print on boxing. In the last five years we have also seen a great amount of boxers rise themselves to stardom and with this I bring you my top current five pound for pound boxers.
1. Floyd Mayweather (45-0-0)(26KOs) . One can not make a pound for pound list and not make Floyd number one on the list. His perfect score should be reason enough to place him in this spot and his amazing talent has left many fighters tasting defeat. His amazing defense and speed are the reasons why he has left many fighters in the dust and has forever marked the boxing world. Although he may run his mouth a lot, he has the stuff to back it up as soon as he gets in the ring. Many also complain saying he runs around the ring avoiding contact with his opponent but, when they have him in front of them, they can’t land punches due to his amazing defense.
Last year he even shocked everybody by fighting twice in a year, something he had not done for many years. He defeated Robert Guerrero and ruined young Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’ perfect record. The only flaw that can be said about his career is that he dodged Pac Man, but besides that, it is easy to see why Floyd Mayweather is number one on my list.
2. Guillermo Rigondueax (13-0-0)(8KOs). Although not a PPV fighter, this amazing Cuban fighter has been giving boxing lessons to whomever crosses his path. A two time Olympic Gold Medalist, one in 2000 and the other in 2004, Guillermo has come to the Super Bantamweight class and out boxed all of his opponents. Last year he gave Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire a boxing lesson at Madison Square Garden. Nobody had thought that Donaire could have lost that fight, no one even dared to think that he would be out-punched by a faster fighter.
He is not the type of fighter who pushes the fight forward, he is a counter puncher that is ready to return fire. His speed is that of no other, and his defense is so amazing that not even the great Mayweather would be able to keep up with. If you enjoy boxing for the technique and art of the fight then this fighter should be on your radar, but if you’re looking for a slug fest, his fights might seem boring. All in all he is a great fighter that still has many fights to give and will continue to dominate his weight division.
3. Gennady Golovkin (28-0-0)(25KOs). Current IBO and WBA Middleweight Champion. Also 2004 Olympic silver medalist. Gennady “GGG” Golovkin lands number three in my eyes. Triple G holds the current highest knockout percentage, has the hardest jab out of all the boxers right now and pours out four fights per year. Although not a huge PPV fighter just yet, he is the best in his division. Named 2013 fighter of the Year by us, he is an example of how fighters should be. He is a quiet fighter never letting his mouth run. He does all of his talking in the ring and has sent almost all of his opponents to the canvas.
Gennady is a boxer to follow and, nicknamed “The God of war”, many can see why. He is vicious in the ring and will not think twice about knocking you out. He has yet to appear in a PPV fight, but many know that is just a couple of fights away. In his last fight he called out Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, but Gennady will have to wait to see the outcome of Martinez vs. Cotto. No doubt he will most likely fight the winner of that fight.
4. Manny Pacquiao (35-5-2)(38KOs). Although he is recovering from a two loss streak against Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, he has done enough to still be on this list. He has fought his way up the ranks starting from light fly weight all the way to welterweight. Manny has shocked and awed audiences from all over the world. He has defeated giants like Barrera, De La Hoya, Marquez, Cotto and many more. He has always been put up against the best, something that can’t always be said about Mayweather Jr. Sadly all this came to a halt after Manny lost the WBO Champion belt in a controversial loss against Timothy Bradley. As if that wasn’t enough, he suffered another loss by way of knockout against Juan Manuel Marquez. Although these two fights did leave a blemish on his career, I still believe Manny has done far too much in this great sport to slide further down the list.
5. Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1)(45KOs). Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez was not considered as a pound for pound fighter until he knocked out Manny Pacquiao in an extremely brutle way. After that KO he finally got recognition even though Marquez should have been considered way before that. He is a head on fighter with seven world titles in four different divisions and one of the best counter punchers out there. At the age of 40 he is still surprising everybody. Although he just suffered a loss against Timothy Bradley, Marquez will come back strong. He has always been over shadowed by his most intense rival, Manny Pacquiao. He is one of Mexico’s pride and joys, being the third Mexican fighter, first two are Erick “Terible” Morales and Jorge Arce, to be a four division world champion.