Thursday, July 14, 2005 | 10:45 a.m.
Jeff Haney covers boxing for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or [email protected].
1. Bernard Hopkins
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
3. Winky Wright
4. Diego Corrales
5. Marco Antonio Barrera
6. Erik Morales
7. Manny Pacquiao
8.Jose Luis Castillo
9. Ricky Hatton
10. Antonio Tarver
Some professional boxers duck and parry when they are asked about the mythical "pound for pound" ratings of the best fighters in the sport.
"Oh, I leave that to you guys -- that's for the fans and the media," said junior middleweight champion Kassim Ouma, who fights tonight at the Orleans.
Others have trouble grasping the concept, which is to rank the world's top boxers regardless of weight class -- an inherently subjective undertaking, to be sure.
"What is pound for pound?" Arturo Gatti spat in the days leading to his dismantling by Floyd Mayweather Jr. last month. "To be honest with you, I really don't give a (expletive)."
Then there's Bernard Hopkins, the longtime middleweight champion who defends his undisputed title against Jermain Taylor on Saturday at the MGM Grand.
A self-styled student of the fight game, Hopkins not only keeps tabs on the best boxers pound for pound, but will give you a dissertation on why he belongs at the top of the list.
"Great champions are judged by the fights they fight and on their longevity," Hopkins said. "A good percentage of people believe Bernard Hopkins is the best fighter in the world because of my track record.
"Longevity is something that people respect in athletes. Consistency gains respect."
Hopkins does deserve the No. 1 rating on the pound-for-pound list, considering his 20 consecutive title defenses, his dramatic knockout of Oscar De La Hoya last September and his willingness to meet rising star Taylor rather than settle for an easier fight in his bid for 21 in a row.
Following are the Las Vegas Sun's pound-for-pound rankings:
1. Bernard Hopkins: A complete fighter who hits hard with both hands, excels at working his opponent's body and plays nearly flawless defense, Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 knockouts) has not lost a fight since 1993, when he was outpointed by Roy Jones Jr. At age 40, he maintains a grueling training regimen and remains in excellent condition. Opponents contend he fights dirty; Hopkins counters by saying he simply uses every trick in the book.
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.: After losing his WBC 140-pound title to Mayweather, Gatti said he had no answers for the hand speed "Pretty Boy" displayed. Mayweather has also relied on superb defense, movement and combination punching in compiling a record of 34-0 with 23 knockouts.
3. Winky Wright: As an indication of how tightly the top three are bunched, I'm not sure I would pick against Wright (49-3, 25 KOs) if he were to meet Hopkins in what would be a boxing purist's dream matchup. After cleaning house at 154 pounds, Wright moved up to middleweight for his most recent bout, a 12-round unanimous decision against Felix Trinidad that I scored a shutout.
4. Diego Corrales: Just before Corrales (40-2, 33 KOs) and Jose Luis Castillo shut everyone up with their sublime performance May 7 at Mandalay Bay, the topic of conversation ringside was the sparse crowd at the Events Center. Will this become boxing's version of Wilt's 100-point game, in that for every fan actually on hand, thousands will claim they were there? Corrales' spectacular knockout earned him the world lightweight title.
5. Marco Antonio Barrera: My scorecard had Barrera (60-4, 42 KOs) beating Erik Morales by a wider margin than most in their super featherweight championship fight last November, a deciding factor in ranking the "Baby-Faced Assassin" ahead of his arch rival.
6. Erik Morales: Having won world titles in three weight divisions, the next move for Morales (48-2, 34 KOs) could be a step up to lightweight.
7. Manny Pacquiao: In a textbook example of styles making fights, Pacquiao (39-3-2, 31 KOs) beat Barrera, and he would beat him again. Pacquiao lost to Morales when the Mexican great put on a boxing clinic in March at the MGM, but a victory in a rematch would vault him into the top five.
8. Jose Luis Castillo: Boxing insiders have begun using "Castillo-Corrales" as shorthand for a standard of excellence, applying it to a particular round, fight, event or potential matchup. ("It'll be another Castillo-Corrales!") Let's hope this trend catches on outside of boxing as well. ("Oui, monsieur, this Ducru-Beaucaillou is the Castillo-Corrales of the Bordeaux region.") Castillo (52-7-1, 46 KOs) is hoping for redemption in a rematch.
9. Ricky Hatton: Unbeaten at 39-0, 29 KOs, Hatton, of Manchester, England, said before upsetting Kostya Tszyu at junior welterweight last month that his ultimate goal is to fight on a big card in Las Vegas. Bring it on, as attractive possible matchups loom against Mayweather or Corrales.
10. Antonio Tarver: The consensus No. 1 light heavyweight, Tarver (23-3, 18 KOs) has been mentioned as a potential opponent for Hopkins if "The Executioner" gets past Taylor on Saturday.
Just missed: Juan Manuel Marquez (44-2-1, 33 KOs, featherweight champ); Zab Judah (34-2, 25 KOs, welterweight champ).
archive
