A Pound for Pound List

By Matt Yanofsky

1. Manny Pacquiao {Junior Lightweight}
Following his controversial win over Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquaio moved up to lightweight to brutalize WBC kingpin David Diaz en route to a 9th round TKO. Although he was the favorite, no one expected Pacquaio to win as easily as he did. The Pac Man dominated the fight from start to finish as the game Diaz never was never really in the fight after the opening bell. Pacquaio now is hoping for a December 6th super fight at welterweight with Oscar De La Hoya. If that doesn’t cement, he may defend his lightweight crown against the always tough Humberto Soto.


2. Joe Calzaghe {Light Heavyweight}
On April 19th, Calzaghe moved up in weight to win a split decision over the legendary Bernard Hopkins while taking his Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight crown. Calzaghe recovered from a first round knockdown and outpointed Hopkins by having the much busier hands. According to Compu Box, Calzaghe landed the most punches ever against the defensively sound Hopkins. Calzaghe was scheduled for a September 20th HBO PPV fight against Roy Jones Jr (taking the place of the De La Hoya Mayweather II PPV that fell apart when Mayweather retired) but the fight has been rescheduled for November after Calzaghe hurt his hand in training. Even though both men are at the tail end of their careers, the bout is very intriguing.


3. Kelly Pavlik {Middleweight}
Pavlik brutally battered undeserving mandatory challenger Gary Lockett en route to a 3rd round TKO on June 7th. Lockett didn’t belong in the ring with Pavlik, but the only person to blame for this mismatch is the WBO for somehow appointing Lockett a number one contender without any notable=2 0victories under his belt. Unable to lock a deal with numerous opponents at middleweight, Pavlik will be taking a fairly large risk as he will move up in weight to face boxing legend Bernard Hopkins at 170 lbs October 18th on HBO PPV. Pavlik has a lot to lose in this fight as no one has ever looked good against Hopkins, including the #2 lb for lb fighter in the world Joe Calzaghe.

4. Bernard Hopkins {Light Heavyweight}
Hopkins lost a close decision as well as his Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight crown to the undefeated Joe Calzaghe, but did give the Welshman the hardest fight of his career. The Philadelphia bred legend cried of a robbery after the fight but this was definitely not the case, as it was a close and hard fought bout. To the surprised of many, Hopkins, 43 will again put permanent retirement on hold to face undefeated/undisputed middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in a bout I think he has a decent chance to win. Although Pavlik will be the favorite, let’s not forget what happened the last time Hopkins faced an undefeated middleweight champion in a super fight (Felix Trinidad).

5. Antonio Margarito {Welterweight}
After receiving most of his previous recognizance from being ducked by top notch opponents such as Floyd Mayweather, Margarito is now a top tier fighter after his phenomenal 11th round TKO over previously unbeaten powerhouse Miguel Cotto. Margarito overcame an early deficit and broke Cotto’s will, dropping him twice in the 11th round, forcing Cotto’s corner to throw in the towel. The win makes Margarito the new WBA welterweight champion. Margarito may be in the sweepstakes to face Oscar De La Hoya December 6th, although he is not the most likely choice. If he can’t get the De La Hoya=2 0fight, Margarito will either take a rematch with Paul Williams (who beat him in 2007), or Joshua Clottey (who he earned a tough decision against in 2006 and in addition just won the IBF title he vacated to face Cotto).


6. Miguel Cotto {Welterweight}
Cotto was shockingly defeated by 3-1 underdog Antonio Margarito in a grueling battle on July 26th. Cotto fought well early but Margarito came on strong late and broke Cotto down before stopping him in the 11th. Cotto is still one of the best fighters in the world and shouldn’t have much trouble making a comeback after he takes a much deserved rest.

7. Israel Vazquez {Super Bantamweight}
Vazquez made it two out of three against the elite Rafael Marquez with his hard fought and well deserved split decision victory on March 1st. Vazquez showed an incredible amount of heart as he recovered from a fourth round knockdown and an early deficit on the scorecards to aggressively attack Marquez in the later rounds, and score a knockdown with just seconds remaining in the 12th to seal the fight. Vazquez will be taking some time off, as he had taken some heavy punishment during the phenomenal trilogy. Rumors have calmed down about a fourth fight between Vazquez and Marquez. Although there is no official word for Vazquez’ next fight, keep the name Jhonny Gonzalez (who he previously defeated in a fight of the year candidate in 2006) in mind.


8. Juan Manuel Marquez {Junior Lightweight}
Marquez fell just short in his thrilling rematch against the elite Manny Pacquiao while losing his WBC junior lightweight belt. Marquez boxed well in spurts but the Filipino’s aggression and third round knockdown ultimately earned him the razor thin split decision which many thought could have gone to Marquez. Unable to land a rematch with Pacquaio, Marquez will be moving up to 135 lbs to take on Joel Casamayor September 13th on HBO PPV. If Marquez wins convincingly and Pacquiao can’t get the De La Hoya fight, expect Marquez to create buzz about his eagerness to face Pacquiao a third time.

9. Christian Mijares {Super Flyweight}
Mijares, the WBC super flyweight king, became a unified champion after out pointing WBA champion Alexander Munoz on May 17th. Has excellent skills and burst onto the scene after surprisingly dominating Jorge Arce last year. Mijares now has an August 30th fight scheduled with unknown Thai Chatchai Sasakule. If Mijares wins as expected, I’d love to see him face Fernando Montiel, The winner of Darchinyan vs Kirilov, or Nonito Donaire.

10. Ivan Calderon {Junior Flyweight}
One of the safest picks in boxing is Calderon by decision, and that is exactly what he did on April 5th as he shut out former champion Nelson Dieppa on all three cards. Calderon will be fighting on August 30th in a rematch against the much bigger Hugo Cazares. In his previous fight with Cazares, Calderon had to come off the canvas against to earn a split decision. If Calderon beats Cazares, I’d love to see him face IBF champion Ulises Solis.


Honorable Mention: Rafael Marquez, Chris John, Shane Mosley, Wladimir Klitchko, Nate Campbell, Ricky Hatton, David Haye, Joan Guzman, Winky Wright, Joel Casamayor.