The Baddest Men in Boxing

"Pound for Pound is the term used in boxing, mixed martial arts and other combat sports to describe a fighter's value in relation to fighters of different weight classes."

Here is my quick and current pound for pound list assuming that Floyd Mayweather is actually retired.

1. Roman 'Chocolatito' Gonzalez - Flyweight

• 86% knockout rate
• 44-0-0 with 38 wins coming by knockout
• His movement is insane, Defense is impeccable, Accuracy is unbelievable. 
• Current titles: Lineal/TBRB/Ring/WBC World Flyweight (2014-Present, 3 Defenses), WBA Minimumweight (2008-10, 3 Defenses); WBA Light Flyweight (2010-14, 5 Defenses)
• His record in title fights is 13-0, 9 by knockout

I mean there isn't much to say about this guy.  I dont know who else he can beat that would add to his resume.  After watching more and more of his fights and highlight videos on youtube, I honestly may have put him above Floyd Mayweather. Nah, just playing. But I thought about it.

2. Sergey 'Krusher' Kovalev - Light Heavyweight

• 87% knockout rate
• 29-0-1 with 26 wins coming by knockout
• His combination of power and boxing ability make him one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport. 
• Current Titles: WBO Light Heavyweight (2013-Present, 6 Defenses); WBA Super/IBF Light Heavyweight (2014-Present, 1 Defense)
  

He's Russian, so if you've seen Rocky IV you know what this guy is about. I mean, his nickname is Krusher for crying out loud.

3. Andre 'Son of God' Ward - Light Heavyweight

• 54% knockout rate
• 28-0-0 with 15 wins coming by knockout
• Winner of the Super 6 Tournament
• Olympic Gold Medalist
• Titles Held: WBA Super Middleweight, WBC Super Middleweight, The Ring super middleweight champion, WBO NABO Super Middlewight champion, NABF supper Middleweight Champion

Before all of his out of the ring troubles with contracts and injuries, Ward was often considered next in line to be the pound for pound champion after Floyd Mayweather.  Additionally, no fighter wanted to get in the ring with him at super middleweight (168 lbs) so he had to move up to light heavyweight in order to get fights. This sets up a great opportunity for him to get in the ring with Sergey Kovalev, another top 5 pound for pound boxer.  If this fight happens, the winner will be the new pound for pound king.  The only reason I don't have him at number 2 is because of his recent inactivity. 

4. Manny 'Pac Man' Pacquiao - Welterweight

• 58% knockout rate
• 57-6-2 with 38 wins coming by knockout
• Ten World Titles in Eight different divisions. This is literally unheard of.
• Pacquiao has some of the fastest hands and most intriguing style that the sport of boxing has seen
• WBC Fighter of the Decade (2001-2010)

I think boxing suffers too much from the "what have you done for me lately" mentality.  Lately, Pacquiao has not had the BEST showings. In his last six fights, he has lost three.  He lost to Floyd Mayweather, got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez, and he was robbed, err, I mean he lost a close decision to Timothy Bradley Jr. back in June of 2012.  However, if you actually look at his loss to Marquez and Bradley, his performance was amazing. Lets take a look:

I personally believe that Manny was robbed and that he simply outworked Bradley in 2012.  The two fought again in 2014 where he once again dismantled Bradley. The pair is fighting for a third time in April to settle the score once and for all. 

He was dominating Marquez when he was caught with a brutal right hand in the last seconds of the 6th round as well.  I mean, Pacquiao had already broken Marquez's nose by the 6th round.  Had Pacquiao not been caught by that right, he was sailing on to another victory, possibly a late round stoppage given the damage that Marquez was taking. 

Other than these fights, Pacquiao has the most impressive resume in boxing today, especially at the current Welterweight divison.  Manny has fought everyone, and other than Floyd Mayweather, he's beat everyone.  He is a legend of the ring, and definitely deserves a spot in everyone's Pound for Pound list. 

5. Guillermo 'The Jackal" Rigondeaux - Super Bantamweight

• 63% Knockout Rate
• 16-0-0 with 10 wins coming by knockout
• Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist
• Widely considered "One of the greatest amateur fighters of all time"
• His Amateur record was 374 - 12. Yes you are reading that correctly.
• Titles Held: WBA Super World Super Bantamweight, WBO World Super Bantamweight

I will admit that Rigondeaux is a fighter I have not seen enough fights to truly appreciate.  However, the fights I have seen are so one sided, that I leave every viewing thinking that he just hasn't had a true opponent yet. And then I realized after listening to many experts speak about him, that he just turns certified beasts into boys. Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach has said that Rigondeaux is "probably the greatest talent I've ever seen."  Unfortunately it seems that many fighters are dodging Rigondeaux, so hopefully he will get some great bouts soon.

Honorable Mentions:

• Wladimir Klitschko - Heavyweight
• His uninspired performance against Tyson Fury really took a hit on me.  Hopefully he performs better in his rematch and can reacquire his belts.  
• Saul Canelo Alvarez - Middleweight
• I think he may be top 5 P4P one day, I just don't think that day is here yet.  There are too many monsters in the top 5 for him to earn a spot on my list.
• Gennady Golovkin - Middleweight
• Same story as Canelo.  He just hasn't fought anyone extremely impressive to me.  Plus he dodged Andre Ward who the entire boxing world was begging for. 

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