Pound For Pound

Pound for Pound List - November 2014

1. Floyd Mayweather (47-0, 26 Kos) – After 47 consecutive victories and no defeats Mayweather seems to be running out of marketable opponents. Can he continue the run? In his two clashes with Marcos Maidana he got hit much more than in all of his fights put together. Still, he’s great.

2. Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 Kos) – The big Ukrainian hasn’t lost in 10 years and just destroyed Kubrat Pulev in Germany. Strangely he was booed and whistled before and after the fight. It would seem he should be cheered especially since he fights primarily in Germany. His fights aren’t fun to watch with all of the holding and shoving. But he wins.

3. Andre Ward (27-0, 14 Kos) – Oakland’s Ward hasn’t fought in over a year. His contract disputes with Goossen Promotions have gone too far. Whatever advice he’s taking has kept him from entering the boxing ring at his prime. For Ward to make any money he will have to move up to light heavyweight.

4. Roman Gonzalez (40-0, 34 Kos) – Nicaragua’s Gonzalez is boxing’s best kept secret. The boxer known as “Chocolatito” has dominated the junior flyweights and now the flyweights. Twice he fought in the U.S. and recently has fought in Japan. He’s an exciting fighter and one of the best pound for pound.

5. Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 Kos) – The Mexico City technician wants another big fight but has slowed down recently. His victory over Mike Alvarado was well deserved. Alvarado showed how dangerous he can be and gave Marquez problems throughout their fight. Marquez is looking for one big payday before getting out.

6. Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 Kos) – Speed, agility and his southpaw stance are Pacman’s greatest weapons today. You can forget about his power. He no longer possesses a knockout punch but can swarm anybody and force a stoppage with his speed. Pacman always had the ability to out-box opponents but loved to please the fans. Knockouts please the fans but the punch no longer exists in his fists. Still, he’s a winner.

7. Carl Froch (33-2, 24 Kos) – Outside of Europe the warrior from England gets little recognition. Froch gives everyone problems inside the boxing ring. He can take a punch with the best and has heavy hands to go with his steel chin. A rematch with Ward would be a great fight. He already avenged his loss to Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler.

8. Gennady Golovkin (31-0, 28 Kos) – Triple G may be unbeatable in the middleweight division say many experts. That could be. But think if he dropped down to junior middleweight which his trainer Abel Sanchez says is his natural weight class. That would enable Golovkin to meet Floyd Mayweather. Fans and experts are finally beginning to see what makes Golovkin special. He’s no flash in the pan.

9. Tim Bradley (31-1, 12 Kos) – The Desert Storm has only one loss and that came to Manny Pacquiao. Anyone who discounts Bradley from the top dozen pound for pound lists is making a grave mistake. The Palm Springs prizefighter still has his speed and agility. Beating Juan Manuel Marquez was no fluke. He also beat Ruslan Provodnikov. How easily people forget.

10. Mikey Garcia (34-0, 28 Kos) – Garcia has been off for nearly a year but his last victories were pretty impressive. Winning a featherweight world title and a junior lightweight world title is pretty impressive stuff. Garcia has the ability to out-box opponents or lay them out. That combination makes him a tremendous force in boxing.

11. Guillermo Rigondeaux (14-0, 9 Kos) – Cuba’s super bantamweight has some of the best technique in the business and when you add his southpaw stance that makes him more dangerous. Speed and power are at his disposal but he thrives at setting up opponents and strikes like a cobra. At 122 pounds he may be unbeatable.

12. Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 Kos) – Kovalev’s victory over Bernard Hopkins was remarkable in that he used patience and stuck to the plan. Most power punchers don’t have the focus to beat a technician like Hopkins. Kovalev proved he can out hit and out-smart a clever fighter. It won’t be long before he climbs up the list.

Honorable Mention

Miguel Cotto, Robert Guerrero, Danny Garcia, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Nicholas Walter, Bermane Stiverne, Leo Santa Cruz, Amir Khan, Abner Mares, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and Jhonny Gonzalez.