Women pound for pound

Layla McCarter is number 1.

Women’s Pound for Pound Top 12

1) Layla McCarter (34-13-5) – She has the skills to pay the bills and more. McCarter has doesn’t rely on pure athleticism but continues to accrue fighting skills that separate her from the rest of the women boxers. Though a Las Vegas based fighter she does not fear traveling to other cities or countries to ply her trade. She’s a fearless prizefighter.

2) Holly Holm (30-1-3) – The New Mexico product is scheduled to fight on Dec. 2 against France’s Anne Sophie Mathis for the vacant welterweight title. She’s very athletic and getting slightly better but seldom fights anywhere but in New Mexico. Still, she wins rather handily.

3) Melissa Hernandez (15-2-3) – Another fearless prizefighter who doesn’t care what weight division she’s entered. Hernandez has tremendous fighting skills. Shockingly she has only 20 pro fights total. It seems like she’s fought many more. She’s deadly to newbies in the ring. No one should underestimate her skills and newcomers should stay away.

4) Ana Maria Torres (26-3-3) – Recently the Mexico City prizefighter beat fellow Mexican icon Jackie Nava in their rematch. Their first fight ended in a draw. Torres moved up two weight divisions to fight and now plans to move back down. Why? There are some very compelling fights in the bantamweight division. Torres knows how to fight inside or outside.

5) Melinda Cooper (21-1) – Las Vegas prizefighter Cooper is one of the better secrets outside of the boxing circles. Inside, she’s feared and avoided despite a lack of fights in recent years. The pretty brunette is one of the most exciting female boxers today and a fight against Torres would be one for the ages. The bantamweight divisions and higher are loaded with talent. Cooper is among the best in the bantamweights and could easily move up.

6) Mariana Juarez (30-5-3) – The Barbie of Mexico is a fighting machine who fights almost every three months. She’s extremely popular in Mexico and though her knockout ratio has slowed, she is one of the more complete fighters in the world today. Early in her career she fought Ana Maria Torres four times. Juarez is currently a flyweight but can fight all the way to super bantamweight if necessary. She’s slender but strong.

7) Susi Kentikian (28-0) – Her recent clash with fellow flyweight Arely Mucino showed that a fight outside of Germany might not be a good idea. She suffered a cut in that fight and will be fighting soon. Speed is one of her assets but she does not fight outside of Germany. We’ll never know how good she is.

8) Kina Malpartida (13-3) – Peru’s only world champion in any sport has used her height and speed to near perfection. Though a native of Peru she trains in Southern California and has quickly added more weapons to her arsenal. With her long arms she can make a fight very easy but prefers to scrap on occasion. Maybe too much.

9) Jeanine Garside (10-3-1) – The featherweight from Canada is a fighting machine who captured the world title in a convincing defeat of Ina Menzer a year ago. She hasn’t fought since then but has three successive wins against Menzer, Lindsay Garbatt and Dominga Olivo. All are very good prizefighters.

10) Kaliesha West (14-1-3) – The super quick West recently traveled to Colima, Mexico and won by decision against a Mexican fighter in her native country. That’s not an easy feat at all. The bantamweight speedster from Moreno Valley, California is scheduled to fight in October in Mexico once more. She’s another very talented bantamweight in perhaps female boxing’s deepest division.

11) Jennifer Barber (10-1) – Rumors abound that the Southern Californian plans to retire. Her win in Korea to capture the world title is proof of her tremendous talent. Barber is a schooled boxer who knows how to use her height and strength mixed with footwork. Fights are hard to come by for Barber who was a National Champion as an amateur.

12) Ana Julaton (9-2-1) – San Francisco’s treat will be fighting in Mexico against a Mexican prizefighter known for being able to fight the best. Julaton has no patience for set up fights and plans to defend her junior featherweight world title against rival champion Chanttel Martinez of Panama in the near future. The Filipina boxer is one of her country’s most popular athletes.

Honorable mention

Jackie Nava

Ava Knight

Ina Menzer

Lisa Brown

Yesica Bopp

Ada Velez

Cecilia Braekhus