By Chris Mannix, Richard O'Brien and Bryan Armen Graham, SI.com
Amir Khan cracks the top 10 after his impressive fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his return ahead of his Sept. 17 pay-per-view showdown with Victor Ortiz after being dropped from the table due to inactivity.
(Note: Results are through August 5.)
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
1
Manny Pacquiao
Welterweight
Philippines 32 53-3-2 38
The Latest: The only eight-division champion in history made future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley look hopelessly shopworn in their May 7 fight, coasting to a unanimous-decision victory. Next up: a much-anticipated third meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
2
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Welterweight
Grand Rapids, Mich. 34 41-0-0 25
The Latest: Mayweather returns to the pound-for-pound ratings after being dropped for inactivity. Idle since a lopsided points victory over Shane Mosley in May 2010, Pretty Boy Floyd will return to action on Sept. 17 against WBC welterweight champion "Vicious" Victor Ortiz.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
3
Sergio Martinez
Middleweight
Argentina 36 47-2-2 26
The Latest: The reigning Fighter of the Year, scheduled to fight England's Darren Barker on Oct. 1 at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, has taken to Twitter in his efforts to lure WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. into the ring for a December unification bout.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
4
Nonito Donaire
Bantamweight
Philippines 28 26-1-0 18
The Latest: The Filipino Flash hasn't fought since February's second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel while hashing out a contract dispute with Top Rank and Golden Boy. The WBC is threatening to strip him of the bantamweight title, though Donaire would still hold the WBO strap.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
5
Juan Manuel Marquez
Lightweight
Mexico 37 52-5-1 32
The Latest: The recognized lightweight champion marked time with an easy first-round knockout of Likar Ramos in Cancun on July 16. A much-anticipated third meeting with Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (most likely at a catchweight of 144) is next.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
6
Bernard Hopkins
Light Heavyweight
Philadelphia, Pa. 46 51-5-2 32
The Latest: What more can be said about B-Hop, who surpassed George Foreman as the oldest boxer to win a major world title with his May 21 win over Jean Pascal? "I want to box as well as I can," he said afterward, "and I think there are still great fights to come before I leave this game."
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
7
Wladimir Klitschko
Heavyweight
Ukraine 35 55-3-0 49
The Latest: A lopsided, unanimous-decision victory over David Haye might not have captured the hearts and minds of American fight fans, but it sure made some statement about Klitschko's stranglehold of boxing's bellwether division. It's been more than seven years since he lost a fight.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
8
Andre Ward
Super Middleweight
Oakland, Calif. 27 24-0-0 13
The Latest: The WBA super middleweight champion outpointed Arthur Abraham in the Super Six World Boxing Classic semifinals on May 14 in Carson, Calif. Next, Ward will face Carl Froch on Oct. 29 in the Super Six final for the WBC, WBA and vacant Ring 168-pound championships.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
9
Timothy Bradley
Junior Welterweight/Welterweight
Palm Springs, Calif. 27 27-0-0 11
The Latest: After consolidating the WBC and WBO 140-pound titles with a win over Devon Alexander in January, Bradley was slated to fight WBA titleholder Amir Khan on July 23 until a contract squabble with promoter Gary Shaw scuttled the deal. Nothing on the horizon for now.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
10
Amir Khan
Junior Welterweight
England 24 26-1-0 18
The Latest: The WBA 140-pound champion annexed the IBF belt with an impressive fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah on July 23. The Bolton puncher's ultimate goal remains a 2012 showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but he'll fight once more at junior welterweight in December.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
11
Lucian Bute
Super Middleweight
Romania 31 28-0-0 23
The Latest: Bute scored a one-punch knockout of the overmatched Jean Paul Mendy in his native homeland of Romania on July 9, marking the eighth defense of his IBF super middleweight title. Could the ninth come against former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik in the fall?
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
12
Yuriorkis Gamboa
Featherweight
Cuba 29 20-0-0 16
The Latest: Now that Gamboa is slated to fight the hard-hitting Daniel Ponce De Leon in an HBO-televised marquee featherweight matchup on Sept. 10 in Atlantic City, perhaps the long-running cold war between promotional rivals Top Rank and Golden Boy is starting to thaw.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
13
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Flyweight
Thailand 33 82-3-1 45
The Latest: Wonjongkam made the second defense of his WBC flyweight title against Takuya Kogawa, using expert counterpunching to secure a 12-round decision in Hatyai, Thailand. Next up is a WBC-mandated defense against former junior flyweight champ Edgar Sosa.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
14
Miguel Cotto
Junior Middleweight
Puerto Rico 30 36-2-0 29
The Latest: The WBA super welterweight champion showed an impressive finishing kick in a 12th-round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga in March. A second fight with Antonio Margarito -- a rematch of their controversial 2008 slugfest -- will take place on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden..
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
15
Giovanni Segura
Junior Flyweight
Mexico 29 27-1-1 23
The Latest: The pint-sized puncher is fresh off a first-round knockout of Eddy Zuniga in Toluca, Mexico. Already the WBA, WBO and Ring champion at junior flyweight, Segura is eying a shot at the 112-pound title held by Brian Viloria, who upended Julio Cesar Miranda on July 16.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/boxing/pound-for-pound-ratings/index.html#ixzz1Vjt06RFT
Amir Khan cracks the top 10 after his impressive fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah, while Floyd Mayweather Jr. makes his return ahead of his Sept. 17 pay-per-view showdown with Victor Ortiz after being dropped from the table due to inactivity.
(Note: Results are through August 5.)
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
1
Manny Pacquiao
Welterweight
Philippines 32 53-3-2 38
The Latest: The only eight-division champion in history made future Hall of Famer Shane Mosley look hopelessly shopworn in their May 7 fight, coasting to a unanimous-decision victory. Next up: a much-anticipated third meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
2
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Welterweight
Grand Rapids, Mich. 34 41-0-0 25
The Latest: Mayweather returns to the pound-for-pound ratings after being dropped for inactivity. Idle since a lopsided points victory over Shane Mosley in May 2010, Pretty Boy Floyd will return to action on Sept. 17 against WBC welterweight champion "Vicious" Victor Ortiz.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
3
Sergio Martinez
Middleweight
Argentina 36 47-2-2 26
The Latest: The reigning Fighter of the Year, scheduled to fight England's Darren Barker on Oct. 1 at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, has taken to Twitter in his efforts to lure WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. into the ring for a December unification bout.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
4
Nonito Donaire
Bantamweight
Philippines 28 26-1-0 18
The Latest: The Filipino Flash hasn't fought since February's second-round knockout of Fernando Montiel while hashing out a contract dispute with Top Rank and Golden Boy. The WBC is threatening to strip him of the bantamweight title, though Donaire would still hold the WBO strap.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
5
Juan Manuel Marquez
Lightweight
Mexico 37 52-5-1 32
The Latest: The recognized lightweight champion marked time with an easy first-round knockout of Likar Ramos in Cancun on July 16. A much-anticipated third meeting with Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (most likely at a catchweight of 144) is next.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
6
Bernard Hopkins
Light Heavyweight
Philadelphia, Pa. 46 51-5-2 32
The Latest: What more can be said about B-Hop, who surpassed George Foreman as the oldest boxer to win a major world title with his May 21 win over Jean Pascal? "I want to box as well as I can," he said afterward, "and I think there are still great fights to come before I leave this game."
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
7
Wladimir Klitschko
Heavyweight
Ukraine 35 55-3-0 49
The Latest: A lopsided, unanimous-decision victory over David Haye might not have captured the hearts and minds of American fight fans, but it sure made some statement about Klitschko's stranglehold of boxing's bellwether division. It's been more than seven years since he lost a fight.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
8
Andre Ward
Super Middleweight
Oakland, Calif. 27 24-0-0 13
The Latest: The WBA super middleweight champion outpointed Arthur Abraham in the Super Six World Boxing Classic semifinals on May 14 in Carson, Calif. Next, Ward will face Carl Froch on Oct. 29 in the Super Six final for the WBC, WBA and vacant Ring 168-pound championships.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
9
Timothy Bradley
Junior Welterweight/Welterweight
Palm Springs, Calif. 27 27-0-0 11
The Latest: After consolidating the WBC and WBO 140-pound titles with a win over Devon Alexander in January, Bradley was slated to fight WBA titleholder Amir Khan on July 23 until a contract squabble with promoter Gary Shaw scuttled the deal. Nothing on the horizon for now.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
10
Amir Khan
Junior Welterweight
England 24 26-1-0 18
The Latest: The WBA 140-pound champion annexed the IBF belt with an impressive fifth-round knockout of Zab Judah on July 23. The Bolton puncher's ultimate goal remains a 2012 showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but he'll fight once more at junior welterweight in December.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
11
Lucian Bute
Super Middleweight
Romania 31 28-0-0 23
The Latest: Bute scored a one-punch knockout of the overmatched Jean Paul Mendy in his native homeland of Romania on July 9, marking the eighth defense of his IBF super middleweight title. Could the ninth come against former middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik in the fall?
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
12
Yuriorkis Gamboa
Featherweight
Cuba 29 20-0-0 16
The Latest: Now that Gamboa is slated to fight the hard-hitting Daniel Ponce De Leon in an HBO-televised marquee featherweight matchup on Sept. 10 in Atlantic City, perhaps the long-running cold war between promotional rivals Top Rank and Golden Boy is starting to thaw.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
13
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Flyweight
Thailand 33 82-3-1 45
The Latest: Wonjongkam made the second defense of his WBC flyweight title against Takuya Kogawa, using expert counterpunching to secure a 12-round decision in Hatyai, Thailand. Next up is a WBC-mandated defense against former junior flyweight champ Edgar Sosa.
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
14
Miguel Cotto
Junior Middleweight
Puerto Rico 30 36-2-0 29
The Latest: The WBA super welterweight champion showed an impressive finishing kick in a 12th-round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga in March. A second fight with Antonio Margarito -- a rematch of their controversial 2008 slugfest -- will take place on Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden..
RANK FIGHTER AGE RECORD KOs
15
Giovanni Segura
Junior Flyweight
Mexico 29 27-1-1 23
The Latest: The pint-sized puncher is fresh off a first-round knockout of Eddy Zuniga in Toluca, Mexico. Already the WBA, WBO and Ring champion at junior flyweight, Segura is eying a shot at the 112-pound title held by Brian Viloria, who upended Julio Cesar Miranda on July 16.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/mma/boxing/pound-for-pound-ratings/index.html#ixzz1Vjt06RFT
