P4P Rankings: Welterweights gone wild

Anyone who has studied boxing history even a little bit can’t be surprised to learn that a welterweight sits atop Yahoo! Sports’ March rankings. Or that another welterweight is at No. 2. And that welterweights are also slotted at Nos. 3 and 4.

Throughout the history of the highly unofficial and extremely subjective pound-for-pound rankings, welterweights have dominated the list. Pound-for-pound rankings really began when Sugar Ray Robinson was so dominant. Media and boxing historians of the day struggled to find a way to explain how good Robinson was, so they created this type of ranking. The thought behind them – which remains to this day – was that if everyone weighed the same, who would be the best fighters?

In 1999, the Associated Press surveyed boxing experts and chose Robinson as the greatest fighter of the 20th century. It also tabbed him as the greatest welterweight and the greatest middleweight of the century.

Welterweights have dominated the pound-for-pound list over the past 20 or 25 years as well. Manny Pacquiao leads the Yahoo! Sports list now and was preceded by Floyd Mayweather Jr.; both are welterweights.

Roy Jones Jr. is the only non-welterweight to have topped the list since the mid-1990s. Welterweights Pernell Whitaker and Oscar De La Hoya briefly held the mantle, at least in some quarters, in the mid-to-late ’90s. At the start of the 21st century, welterweight Shane Mosley sat atop some lists.

Mayweather or Pacquiao has led most pound-for-pound polls since Jones was knocked out by Antonio Tarver in 2004. Pacquiao, Mayweather and Mosley are nearing the ends of their careers. Paul Williams, who says he still can fight at welterweight, may be able to ascend to the top of the list at some point, but if he does become No. 1, he’ll probably be a super welterweight or a middleweight.

There are two fighters in the relatively short term – say, the next two to three years – and one for the long term who may maintain the welterweight division’s stranglehold on the pound-for-pound list.

Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander each hold super-lightweight titles now, and each man has a number of significant upcoming fights in the 140-pound division – most notably against each other at some point. It’s not hard to envision one or both of them eventually making the move to 147 and being in a position to succeed Pacquiao and Mayweather at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.

In the long term, a fighter to watch is a 17-year-old with just three professional fights: Jose Benavidez Jr.

Benavidez is 3-0 with three knockouts but hasn’t faced anyone more of a threat than a Shih Tzu puppy. Trained by the great Freddie Roach, Benavidez was a highly sought amateur with the kind of frame that would allow him to fight at welterweight and the kind of talent that makes promoters drool. He’s four or five years away from being ready for that kind of competition, but don’t be surprised if you see Benavidez in the No. 1 spot in the Yahoo! Sports rankings – as a welterweight, of course – in 2015 or 2016.

With that, let’s take a look at this month’s rankings:

Pacquiao

1. Manny Pacquiao
Points: 269 (26 of 27 first-place votes)
Record: 51-3-2 (38 KOs)
Title: WBO welterweight champion
Last outing:: W12 over Joshua Clottey on March 13
Previous ranking:: 1
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Bout with Mayweather would be richest ever

Mayweather

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Points: 243 (1 of 27 first-place votes)
Record: 40-0 (25 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing:: W12 over No. 6 Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19
Previous ranking:: 2
Up next: May 1 fight vs. No. 3 Shane Mosley in Las Vegas
Analysis: The game’s best defensive fighter

Williams

3 (tie). Paul Williams
Points: 174
Record: 38-1 (27 KOs)
Title: WBO junior middleweight champion
Last outing:: W12 over Sergio Martinez on Dec. 5
Previous ranking:: 4
Up next: May 8 vs. TBA
Analysis:Can be a factor at 147, 154 and 160

Mosley

3 (tie). Shane Mosley
Points: 184
Record: 46-5 (39 KOs)
Title: WBA welterweight champion
Last outing:: TKO9 over Antonio Margarito on Jan. 24, 2009
Previous ranking:: 4
Up next: May 1 vs. No. 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas
Analysis: Will fight on 17-month layoff

Hopkins

5. Bernard Hopkins
Points: 141
Record: 50-5-1 (32 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing:: W12 over Enrique Ornelas on Dec. 2
Previous ranking:: 5
Up next: vs. Roy Jones Jr. on April 3 in Las Vegas
Analysis:Fight with Jones to settle old score

J.M. Marquez

6. Juan Manuel Marquez
Points: 93
Record: 50-5-1 (37 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBO lightweight champion
Last outing:: L12 to No. 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 19
Previous ranking:: 6
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis: Inexplicably declined super-lightweight title bout with Amir Khan

Abraham

7. Arthur Abraham
Points: 92
Record: 31-0 (25 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing:: TKO12 Jermain Taylor on Oct. 17
Previous ranking:: 8
Up next: March 27 vs. Andre Dirrell in Detroit
Analysis: Inspired to box by watching Mike Tyson fight

Dawson

8. Chad Dawson
Points: 82
Record: 28-0 (17 KOs)
Title: Interim WBC light heavyweight champion
Last outing:: W12 over Glen Johnson on Nov. 7
Previous ranking:: 8
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis: Hasn’t faced fighter younger than 39 in more than two years.

W. Klitschko

9. Wladimir Klitschko
Points: 59
Record: 53-3 (47 KOs)
Title: IBF, WBO heavyweight champion
Last outing:: TKO9 over Ruslan Chagaev on June 20
Previous ranking:: 9
Up next: March 20 vs. Eddie Chambers in Dusseldorf, Germany
Analysis: Extremely gifted big man

Bradley

10. Timothy Bradley
Points: 33
Record: 25-0 (11 KOs)
Title: WBO super lightweight champion
Last outing:: W12 Lamont Peterson on Dec. 12
Previous ranking:: NR
Up next: June 26 vs. Luis Carlos Abregu in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Analysis: Solid all-around fighter in a tough division

Others receiving votes: Juan Manuel Lopez, 28; Miguel Cotto, 17; Ivan Calderon, 14; Vitali Klitschko, 12; Sergio Martinez, 11; Yuriorkis Gamboa, 10; Israel Vazquez, 7; Chris John, 6; Hozumi Hasegawa, 5; Celestino Caballero, 3; Devon Alexander, 1; Andre Ward, 1.

Source: Kevin Iole  | Yahoo! Sports