TOP 20 POUND FOR POUND BOXERS 2015/16
It’s been another interesting, exciting, controversial and monumental year in the world of boxing. As with each year, due to fights in the year there have been much movement in the world of the pound for pound list.
Obviously these lists will differ from person to person and there will always be a difference in opinion. But this is my list….And I’m sticking to it. At least for now 😉
1. ROMAN GONZALEZ – 44W 38KO 0L
Although not a household name to the masses, if you knew anything about boxing you would know this is superstar of a fighter who is a master technician in the ring. He mixes great movement, with superb power punches in both hands and slick defence. He has stopped his last 10 opponents and 15 of his last 16. He is now a three weight world champion, having captured the WBC flyweight title to add to the light flyweight and strawweight belts.
However, there have been reservations about the quality of opponents in the lower weights. With that being said, he is due for a mega fight rematch against Juan Estrada, who was the only person to take him 12 rounds in his last 16 fights. Estrada is a top 20 p4p fighter in his own right.
2. SERGEY KOVALEV – 28W 25KO 1D 0L
The powerful Russian has blasted his way to making the light heavyweight division relevant and is undoubtedly the man in the division. In three short years he has captured the WBO title, then the IBF & WBA titles from Bernard Hopkins who was the only opponent in his last 7 to go the distance. Kovalev is a powerhouse of a puncher who likes to walk down his opponents and deliver bone crunching shots to the head and body.
He is an exciting, walk forward fighter and has been seeking out fights to capture the public’s imagination, such as a rematch with Pascal. If he comes through that, a possible mega fight showdown awaits with either Stevenson or Ward.
3. GENNADY GOLOVKIN – 34W 31KO 0L
He had a very productive year with three stoppage wins, capturing the IBF middleweight title to add to his WBA and WBC interim title. He seems to be walking through the middleweight division with relative ease and has stopped his last 20 opponents dating back to 2008.
He possesses tremendous power and strength with an array of devastating and varied punches and deceivingly good footwork. This may be the reason why he has been a much avoided fighter and possibly still in need of a real top quality opponent to cement his position in this list.
4. TERENCE CRAWFORD – 27W 19KO 0L
Every time I see him fight I become even more impressed. I believe he’s constantly improving and learning, and can go on to achieve even more than he has already. He is a highly skilled boxer with a combination of speed, slick boxing, accurate shots and power punches. He has shown the ability to both brawl and fight on the outside, a possible total package.
He is already a two weight world champion having move up to capture the light welterweight crown to add to the lightweight title he previously held. His exciting nature has seen him get caught by shots but come out on top. This has prompted many to question how he will fear against any big punchers in the heavier weight divisions.
5. ANDRE WARD – 28W 15KO 0L
If it wasn’t for his injury problems and inactivity he would be higher on this list. But he has only fought three times in the last three years. Still, it’s a testament to his considerable abilities that he is so high up. Ward is effectively a slick defensive operator with the ability to take away an opponents strengths with movement and accurate punches, then pick them apart.
What makes him so unique is that he has the ability to attack and hurt opponents and he’s not just content with “pot shotting” like most so called defensive fighters. He will however, need to be more active in the coming years if he is to maintain his position on this list.
6. GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX – 16W 10KO 0L
This is a fighter that everyone would agree has undoubted talent. The issue is his inactivity in and ultimately, outside of the ring, which has caused him to technically be stripped of his WBA & WBO super bantamweight titles.
Personally I love to watch him fight, although he’s known as a defensive fighter. He does possess a superior skill set with pin point punch accuracy, is lighting quick and has movement not often seen in the ring. But he does suffer from being almost too good for his own good and being a bit too negative in fights.
Only when he’s really pushed do you see his high level quality but unfortunately that’s few and far between. Now, for him to remain in the top ten, he really needs to only take mega fights, in order for him to actually prove just how good we all think he is.
7. SAUL CANELO ALVAREZ – 46W 32KO 1D 1L
The Mexican superstar had a very productive 2015 with one of the knockouts of the year against Kirkland and the highly anticipated tough points victory against Cotto, where he captured the WBC middleweight title. This made him a three weight title holder, adding to the welterweight and light middleweight titles he’d previously won.
He’s a strong and powerful fighter who’s prepared to fight anyone head on. He still is only 25 so has youth on his side, but is a veteran of 47 fights and that experience is invaluable. Scary that he’s improving with every year and could really be a dominant champion for years to come.
8. MANNY PACQUIAO – 57W 38KO 2D 6L
Recent defeat to Floyd Mayweather aside, he has been the elite fighter for some years. It’s not just due to the defeat why he has fallen down the top ten but he’s 37 now and will not have many fights left in him.
It will be interesting to see where he goes now and who will be his next opponent, as it will determine how long he will remain in the top ten or even on the list. With that being said, I’m sure many would want the opportunity to take this wounded animal out.
But although he was dominated, he wasn’t beaten up by Floyd. He will want to make a statement in his next fight, to demonstrate he still is a force with his blistering speed and exception power for maybe one last hooray.
9. TIMOTHY BRADLEY – 33W 13KO 1D 1L 1NC
I must admit I have never been totally convinced by Bradley, but I cannot deny his pedigree. He’s never in a dull fight, never takes a back step and takes on all comers. He’s a two weight world champion having won the WBO welterweight to add to the light welterweight title he won previously.
He’s a strong, all action, machine like brawler, who doesn’t necessary do one thing great, but is a good boxer, with the combination of strength, heart, will, determination and an everlasting engine.
He has used this combination to help force his way into the upper echelon’s of boxing, with only a defeat to Pacquiao on his record. Another who believes he’s been an avoided fighter but is pushing for a rubber match with Pacquiao.
10. TYSON FURY – 25W 18KO 0L
Many may question this decision. But regardless of how poor the fight against Klitschko was, he still won and antics aside, how can you not recognise a man who dethroned the previous 11 year undefeated heavyweight champion?
The fact of the matter is before him, 20 fighters tried and failed, including the likes of David Haye, Alexander Povetkin, Tony Thompson (twice) and Hasam Rahman. But only Fury managed to solve the puzzle.
Obviously, more will be known and revealed when they rematch, most likely in 2016. But for now, you have to give props to Fury and his rangy style. His ability to fight at length and mix it on the inside when necessary. Also his underrated jab and for such a big fella, his defensive movement to keep his opponent constantly off-balanced and guessing.
11. WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO – 64W 53KO 4L
It’s a bit harsh that an 11 year unbeaten champion has been knocked out of the top 10 following one defeat. But it was the manor of the defeat that has made him drop so severely.
Wladimir did not go out on his sword so to speak, he went out with a whimper. It’s one thing to win a poor fight, but to lose one does not bold well. I suppose only time will tell for us to fully gauge the caliber of Fury as an opponent. But to me Klitschko seemed to age in that fight and with him already being 39, and near the end of his career, it makes more sense for him to drop below the new champ. However, it could all change again after the rematch.
12. SHINSUKE YAMANAKA – 24W 17KO 2D 0L
It’s very likely that not much will be known about this Japanese WBC bantamweight world champion. That is possibly to do with the fact that all his fights have been in Japan. That is also the reason he is not in my top ten.
With that being said, he’s a beautifully balanced southpaw, who loves to put punches together and has a lethal, arrow of a straight left hand, that not many can stand up to. He already has 9 defences of his title, but probably may need to travel and come out of his comfort zone to fight better opponents, in order to get more recognition or break into the top ten.
13. JUAN FRANCISCO ESTRADA – 33W 24KO 2L
He’s the current WBA & WBO flyweight title holder and lost a close points decision to my current no1 p4p boxer Roman Gonzalez, being the only fighter to take him 12 rounds since 2011. He’s a tough, strong, Mexican puncher/brawler, who is equally comfortable fighting on the front or back foot.
He loves dragging fighters into brawls then unleashing a barrage of punches to the head and body that opponents find too much to contain with. He’s been campaigning for a mega unification rematch with Roman Gonzalez which will be huge for the lower weight division.
14. DANNY GARCIA – 31W 18KO 0L
The former WBC & WBA super lightweight title holder is despite a few dubious and close wins, still undefeated and still a player the boxing world.
Regardless of what people may say about his career, he has some decent names on his record and seems to have this knack of somehow, always finding a way to win. This is extremely important in the sport. He has now moved up to the more lucrative welterweight division for a piece of that action. It will be interesting to see if his power will move up with him as he can really make some serious noise.
15. ADONIS STEVENSON – 28W 22KO 1L
Possibly another that might raise a few eyebrows for being on this list. But at the and of the day, since he moved up to light heavyweight to destroy Chad Dawson in one round over two years ago, he has been on real tear in the division. It’s just as well because at 38 he’s not getting any younger.
Since being in the division he has stoppage victories of Tavoris Cloud and Tony Bellew along with a hard-fought points win over tough Polishman Andrzej Fonfara, where he had to come through some adversity and a tough win over veteran Sakio Bika. So you cant deny his pedigree. A showdown with Kovalev is a must to see exactly where he is though.
16. NICOLAS WALTERS 27w 26KO 1D 0L
This Jamaican native burst onto the scene a few years back and has taken the featherweight division by storm ever since.
He is a tall, rangy puncher who throws a variety of shots from all angles and is extremely strong and powerful for his weight class. Up until this year, he had stopped all of his 26 opponents. Unfortunately this year has not been too great. He lost his WBA featherweight title for failing to make the weight in his 27th fight, which he won comfortably on points.
Following that victory, in one of the most outrageous decisions, he scored a draw in his last fight, which he clearly and easily won on points to put the only blemish on his record. There have been talk of him moving up to super featherweight or even lightweight.
17. DEONTAY WILDER 35W 34KO 0L
Many may still not be convinced by him but you cannot deny him having a version of the heavyweight crown and his record speaks for itself.
He has dynamite in both hands and a knockout record that has to be respected. Also, despite what everyone may say, his fight against Stiverne, to win the title, his only fight to go the distance was a corker and a great advert for the heavyweight division.
What he really needs to do now is get some more credible names on his record and look to unify the titles. This means no more mandatory defences and only mega fights.
18 DANIEL JACOBS 31W 28KO 1L
The miracle man has come from nowhere to burst onto the pound for pound scene. He has gone from having life threatening bone cancer in 2011, to becoming the WBA middleweight champion three years later.
His devastating one round demolition of fellow Brooklyn native Quillin solidified his entry into the p4p list. He has stopped all nine of his opponents since coming back from cancer and only one of those fighters managed to get into the second half of the fight.
19. LEO SANTA CRUZ 31W 17KO 1D 0L
There is no debate about his talent. This tough Mexican is a skilled technician who likes to come forward and throw punches, working the head and body tirelessly. The doubt is about either his motivation or his desire.
Many have previously criticised and accused him of “ducking” many of the top fighters in his division. If it wasn’t for him moving up to featherweight to fight Abner Mares in August, where he won the WBA belt in a hard-fought points decision. He wouldn’t be on this list at all. I feel what he does next could still determine whether he stays on this list though.
20. TAKASHI UCHIYAMA 23w 19KO 1D 0L
If Yamanaka is on this list then he has to be on here also. Both are Japanese and have fought all their fights in Japan. They have similar records, but Uchiyama is three years older, has a better knockout record and has been the WBA super featherweight champion since 2010.
Only difference is Uchiyama has faced the lesser names and this is why he is lower. He does however, possess tremendous power in both hands and always comes to fight. He also has a highlight reel of devastating knockouts. At 36 though, I doubt he has any desire to travel in order to look for bigger named opposition.
BOXERS JUST MISSING OUT
PETER QUILLIN – 32W 23KO 1L
ERISLANDY LARA – 22W 13KO 2D 2L
MIGUEL COTTO – 40W 33KO 5L
KELL BROOK – 35W 24KO 0L
AMIR KHAN – 31W 19KO 3L
DONNIE NIETES – 37W 21KO 4D 1L
CARL FRAMPTON – 21W 14KO 0L
LUIS ORTIZ – 24W 21KO 2NC 1L
