Doghouse Boxing’s Official Top 20 Pound-for-Pound Boxers 2nd Quarter 2009

Doghouse Boxing’s Official Top 20 Pound-for-Pound Boxers 2nd Quarter 2009

By Brandon Estrict for Doghouse Boxing (June 3, 2009)

1. Manny Pacquiao (Super Lightweight – 140 lb.) Hard to argue the results. Pacquiao has elevated his standing in sport to ATG status.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Welterweight – 147 lb.) I had been ready to give him his #1 spot back upon announcing he was once again an active fighter, but Manny Pacquiao has earned it for now until either a head-to-head clash, or a dominant victory over JMM.

3. Juan Manuel Marquez ( Lightweight – 135 lb.) Only Mayweather’s return knocked him down a spot, so he can realistically claim number 1 position with a convincing victory over Floyd next month.

4. Bernard Hopkins (Light Heavyweight – 175 lb.) The Executioner sitting pretty for the moment, an announcement as to his next opponent is expected sooner than later.

5. Shane Mosley (Welteweight – 147 lb.) Still looking to follow up his dominant win over Margarito, hoping for a shot at Mayweather or Pacquiao.

6. Paul Williams ( Middleweight – 160 lb.) Hard to argue shutting out Winky Wright. Has anyone EVER looked good against Winky before, let alone win every round?

7. Ivan Calderon (Light Flyweight – 108 lb.) Boxing’s most underappreciated superstar, looks to shine on Cotto-Clottey undercard.

8. Vic Darchinyan (Bantamweight – 118 lb.) On an unbelievable run, next stop: Joseph Agbeko at Bantamweight. The biggest I put my balls on Ebay and got no takers in boxing.

9. Miguel Cotto (Welterweight – 147 lb.) Returned to form in crushing Jennings, but real test awaits him June 13th in Clottey.

10. Nonito Donaire (Flyweight – 112 lb.) Awesome talent, figures to climb higher on the list and remain there for years once competition and activity pick up.

11. Chad Dawson (Light Heavyweight – 175 lb.) Has a few things to work on, but clearly the best in the division along with Johnson, only it didn’t take him very long to establish himself. Bright future ahead.

12. Kelly Pavlik (Middleweight – 160 lb.) Competition has been lacking as of late, but still the undisputed Middleweight Champion of the world and unbeaten at 160 lb.

13. Arthur Abraham (Middleweight – 160 lb.) Was tested against Simon last time out, still the 1a Middleweight in the world, Pavlik clash will tell the whole story.

14. Juan Manuel Lopez (Super bantamweight – 122 lb.) Breaks through after pounding an older but game Penalosa into submission. If he stays the course, could be a future number 1.

15. Celestino Caballero (Super Bantamweight – 122 lb.) Not as convincing last time out, but still one of the top 3 super-bantams in the world.

16. Joshua Clottey ( Welterweight – 147 lb.) Has been inactive, but took Judah to school last time out and looks to prove his mettle against Cotto in 2 weeks.

17. Mikkel Kessler(Super Middleweight – 168 lb.) Inactivity has him lower on the list than his talent would dictate he should be. Needs to sort through his management/promotional problems and get back to business.

18. David Haye (Heavyweight) Not so common to have a Heavy on the list, but in terms of raw talent, speed and power, Haye could be the total package and is the only Klitschko opponent in recent years to inspire hope from boxing fans.

19. Glencoffe Johnson (Light Heavyweight – 175 lb.) Longevity. Glen Johnson has been at the top of the division for years and years and is almost criminally overlooked.

20. Timothy Bradley (Super Lightweight – 140 lb.) Great win in coming off the deck to outpoint Kendall Holt and unify a couple of trinkets. Expect big things from this kid, next fight this August against Joan Guzman!

Rafael Marquez and Israel Vasquez have fallen off of this list due to inactivity. Marquez returned two Saturdays ago to KO an unheralded opponent, but will need a stiffer test in order for us to determine what he’s got left after his wars with Vasquez. Izzy is slated to make his return to the ring, possibly in August against a soft-touch in order to determine what’s left of his career. We’ll be rooting for them.

Antonio Margarito has fallen off of this list due to his last KO loss to Mosley, and with the suspension hanging over his head, it’d be senseless to have him occupy a spot that could go to an active, young, hungry fighter.

Ricky Hatton has fallen off of this list not solely because he lost to Pacquiao, but rather the devastating fashion in which he took that loss combined with the possibility of his storied career coming to an end soon. We wish him all the best.

THE FUTURE
*Congratulations to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Lopez for being the first FUTURE fighters of our 1st quarter edition to crack the top 20!
- Andre Dirrell
- Andre Ward
- The Perterson Brothers
- Erislandy Lara
- Victor Ortiz
- Yuriorkis Gamboa
- Carl Froch

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