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By Ed C. Tolentino, Contributor
WHILE The Ring magazine, the acknowledged Bible
of Boxing, has yet to officially put it in print, it is a foregone
conclusion that WBC junior lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao will
ascend to the No.1 spot of the magazine’s pound-for-pound ranking
of the best fighters in the world.
The retirement of WBC welterweight champion
Floyd Mayweather paved the way for Pacquiao’s ascension to the top
spot of the elite list. For some time now, the two fighters have
been locked in a heated race for boxing’s mythical yet highly
acclaimed plum.
Pacquiao first merited pound-for-pound attention
when he dismantled Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003.
While no title was at stake, Barrera was at the time recognized as
the “people’s featherweight champion” and occupied a lofty
ranking in the pound-for-pound list. Pacquiao then went full
throttle in January 2006 when he became the first boxer to stop Erik
“El Terrible” Morales. Pacquiao repeated the trick 10 months
later, annihilating Morales in just three rounds.
Pacquiao, 46-3-2, with 36 knockouts, is set to
battle David Diaz on June 29 for the WBC lightweight title. A win
will give the Filipino a fourth world title. Pacquiao is already in
the record books for being the only Asian fighter to win three world
titles in as many divisions.
Mayweather, for his part, claimed the top spot
by moving up and winning just about every title available. In May
2007, Mayweather defeated Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC junior
middleweight title—his fifth world crown in as many weight
categories. Mayweather had previously won titles in the junior
lightweight, lightweight, jr. welterweight and welterweight
divisions. Late in the year, Mayweather stopped the previously
unbeaten Ricky Hatton for the WBC welterweight title. At the time of
his “retirement,” Mayweather flaunted an unbeaten record of
38-0, 24 knockouts.
“I really think Pacquiao should be considered
that [No.1 in the pound-for-pound list,]” said promoter Bob Arum.
“I don’t think Mayweather can beat either [Miguel] Cotto [WBA
welterweight king] or Shane Mosley [former lightweight and
welterweight champ].”
Boxing superstar Oscar De La Hoya, who now
moonlights as promoter, agrees that Pacquiao has a solid claim to
the top spot of the pound-for-pound ranking.
“Pacquiao is definitely the most exciting
fighter in the world and there’s no arguments that people call him
the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” said De La Hoya.
The pound-for-pound ranking of The Ring magazine
is the one that is generally recognized by boxing fans as the
genuine list. The magazine first published its list of the top
pound-for-pound fighters in the sport in January 1990. The idea
behind the creation of the pound-for-pound ranking is to create a
realm where boxing fans can debate on how their favorite fighters
would fare against other great boxers of the past and present,
disregarding the weight difference and focusing solely on the
boxers’ skills.
Other fighters who had won acclaim as
pound-for-pound king include Roy Jones Jr., Pernell Whitaker and
Julio Cesar Chavez.
Pacquiao now joins them in the honor roll.
“It is with great pride and honor, in behalf
of my family, that I receive this award from the people who are in
the boxing business. Without them, there is no Manny Pacquiao,
without the fans, there is not much inspiration for boxers like me
to train harder and give more exciting fights,” wrote Pacquiao in
his column for Philboxing.com.
“I know my responsibility to the sport is to
maintain a high level of competitiveness and to be its Ambassador of
Goodwill wherever I go and whatever I do, especially on top of the
ring. These awards, especially the No.1 pound-for-pound title, make
me strive to work harder each day and elevate my game to another
level. I also intend to keep the No. 1 pound-for-pound Most Exciting
Figther title as well.
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