BBC pound-for-pound world rankings


Staff at the BBC Sport website have banged their heads together and compiled a list of the world's top-10 boxers, pound-for-pound.

Taking weight out of the equation, this subjective list factors in fighters' recent results, as well as their style, resilience and punching power.

The list will be updated periodically and should be treated as a talking point. Let the debate begin!


1. Floyd Mayweather - Welterweight
United States (39 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws, 24KOs)
Mayweather outgunned Ricky Hatton in every department to re-assert his right to the top spot. He must surely now stand comparison to the greatest lower-middle weight fighters in history.


2. Manny Pacquiao - Super-featherweight
Philippines (46-3-2, 35KOs)
The all-action Pacquiao pipped Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez in March to claim the WBC super-featherweight crown and faces WBC lightweight champion David Diaz in June.


3. Joe Calzaghe - Super-middleweight
Wales (45-0, 32KOs)
Calzaghe outpointed Bernard Hopkins on his US and light-heavyweight debut to remain undefeated and may now fight the great Roy Jones Jr later this year.


4. Miguel Cotto - Welterweight
Puerto Rico (32-0, 26KOs)
Former light-welterweight world champion and current WBA welterweight title-holder Cotto demolished Alfonso Gomez and will now face IBF title-holder Antonio Margarito in July.


5. Juan Manuel Marquez - Super-featherweight
Mexico (48-4-1, 35KOs)
Lost his WBC super-featherweight title in his rematch with Manny Pacquiao, but remains one of the sport's most canny operators at the age of 34.


6. Israel Vazquez - Super-bantamweight
Mexico (43-4, 31KOs)
Vazquez reclaimed his WBC belt from Rafael Marquez in August and nicked the rubber match in March. A relentless fighter with a vicious left hook.


7. Winky Wright - Light-heavyweight
United States (51-4-1, 25KOs)
Wright dropped a unanimous decision to Bernard Hopkins in July, his first loss in seven years, although many thought it was far closer than that.

8. Kelly Pavlik - Middleweight
United States (33-0, 29KOs)
Pavlik claimed the undisputed middleweight title from Jermain Taylor in 2007 and defends his crown against Wales' Gary Lockett in Atlantic City in June

9. Antonio Margarito - Welterweight
Mexico (36-5, 26KOs)
Margarito destroyed Kermit Cintron in April and now faces another Puerto Rican, Miguel Cotto, in a welterweight unification showdown in New York in July.


10. Ricky Hatton - Light-welterweight
England (43-1, 31KOs)
Hatton was outboxed by Floyd Mayweather in December but the Hitman returns to action against Juan Lazcano in Manchester in May.

BBC SPORT | Boxing | BBC pound-for-pound world rankings

The phrase has been getting on my nerves a little bit because of it's overuse. It's natural with the way the game is going I suppose. Titles have lost all meaning now and are little more than jokes so boxers just fight who they want. That usually means either; who will be a big draw and get good tv money, or who they think they can beat with little trouble. In this atmosphere I can see why some people are thowing the pound for pound phrase about like it's an actual qualification and not a mere opinion piece that doesn't mean anything.

That list is laughable


No way does Ricky Hatton, Margarito or Winky Wright belong on that list

Pacman should not be that high either, as he has been feasting on senior citizens for a while now

But I guess its all about opinions