Thursday, Oct. 15 3:41pm ET
Boxing's best: pound-for-pound
By
Howie Schwab
ESPN.com
The so-called pound-for-pound championship is simply a two-horse race. Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones continue to play the game of "Can you top this" with solid performances in recent wins.
The most recent salvo came when De La Hoya battered Julio Cesar Chavez. Next up is a challenge against a talented but rusty fighter in Ike Quartey. This November showdown will be interesting.
Roy Jones Jr. has been staying busy, beating quality opponents. He has also added to his collection of belts with an impressive win over WBA light heavyweight champion Lou Del Valle.
Jones displayed all of the attributes which make him the pound-for-pound leader: speed, power, ability to make the other fighter miss. He even added some excitement by suffering his first pro knockdown; that was the only round Del Valle won!
For now, the rankings:
1. Roy Jones Jr., WBC and WBA light heavyweight
He has shown a lot this year, including a knockout of former champion
Virgil Hill. Del Valle, a quality foe and light heavyweight champion of
the WBA, scored a knockdown but that was the lone lowlight for Jones. Next
up is a battle against another champion, Otis Grant. Jones wants the public
to recognize his talent ... OK, we'll buy into that!
1-A. Oscar De La Hoya, WBC welterweight
De La Hoya looked impressive once again, beating up Chavez until the
fight ended after round eight. De La Hoya has earned the respect of his
opponent. The Quartey bout could be a challenge since each fighter has
power.
3. Shane Mosley, IBF lightweight
He is destined to make a dent in the boxing world because he keeps
busy, honing his boxing skills. His win over unbeaten Eduardo Morales stood
out. Mosley remains unbeaten and he displays speed and power. The potential
for greater success is there.
4. Naseem Hamed, WBO featherweight
Love him or hate him, he is still a champion. He's taken some time
off and his next bout will be against Wayne McCullough. That shouldn't
be too tough. Hamed has taken on better competition, and his win over aging
Wilfredo Vazquez was impressive. He is certainly one of the more marketable
fighters out there.
5. Felix Trinidad, IBF welterweight
Trinidad is anxious for a big-money fight. His most recent challenge
was little more than a tune-up and it is time for something better. A potential
bout vs. Quartey fell through. Trinidad moves down without a major fight;
he needs to get back in the spotlight.
6. Evander Holyfield, WBA/IBF heavyweight
So Evander had an off night against Vaughn Bean. He's entitled to it,
though there are times he goes to the level of his competition. There is
always the debate of where heavyweights rank in this discussion. You can't
take anything away from Evander, who is one of the greatest boxers of all-time.
Let's hope a Holyfield-Lewis showdown takes place in the near future, but
don't bet on it happening. It will probably be Henry Akinwande next on
the docket.
7. Floyd Mayweather, WBC junior lightweight
The youngster was the first member of the most recent U. S. Olympic
team to earn a world title. His victory over veteran Genaro Hernandez was
impressive; remember, Hernandez's lone loss before that came against Oscar
De La Hoya. Mayweather is likely to face an ambitious challenge against
Angel Manfredy in December.
8. Vince Phillips, IBF junior welterweight
He made big noise with a stunning upset of Kostya Tszyu, and he has
been solid ever since. Now big-name fighters are avoiding him. Phillips
clearly is more comfortable at 140 pounds than at 147, and his hard work
has finally paid off.
9. Ricardo Lopez, WBC strawweight
Lopez was fortunate to keep his belts when his fight against WBA champion
Rosendo Alvarez was stopped; it ended up being a controversial draw after
going to the scorecards.
10. Ike Quartey, WBA welterweight
Quartey gets his chance to make it big time against De La Hoya. Enough
said.
11. Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson, IBF flyweight
He continued to impress, though he could not knock out Luis Rolon.
Too Sharp would love to face Johnny Tapia down the line. It looks like
Tapia's first order of business is a rematch against Danny Romero. A Tapia-Johnson
showdown would be outstanding.
12. Freddie Norwood
He was stripped of his WBA belt for failing to make weight, but he's
still a great fighter. He could move up and get another belt or two. They
call him Lil Hagler, but he has his own success in the ring. It's time
people recognize this dangerous fighter. He's been active, which helps.
Others considered: Frankie Liles, Joe Calzaghe, Fernando Vargas, Angel Manfredy, Kennedy Mc Kinney and Johnny Tapia.