Everyone will have a different opinion on who they believe are the best boxers in the world today, despite what the official pound-for-pound rankings may suggest.
You might see some familiar names pop up time and time again, and rightfully so as they often overcome the toughest opponents to stake their claim as the best on the planet.
TOUGH CHOICES
Ever since Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement from the sport, though, it’s been tricky finding the successor that will sit on the throne for years to come.
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Recently, the unbeaten American Andre Ward was moved into the top spot and now has the honour of being called the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.
That was probably helped by the fact that Gennady Golovkin picked up a somewhat controversial win over Daniel Jacobs, while Roman Gonzalez was controversially beaten with his record now standing at 46-1.
While it’s difficult for fans to pick their top five, that question was pitted to the Son of God, and even he had a tough time putting together his list – with the catch that he can’t include himself.
Speaking to FightHype, he explained: “It’s hard to say where everybody sits. It’s hard, man.
“It’s about personal opinion. It should be made up of guys who are fighting the best. Then, you have to look at how they did against the best.”
TOP FIVE
In fifth spot, he went for fellow unbeaten American Keith Thurman, who recently defeated Danny Garcia in a highly anticipated welterweight contest and handed him his first professional loss in the process.
It came as no surprise to see Vasyl Lomachenko make the cut, and the exciting Ukrainian may only have a 9-1 professional record, but the skills he’s displayed in his dominating victories often results in him topping most rankings and receive glowing reviews.
Ward put Saul Alvarez in at third as he prepares to take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr before moving up to middleweight for good, while his second pick was Terence Crawford – another exciting star that has had fantastic reviews as he’s set to take on Felix Diaz in May.
His number one pick was rather surprising, as he claimed – other than himself – Guillermo Rigondeaux is the pound-for-pound best.
While it’s still a great shout, you could argue that inactivity and the level of recent opponents he’s faced shouldn't be enough to be in that top spot, but Ward had his reasons.
He explained: “No one gives him the credit he deserves, 300 amateur fights, two [Olympic] gold medals, but they do not give him the recognition.”
While Manny Pacquiao and Chocolatito were notable exclusions, perhaps it wasn’t surprising to see that he left Triple G out of his top five, with rumours claiming that they could be set to meet next year.
Not seeing Sergey Kovalev there isn’t too surprising either, even though he’s second to Ward in the official rankings, as both men have made it clear they don’t really like each other.
What do you make of Andre Ward’s pound-for-pound top five? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.
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