Tag: Boxing Junkie

Fighter of the Decade: Boxing Junkie chooses Floyd Mayweather 2-1

Boxing Junkie staffers believe Floyd Mayweather’s perfect record and overall dominance earned him Fighter of the Decade honors.

The 2010s gave us a number of future or current Hall of Famers.

Who was the best? Boxing Junkie staffers tackled that question and came up with a consensus winner: Floyd Mayweather.

Manny fighters were worthy of consideration, including Manny Pacquiao, Andre Ward, Canelo Alvarez, Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Wladimir Klitschko. However, Mayweather’s perfect record and dominance in the decade set him apart.

That’s why two Boxing Junkie staffers chose Mayweather while one opted for Ward.

Here are our choices for Fighter of the Decade and thoughts:

NORM FRAUENHEIM

Choice: Floyd Mayweather
Record in 2010s: 10-0 (2 KOs)

There’s a good argument for Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez. But Mayweather beat both of them. There might be a better argument for Andre Ward, but it’s undercut by controversy over the scoring in his first victory, a unanimous decision, over Sergey Kovalev, who lost the rematch.

Meanwhile, Mayweather only won. It wasn’t always dramatic, but there was never much debate about what happened, at least within the ropes. In addition to Pacquiao and Canelo, he beat Marcos Maidana twice, Andre Berto, Robert Guerrero, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz.

Forget Conor McGregor. It was a money-making sham and perhaps one reason to vote against Mayweather, who was fighting a MMA star but boxing novice. One reason isn’t enough to say it wasn’t Mayweather’s decade.

Floyd Mayweather’s victory over fellow superstar Manny Pacquiao (right) worked in his favor in the Fighter of the Decade debate. Al Bello / Getty Images

SEAN NAM
Choice: Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather fought seriously for only half of the decade, but clear cut decisions over contemporary great Manny Pacquiao (in 2015) and a young Canelo Alvarez (in 2013) are enough to garner him this distinction.

Those accomplishments seemed to have aged well, too, considering that just this past year Pacquiao beat up a prime Keith Thurman and Alvarez felled light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev. Wins over Miguel Cotto, before Cotto’s physical erosion truly began to show, and a still committed and dangerous Marcos Maidana, twice, bolster an impressive, if minimalist, body of work.

And there is also this: No one else epitomizes the sport’s cash-grab ethos better than Mayweather, who was involved in two of the most successful economic bonanzas ever. The first was against Pacquiao, the second UFC’s Conor McGregor.

Andre Ward (left) defeated Sergey Kovalev twice in the 2010s. AP Photo / John Locher

MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

Choice: Andre Ward
Record: 11-0 (3 KOs)

I think it comes down to Floyd Mayweather (10-0, 2 KOs) or Andre Ward (11-0, 3 KOs), both of whom were undefeated in the decade.

Manny Pacquiao (12-4, 1 KO) had a so-so record in the 2010s and lost to another contender here, Mayweather. Canelo Alvarez (23-1-1, 16 KOs) has a deep resume but never dominated an elite opponent and lost badly to Mayweather. Vasilily Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs) might have a stronger case than both Pacquiao and Alvarez but lost to Orlando Salido.

I lean toward Ward over Mayweather because I think his opposition was better overall and his opponents were nearer their peaks at the time Ward fought them than those of Mayweather. Yes, Ward’s controversial decision over Sergey Kovalev works against him but I scored that fight for Ward and, in my opinion, he left no doubt in the rematch.

Special feature: 10 hardest punching heavyweights in modern history

Who are the hardest punching heavyweights in modern history? Here are the Top 10.

Deontay Wilder’s legend continues to grow with every spectacular knockout he delivers. The man can punch.

The Bronze Bomber demonstrated his unusual ability most recently on Nov. 23, when he ended the night of Luis Ortiz with one perfectly timed right hand from hell in the seventh round of a heavyweight championship fight Ortiz was winning on the cards.

But Wilder is hardly the first man to enter the ring with inhuman power. A number of legendary big men over the generations have had the ability to strike down their opponents with one blow as if they were hit a lightning bolt.

Who were the most lethal?

Here is a list of the 10 hardest punching heavyweights of the modern, post-World War II era (from No. 10 to No. 1).

 

NO. 10 LENNOX LEWIS

KO percentage (of wins): 78
Years active: 1989-2003
Record: 41-2-1
KOs: 32
KOs inside 3 rounds: 16
Notable KO victims: Frank Bruno, Andrew Golota, Oliver McCall, Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman, Donovan Rudduck, Mike Tyson
Background: Hall of Fame boxing writer Colin Hart paid Lennox Lewis the ultimate compliment in British boxing circles when he wrote about Lewis’ knockout of Razor Ruddock in 1992. Lewis put Ruddock down with a monstrous right hand in the first round and then finished the job in Round 2. Wrote Hart for The Sun: “The blow that floored Ruddock in the first round was, without doubt, the best single punch I’ve seen from a British heavyweight since ‘Enery’s ‘Ammer (a reference to Henry Cooper) put Cassius Clay on his backside at Wembley Stadium almost 30 years ago.” Lewis, an Olympic champion who held six major titles over a decade that he dominated, was a complete boxer. He was a good, athletic – especially for a 6-foot-4 man – and clever technician, with one of best jabs of his era. However, his straight right – usually landed from the perfect distance – was his calling card. When it landed flush, his fights generally changed in an instant. The Ruddock punch, the one that ended Hasim Rahman’s night in their rematch and the shots that led to Mike Tyson’s demise stand out but many more are noteworthy. One sparring partner reportedly said: “The man hit like a tank.”
More quotes: Graham Houston wrote for ESPN.com: “There were fights in which Lewis was frustratingly hesitant, but when he stepped in and really let the right hand fly he was one of heavyweight boxing’s most potent practitioners.” … TV commentator Max Kellerman once called Lewis “one of the most devastating right-handed punchers in the history of boxing. You don’t think Lennox has historical power in his right fist? OK, who has ever hit harder? George Foreman? Maybe in his first incarnation, when he had more snap on his punches, but then the 1973 version of big George checked in around 220. Lewis has him by nearly 30 pounds. Earnie Shavers? The champ has him by nearly 40. Foreman and Shavers hit harder for their size, but they were significantly smaller.”

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Pound-for-pound: No. 2 Terence Crawford retains his ranking

Terence Crawford rallied from early trouble to stop Egidijus Kavaliauskas in the ninth round Saturday in New York City.

Terence Crawford met with tougher resistance from Egidijus Kavaliauskas than anyone expected Saturday in New York City. And, in the end, that was fortunate for him.

Kavaliauskas’ success – including what appeared to be a knockdown in the third round that the referee missed – early in their welterweight title fight made Crawford’s knockout 44 seconds into the ninth round all the more spectacular.

And, in the end, Boxing Junkie’s No. 2 fighter certainly didn’t hurt his pound-for-pound status. In fact, he might’ve enhanced it.

“Crawford helped himself,” said Boxing Junkie staffer Norm Frauenheim. “He dealt with adversity not often seen in his unbeaten career. He got rocked in the third round, literally holding on in what should have been ruled a knockdown. There is no bigger test of a fighter than exactly that moment.

“He thought and fought through the adversity, eventually taking control and finishing the fight with a beautiful sequence of three punches, each delivered with lethal precision.”

Said Sean Nam, another staff writer: “Crawford may be a tad slower in his reflexes, as evidenced by the way Kavaliauskas buckled him ever so briefly in that third round, but the image that persists is how Crawford dismantled his game opponent down the stretch, leaving no doubt as to who was in charge. For that, I think Crawford should retain his spot.”

The Boxing Junkie staff agreed that Crawford’s rousing victory allows him to hold his No. 2 position … but that’s it. We didn’t feel a victory over Kavaliauskas was enough to threaten No. 1 Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Kavaliauskas, a two-time Olympian from Lithuania, obviously is a good fighter but he doesn’t have the professional track record to vault Crawford to the top.

A lot could change in 2020 if either or both of two fights take place. Lomachenko seems to be on track to face new lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez early next year. And Crawford and Shawn Porter have expressed interest in fighting one another.

The results of those fights could give the top of the Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list a different look.

Check out our Top 15 list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

Pound-for-pound: Should Deontay Wilder be on the list?

Is it time to give Deontay Wilder pound-for-pound consideration? The short answer is “no.” That’s not a knock on Wilder, who deserves respect for what he has accomplished over the past five years. It simply means that he isn’t among the 15 best …

Is it time to give Deontay Wilder pound-for-pound consideration? The short answer is “no.”

That’s not a knock on Wilder, who deserves respect for what he has accomplished over the past five years. It simply means that he isn’t among the 15 best fighters in the world regardless of weight, which is what pound-for-pound is.

First of all, Wilder isn’t even the top heavyweight. The vast majority of those who saw his draw with Tyson Fury last December thought Fury, who is included in “Honorable Mention” here, deserved the decision even though he went down twice.

Honest observers have to be able to see through poor judging when assessing fighters.

And we have to stick with the definition of pound-for-pound. Consider this question: If Vassily Lomachenko and Terence Crawford were 6-foot-4 and around 220 pounds yet retained their skills and speed, how would they fare against Wilder?

Wilder’s punching power can be the deciding factor against anyone. At the same time, the heavyweight titleholder has never faced boxers with anywhere near the ability of Lomachenko and Crawford. The closest we could come to them in terms of skill set throughout history is Muhammad Ali, who was a once-in-a-century talent.

Deontay Wilder should be admired for his string of knockouts but he’s not a pound-for-pounder yet. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

We imagine that Lomachenko and Crawford would drive Wilder mad with their mobility, their quickness, their overall ability. Luis Ortiz, who Wilder stopped with one punch in the seventh round Saturday in Las Vegas, is a good boxer but he’s light years behind our Nos. 1 and 2 pound-for-pound.

The only fighter better than Ortiz on Wilder’s resume is Fury and we know what happened there. Who else has he beaten? His next toughest opponent might’ve been Bermane Stiverne, who isn’t exactly the type of fight against whom you demonstrate your pound-for-pound credentials.

To be fair to Wilder, we should mention that heavyweights are at a disadvantage against smaller fighters in this discussion. A man 6-foot-7, like Wilder, just can’t be expected to move like a smaller fighter. And smaller fighters can move up in weight in pursuit of more opportunities to prove their mettle.

Wilder understands that.

“When you’re dealing with the pound-for-pound list, I really don’t think it belongs in the heavyweight division,” Wilder said the news conference following the Ortiz fight. “We can only be in one division. We can’t go up and down like all of the smaller fighters, so it doesn’t really apply to us.”

We don’t agree completely. Again, Fury is an “honorable mention” here. And, certainly, Ali, Larry Holmes and perhaps other big men had the unusual ability to crack the pound-for-pound list during their eras.

For now, though, we believe it’s best to appreciate Wilder’s chilling knockouts and refrain from comparing him to the best all-around fighters in other divisions. And we can have this discussion again if he knocks out Fury.

Check out our Top 15 list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams

Special feature: Greatest heavyweights of the modern era

Boxing Junkie presents in this special feature its list of the 10 greatest heavyweights of the modern era.

The process of selecting the 10 greatest heavyweights of the modern era – post World War II – made one thing clear: There have been many outstanding big men over the past 75 years.

Boxing Junkie was able to whittle the list down to the desired number but it wasn’t easy. The criteria we used wasn’t complicated: Our decisions were based on the accomplishments of the fighters, with some consideration of their impact on the sport.

We decided not to include active fighters such as Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Andy Ruiz Jr. We thought it made sense to let the current crop of heavyweights sort things out before considering them.

Wilder faces Luis Ortiz in a rematch on Saturday. Ruiz does the same with Anthony Joshua on Dec. 7.

So here is our list, with the “next five” listed after No. 10.

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Chris Arreola’s Wilder vs. Ortiz II fight prediction

Veteran heavyweight contender Chris Arreola gives his take on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz rematch on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Veteran heavyweight contender Chris Arreola gives his take on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz rematch on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Andy Ruiz’s Wilder vs. Ortiz II prediction

Andy Ruiz, who holds multiple pieces of the heavyweight crown, gives his take on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz rematch Saturday in Las Vegas.

Andy Ruiz, who holds multiple pieces of the heavyweight crown, gives his take on the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz rematch Saturday in Las Vegas.

Pound-for-pound: Naoya Inoue’s turn as the subject of debate

Naoya Inoue’s performance against Nonito Donaire was gutsy but otherwise just solid, which worked against him in the pound-for-pound debate.

Another week, another pound-for-pound debate.

Two weeks ago, Canelo Alvarez’s stoppage of Sergey Kovalev sparked discussion over whether Alvarez deserves to be No. 1 in the world. This past week, fans and pundits are having the same conversation over Naoya Inoue, who outpointed Nonito Donaire on Thursday in Japan.

Inoue (No. 4 last week) deserves credit for overcoming significant obstacles in the fight, specifically a bad cut that bled much of the fight and Donaire’s size advantage. We later learned that Inoue suffered a fractured orbital bone and a broken nose. He also stood up to everything thrown by Donaire, who is known for his punching power.

All that and a determined opponent was a lot with which to contend yet he won a unanimous decision.

At the same time, Inoue, who had appeared to be superhuman in previous fights, looked mortal in this one. His vaunted punching power largely went missing against the bigger man, aside from a body shot that hurt Donaire badly and put him down. That raises questions about how Inoue would do if he continues to move up in weight.

And the Japanese idol took more hard shots than we were used to seeing, including a few that rocked him. Again, the “Monster” looked like a human being against an opponent who has seen better days.

In the end, Boxing Junkie staffers decided that Inoue shouldn’t supplant any or our Top 3 – No. 1 Vasiliy Lomachenko, No. 2 Terence Crawford and No. 3 Alvarez – based on a gutsy performance that was otherwise no better than solid.

Thus, Inoue remains at No. 4.

Check out our Top 15 list below. And let us know what you think.

BOXING JUNKIE

POUND-FOR-POUND

  1. Vasiliy Lomachenko
  2. Terence Crawford
  3. Canelo Alvarez
  4. Naoya Inoue
  5. Oleksandr Usyk
  6. Gennadiy Golovkin
  7. Errol Spence
  8. Juan Francisco Estrada
  9. Mikey Garcia
  10. Artur Beterbiev
  11. Josh Taylor
  12. Manny Pacquiao
  13. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
  14. Leo Santa Cruz
  15. Kosei Tanaka

Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Tyson Fury, Shawn Porter, Julian Williams