| 29 December 2010
Everyone loves the mythical list of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. It's pretty much a guaranteed discussion (and potentially argument) any time the subject is broached among boxing fans.
The BoxingWatchers are no different in that regard, we just don't want to overreact by updating our list after every big fight, or even every month. To make it mean a little more, we only put our heads together and vote on our top 10 once a year, always in late December.
That time is upon us once again, and amazingly, we had a consensus top three. I don't think you'll find many people who don't have Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather one-two in either order, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that only Floyd's relative inactivity - his victory over Shane Mosley was his lone 2010 appearance in a boxing ring - made him drop below Pac-Man.
The third spot belongs to someone who really made the most of 2010, Sergio Martinez. Could it be that he's also our pick for 2010 Fighter of the Year? Guess you'll have to come back on the 31st to find out, but let's just say there's a pretty good chance...
Our own Uatu commented that it is as difficult as ever to pick spots six through 10. I agree - it's definitely where our individual lists diverged the most. What I can't decide is if that means there's a big fall-off after the top few spots or simply a lot of guys bunched closely together in the six to 20 range. Perhaps it's a little of both.
Anyway, without further ado, here is our consensus list of the top 10 pound-for-pound boxers right this second. Our voting was simple: We all picked our own top 10, with boxers receiving 10 points for first, nine for second, etc. The points were added to produce the group list.
Enjoy and feel free to flame comment away!
BoxingWatchers.com Top 10 Pound for Pound Boxers: End of 2010
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
3. Sergio Martinez
4. Juan Manuel Marquez
5. Juan Manuel Lopez
6. Wladimir Klitschko
7. Andre Ward
8. Timothy Bradley
9. Fernando Montiel
10. Carl Froch
Also receiving votes: Lucian Bute, Nonito Donaire, Vitali Klitschko, Andre Berto
