Top 10 P4P list 2017

By Boxing News - 12/18/2011 - Comments

Image: Top 10 P4P list 2017By Richard Doyle: Looking at the last year in boxing we have witnessed some great fights that have created questions on where our great sport is going. With Manny Pacquiao looking like he is coming to the end of his illustrious career with a very questionable win over Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mayweather not answering many questions in his fight with Ortiz or where he is going in2012 and Hopkins starting the year triumphantly in beating Pascal then finishing the year in a somewhat controversial fight with Dawson I’m left thinking which fighters are set to take the torch from the current superstars. So with that in mind I’ve put forward a list of fighters whom I feel will grace the top ten pound 4 pound list in five year’s time and what current fight legends they would remind me of.

10.Victor Ortiz: With his name already made in the states and his move up to welterweight coursing a stir Ortis will always get the big fights and on his day I feel this man can put it up to anyone and always give the fight fans what they pay to see. The ex-legend I would compare him to would be Oscar De La Hoya.

9. Chad Dawson: The light heavyweight division looks to have some good young talent coming through and with Hopkins finally on his way out I feel Dawson can rule supreme, with only one controversial loss on his record and with the current improvement in Dawson’s style He can take on the best the light heavyweight and Cruiserweight divisions have to offer. The legend I would compare him to is Bernard Hopkins.

8. Timothy Bradley: It won’t be surprising to see Bradley beaten in the next two years as his fighting style will eventually suit one of the big names currently floating around the light welterweight and welterweight divisions, however that doesn’t take away from the current list of names Bradley has beaten and I feel although he will come unstuck somewhere Bradley will always be one of the toughest welterweights in the division and there are a lot more big names that he will add to his record. The legend I would compare him with is Ricky Hatton with his aggressive offense and work rate.

7. Amir Khan: Amir may have been beaten this month but he certainly isn’t finished, this is a fighter I didn’t really care for until he got beaten by Breidis Prescott, In fact I bet against him in the Prescott fight feeling he was over hyped and under matched in his fights leading up to that fight, However since that loss Khan has gone from strength to strength in his aim to be pound 4 pound king and although he has hit another setback in his recent loss I can see him coming back stronger than ever and with golden boy behind I feel he can beat some big names in the upcoming years. The legend he reminds of is Eric Morales with his speed technical ability.

6. Brandon Rios: This guy just goes from strength to strength in his recent fights and the big stage doesn’t seem to faze him, I feel with his recent problems in making weight however he may need to move up to light welterweight where the big names will be waiting and with his current knockout ratio I don’t think power will be a problem for him. The legend I would compare him with is Marco Antonio Barrera with his aggressive style mixed with pure classy combinations.

5.Adrien Broner: With a very weak weight division in the super featherweights Broner really needs to move up in weight and class but from what I’ve seen so far this guy looks to be the real deal and maybe the division looks weak because of him. The legend he reminds me of is Floyd Mayweather Jr. as defensively he holds his left shoulder high and keeps his arm low and waits for a devastating counter just like Mayweather this makes him hard to hit and deadly when pouncing on a mistake.

4. Yuriokis Gamboa: As of yet there doesn’t seem to be a chink in this man’s armour and with an amazing amateur record along with an unbeaten professional record the class is obviously there for him to make it to the top of this list ,it all depends on how he takes to moving up in weight and he may have to even move up past super feather weight to lightweight as I feel the featherweight division holds no more challenges for him and the lightweight division holds some of the big up and coming names and mouth-watering match ups for him in the future. The legend he currently reminds me of would be a smaller felix Trinidad as they both have relentless style and great knockout ratios.

3. Nonito Donaire: At the moment Donaire is already high up in the pound 4 pound lists and with his move up through the fly weight divisions he Is mimicking countryman Manny Pacquiao in style and in his ability to move through the weighs effortlessly and it’s because of this I feel he will remain to be on this list for many years to come. The legend he reminds me of is Manny Pacquiao.

2. Saul Alvarez: Without doubt the most entertaining up and coming fighter out there and with a long professional record already behind him at the young age of 21 its limitless what he can achieve. In my opinion Alvarez has the power skill and accuracy to give any of best light middle, middle and super middle weighs around at the moment problems. With his great combinations and strong body shots the current legend he reminds me of has to be Miguel Cotto a fighter in which he is currently on a collision coarse with in the light middle weight division.

1. Andre Ward: Bar Floyd Mayweather Ward has currently the best defensive game around and he also has a great chin so with this said offensively how does he rate, well he is without doubt the slickest boxer out there with amazing hand speed for a super middle weight ,though he might not have the best knockout ratio technically he is head and shoulders ahead of anyone in and around his division and with his strong chin and his defensive skills he’s not going to be knockout any time soon, above all the one thing he holds over all the other fighters on this list is that he’s already beaten some of the best fighters around and I can’t see anyone coming through that can give him problems in the future. The legend he reminds me of is Pernell Whitaker both fighters show you don’t have to be a big hitter to be great.

With these names I feel boxing is in a safe place for many years to come and I can’t wait to see some of the great match ups ahead.



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