By Raj Parmar: When Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired last year after outpointing the overmatched Andre Berto, not only was there a void left in boxing in regards to a top level pay per view superstar but there was also a void left on the throne for top pound for pound fighter in the world.
In the months since, the boxing landscape has gotten just a bit clearer. While there is no fighter out there that will bring Mayweather’s monster pay per view impact, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has emerged as the main pay per view star in the sport even though he is a long way from becoming the mainstream star that Floyd was. Canelo fights in a very fan friendly style and has a distinct look to him, however his inability to speak English is for now preventing him from becoming better known among casual fans.
In regards to the pound for pound throne, the current situation is that if you look at three different lists you will likely see three different fighters slated at the top. There is however a contingent of five boxers who currently can lay a legitimate claim to being in discussion for that coveted spot: Roman Gonzalez, Sergey Kovalev, Gennady Golovkin, Andre Ward and Terrance Crawford.
These five boxers are all undefeated and are all one career defining fight away from grabbing a stranglehold of the throne. Unfortunately we live in a day and age where making super-fights in boxing are not easily made due to too many title sanctioning bodies, rival promoters/networks, etc. Therefore it has been difficult for fighters such as Golovkin and Crawford to attain the mega-fights they need to boost their status upward by that one extra mile.
Former pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao has seemingly refused to step in the ring with the rising Crawford while Canelo has been putting off a showdown with Golovkin for as long as he possibly can. Gonzalez fights in the flyweight division and this lower weight does not garner the appreciation and attention of the higher weigh classes.
This leaves Ward and Kovalev who have placed themselves in an envious position to grab a firm hold of the pound for pound throne. It is very rare that two of the top five fighters in the world square off with each other, while both being undefeated and in their relative primes. Their proposed fight on November 19 of this year will be one to remember for this current generation and it will be the catalyst to clear up the current messy picture of who really is the best fighter in the world.
Therefore on November 20 when the smoke has cleared we will once again have a definite king on the pound for pound throne, which has not been in place since Mayweather’s retirement from the sport.
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