By Gerardo Granados: After losing to Tyson Fury, the former undisputed heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has already been demoted from the ESPN top 10 pound for pound list. But, do the readers disagree with the experienced ESPN Boxing analyst’s panel or did the 39-year-old Klitschko deserve to be demoted?
For me, it was shocking to see undeserving boxers ranked above Wladimir. The method used to vote at the pound for pound election gave 10 points to first place and 1 point for the tenth place. The voter’s panel was integrated by the respected King Fight Freak Dan Rafael, Brian Campbell, Nigel Collins, the always honest Teddy Atlas, Carlos Nava, Bernardo Pilatti, Eric Raskin, Salvador Rodriguez and Rafe Bartholomew.
I cannot argue against the first and second place Roman Gonzalez and Gennady Golovkin respectively, but how come can Manny Pacquiao be placed on the third spot after having a record of 2 defeats and 3 wins in his last five bouts? Pacquiao has been spoon fed light welterweights one after another and hasn’t defeated genuine top welterweight since he defeated Joshua Clottey five years ago in 2010.
Pacquiao lost a clear dominant 12 round unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May in 2015, and was brutally knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in the 6th round in 2012. But Pacquiao still received two votes for third, three for fourth, one for fifth, two for sixth and one for seventh.
Bradley is ranked number four in ESPN’s P4P rankings. What has “Desert Storm” done to deserve to be placed above a boxer who was about to break a heavyweight Joe Louis record? Is defeating Brandon Rios enough to place him on the fourth spot? I would like to ask the panel why Bradley was ranked above IBF/WBA/WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev because for me there is no logic explanation for it.
Andre Ward is ranked on the sixth spot, and unbelievably received one vote for first, one for the second place, two for third, one for fourth, and one for seventh, eighth and ninth spot. Regardless that Ward has been inactive for a really long time and had not defeated someone worth to mention in the last three years, he received one vote for first place.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is ranked at the eight spot. Let’s review Canelo’s last five bouts; he defeated: Miguel Cotto at a 155 pounds catch-weigh, James Kirkland, who was coming from a long layoff, Erislandy Lara in a close controversial decision, Alfredo Angulo who also was coming from a long layoff; and back in 2013 lost a lopsided decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr.
WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, with a record of W5 (3)-L1-D0, is ranked on the tenth spot. He received two votes for eight and one for ninth and tenth. But to know what he has done to deserve to be placed above Wladimir Klitschko is a mystery for me.
Wladimir received only four votes, but those votes must have added less than nine points.
To me, the list looked a lot more like a popularity list or a promotional list instead of a pound for pound list. I believe Wladimir Klitschko deserves, at least, the seventh spot on a top 10 pound for pound list, but what about the readers? Do you agree?
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