Boxing pound-for-pound: December 2009

Boxing Examiner | Eric Sloan

The final numbers for 2009 have been crunched and the boxing pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings for December tabulated. According to the five most credible websites, here is how we end the year:

Number 10. Ivan Calderon. Iron Boy has probably worn out his welcome on the P4P lists. Both of his fights in 2009 were against Rodel Mayol and both ended with a clash of heads that caused fight stopping damage to Calderon's melon. The first fight was a technical draw and the second was a technical decision. Calderon, is who relatively unfamiliar to boxing fans, is for some reason taking up space that should be occupied by Nonito Donaire.

Number 9. Israel Vazquez. Vazquez is still clinging to his three fights against Rafael Marquez because he only fought once in 2009 after an extensive medical hiatus. The good news, according to BoxRec, is that Vazquez and Marquez will throw down for the fourth time in May 2010. Yes!

Number 8. Chad Dawson. Good fighter, bad weight division. There is no doubt that Dawson should be considered a P4P fighter; however, he shouldn't be if 2010 represents nothing more than Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson, repeat. If the guy at number four doesn't want him, then Dawson needs to drop down to 168 and fight Lucian Bute.

Number 7. Miguel Cotto. Cotto gets KFO'd by Antonio Margarito in July 2008. He rebounds in February 2009 with a TKO over Michael "Never Heard of Him" Jennings. Miguel earns a controversial split decision victory over Joshua Clottey in June 2009 and then gets KFO'd again in November by Manny something or other. Is this what it takes to make a P4P list? Yeah, actually it does because it is Miguel Cotto. The dude brings it every time and it takes plastered hand wraps or a mega star to stop him.

Number 6. Paul Williams. Williams escaped last Saturday with a narrow win over Sergio Martinez. Kelly Pavlik may well end up in the mix in 2010, but first we want round 13 against Martinez. Enough with the "most avoided fighter" scat because Martinez earned a rematch and your defensive skills (or lack thereof) are not ready for Pavlik's power.

Number 5. Juan Manuel Marquez. Yes, he deserves to be on the list. No, he shouldn't be if he doesn't defeat Edwin Valero in 2010.

Number 4. Bernard Hopkins. Nobody wants to see you fight Roy Jones, Jr. Take on Chad Dawson and then retire. Win, lose, or draw and you're still going to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Number 3. Shane Mosley. He didn't defeat Miguel Cotto and can't get a fight against either number 1 or 2 below. Mosley's good, but Arthur Abraham and Nonito Donaire are better on a P4P basis. Andre Berto, who he fights in January, might be as well.

Number 2. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. A better argument could be made that Hopkins or Mosley should be here. Yes, it is understood that Mayweather defeated Marquez, but so did Chris John. Money May gets a pass this month from excessive criticism because he faces the unanimous number 1 P4P guy in March.

Number 1. Manny Pacquiao. Boxing writers are running out of descriptive words for Pacquiao. He is by far the number one P4P fighter in the world and, frankly, the only man on this list who deserves to be listed. His next fight is always tougher than his last. He avoids nobody. Manny Pacquiao is not only the best P4P fighter for December 2009, or for all of 2009 for that matter, but perhaps he is the best P4P fighter of the last decade or two.

Source: Examiner.com