source:PhilBoxing.com
Manny Pacquiao, a hero to millions of Filipinos, has remained pound-for-pound king in the latest rankings by the prestigious Ring Magazine.
What appeared to be a campaign to dislodge Pacquiao and replace him with light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina by some segments of the US media didn’t succeed although Martinez regained the No. 3 spot sending another Filipino, WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire down to No.4.
Donaire had moved up to No.3 following his spectacular 2nd round knockout of Mexico’s Fernando “KO-Chulito” Montiel last February 19. Montiel was rated No. 1 bantamweight and No. 7 on the Ring’s pound-for-pound list.
Martinez had earned the No. 3 ranking when he dethroned Kelly Pavlik to win the middleweight title and annihilating Paul “The Punisher” Williams with a stunning second round knockout in their rematch. Martinez scored an impressive 8th round TKO over Sergiy “Razor” Dzinziruk to win the WBC Diamond Belt and retain the Ring Magazine belt.
The win together with a sensational 1st round knockout of Paul Williams in an earlier fight enhanced the stature of Martinez. Some writers believed that the Argentine’s recent wins had enabled him to stake his claim to dislodging Pacquiao as the pound-for-pound king.
The twin victories of the Argentine fighter won for him the “Fighter of the Year” award from the Boxing Writers Association of America which will be presented to Martinez at a dinner in Las Vegas on May 6.
Ironically, the awards dinner will be on the eve of Pacquiao’s showdown with former three-time world champion Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Ring Magazine Editor-in-Chief Nigel Collins on the even of the announcement told the Inquirer that the “pound-for-pound ratings are subjective with more weight given to opinion, potential and results from all divisions in which the fighter has competed.”
In announcing that Pacquiao had retained his No.1 spot Collins said “The race for pound-for-pound supremacy is heating up due to the recent outstanding performances by Sergio Martinez and Nonito Donaire. Moreover, the standings could very well change again in the near future. That’s the reason we update THE RING ratings every week.”
Collins earlier told the Inquirer that Floyd Mayweather Jr who remains in the No.2 spot behind Pacquiao would be dropped from the rankings should he fail to sign up for a fight at least, before May 10. The date will mark the one year anniversary of his fight against Shane Mosley.
Collins said “An even more significant change could occur (in the pound-for-pound ratings) and if that happens, it will be a three-man contest between Manny Pacquiao, Martinez, and Donaire for the top spot.
Collins remarked that “Pacquiao is also vulnerable due to the fact that his three most recent opponents—Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, and Shane Mosley—have not been particularly daunting. If, however, Pacquiao becomes the first to stop Mosley, it would certainly help his cause.”
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