PACQUIAO STILL #1, DONAIRE NOW # 8 RING MAGAZINE POUND-FOR-POUND
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 05 May 2009
Donaire.
Following his thundering second-round knockout victory over Ricky Hatton, future boxing all-time great Manny Pacquiao retains his prestigious Ring Magazine pound-for-pound title as of the May 3, 2009 ratings of ?The Bible of Boxing.? He is also the new junior welterweight title holder of The Ring Magazine.
Ricky Hatton is nowhere to be found in the top ten pound-for-pound latest rankings. Before his downfall, he was listed at number 8 and was in the elite list for 23 weeks. The Hitman lost also his Ring and International Boxing Organization (IBO) junior welterweight title to The Pacman.
Now at number 8 in the latest top ten rankings is Nonito Donaire, Jr., the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and IBO flyweight champion. His impressive win over previously unbeaten Raul ?Cobra? Martinez convinced the editorial board of the respected boxing magazine to place the ?Filipino Flash? in the number 8 position. It was the first time he was listed in the exclusive roster.
Vic Darchinyan of Armenia, whom Donaire dethroned by a staggering KO, was elevated from number 10 last week to number 9 this week in the pound-for-pound list. He is the current World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and IBF junior bantamweight/superflyweight champion. Celestino Caballero of Panama, the WBA and IBF junior featherweight champion, dropped from number 9 last week to number 10 this week.
Juan Manuel Marquez, who is slated to face former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather, Jr., remained at number 2. Marquez is The Ring Magazine, WBA and WBO lightweight champion. Bernard Hopkins of the United States stayed at number 3. American Shane Mosley, the WBA welterweight champion rose to number 4 from number 5 last week.
Israel Vasquez of Mexico, The Ring junior featherweight titlist, slid to number 5 from number 4 last week. Rafael Marquez of Mexico remained at number 6, while Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, the WBO welterweight champion, barged into number 7 in the list from nowhere last week. Cotto was rumored to be one of Pacquiao?s future opponents.
In the junior welterweight ratings of The Ring Magazine, Hatton dropped to number 2 from his throne after the devastating loss last May 2. The number 1 contender in the division based on The Ring ratings is undefeated American Timothy Bradley. He is also the WBC and WBO champion.
The WBA champion in the junior welterweight division is Andreas Kotelnik of Ukraine. The IBF champion is Juan Urango of Colombia. Bradley, Kotelnik, and Urango are all not in the same caliber of Pacquiao. A fight with anyone of them won?t deliver the goods in pay-per-view, unlike a Pacman fight with either Marquez or Mayweather.
Although, he is still several miles away from Pacquiao?s achievements, Doniare is the only Filipino boxer in sight who can approximate The Pacman?s career success. Donaire is now rated number 1 by The Ring in the flyweight division, with the title remaining vacant. It is a rare instant when two Filipino boxers were simultaneously rated by ?The Bible of Boxing? in the top ten pound-for-pound list.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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