PACQUIAO REMAINS POUND FOR POUND KING
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 18 Nov 2011
WBO welterweight champion and ?Fighter of the Decade? Manny Pacquiao remains Ring Magazine?s pound-for-pound king despite his controversial majority decision victory over Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas last Saturday.
Ring?s Michael Rosenthal reported that ?The knee-jerk reaction was this: Pacquiao, No. 1 pound for pound, gave a sub-par performance (for him, at least) and should have to pay a price. He noted that No 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr ?was on Pacquiao?s heels going into Saturday, just waiting for a slip-up. And that?s what happened on Saturday. One could argue that Mayweather should supplant Pacquiao atop the rankings, particularly because more people than ever believe he?d beat Pacquiao head to head.?
Ring Magazine said another option we (The Editorial Board) considered was to declare the No. 1 position vacant and demand that the principals fight one another to determine the pound-for-pound king, which would?ve been the easiest way to deal with this dilemma.
In the end, though, Rosenthal said ? we decided to leave the pound-for-pound rankings as is for one simple reason: All but one member of the Ratings Advisory Panel who provided input and the entire RING Editorial Board believed it was the right thing to do.?
The Magazine, considered ?The Bible of Boxing? for years considered several points.
1. Pacquiao wasn?t fighting a chump. Marquez is the No. 5 fighter in the world pound for pound. And Pacquiao beat him, at least officially.
2. A great fighter shouldn?t necessarily be demoted because another great fighter has his number. We didn?t think less of Muhammad Ali because he had trouble with Ken Norton three times. The same with Willie Pep and Sandy Saddler in their series.
3. A fighter shouldn?t necessarily be demoted because he has an off night, if that?s what it was on Saturday. Sergio Martinez didn?t look great against Darren Barker but no one clamored for him to be demoted.
4.Pacquiao has accomplished more than Mayweather in recent years. The Filipino is 9-0 against big-name opponents since the beginning of 2008; Mayweather is 3-0 in that time.
5.Mayweather isn?t exactly coming off a sterling performance. He looked good against Victor Ortiz for three-plus rounds but scored a knockout when Ortiz wasn?t looking.
6.And you can?t say that Mayweather should supplant Pacquiao because he defeated Marquez more easily. That doesn?t take into account styles and strengths. Plus, Pacquiao beat Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya more easily than Mayweather did.
In conclusion Rosenthal, one of the most respected boxing writers said ?We also feel we should add something here: Pacquiao survives as THE RING?s No. 1 fighter by a hair. Should he stumble again or Mayweather turn in an outstanding performance, a new king probably would be crowned.
And we still hold out hope that they?ll decide this once and for all by facing one another in the ring.
Rosenthal added one more note stating that Marquez moved up in weight yet still fought on at least even terms with the No. 1 fighter in the world, which might merit a bump up in the pound-for-pound ratings under certain circumstances. However, we couldn't justify placing him above Pacquiao, Mayweather, Sergio Martinez and Nonito Donaire, who don't deserve to be demoted.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Reymond Yanong Edges Out Hayato Ono for Split Decision Win in Japan
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 03 Feb 2026“I’m gonna smoke whoever is in front of me, Anthony Wright- Hearn makes his pro debut March 13 at Thunderdome 53
Tue, 03 Feb 2026Pacman's Cue Club Hosts J&P 10 Ball Cup from Feb. 4 to 7
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 03 Feb 2026Mt. Apo Boulder Face Challenge is back
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 03 Feb 2026WILDER AND CHISORA FACE OFF IN ICONIC TIMES SQUARE TO ANNOUNCE APRIL 4 HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN AT THE O2 LONDON
Tue, 03 Feb 2026World Boxing appoints Tom Dielen as new Secretary General
Tue, 03 Feb 2026Sullivan Management signs 19-1 power-punching Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga
Tue, 03 Feb 2026Another Grandeza in MMA is coming
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 03 Feb 2026Gracie meets Zubiri in PH
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 02 Feb 2026International Master Eric Labog Jr. rules FIDE rapid chess tourney
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 02 Feb 202676ers star Paul George has been suspended for 25 NBA games by doping
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sun, 01 Feb 2026Fit To Be Unified: Xander Zayas Defeats Abass Baraou To Unify Junior Middleweight World Titles
Sun, 01 Feb 2026Fit To Be Unified: Xander Zayas Defeats Abass Baraou To Unify Junior Middleweight World Titles
Sun, 01 Feb 2026Trazo beats Jabagat in Talisay
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 01 Feb 2026Into fights Sanchez on Feb. 9 at Villa Kristen
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 01 Feb 2026