Quarterly pound-for-pound update
Here’s our quarterly pound-for-pound update. 1.) Andre Ward (32-0, 16KOs)— “Son of God” recently faced nemeses Sergey Kovalev in a rematch of the light heavyweight championship fight last year which saw the former eke out a disputed unanimous decision victory. This time around Ward made sure he controlled the outcome of the fight by pummeling Kovalev into submission in the eighth round. That victory confirmed his superiority over Kovalev and cemented his status as the sport’s best warrior.
2.) Gennady Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs)—GGG holds on to the second spot, but that could soon change as the long awaited showdown with Canelo Alvarez comes into fruition this Sept. 16. GGG’s 23-fight kayo streak was snapped in his last fight against Daniel Jacobs and this fight should answer a lot of questions about who is the best fighter in the middleweight division.
3.) Saul Alvarez (48-1, 34 KOs)- Fairly or unfairly “Cane- lo” has long been suspected of ducking Golovkin and so this fight should silence all doubters. GGG will be the bigger and stronger fighter but Alvarez’ last fight against the hulking albeit ineffective Julio Cesar Chavez Jr showed that being the smaller man in a fight doesn’t affect his output and performance.
4.) Vasyl Lomachenko (7-1, 5 KOs) - For hardcore fans, Vasyl is the sport’s best fighter despite having only a few fights in his professional career. His next fight will be against Miguel Marriaga this August but this seems to be another get-busy fight for Loma.
5.) Terence Crawford (31-0, 22KOs)- He is still in search of a that career-defining fight but in the meantime Crawford doesn’t mind showcasing his extensive repertoire. In his last fight he defeated Felix Diaz inside 11 rounds, dominating his opponent and displaying speed, power and versatility.
6.) Roman Gonzalez (46-1, 38KOs) —Chocolatito’s quest for glory was derailed by Thai fighter Wisaksil Wangek in March of this year and so it is but fitting that a rematch is the first order of business. “Chocolatito” was formerly on top of this list and the controversy surrounding that first loss should be reason enough to keep him on this list.
7.) Srisaket Von Rungvisai (Wisaksil Wangek)( 43-4, 39 KOs) - He still keeps his spot on these rankings on account of the Gonzales victory but on Sept. 9 we will find out if he’s for real.
8.) Shinsuke Yamanaka (27-0, 19KOs)- The WBC bantamweight king is not exactly a household name but wins over Anselmo Moreno and Carlos Carlson have earned him a spot.
CONGRATULATIONS. To the Subzero Idols who were able to repeat as champions in our IBP basketball league.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a good friend, the prolific Reno Bacolod who celebrates a milestone this week. Cheers!
GGG holds on to the second spot, but that could soon change as the long awaited showdown with Canelo Alvarez comes into fruition this Sept. 16.