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 Another Bakers Dozen
By Steve Kim (March 17, 2003)
Photo © HoganPhotos.com
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It's that time again to update my personal pound-for-pound list. The last time I did this there was plenty of movement caused by the retirements of Ricardo Lopez and Felix Trinidad as well as a vacancy at the top spot.
This time around, the deck is shuffled by a plethora of upsets and the number one position has been filled by a man many thought should have been there all along. So here it is, the always eagerly anticipated and much-
talked-about 'Bakers Dozen'.
13 - Winky Wright: No, Winky hasn't really done anything that gets him closer to a jr. middleweight showdown with Oscar De La Hoya but you have to give him credit -- he's well-schooled and among the most avoided blue-chip fighters in the game today. But you get the sense he won't go any higher on this list because he probably never will get that big fight he craves. (You think he regrets not taking that million to face Shane Mosley before Vernon Forrest got to him?)
And, in his two best fights, he lost to Harry Simon and Fernando Vargas (albeit in a questionable verdict). But he's a solid pro that just keeps winning and winning... and being avoided. That's the curse of being southpaw and black in boxing, but his 'management' and 'promotional' team of James Prince and Roy Jones haven't exactly been pulling their weight.
12 - Shane Mosley: He's still one of the more physically gifted fighters in the world, but you just wonder if there's a process of diminishing returns as he moves up in weight. Although we didn't see enough of him in his 154-pound debut against Raul Marquez, you get the sense he isn't the same fighter that he was at lightweight or the one who clearly beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2000.
As of right now, he's on a three fight non-winning streak and most pundits are listing him as the underdog if he should agree to terms for a De La Hoya rematch in September.
But while Forrest may always have Mosley's number, 'Sugar' Shane may always be a bit too sweet for 'the Golden Boy'. I wouldn't count him out against De La Hoya by no means. And if he should make it two-for-two against De La Hoya, watch the bandwagon fill up once again, real quick.
11 - Vernon Forrest: Largely here on the basis of his two wins over Mosley in 2002, he was brought back down to earth by Ricardo Mayorga in January. Forrest proves the old adage true that you really are only as good as your last fight. 'The Viper' is a solid technician who can really box, but was taken out of his game plan and then clocked by Mayorga. Perhaps it was in his zest to prove to everyone that he could be an exciting fighter that he tried opening up -- or maybe it was the terrible advice given to him by his trainer Ronnie Shields -- but he proved that he was quite entertaining indeed, while
losing.
If he doesn't beat Mayorga in a rematch, he becomes what Ken Norton was to Muhammad Ali.
10 - Ricardo Mayorga: Is 'the Matador' a one-hit wonder or does he have some staying power? Who knows? It's hard to trust a prizefighter who regularly drinks beer, smokes and carouses even when he's training hard, but the guy can punch and he has a huge set of stones. His hubris and his confidence might be his biggest assets. He is wild and awkward, but it's going to take a smart and disciplined fighter to take his two title belts away from him. And who knows? Mayorga could be one of those guys who gets better after winning a title. If he is, we're all in for a fun ride.
9 - Jose Luis Castillo: I still don't think this guys gets enough credit for the body of work he's put together the last few years. He went 24 tough rounds with the highly respected Stevie Johnston (garnering a win and a draw), blew out Cesar Bazan and went the distance twice with Floyd Mayweather, the first fight being a controversial decision for 'the Pretty Boy'.
And while Mayweather is considered the game's premiere lightweight, Castillo makes a strong case for being right behind him. Would anybody make Castillo an underdog in fights against IBF titlist Paul Spadafora or WBA belt-holder Leo Dorin? Didn't think so.
He had to recently drop out of his bout against Julio Diaz, but with his style and his connections with Top Rank, it's pretty much a given that Castillo will be in the mix between 135 and 140 for awhile.
8 - Juan Manuel Marquez: Yeah, I'm doing some speculating here, but I had been saying it for years, Juan Manuel Marquez was one of the best fighters in the world without a world title belt. And that thought was rectified when he bludgeoned Manuel Medina early this year to capture the IBF featherweight title. The only thing that kept him from wearing a belt around his waist in the past was a questionable decision against Freddie Norwood and Naseem Hamed hiding behind WBO prez, Paco Valcarcel.
Marquez is one of the sport's best counter punchers and combined with his hand speed, he sets traps like a bear hunter. He may not have the pedigree of a Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales, but I don't see those guys rushing out to make fights against him.
7 - Erik Morales: In the past I had neglected to list 'El Terrible' in my pound-for-pound rankings, which I admit was a terrible oversight on my part. But I always got the sense that he was a fading fighter on the brink of collapse. And then all he would do is post 'W' after 'W' against solid opposition. Last year, he did well enough to have more than one observer think he beat Barrera in their rematch and then he would down Paulie Ayala.
Morales has the tools to box his way to relatively easy wins but instead he ends up getting into entertaining slugfests and for that, we all say 'thank you'. He may be the most resilient fighter in the game today.
6 - Floyd Mayweather: Say what you want about him but Mayweather is one of the sport's most natural boxers. The only thing that can really hold him back are his brittle set of hands and his lifestyle outside the ring. And you know what? To a certain degree those things have helped derail a career that seemed to be skyrocketing to superstardom just a few years ago.
At his best, Mayweather is a graceful and smooth performer who can do it all, at his worst, he can flat-out stink out the joint. But on the flip side, while he hasn't been spectacular since blowing out Diego Corrales, he has beaten the likes of Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez and Jose Luis Castillo (twice), which is impressive any way you cut it. But you wonder if his God-given abilities can override his foibles in real life.
5 - Oscar De La Hoya: Ahh, to be 'the Golden Boy' where you have the ability and marketability to make and to take the industry's biggest events. Whether you love him or loathe him, you gotta give him this, since he has moved up from jr. welterweight, who has he avoided? Perhaps Winky Wright, but is anyone that's not associated with Wright really clamoring for a De La Hoya-Wright fight?
Oscar's career can be dissected in many ways. Was he a product of great matchmaking and managing or was he simply so good that his achievements would have been inevitable? Probably a combination of both but since he's fully matured as a fighter, he's faced the likes of Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas. He didn't win all those fights, but he never got embarrased either.
And you get the sense that many more memorable nights are on the way from De La Hoya. He may not be the overall puncher he was at lightweight or jr. welter, but he still has very good speed and he will always have a good left hook.
4 - Kostya Tszyu: For a guy that really doesn't fight all that often, Tszyu makes them count. In his last five bouts he has taken on: Sharmba Mitchell, Oktay Urkal, Zab Judah, Ben Tackie and Jessie James Leija. In that time he has unified the jr. welterweight division and reasserted his dominance in that weight class.
Tszyu, is a sharp-shooting boxer-puncher who can dissect and wear opponents down with his strength. You only wish that his promoter would make fights against the likes of Arturo Gatti, DeMarcus Corley and rematches with Mitchell and Judah. But as of right now, he's the top dog in the sport's deepest division.
3 - Marco Antonio Barrera: After having a period where he took on the likes of Erik Morales (twice) and beheaded 'the Prince' Naseem Hamed, Barrera seems to be going through a stage where he is resting on his throne as the king of the featherweights. Last November he took an aged Johnny Tapia and in April he will be facing the faded Kevin Kelley.
Perhaps a break is in order but he still has some unfinished business with Morales and Marquez waiting in the wings. But besides that, Barrera has gone through one of the most amazing transformations the game has seen in quite some time. From a wide open banger to a disciplined boxer-puncher, Barrera has become a complete prizefighter and has extended his career while doing so.
He has proven, that maybe some square pegs can indeed become round.
2 - Bernard Hopkins: OK, there's three stocks that have tumbled in the past few years: Enron, Time Warner and Bernard Hopkins. Did you ever think it would come to this after September 29th, 2001? I mean, his promoter has to pay another promoter $100,000 to make him the main event in Philly? It's the classic case of a guy being fueled by adversity, drowning in prosperity.
But regardless of what he may have done to his reputation and his career, let's make this very clear, the man can still flat out fight -- bottom line, end of story. And even at his advanced age, when he gets knocked off as the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, it's going to take a one helluva an effort from one helluva fighter to do so.
He is the consummate 'old-school' fighter. He was taught very well by his former trainer Bouie Fisher and he has the work ethic of a coal miner. Nobody is tougher, stubborn, single-minded, paranoid or as resolute as 'the Executioner'. Of course, for him that hasn't always been a good thing.
1 - Roy Jones: Hey, who knew it took beating a mediocre heavyweight to catapult himself back to the top spot, but that's exactly why he's here. No, a win over John Ruiz does not put you in the class of Robinson, Ali, Duran or Armstrong, but in the current conditions where the 'pound-for-pound' title is up for grabs and guys like Barrera and Hopkins haven't taken the bull by the horns, Jones deserves to be number one.
No one has ever questioned the physical talent of Pensacola's finest, but there will always be a debate as to just how much he has accomplished throughout his career. I still say he's a better manager than prizefighter -- and he's one of the best fighters I've ever seen.
But the future looks bright for Jones. Not only are his transcendent skills intact but on the horizon could be lucrative bouts against the likes of Evander Holyfield and Chris Byrd. Where before Jones was just a great talent, now he is also in a position to be an attraction.
JUST MISSING THE CUT
- Joe Calzaghe: I was his biggest U.S. advocate for a long time but how many freebies is Showtime going to allow Frank Warren to give them?
- Lennox Lewis: Still the game's best heavyweight, but I considered him more retired than active. But he's put together a Hall-of-Fame career.
- Eric Morel: He just needs that big fight, which may never come as a flyweight, but he can box all day long.
- Antonio Margarito: Exciting as they come and one of the most improved fighters the last few years.
- Joel Casamayor: Will he ever get that rematch with Acelino Freitas?
- James Toney: Believe it or not, this guy still has the skills. If he beats Vassiliy Jirov in April he's back in business.
- Acelino Freitas: The best part of Saturday night's telecast on Saturday night was the feature on his wife. I wonder just how serious he and his promoter are about making competitive fights -- and will Showtime ever force their hand?
SPEAKING OF 'POPO'
It was pretty entertaining to see 'Popo' go back to his trademark wild swingin' ways, but c'mon, in knocking out a blown-up jr. featherweight in Juan Carlos Ramirez it proved nothing. Like Chris Rock once said 'You did what you were supposed to'. It was funny to see Freitas' corner react as if Brazil had just won the World Cup or something.
Also, Showtime did this huge pre-fight feature on how his wife gets so worried about him during fights. Funny, but don't ALL wives become anxious and nervous wrecks when their husbands fight? Like Rock would say 'Hell, you're supposed to be worried'.
I wonder if they do that segment if his wife isn't such a hottie? Which of course, I didn't mind one bit, it was the best thing they showed all night. Hey, listen, I'm not saying it's not a decent human interest story, but can we get to some real fights now? This isn't the Oxygen Network.
STEWARD
Perhaps Hall-of-Fame trainer Emanuel Steward sees the end of the line for Lennox Lewis and that is why he decided to work with jr. welterweight prospect Ricardo Williams, who despite his lax work ethic, does have a load of natural talent. Perhaps a move to Detroit and to the famed Kronk Gym will be just what the doctor ordered for 'Slick Rick'.
But I was stunned to hear that Steward had decided to also work with Hector Camacho Jr. Funny, I know Steward is a world-class trainer, but I didn't know he also did heart transplants, too. The bottom line is, Junior simply isn't cut out for this game.
FINAL FLURRIES
It's quite a buzzkill that Jose Luis Castillo was scratched against Julio Diaz, but Top Rank's upcoming 'Latin Fury' is still a pretty good card top-to-bottom, still, I'm not sure it's worth the suggested retail price of $34.95... But I'm still going to be there at the Mandalay Bay and I don't care what conflicts of interest may be there, if all conflicts of interests result in media rooms like the ones they have, then God bless them and remember the Alamos... After going through Jones-Ruiz at Geezers Palace and the Thomas & Mack Center, this will be like going back to heaven -- or Miami... Hey, has anyone woken up from last week's main event on ESPN2 between George Jones and Rodney Moore? I'm still groggy from that snoozer.
For Questions or Comments
E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com
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