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Well, it's that time again. Time to unveil another edition of my highly anticipated 'Baker's Dozen'. My top 13 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. I know the game of boxing was holding it's breath as I came out with my newest rankings.

Since my last edition (which came out in late May) plenty has happened in the game: rematches involving Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales and Vernon Forrest and Shane Mosley, Roy Jones taking apart another mis-mandatory, Lennox Lewis dismantling the last remaining myths of Mike Tyson, Tim Austin showing his class, Acelino Freitas becoming a distance runner and Oscar De La Hoya making a definitive statement.

Much of the status quo exists, but there are some things changing in this edition of 'the Bakers Dozen'. Latin legends Ricardo Lopez and Felix Trinidad, will not be making an appearance. Why? Well, because Lopez, is basically, 'Finito' and has been inching towards retirement for the past few years, and 'Tito' it seems, is indeed retired for good. When and if, he comes back to the squared circle, he'll be placed back in his rightful place among the game's premiere performers.

So here goes our somewhat quarterly edition of 'the Bakers Dozen':

13 - Lennox Lewis - Yes, I do include heavyweights in my rankings and Lewis with the overall scope of his achievements just makes my list. Now, I know this here will most likely be the most controversial and debated guy on my list. Half of you will say I have him way too low (these emails will come from England, Jamaica and Canada, or whatever place Lewis is claiming as of this moment) and the others (from most likely from New York) will say that Lewis is a pansy that deserves all the respect of Rodney Dangerfield.

I say the truth is somewhere in the middle. Lewis has been a long and consistent champion (who has been among the best big men since 1992) and has unified the division and has some of the best skills ever seen on a man his size -- this ain't no Primo Carnera. On the other hand, he did get KO'd by Hasim Rahman and Oliver McCall (both avenged, though) and it's questionable (at best) if his two signature wins over Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson didn't come against faded fighters. Of course, he was an underdog to 'the Real Deal' the first time out and many were giving 'Rusty' Mike more than just a 'puncher's chance' back in June.

Like I said, Lennox is always the center of debate.

12 - Acelino Freitas - 'Popo' at one time was considered nothing more than a sprinter who would come out quickly and KO fellow jr. lightweights in explosive fashion. Now this Brazilian has proven that he is capable of going long distances with more than enough savvy and stamina.

In January he would unify the WBO and WBA belts by decisioning Joel Casamayor and then easily downing Daniel Attah in his next bout. As of right now, he is clearly the game's dominant 130-pounder. C'mon, The Ring magazine, give this guy one of your championship belts, he deserves it.

11- Tim Austin - The last time I wrote about Austin in my rankings, I said that he was talked about as being underrated for so long that he had become in a sense, well, overrated.

Let's face it, 'the Cincy Kid' wasn't exactly fighting blue chip bantamweights. But in his last bout against Adan Vargas (a world class 118-pounder) he would steal the show from John Ruiz and Kirk Johnson (which isn't that hard to do) in July by putting on a masterful display of professional boxing and sharp punching. Vargas has only lost to the games best and he was never handled quite like that.

Austin has a very tough bout upcoming against his mandatory Rafael Marquez -- another tough Mexican. But let's hope that names like Ayala, Pacquiao and Adams are in his future. Something tells you it wont as that's been par for his course.

10 - Jose Luis Castillo - I was there ringside when he was a huge underdog in his first bout with then-WBC lightweight champion Stevie Johnston back in 2000. Thought to be cannon-fodder, he instead out-worked 'Lil Bad' to take the title. In subsequent bouts against Johnston (in a rematch in Johnston's hometown of Denver), Cesar Bazan and Floyd Mayweather, Castillo has proven that he's no flash in the pan.

Forget some of the early blemishes on his mark (like the KO losses to Cesar Soto, Julio Alvarez and Javier Jauregui), he's a different fighter now. A pressure fighter with heavy hands, who's craftier than you think.

More than a few observers think he did enough to beat 'the Pretty Boy' back in April and it says here that the rematch, whenever it takes place, will be another nip-and-tuck battle.

9 - Floyd Mayweather - I know, some of you out there will ask why I have him above Castillo. Simply put, overall, he has better W's on his record than Castillo. Yes, some of you think he lost to the tough-as-nails Mexican, but it was a close fight that could have gone either way.

And he does have decisive wins against the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Angel Manfredy, Carlos Gerena, Goyo Vargas and Diego Corrales. Before he self-destructed his own promotability and marketability, he was well on his way to stardom. That will probably never happen now but it's hard to deny his skills when he's on top of his game. Blessed with the reflexes of a cat, a radar like defense, the only chink in his armor are a set of brittle hands and an injury prone body -- which he isn't afraid to tell you about afterwards.

But the rematch with Castillo will be telling as many in the game are questioning his commitment and focus to the sport. But as he proved against Corrales, when his back is to the wall, he can come up with big performances when he needs them the most.

8 - Shane Mosley - Prior to his two fight series with Vernon Forrest, many had 'Sugar' on top of their pound-for-pound lists. In the upcoming months, Mosley gets a chance to prove that he is still the best fighter on the planet -- sans Forrest.

Perhaps styles do make fights, but now Mosley, a natural lightweight, is going up again in weight to take on the likes of Oscar De La Hoya at 154 pounds after a tune-up at jr. middleweight in January. Will Mosley still have the same speed, quickness, and offensive firepower that he had shown in lower weight classes? Or are the Forrest fires just a harbinger of things to come?

It seemed after blowing out the likes of Antonio Diaz, Shannon Taylor and Adrian Stone, that Mosley started to believe that he had great one-punch knockout power as a welterweight. In retrospect, it seemed like a case of not, "how you're fighting, but WHO you're fighting". Considering that he had never really blown out anyone in his heyday at 135 pounds, Mosley got a reality check from his old amateur nemesis.

Mosley needs to be the same type of rapid-fire fighter he was at his best to survive and thrive in the jr. middleweight class.

TIE - 6- Vernon Forrest and Oscar De La Hoya - OK, this will bring up a lot of debate, because on paper, there's no denying that 'the Golden Boy' has the much more impressive resume. Wins over the likes of Genaro Hernandez, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Oba Carr and most recently Fernando Vargas. Along with a disputed loss to Felix Trinidad and a game performance against Mosley. He has also won titles in five separate weight classes -- a huge achievement in any era if you ask me.

But on the flip side, 'the Viper' has two wins over the guy (Mosley) that clearly beat De La Hoya, is undefeated himself in 35 professional fights, and has as good a set of fundamental boxing skills in the game today. And believe me, Forrest is one guy, De La Hoya will not be fighting anytime soon. Because not only does it not make promotional sense, any guy that's 6'1, with a long jab and reach (and he knows how to use it) and with the confidence he has, is not someone you fight unless you absolutely have to.

Yes, De La Hoya has the higher profile and is infinitely more marketable, but that's now what 'the Baker's Dozen' is about. Forrest, should not be penalized for not having the promotional push of De La Hoya. If they were to fight, I'd make this fight an even proposition, so perhaps it's appropriate that I put them dead even on this list.

5 - Kostya Tszyu - Just look at what this guy's done in unifying the jr. welterweight division: first he stops Sharmba Mitchell to win the WBA belt, then he decisions a tough mandatory in Oktay Urkal, then he KOs Zab Judah to unify the IBF, WBA and his own WBC belt. Then, in his first fight back, he systematically dismantles a tough Ben Tackie over 12 rounds.

Tszyu was once known as a bruising puncher - and he still is. But now he's a well-rounded fighter, who can just as easily out-box you as he can bang you out of there with a few well-placed shots. My only gripe is that I wish he would fight more as the 140-pound division is chalk full of interesting and talented contenders.

From his knockout loss at the hands of Vince Phillips, he's come a long way.

4 - Roy Jones - I'm not going to blame him if he decides not to fight John Ruiz, because I don't care how mediocre 'the Quiet Man' may be, no one, in this day and age, should be expected to fight somebody 40-50 pounds heavier than you are. Besides, Antonio Tarver has done more than enough to earn his mandatory shot unlike the other guys Jones has been facing the past few years.

There is no denying Jones natural, God-given gifts, but there has to be more to it than that. You have to consistently take on some worthy challengers - something 'Reluctant Roy' doesn't do. Think about, since turning pro in 1988, he's had really one 'big' fight (that doesn't include his win over Bernard Hopkins - nobody was calling that a big fight in 1993 by any means) against James Toney in 1994. That's over eight years ago.

Now some of you will say that there's been nobody out there for him to fight. Really? I didn't see him face any of the other blue-chip super middleweights of his day (guys like Steve Collins, Frankie Liles and Nigel Benn -- all guys he would have been prohibitive favorites over), he was in cahoots with the WBC -- something that is gonna cost the WBC a lot of money to Graciano Rocchigiani -- and didn't he say he was going over to Germany to take on Dariusz Michalczewski earlier this year. Some say he's hampered by the sanctioning bodies, I say he manipulates them for his own purpose.

3 - Marco Antonio Barrera - Yeah, he was a bit too cautious in his rematch with Eric Morales, but I still had him winning and that's all that counts in 'the Baker's Dozen'. Take away a guy by the name of Junior Jones and this guy's been flawless.

Barrera continues his run by taking on Johnny Tapia on November 2nd, a run that has seen him take on the likes of Naseem Hamed, Enrique Sanchez and Morales. See, HBO, this is the type of guy you want fighting on your network. And since the featherweight division is one of the deepest in the sport, you get the feeling that more big, high-profile fights are on the way for him.

While he has taken a liking to his new counter-punching style, it says here that at the end of the day, that style is great when you're facing a 'Prince' who is really a pauper, but not so effective against guys who have solid boxing skills like Morales and Tapia. I think Barrera would be better served doing what he does best: being a pressure fighter who can bang to the body like nobodies business and mix it up on the inside.

2 - Bernard Hopkins - OK, is there anyone else suing 'the Executioner'? If there is, call Judd Bernstein and get in back of the line. The bottom line here is that Hopkins, from his emphatic, career-defining performance against Trinidad (which stamped him as an all-time middleweight, gave him pound-for-pound status, the undisputed 160-pound title, millions of dollars and recognition) has done a terrible job of handling prosperity. Where adversity once fueled him, prosperity, it seems, will burn him down.

He's had one bout since his stoppage of Trinidad, has burned bridges with people who were instrumental in his success (Lou DiBella, then Bouie Fisher), is now a man without a network (as he's neither an HBO or Showtime fighter, perhaps UPN would take him?) and it looks like he won't be fighting any significant fights anytime soon. The goodwill that was fostered in the wake of September 29th, 2001, has all but vanished.

But you know what? This is exactly the type of thing that Hopkins thrives on. He is the game's maverick, no doubt about it. We will never seen another like his kind ever again. It's just a shame we don't see him fight more often because he is a consummate fighter who has steadily improved as the years have gone on. We all knew he was a tough guy, the world found out that he could also finesse you and out-think you in the ring. While he doesn't have great natural skills, he is the game's most complete fighter.

But will the turmoil outside the ring or Father Time catch up to him soon? We'll see.

1 - Vacant - As of right now, nobody is truly worthy of our top spot, although Hopkins, Barrera and Jones are clearly my top three boxers as of this moment.

But as the last few months have shown, things can change quickly in this sport. Perhaps Hopkins gets back on track and re-establishes himself maybe Barrera just keeps beating one big name after another, or Jones decides to apply himself and do something dramatic, or De La Hoya gains revenge on his conquerors and secures his legacy.

But for the rest of 2002, this spot is wide open. Any takers?

WORLD BOXING CRIMINALS

That's some interesting news regarding the WBC and Graciano Rocchigiani. Poor Jose Sulaiman, I know you and your organization had only the best of intentions.

I guess this really means that Rocchigiani is the real WBC lt. heavyweight champion and Roy Jones isn't. Therefore, we can no longer call Jones 'the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world'. Roy, you can turn in your belt now.

FINAL FLURRIES

Lightweight contender Juan Lazcano stayed sharp this past Friday night with a KO of David Armstrong on Telefutura... 'the Hispanic Causin' Panic' is one of the most active world-class fighters in the game and has steadily improved the last few years... ESPN2's Max Kellerman said something to the effect that if it was Floyd Mayweather who pulled out of the October 5th bout and not Castillo, that the fans would have really questioned him... Max, I hate to tell you this, but you couldn't be more wrong. Mayweather, in all reality needs to do that MORE because it's getting real old, having him go through a litany of physical ailments after each bout that he doesn't dominate... If you're injured, pull-out and reschedule like Castillo did. It beats coming in and giving a sub-par performance and not giving the fans their money's worth.

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E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com

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