The undisputed king of boxing and the best-paid athlete in world
sport. Looked more vulnerable than in a long time against Marcos Maidana but is
widely expected to win the rematch. Unless he takes higher risk contests, it
seems that little can stop him from reaching 49-0 and, ultimately, probably
retiring on reaching 50-0. A great fistic talent, but his penchant for
cherry-picking oppo at the right times is arguably holding him back from even
greater adulation and all-time P4P consideration.
Underwhelming next choice of opponent in Chris Algieri has accentuated the suspicion that he is a faded force and possibly busted flush whose career is treading water. Nonetheless, he remains a phenomenon with an incredible ledger of achievements and, after Mayweather, the biggest name in the sport. The world still yearns for that fight, of course, although we now know it will never happen.
An enigmatic talent who disappointed big-time in his rematch against Pacquiao, however his overall record commands respect and his wins against Provodnikov and Márquez, which prefaced the Pacquiao defeat, were impressive for different reasons. Intriguing to see where his career goes next, once he recovers from a calf injury.
Past his best, but has still enjoyed a remarkable and wonderful career. I think we all agree that a fifth fight against Pacquiao holds little lustre, so where he goes next after his victory against Mike Alvarado is a huge question - the answer might be retirement. We will soon see.
5. Andre Ward
Career is stagnating when it should be at its peak. A wonderful
talent, but signature wins and fights are sparse, despite potential for some
huge fights in and around his division (Golovkin, Froch 2, Stevenson etc). As
long as promotional discord keeps him inactive or only sporadically active, he
will continue to move inexorably down a P4P list that he should be looking to
top. Recent rumours have linked him to contests versus Kessler or Golovkin -
let's hope that's true.A breathtaking talent, although not to everyone’s taste. Indeed, sometimes he doesn’t seem to be to anyone’s taste. Boxiana is a fan of his pure hit and not get hit artistry though. He's not box-office, but is worthy of his place among the current gods of the sport.
Has looked utterly unstoppable at middleweight recently, although he badly needs a signature fight against a better class of opponent to rubber-stamp what many suspect – namely that he’s a middleweight for the ages.
As far as Boxiana is concerned, a perplexing omission from nearly every current P4P list doing the rounds. García can bang, box and has a superb chin. Totally dismantled the much-avoided and huge hitting Lucas Matthysse, and has defeated everyone else he’s ever faced, although he got a debatable decision versus Mauricio Herrera. Deserves a big fight.
Teak-tough warrior who has been willing to face anyone, any time, any place. Not the most gifted technician, and was schooled by Ward, but his consistently high level of opposition deserves the utmost respect.
Has had an absolutely incredible career, which should demand and command more respect and recognition. A victory against Kovalev is not beyond the bounds of possibility, and his technique and longevity are quite simply without parallel or equal in boxing right now.
P4P lists are probably the most contentious and ridiculous rankings system in boxing, yet they retain an intriguing allure. The main criteria Boxiana has employed in our rankings is to try and combine an assessment of a fighter’s career as a whole along with an assessment of their recent form. Wins against fellow P4P ranked fighters seem to have helped elevate certain fighters to the higher reaches of our rankings – indeed, all of our top five hold at least one victory against another member of the P4P top ten, while no one ranked from 6-10 has beaten a fellow top ten pound for pounder.
Canelo Álvarez - limitations exposed versus Mayweather and then Lara.
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