We had a few movers in our pound-for-pound boxer rankings this month. How far did Paul Williams climb after his win and how far did Jermain Taylor fall after his loss? Check out Inside Fights’ top pound-for-pound boxer rankings for the month of May.
Inside Fights Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Manny Pacquiao
Last Month: 1
Pacquiao climbs back into the ring this month to face Ricky Hatton in a fight that will not lack action. Hatton’ light welterweight title will be on the line but Pacquiao will be risking his lb-for-lb crown. – Trent Pusey
2. Juan Manuel Marquez
Last Month: 2
He’ll become number one if Pacquiao goes down to Hatton, but there are rumblings that he could be fighting Mayweather in July. If he somehow beats the undefeated Mayweather, he should become number one in the world regardless of how Pacquiao performs. – Corey Willinger
3. Bernard Hopkins
Last Month: 3
Hopkins is still in career limbo as he does not have a lot of options if he plans to continue fighting. Crusierweight champion Tomasz Adamek has caught the attention of B-Hop and will likely be his next opponent. – TP
4. Paul Williams
Last Month: 5
Williams got his biggest win so far last month when he laid a 12-round drubbing on seasoned veteran Winky Wright. It was impressive to say the least. – CW
5. Israel Vazquez
Last Month: 4
Vazquez falls a spot due to inactivity and the performance of Paul Williams. He should return this summer and he has numerous quality fighters to choose from. – TP
6. Shane Mosley
Last Month: 6
One would think Mosley would have been able to land a megafight after dispatching Margarito, but he has yet to announce anything, obviously waiting for the Pacquiao-Hatton winner. – CW
7. Chad Dawson
Last Month: 7
Dawson fights his mandatory rematch with Antonio Tarver on May 9th. Hopefully Dawson can put Tarver in his rearview mirror after this fight and move on to more intriguing matchups. – TP
8. Arthur Abraham
Last Month: 8
Abraham needs to fight Kelly Pavlik and only Kelly Pavlik. That’s the fight to make in the middleweight division. – TP
9. Miguel Cotto
Last Month: 10
Sometimes it’s easy to look at Cotto’s loss to Margarito and dismiss him as one of the best in the sport, but, as time passes and more facts are revealed, it’s almost impossible to believe foul play wasn’t involved in that fight. He’s taken an admirable challenge in Joshua Clottey for his next fight in June, a difficult fight to say the least. – CW
10. Rafael Marquez
Last Month: NR
Marquez leaps back onto the list with Jermain Taylor’s collapse against Carl Froch. He has blossoming divisions all around him to bounce back after the loss to Vazquez by a single point a year ago. – CW
Dropped Out: Jermain Taylor
May Fights to Watch
Corey’s Pick: Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton
May 2nd on HBO PPV
The fight to watch this month is a no brainer: Hatton vs. Pacquiao. 140 pound supremacy is on the line, and a victory would make Pacquiao the man to beat in yet another division on his stellar resume. Hatton is getting his second shot at a pound-for-pound king and hasn’t gotten over how his last attempt turned out (a tenth round knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.). Junior Welterweight has been Hatton’s domain since 2005, and he isn’t going to give it up without a fight. It’s going to be a war, and it’s going to end in a knockout.
Trent’s Pick: Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton
I can’t even pretend to be into any other fight this month. Dawson/Tarver II is crap. It’s fun to watch Andre Berto’s development and he takes on Juan Urango late in May, but this month is all about Pacquiao and Hatton. The fight will have action, an extremely electric atmosphere, and will have direct bearing on the return of Floyd Mayweather Jr from retirement. The domino effect alone will be enough reason to tune in to this fight. But then again, the non-stop action won’t be too bad either.
