June featured a dominating win by Wladimir Klitschko as well as a narrow margin of victory for Miguel Cotto over Joshua Clottey. Check inside to see how each fight effected our pound-for-pound boxer rankings at Inside Fights.
Now that the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Juan Manuel Marquez bout has been postponed, what is the best fight to watch in July?
Inside Fights Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Manny Pacquiao
Last Month: 1
Pacquiao is second to Mayweather on my list only because he had a life-and-death battle with Marquez a year ago. Regardless, Pacquiao and Mayweather are clearly the top two spots, and as soon as they fight, we’ll know for sure who #1 is in the sport. Until then, call them 1A and 1B if you like. – Corey Willinger
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr
Last Month: 2
Injured ribs have pushed back Floyd’s return to the ring to September. A fight with the current #3 lb-for-lb boxer will hopefully lead to a fight to crown the true #1 pound-for-pound champ. – Trent Pusey
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
Last Month: 3
Marquez believes he is the best lb-for-lb boxer in the world. He still gets his chance to prove it, just a few months later than we were hoping for. – TP
4. Bernard Hopkins
Last Month: 4
If Hopkins doesn’t schedule anything soon, he may as well be retired. It’s a shame because he’s coming off one of the best performances of his career against Kelly Pavlik. The problem is that was in October. – CW
5. Paul Williams
Last Month: 5
Williams is without a dance partner for the summer as fans begin to forget that he just beat Winky Wright. Williams may very well be a mainstay in the top 5 for years to come. – TP
6. Israel Vazquez
Last Month: 6
Unlike Hopkins, Vazquez has been sitting out with an injury, but he’s coming back soon, and boxing could really use his energy and excitement. – CW
7. Shane Mosley
Last Month: 7
Try as he might, Shane couldn’t convince Pacquiao to step in the ring with him. Mosley deserves a rematch with Cotto, but it looks like that won’t happen, leaving Mosley in no man’s land. – CW
8. Miguel Cotto
Last Month: 9
Cotto moves up a spot with his win over Joshua Clottey. Talks for a fight with Pacquiao in the fall have already begun. – TP
9. Chad Dawson
Last Month: 8
Dawson drops a spot this month. His performance against Tarver in May didn’t warrant Dawson holding onto the 8th spot in the wake of Cotto’s win. – TP
10. Arthur Abraham
Last Month: 10
Abraham looked terrific in beating up on Mahir Oral this past weekend, taking his time the first four rounds before absolutely pummeling his foe. Pavlik needs to make the fight with Abraham before the IBF Champ moves up to super middleweight and the dream fight is lost. – CW
July Fight to Watch
Staff Pick: Vic Darchinyan vs. Joseph Agbeko
July 11th on Showtime
The postponement of Mayweather/Marquez really put a damper on boxing in July. Fortunately, Showtime will be televising the always-entertaining Vic Darchinyan this month. Darchinyan is chasing a world title in a third weight class as he moves up to challenge IBF Bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko. Both fighters carry power in their hands so it should make for an early night.
