The Inside Fights Pound-for-Pound Boxer Rankings have been released for September. There wasn’t any movement this month but see where Floyd Mayweather Jr and Juan Manuel Marquez rank going into their fight later this month. One Inside Fights staffer believes there is another fight this month more worthy of your attention than Mayweather-Marquez. Read through to see what fight he is talking about.
Inside Fights Pound-for-Pound Rankings
1. Manny Pacquiao
Last Month: 1
“All eyes look to November, where the biggest fight of the year takes place when Pacquiao steps up to fight Cotto in what should be a barnburner while it lasts.” – Corey Willinger
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr
Last Month: 2
“Floyd comes back from a long layoff on September 19 to face Juan Manuel Marquez. It will be a great indicator as to whether Mayweather deserves to be included at the top of this list.” – Trent Pusey
3. Juan Manuel Marquez
Last Month: 3
“Marquez should become the number one fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world if he is able to topple Mayweather this month.” – CW
4. Bernard Hopkins
Last Month: 4
“It’s currently a waiting game for Hopkins. He likely won’t fight in 2009 but has options in early 2010. Most likely will face Tomasz Adamek or possibly the winner of Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson.” – TP
5. Paul Williams
Last Month: 5
“Williams had a huge fight lined up with Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik, but Pavlik, who’s been acting bizarre in the last year, pulled out with a staff infection. Williams isn’t going to wait around, though, and plans to fight very soon.” – CW
6. Israel Vazquez
Last Month: 6
“In an interview with Inside Fights, Vazquez said he will be returning to the ring in October. It will be good to see him in the ring again.” – TP
7. Shane Mosley
Last Month: 7
“There’s talk that Mosley is going to take on either Andre Berto or Joshua Clottey; either way, that’s the best fight he can get, and he should definitely fight one or the other while he waits for the bigger names.” – CW
8. Miguel Cotto
Last Month: 8
“Cotto needs a strong showing against Pacquiao in November to stay on this list and dispel the accounts that he is damaged goods.” – TP
9. Chad Dawson
Last Month: 9
“Whether he’s doing it because he doesn’t have a better opponent or because he feels like he owes it to his fans to decisively beat Glen Johnson, Dawson is doing the right thing by going through with this rematch in November; the first fight was a tough bout that looked like a draw.” – CW
10. Arthur Abraham
Last Month: 10
“The Super Six tournament is good for all the fighters involved. Abraham opens with Jermain Taylor in October.” – TP
September Fight to Watch
Trent’s Pick: Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
September 19 on HBO PPV
No matter your order of ranking, these are two of the top three pound-for-pound boxers in the world. The winner puts himself in line for a megafight in 2010 with the winner of Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. The stakes are incredibly high in this fight and that is what makes it the fight to watch this month. Is Mayweather biting off more than he can chew? Can Marquez handle the speed of Mayweather? Will Mayweather’s layoff effect his performance? Will the weight be too much of a factor for Marquez to overcome? Who deserves to be at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings? All these questions will be answered on September 19.
Corey’s Pick: Vitali Klitschko vs. Chris Arreola
September 26 on HBO
Mayweather-Marquez is the fight everyone is talking about, and it probably should be since it matches two of the top three pound-for-pound fighters on our list and any other you’ll find out there. I’m just as anxious as anyone to see if Mayweather can return to form, but, from an entertainment standpoint, the fight to watch this month for me is Vitali Klitschko defending the WBC title against Chris Arreola on September 26. Vitali, not Wladimir, in my opinion, is the best heavyweight in the world. He puts the hurt on every opponent, and he knocks them out. Arreola is the first challenger to either Klitschko at least since 2006 that I felt was going to put up a really good fight. Klitschko is going to stop him inevitably, but I look for Arreola to come to win in a showing that has people loving the fight as long as it lasts. Go with what should be the first heavyweight fight worth watching in years.
