Back after a month off - because there were no big name fights to speak of at the very end of 2007 or the very beginning of 2008 - it's the February edition of our very own boxing power rankings. If you haven't read the post about "How Our Rankings Work," go ahead and do so. I'll wait...
And if you don't want to do that, here's a disclaimer: this is not a pound-for-pound list of which boxers are "the best." Since lots of other sites do that, this is more of a measure of who's had the most success over the past three years against the toughest competition in their weight class, regardless of what that might be. Fighting often against other good boxers helps, and knocking out your foes is better than winning by split decision.
Now that we've got that out of the way, here's the list for the end of February:
1. Miguel Cotto - 22.40 - He stays in the top spot with eight victories over the last three years, including six knockouts. Expect him to add another one when he faces Alfonso Gomez in April.
2. Wladimir Klitschko - 21.00 - I may have to modify the formula to account for boredom after a stinker decision victory over Sultan Ibragimov. Steelhammer is fighting his division's best, it's just that they aren't very good.
3. Kelly Pavlik - 19.03 - The Ghost may have rocketed all the way to the top of the heap had he KO'ed Jermain Taylor again. But there was nothing wrong with his unanimous decision, and he probably displayed more all-around skill than in any previous outing.
4. Floyd Mayweather - 15.60 - The top boxer in the world may not fight again until September. And no, he won't get any points here if he beats Paul Wight at WrestleMania.
5. Joe Calzaghe - 15.50 - He got his wish: a bout with Bernard Hopkins in April. And boxing fans got their wish, as it won't be pay-per-view.
6. Chris John - 14.91 - Is this the best boxer I've never seen fight? Could be.
7. Manny Pacquiao - 14.78 - Pac Man's life is like a soap opera, creating numerous possible distractions. When he hits the ring, though, it's all business.
8. Israel Vazquez - 14.33 - Shame on you if you missed his fights with Rafael Marquez last year. Fortunately, you get another chance to watch the two of them collide this Saturday.
9. Juan Diaz - 13.87 - Think Nate Campbell will prove much of a challenge for the Baby Bull? Me neither.
10. Ricky Hatton - 13.19 - Tough to say what the future holds for Hatton, but the safe money says his fans won't stop all those chants just because he lost a fight.
The next 7: Arthur Abraham, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Clinton Woods, Juan Manuel Marquez, Kermit Cintron, Junior Witter
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