Not too much happened in the month of May to shake up the old power rankings. The gap between the top four fighters got smaller as one of Arthur Abraham's old knockouts fell out of the rolling three-year period, and there was a bit of shuffling at the bottom.
The summer months originally were supposed to have over half of our current top 10 in action, but already two (Kelly Pavlik and David Haye) have had fights fall through and will lose points for inactivity. There's still a good chance that this list will look a lot different come the end of August.
Here's a quick disclaimer for any new readers: this isn't a pound-for-pound list, but a different way of looking at how boxers have been performing over the last three years. Visit this page for further explanation.
On with the list:
1. Arthur Abraham - 20.53 - Here's the thing about King Arthur: I think he really is good, but until he fights more real contenders, I can't be certain. His upcoming opponent, Mahir Oral, doesn't fall into that cetegory, so the question will stay out there.
2. Celestino Caballero - 20.38 - Though not all of his victories have been scintillating, Caballero stays busy and keeps winning. His last loss came more than five years ago, and he's taken 13 straight during that time.
3. Manny Pacquiao - 19.27 - We know Pac-Man will be back in action in October, but we don't know yet who he'll be fighting. Shane Mosley is trying his best to get to the front of the line, but there's no guarantee he'll make it.
4. Juan Manuel Lopez - 19.03 - JuanMa unexpectedly became the headliner for the June 27 Top Rank pay-per-view from Atlantic City after Kelly Pavlik's fight was called off. Though Olivier Lontchi has an undefeated record, he feels destined to become another Lopez KO victim.
5. Kelly Pavlik - 18.13 - Top Rank says a staph infection is keeping The Ghost out of action later this month, while Team Pavlik says he would have been ready to go. It's a strange sign of tension in a relationship that has been pretty beneficial for all parties over the last few years.
6. Wladimir Klitschko - 17.02 - Wlad and company are scrambling to find a replacement for his June 20 date after David Haye's hand injury forced him to withdraw. Here's a personal plea: don't make it Nikolai Valuev.
7. David Haye - 17.00 - Speaking of Haye, some are suggesting he pulled out to duck Klitschko, but his camp insists his injury is legit. The latest rumors have the title shot he craved so much going to Ruslan Chagaev.
8. Nonito Donaire - 16.00 - The Filipino Flash is ready to defend his IBF flyweight title again in August, but he doesn't have an opponent finalized yet.
9. Juan Manuel Marquez - 15.46 - Amusingly, Floyd Mayweather now says JMM earned the right to fight him simply because Marquez was the first one to call Floyd out. I didn't realize it was that simple!
10. Vic Darchinyan - 14.40 - Vic does have a loss and a draw in the last two years, but he's been extremely impressive during his last three fights. If he continues that trend against rugged Joseph Agbeko in July, he should start getting more pound-for-pound love.
The next 7: Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Miguel Cotto, Chris John, Carl Froch, Chad Dawson, Tomasz Adamek
Posted by The Franchise
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