Manny Pacquiao Loses Title of Pound-for-Pound King to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Two sports media outfits dropped Pinoy boxing champ Manny Pacquiao from first to second place in the rankings for pound-for-pound king this week, PEP.ph reports. According to the article, Sports Illustrated posted its updated rankings on the Web on November 14, listing undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the top spot; ESPN did the same on November 17.

As for the reason for Pac-Man’s usurping by Mayweather, PEP.ph quotes Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, who wrote that "the inconclusive outcome undercut [Manny's] standing in SI.com's pound-for-pound ratings." The outcome he was referring to was Pacquiao’s match against Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, November 12 (US time), in which the Pambansang Kamao won by majority decision.

ESPN.com's boxing writer, Dan Rafael, posted this in his ranking, defending his reason for dropping Pacquiao’s ranking to second place: "Pacquiao looked confused at times and lacked snap on his punches in a less-than-stellar outing. It just wasn't the kind of performance we have come to expect from Pacquiao, especially in light of the fact that Marquez had been wiped out by Mayweather in 2009 in his only other welterweight fight."

Rafael followed up his ranking with a post on his blog on November 17 since, he wrote, he "knew a firestorm was coming." He wrote: “Bottom line: Mayweather looked terrific in his fight, even if you were unsatisfied with the knockout because Ortiz wasn't looking (his fault, not Mayweather's), while Pacquiao looked very human against a smaller man that Mayweather had decisively beaten not long ago.”

Meanwhile, PEP.ph reports that The Ring magazine stands by its ranking of Pacquiao as the no. 1 pound-for-pound boxing champ. They quote Michael Rosenthal’s November 15 article on the magazine’s Website: "Pacquiao has accomplished more than Mayweather in recent years. The Filipino is 9-0 against big-name opponents since the beginning of 2008; Mayweather is 3-0 in that time."

Despite the three media outfits' difference of opinion, however, it seems they are all in agreement on one thing. As Rosenthal put it, “We still hold out hope that they’ll decide this once and for all by facing one another in the ring.”


Do you agree with Sports Illustrated and ESPN? Or, like The Ring magazine, do you think Pacquiao should remain the undisputed pound-for-pound champ? Take the poll below to share your opinion--and don't forget to leave a comment to explain what side you're on!

For more articles on Manny Pacquiao, check these out on FN:

• Manny Pacquiao Defeats Juan Manuel Marquez in Majority Decision
• Michael Bolton: "Pacquiao is the greatest fighter."
• Jinkee says she'll offer an Hermes bag for proof of Pac-Man's infidelity
• Should Manny Pacquiao continue his anti-RH stand despite Jinkee's admission that she was on the Pill?

(Floyd Mayweather Jr. photo by Chamber of Fear via Wikimedia Commons; Manny Pacquiao photo courtesy of PEP.ph)