Ask any boxer or trainer about their legendary pound-for-pound rankings, and you'll likely get one of two answers: a grin or a wide-eyed roll.
Because nothing causes more laughter and contempt from people who actively participate in sports than talking about worthless lists. Pound-for-pound rankings are arbitrary and subjective, with no set criteria. These do not affect the way matches are played or the champion is determined in any way. And they do not (at least visibly) increase the boxer's income.
“Pound-for-pound rankings are just opinions,” says Jonathan Banks, trainer of future Hall of Famer Gennady Golovkin. “I don't understand [a] A championship with opinions. What are the criteria? That's a question that's never really been answered. ”
Looking through the spectrum of today's best boxers, it's easy to determine the 10 best boxers in the world, regardless of weight class, given how widely different they are in body, style, and skill set (power, defense, etc.) It's not a simple task. Anyone looking to participate in pound-for-pound discussions or create their own list is likely to value certain traits more highly than other boxing enthusiasts.
“I'm not going to go over everything that surrounds pound-for-pound fighters to justify that,” Terrence Crawford, who has a legitimate claim to being No. 1, previously said. we.
For some, a fighter's resume is most important. Who have you fought, who have you won, and who have you beaten? Some create rankings based on vision tests. They know greatness when they see it. Others may focus on whether and how quickly they can defeat their opponent. Did you stack up the titles? Are you chasing them? Are you a one trick pony? Do you fight more than once a year?
“It's good for the media and social media and keeps people talking. That's why I like it,” Banks says. “Anything that gets people talking about sports is good for sports.”
Just don't involve the boxer himself. They usually don't want to participate in the discussion. The notable exception is Crawford, who will readily say he is the best pound-for-pound. Meanwhile, Vasily Lomachenko, a living legend in the sports world, said he would never say he is the strongest because “I'm too embarrassed to say it.” Golovkin, on the other hand, has stated that he doesn't know how to rationally compare lightweights to light heavyweights or welterweights to heavyweights, which is a valid criticism of pound-for-pound rankings.
“That's so crazy to me. Everyone's different,” Golovkin says.
It's ridiculous that we can definitively rank the best in each division of boxing for those at risk, but Complex Sports can't help but get in on the action.