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Is Floyd Mayweather, Jr. "the best"?

According to everyone with the last name of Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is "the best" and we are reminded of such whenever the cameras are on. The present tense certainly does not apply because Money May has not fought since December 2007. A lot has happened in boxing since Floyd, Jr. "retired" and, if he was the best in 2007, then he is no longer so at the current moment.

Who is better? The lazy way to write this article is to write "Manny Pacquiao" ten times and be done with it. The tougher approach is to avoid the number 1 pound-for-pound fighter altogether because it is a given that he is "the best" right now. Harder still would be to avoid any fighter on the current pound-for-pound list.

Now that the rules are set, here are 10 fighters who are better than Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (listed by record):

10. Yuriorkis Gamboa (15-0, 13 KOs). A little risky to put a fighter with such a scant record on the list; however, an exception can be made with regard to Gamboa. He won Olympic gold in 2004 and is as explosive as any man fighting today. Gamboa may fight Juan Manuel Lopez in 2010, which means bet the ranch that the fight doesn't go over 9 1/2 rounds.

9. Nonito Donaire (22-1, 14 KOs). Donaire lost his second professional fight, which can be forgiven in light of the fact that The Filipino Flash has destroyed the flyweight division since then and was the first man to defeat Vic Darchinyan--by brutal knockout.

8. Timothy Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs). Bradley isn't flashy, he isn't heavy handed, but he is technically superb and a legitimate "good guy" within the sport. His dismantling of Nate Campbell last month (before the lobbied stoppage) proved that Desert Storm isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

7. Edwin Valero (25-0, 25 KOs). How does an awkward fighter who is not technically sound make this list? He is an absolute killer in the ring and appears to know just one way to win a fight--by knockout. Valero will likely never get a shot at Pacquiao, but he runs in Juan Manuel Marquez's territory and that makes for a very intriguing match-up regardless as to what happens on September 19th.

6. Andre Berto (25-0, 19 KOs). Berto is on this list for one simple reason--he fights legitimate welterweights and so far has taken them all down. Andre was on the short list to fight Shane Mosley--an opponent that Mayweather has elected to avoid.

5. Juan Manuel Lopez (26-0, 24 KOs). Not only is JuanMa a destroyer, but no fighter has ever lasted 12 rounds with him. He beats his opponents physically and mentally. Miguel Cotto may well be more popular; however, Lopez is the most exciting fighter from Puerto Rico.

4. Jorge Linares (27-0, 18 KOs). Linares is a fantastic boxer out of Tokyo by way Barinas, Venezuela. He is mostly unknown outside of the Pacific Rim, but his one trip to America showcased that he was able to do what Manny Pacquiao could not--knockout Oscar Larios.

3. Chad Dawson (28-0, 17 KOs). The problem with Dawson is that he is in a weak division; however, he is the only man to have defeated Tomasz Adamek and has wins over Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver (twice). Dawson will throw down with Johnson again on November 7th and may face Bernard Hopkins in 2010.

2. Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs). King Arthur defended his middleweight title 10 times before electing to move up in weight to 168lbs in order to participate in the Showtime tournament. His next opponent, Jermian Taylor, will no doubt cause speculation as to how Abraham would have fared against Kelly Pavlik in a middleweight unification bout--a fight Abraham begged to be made.

1. Chris John (42-0-2, 22 KOs). John's record alone justifies his participation on this list. More importantly, The Dragon defeated Juan Manuel Marquez, which is still something that remains on Floyd, Jr.'s "to do" list.

Realistically, "the best" can mean different things. To Floyd Mayweather, Jr., however, the phrase is all inclusive. The 10 men above do not draw like Mayweather can and, except for John, are relatively far away from his record of 39-0 (25 KOs). Rather, the fighters above are listed because they are all willing to fight the best to be the best. In 2007, Mayweather was not willing to do the same. In that regard, all 10 are better than Floyd, Jr.

Maybe Act II of his career will be different; however, that will require defeating Juan Manuel Marquez and the winner of Cotto-Pacquiao. Accomplish those tasks and we will revisit the subject.

Source: examiner.com

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