In response to the hotly contested debates over which fighters comprise the pound for pound greatest, Ring News 24 will compile a monthly list tracking the best pound for pound fighters in the sport. Each fighter is ranked based on performances inside the ring and the opinion of writer Joel Sebastianelli.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Record: 42-0-0 (26 KOs)
Titles: WBC welterweight champion
Most recent result: Controversial 4th round KO of Victor Ortiz on September 17th, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: Mayweather Jr. is as controversial a figure as boxing has seen in decades. His last time in the ring was tainted with what many in boxing circles labeled a “cheap shot” on Victor Ortiz and a profanity laced tirade directed at HBO’s veteran reporter Larry Merchant. Although he was victorious his last time in the ring, he lost a battle with the Nevada judicial system this past week. Mayweather Jr. was sentenced to ninety days in jail for domestic violence, putting a proposed May 5th, 2011 fight date in jeopardy.

2. Manny Pacquiao
Record: 54-3-2 (38 KOs)
Titles: WBO welterweight champion
Most recent result: Majority decision over Juan Manuel Marquez November 12th, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: Pacquiao falls from the first spot in the RN24 rankings following a controversial victory over Juan Manuel Marquez. While the scorecards of observers vary, the general consensus is that Pacquiao lost the third fight of the trilogy. Most on press row ruled the fight either a draw or a narrow victory for Marquez, while fans at home and in attendance saw the elder Marquez dominate with effective aggressiveness over the sloppy Filipino. While Pacquiao is still clearly top tier fighter, his performance raises many questions. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. has any desire to fight Pacquiao, perhaps now is as good a time as any. However, off the heels of his adversary’s jail sentence, the next likely opponent for Pacquiao appears to be Juan Manuel Marquez for a fourth time in June of 2012.

3. Sergio Martinez
Record: 48-2-2 (27 KOs)
Titles: None
Most recent result: 11th round KO of Darren Barker on October 1st, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: Planned return to ring on March 17th against an opponent yet to be named.
Analysis: Martinez has emerged over the course of the past year and a half as being perhaps too good for his own good. The top caliber Argentinian, who is inexplicably without a title belt to call his own, defeated 14.5/1 underdog Darren Barker in Atlantic City nearly three months ago. Few fighters in any of the middleweight classes have expressed a strong desire to fight Martinez, who has yet to establish himself as a fighter who will routinely pack arenas with fans. Undefeated prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. may be next in line, but few would argue he could pose a legitimate threat to Martinez. Any of the super middleweight Super Six alums would make for a compelling matchup, but a bout with champion Andre Ward may be more of a pipe dream than a reality where things currently stand.

4. Andre Ward
Record: 25-0 (13 KOs)
Titles: WBC and WBA super middleweight champion
Most recent result: Unanimous decision victory against Carl Froch on December 17th, 2011 in the Super Six Final.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: Following victories against Mikkel Kessler, Allan Green, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, and Carl Froch, Ward has been catapulted into the upper echelon of the sport. Save for Canadian champion Lucian Bute, “S.O.G” has nearly eradicated all challengers in the super middleweight division. Since both Ward and Bute have television contracts with Showtime, a fight between the two in either California or Canada would make sense, but one and one never equals two in boxing. Ward wants nothing to do with Bute until he beats “a credible opponent.”

5. Nonito Donaire Jr.
Record: 27-1 (18 KOs)
Titles: WBC, WBO bantamweight champion
Most recent result: Unanimous decision victory over Omar Andres Narvaez on October 22nd, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. on February 4th, 2012.
Analysis: It’s difficult to evaluate Donarie in light of his performance at the Madison Square Garden WaMu Theater in October. In what can only be described as one of boxing’s worst fights of the year, Donaire landed a miserable 99 of 666 punches, a 15 percent connect ratio. The Argentinian challenger was even worse, landing 25 percent of his punches but only throwing 299, an average of 25 punches thrown each round. Donaire is in a class above the other super bantamweights, especially after a February TKO of Fernando Montiel in the 2nd round. Although a win is a win, his victory over Narvaez won’t win him any fans, which perhaps tarnishes the prospect of a potential fight between Donaire and either Abner Mares or Anselmo Moreno in the second half of 2012. Donaire will fight on HBO February 4th against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., who lost in his only step up in class to Jorge Arce by 12th round TKO in a closely contested fight in which the winner of the final round was guaranteed the victory.

6. Juan Manuel Marquez
Record: 53-6-1 (39 KOs)
Titles: WBA, WBO lightweight champion
Most recent result: Majority decision loss to Manny Pacquiao on November 12th, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: It’s hard to knock Juan Manuel Marquez down in the standings after losing to Manny Pacquiao. Many believe he beat Pacquiao, who was the consensus number one pound for pound fighter in the eyes of boxing experts entering the fight. He looked solid against the Filipino, and aims to fight him for a fourth time in 2012.

7. Wladimir Klitschko
Record: 56-3 (49 KOs)
Titles: IBF, WBA, IBO, WBO heavyweight champion
Most recent result: Unanimous decision victory over David Haye on July 2
Scheduled bouts: vs. Jean Marc Mormeck on March 3rd, 2012
Analysis: The fight against Haye was one of the most important and most anticipated heavyweight bouts of the last decade, and although the fight was a disappointment from the action standpoint, Klitschko continued to look great. America may not appreciate his style, but he is revered throughout Europe. He returns to the ring to defend his heavyweight titles against Jean Marc Mormeck in Germany on March 3rd.

8. Timothy Bradley
Record: 28-0 (12 KOs)
Titles: WBO light welterweight champion
Most recent result: 8th round TKO over Joel Casamayor on November 12th, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: I still maintain the belief that Bradley is taking a page out of the Winky Wright playbook. Either he thinks he’s worth more than he is, he’s a feared fighter receiving few opportunities, or both. Fights haven’t exactly been pouring in for Bradley, who struggles to attract fans. However, following the loss of Amir Khan to Lamont Peterson earlier this month, he is now the clear cut best at 140lbs.

9. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam
Record: 83-3-2 (44 KOs)
Titles: WBC Flyweight Champion
Most Recent Result: Technical draw against Hirofumi Mukai on December 23rd, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: The majority of Wonjongkam’s opponents make Kimbo Slice look like Muhammad Ali. He does step up in competition a few times a year to defend his title, and does so successfully, so you can’t hold his decision to clean up club fighters to stay busy against him. Yet, fighting such poor opposition in glorified sparring sessions does have its draw backs, as seen on December 23rd against the 5-1 Mukai. An accidental head clash forty seven seconds into the first round opened a gash on the Japanese flyweight’s head, and doctors ordered a stop to the bout. In Thailand, any accidental clash of heads in the first round of a fight that results in a stoppage is a technical draw, not a no contest. Clearly Wonjongkam would have won anyway, but the result is still a slight blemish on his record (albeit a meaningless one).  He defended his WBC title on October 21st against Edgar Sosa, winning by unanimous decision in Bangkok.

10. Miguel Cotto
Record: 37-2 (30 KOs)
Titles: WBA light middleweight champion
Most Recent Result: 10th round TKO of Antonio Margarito on December 3rd, 2011.
Scheduled bouts: None
Analysis: Cotto demolished the disgraced Margarito to extract his revenge for a loss in their first fight back on July 26th, 2007. The ringside physician ordered a halt to the contest after Margarito sustained extensive swelling round his right eye. Cotto has only two losses in his career: an 11th round TKO to Margarito in the aforementioned bout in 2007 (many speculate Margarito may have loaded his gloves following the revelation prior to his fight with Shane Mosley) and a 12th round TKO to pound for pound elitist Manny Pacquiao. After cruising through Margarito, Ricardo Mayorga, and Yuri Forman (and only dropping approximately five rounds on the judges’ scorecards combined), it’s about time the Puerto Rican is given a pound for pound top ten slot and a berth in the crowded middleweight sweepstakes featuring light middleweight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, middleweights Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and super middleweights Andre Ward and Lucian Bute (who would likely need to meet Cotto halfway at 160lbs if a fight was ever to occur).

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