(via CoachJohnWooden.com)
Aside from the endless debates, speculations, accusations, hand-wringing, hair-pulling, and general mental instability surrounding the proposed Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight, another less heated, less debilitating, and ultimately more rectifiable debate has surrounded the two preeminent practitioners of the sweet science – who is the best fighter in the world, pound for pound?
Mayweather held the top spot for several years before abdicating with his “retirement” in 2008. Then Pacquiao assumed the throne with his historic ascent through the weight classes. When Mayweather dominated Shane Mosley earlier this year, however, the debate re-opened, with some observers moving Mayweather to the top of the heap for handily defeating (second round notwithstanding) the man generally recognized as the welterweight champion of the world, while others kept Pacquiao atop the list due to his outstanding recent body of work.
The problem with the pound-for-pound list in general, the way I see it, is that it’s not descriptive enough. The gulf between Floyd and Pac and the rest of the fighters in the world is tremendous. The gap between Floyd and Pac is slight. Yet with Manny at one, Floyd at two, and anyone else at three, the same number of spots separate Manny from Floyd and Floyd from anyone else on the list.
The solution? Steal from Bill Simmons . Simmons came up with the Hall of Fame Pyramid idea a few years ago and it’s stuck with me (and him, he references it often) ever since. It is genius because it is a very slight modern wrinkle on the timeless tradition of putting together lists – it’s basically a list with ranges. Plus, it would clarify the pound for pound rankings significantly. Manny and Floyd might be one or two spots away from the number three fighter, but they would be in a different tier. They would be distinguished from the rest of the fighters on the distinguished list. And for now, they should.
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