TODAY’S TOP TEN MOST POPULAR BOXERS IN THE U.S.

By Joseph Mathew

Coming up with this top ten list was more difficult than I originally anticipated. Boxing’s popularity has declined so much in the United States, mainstream sports fans barely know the top two names on the list.

Sure enough, there is a fine line between the number two and three slots. Those who recognized any names from number three and below only recall hearing about them from when they lost to either of the top two names or because they’re about to fight in a major event. These remaining eight names are so unknown that their rankings on this list revolve on a regular basis.

Amazingly, there are no heavyweights listed among the top six. Obviously, the heavyweight division is no longer the most prestigious division as far as the fans in the United States are concerned. At least not until there are more notable Americans competing in the division.

If anything is certain at this point, only the top two names are truly familiar in the world of American sports today. If they happen to face each other in the near future, it will definitely be huge. So let’s go over all ten names that should at least ring a bell to every sports fan in the United States.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. – He is talkative, he is undefeated, and he is American. If anyone in the United States knows of an active boxer today, it would surely be Mayweather. He is the money man of the sport today, and he holds wins over every boxer placed in front of him from Diego Corrales to Oscar De La Hoya. Wins over Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao would surely seal his legacy.

1. Manny Pacquiao – As the current pound-for-pound king, “Pac Man” is also one of the sports most exciting boxers. His wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto helped turn him into a word wide star. Now it is only a question of whether or not the 7-division champion needs to defeat Mayweather to secure his own legacy.

1. Miguel Cotto – This Puerto Rican star is a two-division champion with wins over Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey. His only losses were suffered against Antonio Margarito and as of recently, Manny Pacquiao. Next, Cotto looks to rebound by winning another world title in his third weight division at Yankee Stadium in June against Yuri Foreman.

1. Ricky Hatton – “The Hitman” is one of Britain’s finest boxers. He holds wins over Kostya Tszyu, Jose Luis Castillo and Paulie Malignaggi. On the other hand, he is mostly known or his high profile fights against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, both knockout losses for Hatton. Since his defeat to Pacquiao, Hatton has remained inactive although he is considering a bout against Juan Manuel Marquez, possibly in June. Otherwise, Hatton will most likely retire.

1. Shane Mosley – Mostly known for his two victories over Oscar De La Hoya, “Sugar” has had quite the up-and-down career throughout the last decade. Although he went on to suffer losses to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, Mosley gained victories against Fernando Vargas. Then Mosley hit a speed bump by losing to Miguel Cotto, but then he struck again with a win over Ricardo Mayorga. In his last bout, Mosley defied expectations with the one-sided beating of Antonio Margarito. Despite being in active since the Margarito win, Mosely is finally ready to return as he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1^st.

1. Juan Manuel Marquez – As a three-division champion, Marquez was mostly known for his two meetings with Manny Pacquiao. The first was ruled a draw and the second went to Pacquiao by a split decision. After defeating top lightweights in Joel Casamayor Juan Diaz, Marquez jumped to welterweight where he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now Marquez looks to get back into the ring either against Ricky Hatton or Juan Diaz in a rematch.

1. Wladimir Klitschko – Being heavyweight champion of the world may be the only reason why this Ukranian known as “Dr. Steelhammer” is popular enough to make this list’s top ten. Since losing to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, Wladimir has looked unbeatable as he has beaten every opponent from Samuel Peter to Ruslan Chagaev. As the IBF and WBO champ, and the world’s number-one heavyweight, Klitschko will next face top American Eddie Chambers on March 20^th.

1. Vitali Klitschko – The older brother of Wladimir “Dr. Ironfist” is remembered by many for his impressive performance against Lennox Lewis in 2003. Klitschko was winning the contest before it was stopped due to cuts on Klitschko, thus declaring Lewis the winner by 6^th-round TKO. Vitali went on to win the vacant WBC crown, defended it once, retired for a few years, returned to regain the title, and currently looks as unbeatable as his younger brother. Now big brother Vitali seeks the WBA title so that he may retire as a unified champion.

1. Bernard Hopkins – At the age of 45, “The Executioner” may not be quite as popular as he once was, but he is still one of the top boxers alive. Even with wins over Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya seemingly so far in the past, Hopkins still gets the big wins whether it’s against Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright or Kelly Pavlik. Next for Hopkins, he faces Roy Jones Jr. in a rematch from their first meeting in 1993.

1. Roy Jones Jr. – Well past his prime and deep into decline, Jones refuses to call it quits. Even after losing to Danny Green by a first-round stoppage last December, Jones will get another big fight when he faces Bernard Hopkins on pay-per-view in April. Will Jones once again defeat Hopkins, or will his decline continue.

Other notables:

Joshua Clottey – Clottey will surely be more popular once he faces Manny Pacquiao on Saturday. If he happens to pull off an upset, then he will become one of the most popular boxers in the world as well as the United States.

Kelly Pavlik – This middleweight champion from Youngstown, Ohio, needs to face bigger names if he wants to be better known. First, he will need to get past a tough opponent in Sergio Martinez in April.

Tomasz Adamek – The once light heavyweight champ went on to become the world’s best cruiserweight. High on confidence, Adamek is now campaigning in the heavyweight division. He has two victories in the 200+ division, but next he will face the hard-punching Cristobal Arreola in April.    

Paul Williams – As a welterweight champ and super welterweight champ, “The Punisher” would like to become a middleweight champ. Just barely scoring a decision against Sergio Martinez did not bring himself any closer to a title shot, but if he continues winning, then a title shot will be inevitable.

Also, jr. welterweight king Timothy Bradley, top light heavyweight Chad Dawson, and knockout artist Edwin Valero are all quickly gaining in popularity.

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