Pacquiao is Ring mag's top fighter; Donaire 5th

Manny Pacquiao has not thrown a single punch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. but the Fighting Congressman from Sarangani province has once again beaten the brash American boxer outside the ring. Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-welterweight champion, trumped Mayweather in The Ring magazine’s 100 best fighters of the world roster that covers all (17) weight classes. This is the fourth time Pacquiao earned Ring's top ranking, He now joins the ranks of Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali as the only fighters to achieve the feat. Pacquiao has also topped Ring magazine’s year-end rankings in 2006, 2008 and 2009. Pacquiao's unanimous decision victory over Joshua Clottey last year and a sensational 12-round demolition of Antonio Margarito to win his record eighth world title belt in as many divisions strengthened his case for the No. 1 spot. While he had a tough time chasing Clottey inside the ring when the Ghanaian fighter refused to engage him, the Pacman bulldozed his way against Margarito's defense, beating the Mexican to a pulp and breaking his right eye socket in the process. Ever the gentleman inside the ring, Pacquiao chose to go easy on Margarito in the final two rounds to avoid causing permanent damage on his opponent. Mayweather came in second in the Top 10 best fighters list, followed by Argentina's Sergio Martinez and Pacquiao's so-called nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. Nonito Donaire Jr., another Filipino, placed fifth, while his February 19 opponent, Mexican champion Fernando Montiel, placed seventh in the rankings. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand (sixth), Wladimir Klitschko (eighth), American Timothy Bradley (ninth) and Juan Manuel Lopez (10th) rounded up the Top 10.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Pacquiao holds a record of 52 victories (38 KOs), three losses (2 KO) and two draws in his 15-year boxing career. He is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao also topped the welterweight category, beating nine other boxers that include Mayweather (No. 2), World Boxing Council (WBC) title holder Andre Berto (No. 3), former foes Miguel Cotto (No. 4) and Clottey (No. 6), and 2011 opponent Shane Mosley (No. 5). Also in the Top 10 list in the welterweight division are International Boxing Federation (IBF) titlist Jan Zaveck of Germany, Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Senchenko, Rafal Jackiewicz of Poland and American Timothy Bradley. Mayweather's status in question While Pacquiao has earned the respect of the boxing world, many have questioned what Mayweather has done to deserve his lofty second spot in the rankings. Mayweather, who is facing legal problems since retiring for the second time, has only fought once in 2010, and has continued to stay out of Pacquiao’s radar. The Ring editors saw it fit for Mayweather to remain behind Pacquiao in the rankings because of his outstanding win over Mosley last May. It was Mayweather’s lone victory last year to remain unbeaten after 41 fights with 25 KOs. Heir to Pacquiao’s throne? Donaire Jr., who many consider as the next top Filipino fighter in the mold of Pacquiao, placed fifth in the pound-for-pound rankings. He made the biggest leap in the rankings, from 17th in the 2009 list. Donaire, nicknamed "The Filipino Flash," went 3-0 last year with all of his fights ending up either by technical knockout (TKO) or KO. He scored a third-round KO against Manuel Vargas, then followed it up with a TKO in the eighth over Hernan Marquez before ending 2010 with a dominating four-round demolition of Volodymyr Sydorenko. The San Leandro, California-based Donaire improved his record to 25 wins (17 KO) and one defeat. He has won 24 straight fights and has not suffered a setback since a unanimous decision loss against Rosendo Sanchez early in his professional career. Donaire is hoping to unify the WBC and WBO bantamweight titles when he goes up against Montiel. – With a report from Carlo Pamintuan