Manny Pacquiao once was a unanimous choice among voters in the Yahoo! Sports boxing poll as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. A year ago, an argument could be made that Pacquiao was no worse than the world's second-best fighter.

But after getting knocked out by archrival Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8 in their fourth encounter, Pacquiao dropped down the ratings yet again.

For the first time in more than four years, Pacquiao did not receive a single first-place vote in the poll of boxing writers from around the world. He dropped to sixth, barely holding off heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko for that spot.

Marquez used the momentum from his knockout win to vault into third place in the December ratings. Pacquiao and Marquez are likely to fight a fifth time in September, so Pacquiao doesn't figure to move from where he is until then, at least.

With that, here are the latest Yahoo! Sports boxing top 10 rankings:

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Points:Read More »from Down for the count? Manny Pacquiao's stunning KO loss drops him down pound-for-pound list

There are so many legitimate contenders for the Yahoo! Sports MMA Top 10 poll that some of the world's best fighters are getting little attention from the pollsters.

Benson Henderson is Exhibit A in this month's story of how closely matched the world's best fighters are now. Henderson, the UFC's classy lightweight champion, put on arguably the performance of his lifetime on Dec. 8 when he throttled Nate Diaz.

There were some who believed that Henderson might defeat Diaz, but few thought he would hand Diaz such a devastating and decisive beating. Despite that, all Henderson managed to do was to retain his spot in the rankings. He narrowed the gap a bit on fifth-place Junior dos Santos, but he remained in sixth.

Two fighters who are ineligible at this point, light heavyweight Dan Henderson and welterweight Nick Diaz, will return in the early part of 2013, making it even tighter. Henderson is ineligible because he's been inactive more than 12 months. Nick Diaz is inactive because

Read More »from Rankings: Benson Henderson's convincing win over Nate Diaz has little impact on standing

The worst pain a parent can feel is losing a child. The heartache never truly leaves; it just recedes into the background.

Steve Cunningham is a boxer, and a God-fearing man whose faith helped him endure a month at sea in the Persian Gulf while serving in the Navy. He's used to being hit in his midsection, but the gut shot he received while sitting next to his wife, Livvy, in a doctor's office was worse than any blow he's ever taken in a boxing match.

Steve Cunningham celebrates after beating Enad Licina of Germany. (AP)

Just three days after beating Kelvin Davis, Cunningham was at his wife's side as she gave birth to their daughter, Kennedy.

Kennedy would be the couple's second child, following Steve Jr. When he flew home to Philadelphia from Cleveland after the win over Davis, all Cunningham could think of was Kennedy's impending arrival.

He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms, to caress her, to tell her how much he loved her.

It would be a painful meeting.

Kennedy Cunningham was born on Sept. 6, 2005, with a congenital heart

Read More »from Steve Cunningham fighting for boxing relevancy while his daughter continues to fight for her life

LAS VEGAS – This is the story of a fighter who did the right thing even though it feels so wrong. It's the story of a promoter who criticized another for making a fight that was about the money and then went out and made a fight himself that was all about the money.

It's the story of an upstart fighter doing everything he was asked and still being told it wasn't good enough. And it's the story of a rebel who sneered at convention, broke all the rules, lost his biggest fight and still wound up being rewarded.

Georges St-Pierre took plenty of punishment against Carlos Condit. (AP)

Georges St-Pierre, the UFC's wildly popular welterweight champion, made the only choice he could possibly make when he decided upon his next opponent.

St-Pierre had three options: Move up to fight middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a catch-weight bout, defend the title against obvious No. 1 contender Johny Hendricks, or defend it against bitter rival and top draw Nick Diaz.

A fight against Silva would have made the most money, but after having been sidelined for

Read More »from Georges St-Pierre made right call in opting to fight Nick Diaz over Anderson Silva, Johny Hendricks

Junior dos Santos has no reason to apologize for his work in the UFC and needs to do exactly nothing more to prove his brilliance.

Dana White and Junior dos Santos arrive at the TUF Australia Launch Party. (Getty) He's only 28 years old, and while he's still learning about himself and his sport, he's already put together a Hall of Fame resume.

But dos Santos remains motivated to prove his legitimacy as an elite heavyweight. Maybe because he smiles too much, has never even thought of biting an opponent's ear or threatening to eat their children, he doesn't come across as a prototypical heavyweight champion.

He'll defend his title in the main event of UFC 155 on Dec. 29 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas against Velasquez, the man he won it from with a 64-second stoppage on Nov. 12, 2011.

A short while after dos Santos knocked Velasquez out at UFC on Fox 1 in Anaheim, Calif., news came out that Velasquez went into the bout with an injured knee that hampered his training. That revelation has also altered the public perception of dos Santos.

Among some,

Read More »from Heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos blames sunny disposition for perceived lack of respect

Millions of people around the world wanted to meet Oscar De La Hoya, to shake his hand, to slap him on the back, to say they'd been in his presence.

Despite the adoration, De La Hoya said that for years, his only friend was a bottle.

Oscar De La Hoya poses with Amir "King" Khan during a press conference. (AP)

De La Hoya, one of the world's leading boxing promoters and a soon-to-be Hall of Fame fighter, is an alcoholic with 19 months of sobriety to his credit.

As the holidays approach, De La Hoya said that for the first time in a long time, he is truly joyful. A little more than a year after he admitted that he contemplated suicide to ease the pain he felt, De La Hoya could finally say he was happy to be alive.

Last week, De La Hoya gave away free tickets to a boxing card at the Los Angeles Sports Arena to thank boxing fans for their support. He spearheaded a toy drive that included other boxers such as Peter Quillin and Danny Jacobs. He immersed himself in holiday activities and said he suspected that he got far more from them than those he

Read More »from Now clean and sober, Oscar De La Hoya leading charitable life

Pat Barry throws a left at Shane del Rosario during their fight. (Credit: Tracy Lee for Y! Sports)LAS VEGAS – UFC heavyweight Pat Barry struggles to describe his relationship with soon-to-be pro fighter and, he promises, big-time star, Rose Namajunas.

Wife? Well, not really. Girlfriend? Well, it's more than that.

"We have an understanding," Barry said Saturday, an hour or so after scoring a crushing knockout of Shane del Rosario at 26 seconds of the second round in 'The Ultimate Fighter 16' finale at the Hard Rock. "I call her my lady. Let's leave it at that for now. She's my lady."

Barry is one of the world's most honest and emotional athletes. It was hard for him to go about his day on Friday when he was awakened by a text message informing him of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn.

After hitting Del Rosario with a massive left hand and a crushing right hook that won him Knockout of the Night honors, Barry nearly broke down in the ring.

"If you got kids," he said to the crowd, "go hug them like it's your last day."

He struggled to keep from breaking down. He

Read More »from Emotional Pat Barry flips switch, delivers Knockout of the Night against Shane del Rosario

Leo Santa Cruz loves his father and he loves boxing. But sometimes, he said laughingly, his father's passion for the sport is too much even for him.

Leo Santa Cruz will defend his IBF bantamweight title against Alberto Guevara. (Getty Images)Leo Santa Cruz is the IBF bantamweight champion and will defend his title Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena against Alberto Guevara.

The bout will be televised on CBS beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET, marking the network's first live boxing broadcast in more than 15 years.

Santa Cruz is one of the sport's bright young stars and Golden Boy Promotions wisely carved out the high-profile spot to serve as a jumping-off point for him heading to 2013.

"Leo Santa Cruz is really a rising star," Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya said. "People who have seen him love his style and love his personality. I think the sky is the limit for him, but we need more people to be aware of him. He's kind of like boxing's best-kept secret, but it shouldn't be secret any more. That's why we're doing this."

Santa Cruz wouldn't even be in boxing

Read More »from Leo Santa Cruz fights to win father's pride