Rankings: Familiar face back on top
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The new leader in the Yahoo! Sports boxing rankings is an old one. Manny Pacquiao regained the top spot in the voting from Floyd Mayweather Jr., the clear result of voter disappointment with Mayweather's reluctance to fight his Filipino rival.
There was no poll in July, since I was on vacation, so the last balloting took place in June. At that time, it still looked likely that Mayweather and Pacquiao would meet in the fall.
But Mayweather let pass an opportunity to fight Pacquiao on Nov. 13, with one of his advisors denying negotiations had ever taken place despite the fact that promoter Bob Arum and HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg insisted they had.
Voters clearly were unhappy with Mayweather's choice and one left him off of his ballot entirely as a result. In June, Mayweather garnered 22 of the 40 first-place votes cast, with Pacquiao taking the other 18. In the August balloting, there were 36 votes cast. Pacquiao got 21 first-place votes and Mayweather 15.
Juan Manuel Lopez, who knocked out Bernabe Concepcion on July 10, reentered the rankings at No. 9, with Shane Mosley dropping out of the top 10. Otherwise, there was only position shifting among the top 10.
With that, let's take a closer look at the results of the August balloting:
Pacquiao
1. Manny Pacquiao
Points: 345 (21 of 36 first-place votes)
Record: 51-3-2 (38 KOs)
Title: WBO welterweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Joshua Clottey on March 13
Previous ranking: 2
Up next: Nov. 13 against Antonio Margarito
Analysis:Willingness to fight anyone scores points with voters.
Mayweather
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Points: 330 (15 of 36 first-place votes)
Record: 41-0 (25 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing: W12 over No. 10 Shane Mosley on May 1
Previous ranking: 1
Up next:Nothing scheduled
Analysis: Damaging reputation by appearing to avoid Pacquiao.
Williams
3. Paul Williams
Points: 230
Record: 39-1 (27 KOs)
Title: None
Last outing: TD4 over Kermit Cintron on May 8
Previous ranking: 3
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Large wingspan and volume punching make him a difficult matchup.
Marquez
4. Juan Manuel Marquez
Points: 194
Record: 51-5-1 (37 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBO lightweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Juan Diaz on July 31
Previous ranking: 5
Up next: Either Michael Katsidis or Amir Khan
Analysis: Showed all-around game in win over Diaz.
Dawson
5. Chad Dawson
Points: 168
Record: 29-0 (17 KOs)
Title: Interim WBC light heavyweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Glen Johnson on Nov. 7
Previous ranking: 4
Up next: vs. Jean Pascal on Aug. 14 in Montreal
Analysis: Gifted boxer has no natural rival.
Martinez
6. Sergio Martinez
Points: 143
Record: 45-2-2 (24 KOs)
Title: WBC middleweight champion
Last outing: W12 Kelly Pavlik on April 17
Previous ranking: 6
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis: Superior conditioning allows him to fight at quick pace.
Bradley
7. Timothy Bradley
Points: 83
Record: 26-0 (11 KOs)
Title: WBO super lightweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Luis Carlos Abregu on July 17
Previous ranking: 8
Up next: Likely Devon Alexander
Analysis: A bout with Alexander would be a career-defining match for both men.
W. Klitschko
8. Wladimir Klitschko
Points: 82
Record: 54-3 (48 KOs)
Title: IBF, WBO heavyweight champion
Last outing: TKO12 over Eddie Chambers on March 20
Previous ranking: 7
Up next: vs. Samuel Peter on Sept. 11 in Germany
Analysis: Most technically sound big man in the sport
Lopez
9. Juan Manuel Lopez
Points: 64
Record: 29-0 (26 KOs)
Title: WBO featherweight champion
Last outing: TKO2 over Bernabe Concepcion on July 10
Previous ranking: NR
Up next: vs. Rafael Marquez on Sept. 18 in Las Vegas
Analysis: One of most explosive punchers in the game.
Ward
10. Andre Ward
Points: 61
Record: 22-0 (13 KOs)
Title: WBA super middleweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Allan Green on June 19
Previous ranking: 9
Up next: vs. Andre Dirrell on Sept. 25 at TBA
Analysis:Now the clear favorite to win the Super Six.
Others receiving votes: Nonito Donaire Jr., 38; Ivan Calderon, 29; Bernard Hopkins, 29; Shane Mosley, 29; Lucian Bute, 27; Vitali Klitschko, 17; Fernando Montiel, 16; Yuriorkis Gamboa, 14; Celestino Caballero, 11; Miguel Cotto, 8; Rafael Marquez, 8; Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, 8; Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym, 6; Devon Alexander, 5; Chris John, 3; Andre Berto, 2; Tomasz Adamek, 1.
