Rankings: Floyd still tops despite troubles
Floyd Mayweather's 90-day jail sentence will delay, but not necessarily end, his boxing career. Mayweather, who remained atop the Yahoo! Sports rankings for a second consecutive month and narrowly edged rival Manny Pacquiao for the top spot, could return to the ring by late spring or early summer, if he chooses.
But calling the Clark County Detention Center home until sometime in late winter is no way to get ready for the biggest fight of one's career.
The only stumbling block to a return to boxing following his release will be gaining a boxing license. When Mayweather is released, he'll need to reapply for a license. Boxing licenses expire at the end of the year, so in 2012, Mayweather will be an unlicensed fighter.
He'll almost certainly fight in Las Vegas, if he chooses to fight again. He has fought his last seven bouts in his hometown and hasn't competed outside of Nevada since Nov. 19, 2005, when he stopped Sharmba Mitchell in Portland, Ore.
Mayweather should be licensed without question if and when he applies in 2012, but the Nevada Athletic Commission frequently likes to make grandstand plays. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see the commission attempt to make an event out of it.
There is no question that Nevada will license Mayweather. His fights pour massive revenue into the state coffers – just one fight generates enough to fund the commission's budget for a year. For one of the most cash-strapped states in the country, that is hardly insignificant.
The question will be whether Nevada will attempt to turn it into a circus and require Mayweather to hire an attorney and appear in front of the commission to plead for his license.
That's likely to happen, though it would be a ludicrous decision if it did. Mayweather has done nothing in boxing that would put his fitness for a license in question. And by the time he applies, he will have served his time for his domestic violence-related conviction.
He should be able to walk quietly into the office, fill out the paperwork and receive a license like every other fighter. Members of the commission, though, could force him to appear for a hearing in order for them to get a bit of international attention.
They would look like fools for trying to run him through the wringer, however, as there is no chance that there will be even one dissenting vote on his application.
Hopefully, Mayweather learns his lesson about domestic violence while he's in his jail cell. And hopefully, the five NAC members use that time to reflect upon the fact that it would be nothing more than a carnival sideshow if they chose to drag Mayweather in for a licensing hearing when they know full well he totally complies.
Before we get to the updated ratings, which have been shuffled a bit in light of Andre Ward's victory over Carl Froch in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, I'd like to welcome Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com to the voting panel.
With that, it's on to the latest top 10:
Mayweather
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Points: 323 (20 of 34 first-place votes)
Record: 42-0 (26 KOs)
Title: WBC welterweight champion
Last outing: KO4 over Victor Ortiz on Sept. 17
Previous ranking: 1
Up next:Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Must begin serving 90-day prison sentence Jan. 6
Pacquiao
2. Manny Pacquiao
Points: 317 (14 of 34 first-place votes)
Record: 54-3-2 (38 KOs)
Title: WBO welterweight champion
Last outing: W12 over No. 4 Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12
Previous ranking: 2
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Reputation took a hit with performance against Marquez
Martinez
3. Sergio Martinez
Points: 240
Record: 48-2-2 (27 KOs)
Title: Ring, WBC middleweight champion emeritus
Last outing: KO11 Darren Barker on Oct. 1
Previous ranking: 3
Up next:Opponent TBA on March 17
Analysis:Lack of quality opponents puts him in bind
J.M. Marquez
4. Juan Manuel Marquez
Points: 207
Record: 53-6-1 (39 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBO lightweight champion
Last outing: L12 to Pacquiao on Nov. 12
Previous ranking: T4
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Potential fourth bout with Pacquiao looming now that Mayweather is jailed
Ward
5. Andre Ward
Points: 188
Record: 25-0 (13 KOs)
Title: WBA, WBC super middleweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Carl Froch on Dec. 17
Previous ranking: 7
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis: Showed the full package in winning Super Six tournament
Donaire
6. Nonito Donaire Jr.
Points: 178
Record: 27-1 (18 KOs)
Title: WBC, WBO bantamweight champion
Last outing: W12 over Omar Narvaez on Oct. 22
Previous ranking: 5
Up next:Feb. 4 in San Antonio against Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
Analysis:Moving up to super bantamweight in next outing
W. Klitschko
7. Wladimir Klitschko
Points: 114
Record: 56-3 (49 KOs)
Title: Ring, IBF, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion
Last outing: W12 over David Haye on July 2
Previous ranking: 6
Up next:March 3 vs. Jean Marc Mormeck in Germany
Analysis: Kidney stone forced postponement of December bout
Bradley
8. Timothy Bradley
Points: 72
Record: 28-0 (12 KOs)
Title: WBO super lightweight champion, WBC super lightweight champion in recess
Last outing: TKO8 over Joel Casamayor on Nov. 12
Previous ranking:9
Up next:Nothing scheduled
Analysis:Definitely in the running for Pacquiao match
Bute
9. Lucian Bute
Points: 53
Record: 30-0 (24 KOs)
Title: IBF super middleweight champion
Last outing: W12 Glen Johnson on Nov. 5
Previous ranking: 9
Up next: Nothing scheduled
Analysis:May get shot to fight Ward in first quarter of 2012
V. Klitschko
10. Vitali Klitschko
Points: 50
Record: 43-2 (40 KOs)
Title: WBC heavyweight champion
Last outing: TKO10 over Tomasz Adamek on Sept. 10
Previous ranking: 10
Up next:Feb. 18 vs. Dereck Chisora in Germany
Analysis:Not as fluid as his younger brother but has been more dominant and a better finisher
Others receiving votes: Yuriorkis Gamboa, 32; Miguel Cotto, 27; Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, 27; Bernard Hopkins, 18; Chris John, 4; Anselmo Moreno, 3; Adrian Broner, 1; Roman Gonzalez, 1; Toshiaki Nishioka, 1; Lamont Peterson, 1.
Voting panel:Raul Alzaga, Primera Hoya; Al Bernstein, Showtime; Damian Calhoun, Orange County Register; Scott Christ, Bad Left Hook.com; Steve Cofield, Yahoo! Sports; Dave Cokin, ESPN Radio 1100; Mike Coppinger, RingTV.com; Gareth A. Davies, London Telegraph; Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com; Andrew Eisele, About.com; Steve Farhood, Showtime; Thomas Gerbasi, BoxingScene.com; Carlos Gonzalez, Primera Hora; Randy Gordon, Sirius/XM; Lee Groves, Ring Magazine; Thomas Hauser, Seconds Out; Keith Idec, The Record; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Scott Mallon, Boxing Digest; Rich Marotta, Fox Sports; David Mayo, Grand Rapids Press; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com; Gunnar Meinhardt, Die Welt; Marty Mulcahey, MaxBoxing.com; Kieran Mulvaney, Reuters; Santos Perez, Miami Herald; Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports; Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com; Mike Rosenthal, Ring Magazine; Lem Satterfield, RingTV.com; Tim Smith, New York Daily News; Tim Starks, The Queensbury Rules; T.K. Stewart, BoxingScene.com; Dave Weinberg, Press of Atlantic City.
Other popular stories on the Yahoo! network:
• Hockey team helps save Christmas after military family's gifts stolen
• Video: Kellen Moore, Boise State ready for bowl
• The most hated player in the NBA (it's not Kobe)
