POST-SUMMER BUMMER!

Is it just me, or did the GGG-Canelo draw sap some of the excitement out of 2017? I looked forward to it for literally years, it was a decent scrap, then a suck-eggs draw.

Ortiz testing positive didn’t help either. WBSS is only available streaming for me. And honestly, Rigo-Loma doesn’t do much for me because I expect Loma to win and get no credit for beating an old, inactive guy that I don’t like.

I like Showtime’s card next week (well, 2/3 of it), as I enjoy watching Hurd, and Lubin and Charlo could be epic. Charlo seems to sit down on his punches more and is starting to bring the pain.

What is the next ‘big’ fight that you think will be signed? And I don’t count rematches that seemed planned from day one (ahem… GGG-Canelo). Joshua-Wilder, Linares-Garcia, Spence-Thurman, Inoue-Runvisai, Loma-Linares, Crawford-Thurman?

My chin is up. Still plenty of good stuff ahead, especially the semis of the WBSS. Just waiting on the next big thing (and not Michael Grant). Keep up the excellent work. – Donavan

Thanks Donavan. Waiting on the next “big thing,” eh? That’s OK, I guess, but do yourself a favor and try not to miss out on the many entertaining “little things” that will surely take place in boxing while you’re eagerly awaiting the big one.

So who’s got next? Hmmmmm…. Well, although he’s got the super-imposing look of a modern heavyweight world-beater just as Michael Grant did almost 20 years ago, I think Anthony Joshua has already proven that he’s a lot more than “looks” and I believe that the British heavyweight titleholder can be that “big thing” in boxing if he can make a statement with his imminent U.S. debut, which leads me to your question of the next “big” fight that will be signed…

I think if Joshua handles business against Kubrat Pulev and Wilder beats Bermane Stiverne again – and both defending titleholders should – there’s a very good chance that their anticipated showdown could take place sometime in 2018.

I also think there’s a solid shot of Linares-Garcia happening (Team Garcia visited the Golden Boy Promotions offices to discuss business two weeks ago) relatively soon. Linares wants to unify all the 135-pound belts and the good folks at Golden Boy want to match him up against Vasyl Lomachenko, so you can expect to THE RING/WBA lightweight champ to be in some significant fights in the near future. (The question in regard to showdowns with Garcia and Loma is whether Mikey will agree to some-kind of multi-bout deal with GBP and if the good folks at Top Rank want to deal with Oscar De La Hoya’s company.)

Thurman-Spence is a natural fight at 147 pounds, there’s no reason why Al Haymon wouldn’t be working hard to make this welterweight title unification bout, but as you know, things move rather slow with the PBC, and with Keith recovering from elbow surgery and Spence having not fought since the spring of this year, you have to figure that both beltholders are going to want tune-up bouts to kick-off 2018.

And sorry, bro, I don’t see Crawford getting a crack at Thurman (or Spence) any time soon. I hope I’m wrong about this.

Inoue-Sor Rungvisai is a given as long as the 115-pound standouts win their next bouts. But Sor Rungvisai has his work cut out for him with his WBC mandatory against Juan Estrada (do not overlook the young Mexican vet) and Inoue is still looking for a decent opponent for a New Year’s Eve return bout in Japan. I think there’s a very good chance that Inoue will take on the winner of Sor Rungvisai-Estrada in the second half of 2018, which brings me to your somewhat “bummer” outlook on the sport post-Canelo vs. GGG.

Lighten up! I know it sucks that the judges couldn’t get it right, and it’s only natural for there to be some emotional exhaustion or letdown after the biggest boxing event of the year takes place, but give the fighters credit for getting into the ring and giving us a competitive and memorable championship fight.

You don’t want to be excited about a Canelo-Golovkin rematch? Fine, be just excited for the middleweight division – which is also home to Daniel Jacobs, David Lemieux and Sergiy Derevyanchenko. And keep in mind that Jacobs just signed a deal with HBO and Matchroom Boxing. DJ’s comeback fight vs. Luis Arias isn’t a huge event but it’s an interesting TV bout that should lead to bigger and better middleweight matchups (as will Demetrius Andrade’s 160-pound debut in the co-feature to HBO’s Oct. 21 ‘Boxing After Dark’ show). HBO is clearly investing in this glamor division, as they are in the 115-pound weight class where the network is already planning a “SuperFly 2” card (which will help set up that Sor Rungvisai-Inoue showdown that you want to see).

Showtime has had a very solid 2017 and will probably continue to kick ass in 2018. If HBO can get back to their previous high standards, along with ESPN’s renewed interest and commitment to boxing, the sport will benefit going forward.

Is it just me, or did the GGG-Canelo draw sap some of the excitement out of 2017? Maybe, or maybe there have been so many big events and matchups between top fighters made this year that a lot of fans are burnt out or a bit desensitized going down the stretch of 2017. (And, as I’ve stated in previous mailbags, I think some hardcore fans – and I’m not pointing my finger at you, Donavan – are just pissed and jaded because Canelo didn’t get KTFO against GGG. Y’all can deny it all you want, but just know that you can never fool me.)

I looked forward to it for literally years, it was a decent scrap, then a suck-eggs draw. It’s amazing how much steam a bad or controversial decision can steal from a major boxing event. I hate to say this but it’s nothing new in this sport – from the fight that brought me back to boxing, Hagler-Leonard to Whitaker-Chavez to De La Hoya-Trinidad and Lewis-Holyfield I to De La Hoya-Mosley II to Hopkins-Taylor I to what happened on Sept. 16 – and I’m pretty sure it will happen again.

Ortiz testing positive didn’t help either. Luis Ortiz screwing up with his VADA testing and f__king himself out of the Wilder fight didn’t bum me out as much as it did others. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see Wilder fight a live body as much as the next fan, but I haven’t been as high on the Cuban heavyweight as other diehards have been. To me, his reputation was built on the “Cuban boxing mystique” and one stoppage victory against Bryant Jennings. And since the Jennings fight, he’s proven to be bit of a prima donna/diva where promoters are concerned (jumping from GBP to Matchroom to Haymon in the span of 18 months) and a tad ordinary given his less-than-stellar outings against Tony Thompson and Malik Scott. I think he’s a bit overrated. But even if you think he’s the “next big thing,” you shouldn’t cry too much over his latest situation. From what I’ve read, he’s just got to prove to the WBC that his high blood pressure doesn’t seriously jeopardize his health while in the ring (which you know he will) and he’ll be back in action early next year. Will he get another shot at Wilder? I don’t know, but wouldn’t you rather see Wilder vs. Joshua next year?

WBSS is only available streaming for me. Yeah, that kind of sucks (although I wish even the stream hadn’t been available for the Briedis-Perez fight). I don’t blame major U.S. networks for skipping on the WBSS quarterfinal bouts that have taken place in Europe due to the time-zone differences and the cost involved in flying a crew overseas to do the broadcast right, but I think they should have seriously considered airing the good matchups that take place in America, such as the Murat Gassiev-Krzysztof Wlodarczyk fight on Oct. 21 in Newark, N.J. That fight is going to pack the Prudential Center with wild fans and you know it’s going to be a scorcher.

And honestly, Rigo-Loma doesn’t do much for me because I expect Loma to win and get no credit for beating an old, inactive guy that I don’t like. You and I are in agreement on this one, but I still think it’s good that the fight was made. It shows that Top Rank can work with other promoters in delivering quality matchups to ESPN, there are some good story lines that will help push the fight, and there are a lot of (very) hardcore fans that extremely into either or both boxers.

I like Showtime’s card next week (well, 2/3 of it), as I enjoy watching Hurd, and Lubin and Charlo could be epic. Charlo seems to sit down on his punches more and is starting to bring the pain. Jermell Charlo is at his athletic peak, he’s got good technique and far more experience than Erickson Lubin. If he can take uber-prospect’s power, he should overwhelm the 21-year-old southpaw. We’ll see what happens, I don’t know if we’ll witness something “epic” but I’m expecting a compelling fight. Same with the Hurd-Trout matchup. Tout’s experience should allow him to compete well with the younger, stronger defending beltholder. As for Lara-Gausha, well, I sort of view that as the “walk-out” bout of this tripleheader. But hey, it’s mostly good TV. Kudos to Showtime and Mr. Haymon on this one.

RING RATINGS

Dougie –

First time I have written, but longtime follower. Appreciate all you do and love reading your updates and getting your insight and wisdom. I especially enjoy the Mythical Match-ups from all of the fans and your take on the results. Most of the time I agree with you.

I am writing today for a couple of reasons.

1) Tyson Fury and the Ring Ratings. My question is – how much longer is Tyson Fury going to be named Ring Magazine Champ? At this point, he hasn’t defended the title in 2 years, hasn’t scheduled any fights and appears to be gone from the scene altogether. Can we consider dropping him due to inactivity? I wouldn’t say that he has represented the belt in favorable fashion.  At this point, I am praying that he continues to work on himself first and foremost and as a fan I think that there should be a standard identified for how long someone can hold ANY belt without defending it. Please – there are other fighters out there that are actually fighting towards a championship….

2) Mikey Garcia – I’m talking old school great boxer here… He, along with Loma, Bud, Canelo, GGG and a few of others are a great representation for the sport and they are the kind of fighters that everyone wants to watch. I would love if they could put together an old-time show that had all of these fighters on one card. I know… I know… wishful thinking.

Anyway – Mikey was purely awesome in his last fight against “The Problem”. Composed, skillful, patient. It would not surprise me if Mikey finished as an all-time great. He is a joy to watch. Same for the others listed above. They are the here and now for boxing and they should be should be in the main stream media more.

3) Mythical Match-ups:

• Sugar Ray Leonard vs McCallum
• Deontay vs Joshua
• Ron Lyle vs Norton
• Ron Lyle vs Frazier
• Hearns vs Lamotta
• Jack Johnson vs John L Sullivan (both in their primes, in a street fight)
• Hulk & Thing vs Man-Thing and Swamp-Thing

Take care and keep punching. – Joe Bronco

Thanks for reading the mailbag for as long as you have and for finally sharing your thoughts with other readers, Joe.

I guess I’ll start with your interesting mythical matchups:

Sugar Ray Leonard vs Mike McCallum – Leonard by competitive but unanimous decision at 154 pounds, and via very close, perhaps controversial decision at middleweight (or heavier). 

Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua – It’s a fascinating matchup that could happen – soon – (so it really isn’t “mythical,” but whatever) and I don’t think AJ will have his way with the athletic American puncher; I think Wilder is very dangerous. But I’m going to go with the more technically polished and poised 2012 Olympic champ by mid-to-late stoppage. I think Joshua’s hand speed will give him enough edge and enable him to clip even the stick-and-move version of Wilder, but he might have to get up from a knockdown or survive a few wobbly moments before taking out the American.

Ron Lyle vs Ken Norton – You know what? In a bit of a “mythical” upset, I envision the underrated Lyle getting to Norton’s somewhat shaky chin by the late rounds of a fight that he’s behind on the official scorecards. I think it would start out as a tit-for-tat boxing match (in which Kenny would have the edge) but would gradually warm up into an intense (but technical) scrap. At the end of the night, Lyle’s whiskers were a little more reliable than Norton’s.

Ron Lyle vs Joe Frazier – I think prime version of Smokin’ Joe would force Lyle into a shootout and beat the gutsy, hard-slugging ex-con into submission by the seventh round of a Fight of the Year candidate. I think Frazier would have to survive a knockdown or wobbly moment in Round 2 of the fire fight.

Hearns vs LaMotta – The Raging Bull by late stoppage (and I’m assuming the fight takes place at 160 pounds). This is another case of a fighter with solid whiskers overwhelming a more gifted athlete who has a shaky beard (or in this case, a great chin beating out a great puncher).

Jack Johnson vs John L Sullivan (both in their primes, in a street fight) – Sullivan, the bareknuckle champ before earning recognition as the first gloved heavyweight champ under Queensberry rules, would do a lot better against the Galveston Giant in a street scrap than he would in the prize ring, but I still think Johnson’s size, speed, physical strength, stamina and, most importantly, far superior boxing IQ would be too much for Sullivan even in a fight without rules.

Hulk & Thing vs Man-Thing and Swamp-Thing – You silly ass nerd! Nah, I’m kidding, I’m actually proud of you for proposing this comic-book matchup, because I really had to think about it (more so than the Lyles-Norton matchup). Thing is the undisputed king of Clobberin’ Time, a super-strong and nearly invulnerable former street tough who understands the Sweet Science (see the classic Marvel Two-In-One Annual No. 7 for proof of Ben Grimm’s boxing prowess and fighting spirit against insurmountable cosmic odds) and the Hulk is an unlimited source of brute strength and power. However, Man-Thing and Swamp Thing are plant-based beings and aren’t solid. I’m not sure they can even be killed. Man-Thing is mystical (at least in part) in nature and Swampy is sentient plant that’s spiritually linked to every form of vegetation on the planet (maybe the universe) – he’s an elemental. Super powered punches would literally go through M.T. and Swampy and would not kill them. Man-Thing secretes an acid when confronted by fear or rage and being mystical, my guess is that it could burn even the Hulk, and as powerful and Big Green and Thing are, I don’t think they can withstand all the plants on earth restraining them at Swampy’s command. Sorry to spend this much time on this MM, you sparked the geek in me with this one, but I’ll go with Man-Thing and Swamp Thing via submission.

How much longer is Tyson Fury going to be named Ring Magazine Champ? I can’t say much about Fury’s RING-title situation other than there has been debate among the editorial board on what to do with him for months. However, if it isn’t resolved prior to Nov. 28, Fury will be stripped of the title for not defending it in a two-year period. (The rules state that we strip a RING champ after 18 months of inactivity but Fury has had fights scheduled during that period along with his on-going legal battle with the BBBofC and his personal struggles with depression, which has resulted in some leeway.) 

Mikey Garcia – I’m talking old school great boxer here… He, along with Loma, Bud, Canelo, GGG and a few of others are a great representation for the sport and they are the kind of fighters that everyone wants to watch. I would love if they could put together an old-time show that had all of these fighters on one card. I know… I know… wishful thinking. Yeah, I don’t see that happening… although it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility for a Garcia-Linares showdown to be the co-feature to the Canelo-GGG rematch. Regardless of when and where Garcia returns to the ring, we at THE RING share your enthusiasm for the three-division titleholder, which is why he appeared on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine (currently on sale and available in digital form via the Ringside Ticket subscription package).

CHAMPIONS LIFESTYLE

You already know how I feel!

Good s__t my dude. I don’t need to tell you I respect that dude. A dude who went from the penitentiary to an all-time great and never spit on the sidewalk and not only changed his life, but the trajectory of his family’s life. That’s bigger than boxing.

Keep it coming. Thank you. – Jason C. Brown

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on B-Hop’s new ongoing series on RingTV.com.

You’re absolutely right about Hopkins not only changing his life but the lives of his family. He’s a guy who went to prison as a teenager, got his GED while behind bars, but through his dedication to boxing, the force of his will, and his values (which go far beyond sports, money and fame), he was able to help provide his daughter, Latrice, with a much better life. She started college this year (at one of the better East Coast schools, NYU, if I’m not mistaken). That, my brother, is a paradigm shift for the better.

JUDGING IDEA

Hi Dougie,

Thanks for the mailbag, which I enjoy every week – this is my first time writing in.

As many mailbag letter-writers have noted, there has been an incredibly high volume of controversial / crazy cards in big fights over the past couple of years. Something has to be done, or boxing will continue to be largely ignored by the mainstream.

I vividly remember that in the ‘80s the mainstream (whatever exactly that is) would watch all of the big fights in some way, shape or form. Now only committed boxing fans do. I don’t think crazy judging is the main reason for this, but it’s surely one of them. To the average person, it makes the sport seem like not a real sport.

My thought is for big fights boxing should take a page from some Olympic sports and move to five judges. Look at the cards at the end, throw out the two outliers and let the three remaining cards determine the winner. Still not perfect, but it will eliminate the ability of one person having an “off night” (to be generous to Adelaide Byrd) to completely sway a fight. What do you think? – Vikram

I think it’s a good idea, Vik. I really do. Often times with controversial decision there’s one official judge that’s way off (as Byrd has been for more than a few legitimately close fights, including Canelo-Golovkin, Benavidez-Santana, Shafikov-Commey, Donaire-Magdaleno and Washington-Mansour). It would be great if the wayward cards could be tossed out before the official verdict was determined and announced to the world.

One question, though. Since the prize ring only has four sides, where would the fifth judge sit? Would you have two judges on one side? Or would you have one judge on each side of the ring, plus a fifth judge who watched the fight from a monitor at ringside or a studio or a production truck?

Anyway, I like your idea. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea that could help solve the problem of poor scoring, too. What do you think of this: How about boxing commissions NOT assigning judges that have had more than a few head-scratching score cards to major boxing matches?

IS GGG REALLY NO. 1?

Hey Dougie,I’ve loved the mailbag for as long as I care to remember so I thought I’d finally join the masses and send you an opinion.

I’m probably in the minority but I’m a little perplexed as how GGG is now P4P No.1 considering the opponents on his resume, the draw with a small, inexperienced middleweight and his lack of desire to test himself above his comfort zone of 160.

Impressive fighter with brutal power and a granite chin and whilst he has pretty much cleaned out the Middleweight Div, should you not have to do more to be the No.1? Its irritated me in the last two weeks how that ridiculous scorecard of 118-110 has overshadowed what a performance Canelo put in.

I scored it a draw with Canelo winning 1-3, GGG winning 4-9 and then Canelo pulling the championship rounds to snatch a draw. But let’s be clear here – GGG has been chasing a fight with smaller guy. And just went toe to toe for 12 rounds with the smaller guy without ever coming close to hurting him or stopping him.

For years everyone has been on Floyd’s ass to move up and chase bigger challenges, the way Pac did – yet we praise GGG for sitting in his comfort zone for an entire career and then drawing with a guy who had only fought once before above 155. Why not chase a fight with Ward at 168 (prior to SOG’s retirement)? Surely that’s where we’ll see if GGG has more than just power and a chin?

Canelo was basically hounded for 2 years to move up become a middleweight so GGG could be validated and he only got a draw and now he’s P4P No.1 I just don’t get it. Ward had to clean out at 168 and then move up to 175 to scramble a controversial UD and then stop Kovalev to finally be crowned P4P No.1. Prior to that Pac and Floyd (albeit way more carefully than Pac) went through the biggest names at 130, 135, 140, 147 and 154 to be crown the sports No.1 guy.

I personally just believe GGG needs to show he can do more than stalk naturally smaller or weaker opponents to claim that spot.

As a side note how Canelo is only No. 6 (beneath Kovalev!?) is another bone of contention but given the weird unappreciative nature the Boxing fraternity seems to have towards him I’m not too surprised. Love the mailbag, love The Ring Mag, love boxing – keep up the amazing work!! – Danny, London

Thanks for the kind words about this column, the magazine that this website represents and the sport we all love, Danny. And thanks for finally writing in.

The pound-for-rankings do not have any set criteria so it’s always debatable – especially the choice for the No. 1 spot – and I think the arguments that the mythical ratings spark are a big part of its appeal to hardcore boxing fans.

Personally, I think Golovkin is worthy of the honor (which was recently bestowed upon him by THE RING and ESPN.com). However, The Boxing Writers Assoc. of American recently came out with their own P4P rankings and announced that Terence Crawford is No. 1 among the world’s elite boxers. I have no problem with Crawford (or even Vasyl Lomachenko) being considered the best boxer, pound for pound, on the planet. I know that Crawford and Lomachenko have looked way more dominant against their recent opposition than Golovkin looked against Canelo or Daniel Jacobs. I know that means a lot to many fans and members of the media.

However, I’m one of those folks that places a lot of emphasis on a fighter’s quality of opposition when determining his or her rankings, be it divisional or pound for pound, and I think Alvarez and Jacobs are a lot better than the four or five best opponents on Crawford or Lomachenko’s resume. I think Canelo and DJ are more experienced and more complete fighters than Nicholas Walters, Viktor Postol, Gary Russell Jr., Yuriorkis Gamboa, Julius Indongo, Ricky Burns, Jason Sosa, Ray Beltran and Miguel Marriaga. I think Orlando Salido is a complete fighter (and a hell of a warrior) and he has more experience than Canelo and DJ, but they have superior talent and athleticism than the grizzled Mexican veteran.

Beyond who he’s fought, Golovkin is one of the few active fighters to hold more than two major world titles and his middleweight championship reign is approaching seven years, which is the longest among active titleholders. He’s also closing in on Bernard Hopkins’ middleweight title defense record. These things count in my book.

I’m probably in the minority but I’m a little perplexed as how GGG is now P4P No.1 considering the opponents on his resume, the draw with a small, inexperienced middleweight and his lack of desire to test himself above his comfort zone of 160. Golovkin wants to be the undisputed middleweight champion. I’m not mad at him for wanting to unify all the titles. I think division hopping is a little overrated (and often a clever way for some fighters to avoid challenges). And while Canelo had only fought above 155 pounds once before challenging GGG, he’s hardly “inexperienced” and he’s definitely not a pipsqueak – I’m fairly certain that he weighed more than Golovkin on fight night and he’s likely one of the strongest middleweights in the game.

Impressive fighter with brutal power and a granite chin and whilst he has pretty much cleaned out the Middleweight Div, should you not have to do more to be the No.1? Mike Tyson and Marvin Hagler were once at the top of THE RING’s pound-for-pound list for cleaning out their divisions. Several elite boxers were once near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings based on their dominance in one division, including Evander Holyfield (heavyweight), Michael Nunn (160), Terry Norris (154), Mark Johnson (112), Ricardo Lopez (105), Floyd Mayweather Jr. (130) and Kostya Tszyu (140).

But let’s be clear here – GGG has been chasing a fight with smaller guy. Let’s be clear: Canelo had been able to make 155 pounds because he’s in his 20s and we have previous-day weigh-ins in this era of boxing. If we still had same-day weigh-ins, Alvarez would have moved up to middleweight by 2015. He’s a little bit shorter than Golovkin, but he’s not a “smaller” guy (push that narrative to somebody else). And get this straight – GGG hasn’t been chasing Canelo, he’s been chasing down the undisputed middleweight crown. Canelo jumped on GGG’s radar when he beat Miguel Cotto for the WBC and RING middleweight titles. Canelo gave him the WBC belt, but Golovkin had every right to want to take the lineal and RING champion recognition from the Mexican star.

And just went toe to toe for 12 rounds with the smaller guy without ever coming close to hurting him or stopping him. Canelo is an experienced, skilled, ring savvy badass. That he was able to go 12 rounds with Golovkin without getting killed should not have come as a shock or surprise to anybody that really follows and understands the sport.

For years everyone has been on Floyd’s ass to move up and chase bigger challenges, the way Pac did – yet we praise GGG for sitting in his comfort zone for an entire career and then drawing with a guy who had only fought once before above 155. It’s possible to achieve greatness by staking one’s claim to a single weight class. Marvin Hagler and Carlos Monzon did it at middleweight. Why can’t Golovkin? Oh, and by the way, nobody gave Hagler or Monzon s__t for fighting stars from lighter weight classes, such as Emile Griffith, Jose Napoles, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Ray Leonard.

Why not chase a fight with Ward at 168 (prior to SOG’s retirement)? Surely that’s where we’ll see if GGG has more than just power and a chin? Bro, if you think Golovkin is just power and a chin, you have a lot to learn about this great sport. Regarding a potential matchup with Ward, the timing was never right for that to happen. Golovkin had barely begun to make his name among U.S. boxing fans the last time Ward fought at 168 pounds (November 2013 against Edwin Rodriguez), then the American dropped out for more than a year and half and never again fought below 171 pounds. We all know Ward was not going to meet GGG at a catchweight and we all know that despite his respected stature among boxing media and hardcore fans, he isn’t a star or even a strong ticket draw (which Golovkin had developed into during Ward’s hiatus). So why did GGG need to chase Ward all the way up to light heavyweight when his goals resided in the middleweight division?

Ward had to clean out at 168 and then move up to 175 to scramble a controversial UD and then stop Kovalev to finally be crowned P4P No.1. Ward didn’t “clean out” the 168-pound division. And there were fans that were unhappy about Ward’s brief tenure as P4P King.

As a side note how Canelo is only No. 6 (beneath Kovalev!?) is another bone of contention but given the weird unappreciative nature the Boxing fraternity seems to have towards him I’m not too surprised. It’s sad but true, a lot of fans (and media) can’t stand Canelo. The ridiculous score cards he’s been given by Byrd, C.J. Ross, Levi Martinez, Dave Moretti and Stanley Christodoulou in his highest-profile fights has only fanned the flames of this hate. But don’t fret about it too much, the young man’s a rich superstar and Boxrec.com still has him at No. 1 in its pound-for-pound rankings (ESPN.com’s got him at No. 4)

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @dougiefischer