Why Floyd should stay number 1....

Forget all the stupid talk about Ward being number 1 p4p.. Not being funny but like Leonard - Lalonde he's forced a guy down from his comfort zone...Much more easier to move up than too bleed yourself dry....Hard to perform at your best If you are not feeling your best!!

For me all this catchweight will lead to a tragedy before too long.....because no doubt people are going down the diuretic route and dehydrating their body way too much!! You shouldn't be rewarded as highly for beating a guy in the ring after beating him in the negotiation room!!

Cheating.................

As for Floyd well he's been at the top for 12 years...beaten more quality fighters and doesn't deserve to be removed by a guy who's star has only shined lately!!

No doubt because most scribes hate floyd that will be the case...

But for me Floyd still number 1......

Not to say that Ward wouldn't have won anyway..but slimming down does affect punch capacity and legs!!

Also history shows the guy going up in catchweight generally wins apart from a half finished Taylor against Norris!!!

Ward's win doesn't impress me as much as others I'm afraid....but he's still top 3 material...

Floyd 1 Ward 2

Super-Middleweight isn't a catchweight, and it was Dawson's proposal to move down to twelve stone to make the fight in the first place. It's all well and good saying that Floyd gets a hard time because everyone "hates" him, but to be honest I'd say that some of Ward's detractors are pushing such boundaries even further than Floyd's.

That said, I agree that Mayweather still deserves to be at the top, with Ward in the chasing pack; he could well be the top dog by the end of 2013. Much is made of Floyd's inactivity, but over the past twelve months he's fought twice, just as Ward has done. I believe that Mayweather is past his absolute peak, but still has enough about him to remain top dog for a little while yet.

Floyd fights like once a year now, Ward has beaten some quality opposition. Ward is p4p number 1 in my book.

Ward is number 2 behind floyd imo and untill floyd retires or loses he will always be the top dog. The thing is about future opponents, floyd's biggest fight would be Martinez at 154 if he beats Chavez, pacquiao although he is past his best, cotto rematch no point, Alvarez isn't a danger to him, there's not a lot left for him unless he gives the other contenders like brook, Berto, Lara etc fights but I doubt it

Ward also has limited options at 168 as he has beaten most fighters there. Dirrell, Bute maybe, Golovkin, chavez moving up? Who knows but he seems to have a bigger pool of talent to choose from than floyd with the light hevayweights as well so he may top the list come 2014

Wards quality wins consist of Kessler, Froch and Dawson, a very fine record in terms of his division but the rest of his opposition isn't up to much compared to Mayweathers. Say what you want about Mayweather but beating a trio of greats in Marquez and Mosley at welterweight with Cotto at light middleweight deserves a lot more respect than he's given for it.

Suggesting the fact ward won at his best weight.... that his win is less impressive.....not bothered about the ins and outs.....and it was catchweight.

I'm sure how scribes feel about Floyd will affect his position.....

Naive to suggest differently..

How was it a catchweight exactly?

It's not strictly a catchweight but I can see why Truss would consider it to be one, it's very unusual for a fighter to move down from their natural weight.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

I'm sure how scribes feel about Floyd will affect his position.....

Naive to suggest differently..

I'm not denying that. What I was saying is that Ward is hardly the most loved or respected fighter going, either. Much like Floyd, objectivity and reason seems to be forgotten by some when discussing him. If certain people did stick Ward above of Mayweather in the pound for pound race from here on in, I'd imagine that in most cases it isn't down to a simple dislike of Floyd.

As a sidenote, I don't necessarily agree that Mayweather has to be beaten to lose the top spot, either. If he were to fight, say, twice in 2013 and win each time, but look poor in doing so (ie, struggling with someone he'd have dominated a few years ago, needing a desperate late rally to win a fight which he was otherwise certain to lose etc), and Ward were to box two or three times and look imperious in winning, then putting Ward higher would be entirely justified, in my eyes. Whitaker, for instance, was universally acclaimed as the number one throughout, say, 1993, 1994 and 1995, but 1996, though he didn't lose, was a turning point; he struggled twice with Rivera, and in early '97 needed the aforementioned late rally to get past Hurtado - and as a result, though he was still winning, many had replaced him with Roy as their pick for the best in the world, pound for pound, by the end of 1996 or the start of 1997. Similarly, look at how Pacquiao's grip on the number one spot loosened as he looked flat against Cotto and (arguably) got lucky against Marquez.

As I said, Ward isn't quite the number one yet, I don't think, but it's looking ever-more possible in the not too distant future.

I've said it numerous times but I think the fight with Nishioka is the turning point for Donaire, he's still quite young and isn't going to be short of options namely Rigondeaux.

Achievement...record...longevity should all play a part in no1 p4p rankings also....

Hagler was number 1/2 after Mugabi when all could see his skills were fading..

Sorry, Pacquiao looked flat against Mosley, that should have read - certainly not Cotto!

Moderators shouldn't apologise!!!!

People might to start to think you're human!!

It wasn't a catchweight Truss, but I get your point. People give Manny a tough time over him asking Cotto and Margarito to fight at catchweights but are quite happy to ignore the fact that Dawson actually had to come down a complete divison to make weight for this fight. It would have been far more impressive if Ward had moved up to light heavy and beaten Dawson. As for Chris's point that it was Dawson's proposal to move down to 12 stone to make the fight, it was possibly the only way the fight would have been made at all.

Agree with your other points, Floyd should stay number 1 (not that I really care). All this P4P stuff gets very tedious after a while don't you think?

Think Dawson should lose his belts as well.....

You lose to a smaller guy...you lose legitimate claim to the 175 crowns....

Makes it look stupid...

Imagine Hagler staying undisputed midd champ If Mccallum had knocked him out!!!!

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Think Dawson should lose his belts as well.....

You lose to a smaller guy...you lose legitimate claim to the 175 crowns....

Makes it look stupid...

Imagine Hagler staying undisputed midd champ If Mccallum had knocked him out!!!!

Yep, agree with this too.

For once, i slightly, not completely agree with TRUSS's comments on Dawson. He does make the 175 belt look weaker after that spanking. Stupid was a silly word, but it did make me smile.

Mate If you're trying to wind me up don't bother....

You don't interest me..

even with your cultured articles..

TRUSS don't push me away. I enjoy your point of view, and for once, find it cultured and insightful. In fact, almost lyrical...

spontaneous guff.........

I did enjoy the moment those words popped into my head. I must admit.

Life is all about seizing the moment....

You're like the teaboy......always needing the last word.....

Unfortunately though you're not in his league...

which isn't saying much..

I don't confine myself to leagues, TRUSS, I'm way too global to be pinned down.

I get around more than James Bond. You move like a Hollywood starlets teet...

Barely ever.

starlet's

Very true.

I'm slipping, hold me...

davidemore wrote:I don't confine myself to leagues, TRUSS, I'm way too global to be pinned down.

I get around more than James Bond. You move like a Hollywood starlets teet...

Barely ever.

Hahahahahahahahaha

..Try that next time...

Saves time!!

BoxingFan88 wrote:Floyd fights like once a year now, Ward has beaten some quality opposition. Ward is p4p number 1 in my book.

exactly this, if Floyd doesn't fight end of this year Ward deserves it in my eyes.

Woah hold on a sec there guys, Dawson challenged Ward, Ward didn't say "come down to 168". Dawson said he could make the weight, Ward didn't force him. The weight was a non issue, the boxing skills that Ward possesses would take Dawson out at 168 or 175.

Weight has to be considered when a boxer who is already big at his weight moves down a division, it would most probably have had an effect but how much is pure speculation.

for me a p4p list needs to be up top date to a certain extent, otherwise we might as well be all talking about haye being still the best crusier out there or paul williams still being a great challenge for anybody at welter!

so with that i look at wards victorys against mayweather in roughly the past three years:

ward has beaten- kessler, green, bika, abraham, froch, dawson

mayweather has beaten- mosley, ortiz, cotto, jmm (how anybody is critsing ward for weights when mayweather gets away with this one i dont know)

wards clearly has the better victorys in that time span, while im not saying ward is better p4p fighteer than mayweather, you have to take in to account the recent victorys to some extent and not reward mayweathers inactivity. therefore currently i have ward number 1 in my list

Mayweather has been world champion in many weight divisions, and went up to 154 to beat Cotto.

That fact seems to be lost in this discussion. He is a true p4p champion. Until Ward goes up to 175 and clears that out (which he may), he doesn't challenge Floyds no1 spot in my eyes....

dont really buy into this hopping in and out of weight divisons makes you a better fighter, of course going through the weight divisions is better but last time he actually stayed in another weight divsion was back in 05 before moving to welter

as for the cotto victory, again cotto was only in the divsion because he had his ar$e handed to him at welter and was the only way he could pick up a title was to fight the great foreman, he 's a very simalr size to mayweather so dont see it as any great victory considering who had already beat him.

I said long beforehand that Dawson was stupid to do take the fight at SMW and in Ward's home town. Dawson was big for Light Heavy and I can't name any fighters who've managed to go down in weight and win titles. The whole weight of history against Dawson.

Super D Boon wrote:I said long beforehand that Dawson was stupid to do take the fight at SMW and in Ward's home town. Dawson was big for Light Heavy and I can't name any fighters who've managed to go down in weight and win titles. The whole weight of history against Dawson.

dawson has always been an arrogant delusional fool. glad to see him pay respect to ward after the fight instead of his usual nonesense

Castillo, Corrales, De la Hoya, Hatton, Mosley, Cotto, JMM. Mayweather is undefeated champion across 5 weight classes. Ward's star is rising, but while PBF remains active and anywhere near his peak then he remains no1. A fighter for the ages IMO, a man of exceptional talent. Shame that he is so fundamentally dislikeable and that he's chosen one or two battles a bit too carefully - and, in my opinion, avoided the post cotto version of Pacquiao for a while when he would've schooled him and cemented his legacy even further.

Agreed....

No point comparing the pair's opposition really, after all you can only beat what's out there and Pacquiao aside there's almost nobody they haven't fought between them. Sure, you can always find someone but both have been up against the best out there.

Ward has to step up a weight now though but he's pretty much shown already he'll mop that up. Where for Floyd? Alvarez I guess.

Absolutely... there is time for Ward to become no 1 and he's going the right way!!!

Certainly glad he doesn't fight for warren....

or else he'd be fighting Bobby Chyz "The former legend" next!!!!