Boxing Rankings: Ring Magazine’s 2015 Pound-For-Pound List Branded “Criminal” by Fans, Floyd Mayweather “Washed” 3 Boxers From Top 10

What’s the number one way to determine the pound-for-pound best of each era? Most boxing fans and pundits would point to lists released by sanctioning bodies, and they aren’t wrong. However, these lists don’t always align with who fans think is the best. In a similar situation, Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list from 2015 surfaced online today, leaving many to disagree with the names and the spots allotted to the fighters in that era.

Earlier today, talkSport editor Michael Benson hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to reveal the rankings from 2015. He wrote, “Ring Magazine pound-for-pound top ten in early 2015: Floyd Mayweather, Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao, Roman Gonzalez, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Tim Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Carl Froch, Canelo Alvarez, and Gennady Golovkin.”

There’s an argument to be made about some names that are absent from the list, but the names that do appear cannot be argued against. In 2015, Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao and Andre Berto, befitting his spot at the top. And the same goes for the rest of the fighters as well. However, fans didn’t seem to agree! So they made their way to the comment section to vent their dissatisfaction. 

Tim Bradley on boxing pound-for-pound list enrages fan

It’s safe to say that boxing fans have some strong opinions about their beloved fighters. If that wasn’t clear before, these comments would put things into perspective. One user wasn’t happy about Tim Bradley being included in the list. However, it’s worth mentioning that 2015 marked a great comeback for Bradley. After losing to Pacquiao in 2014, Bradley fought and defeated two opponents to retain his WBO welterweight title. 

Someone else highlighted that even though ten years have passed, Canelo Alvarez is still ruling the top ten rankings. Notably, Alvarez currently holds the fourth spot on the 2024 list, among nearly all undefeated boxers and above Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him. 

Also Read: Boxing Rankings: Curmel Moton Earns a Spot in Top 15 With Just 3 Pro Wins

The following user pointed out Carl Froch’s name in the list while voicing his disagreement with leaving out Andre Ward. Not to forget, Froch retired the previous year, and Ward defeated Froch in 2012. 

Another user could not believe that Gennady Golovkin was ranked at the very bottom of the list, branding the whole thing “criminal.” In fact, ‘GGG’ fought three times in 2015, defeating all three via knockout. More impressively, he did the same in the previous year as well.

A user brought up the fact that Floyd Mayweather, the only boxer on the list to have never lost, had victories over three other boxers on the list. ‘Money’ defeated Canelo Alvarez (2013), Manny Pacquiao (2015), and Juan Manuel Marquez (2009).

By the looks of the comments, things don’t seem to have been very different back then compared to today. People will always disagree with such lists, having their own opinion on various fighters. Do you think someone was missing from the list?

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