Rankings Update: Pound-for-Pound Top 20

There have been some changes since our May 3 update of the P4P top 20 list, so getting an update in seems wise right now. There are really no fights before September that should change much here.

The Top Five: Everything stays the same. Pacquiao and Marquez currently rule the sport, at least until Mayweather's September 19 return. The gap between Pacquiao and Marquez is much closer than a lot of more casual fans really realize. The two are separated by one point on six judges' scorecards are two fights. Mayweather remains unranked because we don't know what he'll look like upon his return. For the record, Israel Vazquez also stays off this list for the same reason.

I have Paul Williams rated higher than just about anyone does, but I think he's earned it. He had one bad night, and he avenged that loss in under a round against a good fighter. Since then he has dominated both Winky Wright and Verno Phillips, one of whom is a former P4P contender and the other a guy who was never stopped inside the distance over 20 years before he met Williams. Tall Paul is a machine and he's still improving.

Aging Hopkins and Mosley round out the top five, because neither is aging as much as might be suggested by their birth certificates.

Six Through Ten: I probably rank Cotto a little higher than most do, too. He's lost one fight and it's got a lot of question marks now. He's come back to destroy Michael Jennings and gut out a tough fight against Joshua Clottey, another really good fighter. Juan Manuel Lopez continues to climb for me; I don't think there's a fighter at 122 or 126 I would pick over him. Nonito Donaire hasn't been on fire since manhandling Vic Darchinyan, but he's done nothing but win when he his fights went through. And even though Vic just lost at 118, that win has done nothing but look better. Ivan Calderon drops a couple spots because his age is starting to show. Hozumi Hasegawa makes a big jump into the top ten; the guy is a steamroller at 118 right now.

Eleven Through Fifteen: Dropping out of the top 10 just due to the rise of others are light heavyweight titlist Chad Dawson and middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Dawson will have a chance to make a move up if he can beat Glen Johnson convincingly in their rematch. Pavlik needs a big opponent. Arthur Abraham, Chris John and Rafael Marquez all stay steady. Abraham is moving up to 168 for the Super Six, a tournament that could impact this list greatly.

Sixteen Through Twenty: Celestino Caballero still isn't a favorite of mine, but his spot is earned, and he's trying all he can to fight Juanma Lopez. Darchinyan takes a big tumble thanks to a bad night at a weight where his power didn't seem to carry. It wasn't a horrible loss or anything, but these lists are really competitive. There isn't much separating most of these guys. Edgar Sosa jumps two spots and may be on the cusp of overtaking Calderon as the top dog at 108. Mikkel Kessler and Tomasz Adamek round out the list. Kessler has a mandatory before the Super Six, and Adamek is contemplating a move to heavyweight in search of a big fight. It's a shame that we may never see Adamek-Cunningham II if that's the case.