The fact that pretty much no other elite level fighter wants to get in the ring with Rigondeaux should tell you all you need to know. His last opponent suffered a broken jaw and now the Cuban has his eyes set on a catchweight fight with Vasyl Lomachenko. While that fight probably won't happen it would be something special for fans if they could meet as featherweights.
In his most recent fight Gonzalez had to walk through the fire to beat Carlos Cuadras in a very close fight. That was Gonzalez's first fight in the junior bantamweight division and next up for him could be a rematch with Cuadras, who some feel may have bested the excellent Nicaraguan pugilist.
Ward recently took on light heavyweight kingpin Sergey Kovalev in a very disputed fight. Ward was given the razor thin unanimous decision win but many viewers felt that Kovalev deserved the decision, especially after dropping Ward. However, Ward won the fight and it was by no means a robbery. Now fans will have to hold out hope that Ward and Kovalev do battle again soon.
A win over Andre Ward would have probably sent Kovalev to the top spot in these rankings. Kovalev lost a close, and debatable decision though and because it was so close he doesn't drop in the rankings. Kovalev stays in the fourth spot and now all he can do is wait to see when he can secure a rematch with Ward as he tries to avenge his first career loss.
Golovkin finds himself dropped two spots in the rankings without losing a fight. The reason for his drop is that he has never faced an opponent as dangerous as Andre Ward or Sergey Kovalev and both fighters fought very well against one another meaning Ward moved up and Kovalev stayed in the fourth spot. Someone had to move and that someone was Golovkin, who is still searching for an elite opponent in his own division.
Crawford's next fight is only a few weeks away and he will take on slugger John Molina. If Crawford were to win that fight there is no telling who he would take on next as everyone seems to be mentioning him as a possible opponents. Top Rank may want to pair him with their long tenured star, Manny Pacquiao, in an attempt to usher in the new king.
In his most recent fight Alvarez looked excellent in destroying the body and knocking out the smaller Liam Smith. With no upcoming fights on the horizon fans will start to call for a bout between Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin. That is now the biggest fight that can be made in the sport and one that needs to happen in 2017.
The 2016 version of Pacquiao may not have the killer instinct he once did but he is still one of the best fighters in the sport. Most recently Pacquiao came out of a very short lived retirement to drop titleholder Jessie Vargas and outbox him for a wide unanimous decision win in a fight no one really asked for. Now the buzz has started that Pacquiao could get another fight with Floyd Mayweather should he decided to come out of retirement.
The Ukrainian fighter has all the skills to climb to the top of the pound-for-pound rankings he just needs a few more fights. Lomachenko is fresh off making slugger Nicholas Walter quit without ever really hurting him and after the fight called out junior lightweight champion Francisco Vargas. However, before he takes on Vargas fans would love to see him try to avenge his lone career loss against Orlando Salido.
Tyson Fury finds himself off the pound-for-pound list after being inactive for more than a year with no serious injury. There were a number of fighters who could have filled this final spot but Bradley gets the nod. While he is coming off a loss to Manny Pacquiao, Bradley actually fought very well in that fight and should be the favorite over any welterweight not named Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.
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