Pound-for-pound is the term used in boxing, mixed martial arts and other combat sports to describe a fighter's value in relation to fighters of different weight classes. Image File history File links Circle-question-red. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with... Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a recently emerged combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Origin of the term

It is often said to have been created to describe world Welterweight and Middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson, the most accomplished fighter of the modern era, by supporters who realized that while he could beat anyone in his own class, as a Middleweight he would not be able to beat a top Heavyweight. Hence, Robinson was called the pound-for-pound best without being expected to beat much larger fighters, under the belief that he as a Middleweight was still a better quality fighter than any fighter fighting at heavier or lighter weights than him. Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. ... Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ... Sugar Ray Robinson, born Walker Smith Jr. ... Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ...

However, this common belief is in fact false, as other fighters were being labelled the 'pound for pound' best before Robinson even turned pro. One such is Tony Canzoneri, a juniorwelterweight great considered the best in the world 'pound for pound' in the early 30s.^[1] Tony Canzoneri (November 6, 1908-December 9, 1959) was an Italian-American boxer who was born in the town of Slidell, Louisiana. ...

Application

Judging the best fighter in the world, pound for pound, is subjective. Some people place most weight on 'quality of opposition', or take into account factors such as how exciting the fighter is, or how famous he is, whereas others simply try to determine who would beat who if all boxers were the same size. The following paragraph will concentrate on the last definition. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ...

Pernell Whitaker, an Olympic gold medalist who won pro titles from 130-154 pounds, adopted the term to describe himself, and gained widespread recognition as the pound for pound best after drawing with the legendary Julio César Chávez in 1993 in a fight most observers believed Whitaker won clearly. After Whitaker, four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr. took over, and was recognized as the best fighter in the world for the better part of a decade. After an aging Jones lost to Antonio Tarver in 2004, the title passed on to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Pernell Whitaker (born January 2, 1964), nicknamed Sweet Pea, is a retired professional boxer, among the greatest of all-time. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... A gold medal will generally represent the highest award for achievement in a non-military field, with no restriction on eligibility. ... For this mans son, also a boxer, see Julio César Chávez, Jr. ... Roy Levesta Jones Jr. ... Antonio Deon Tarver (born November 21, 1968), nicknamed the Magic Man, is a professional boxer from Orlando, Florida, who is the former undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. ... Floyd Mayweather, Jr. ...

While very few seriously suggested that there were better fighters than Jones who should be favored to beat him if the two were the same size at any point during his reign, other boxers did claim the 'pound for pound' title based on other factors, such as 'quality of opposition', an exciting style, fame or personality. Among these were:

• Oscar de la Hoya, the most famous^{[citation needed]} and glamorous non-heavyweight fighter in the world, who was unbeaten until he lost controversially to...
• Felix Trinidad, a powerful and usually exciting puncher who was himself unbeaten until he was KOd by...
• Bernard Hopkins, a savvy and tough veteran ex-Jones victim who topped some lists^{[citation needed]} during (and especially after) the Jones era;
• Shane Mosley, a speedy boxer who handed de la Hoya his first clear, inarguable defeat;^{[citation needed]}
• Floyd Mayweather Jr., a lightning-fast defense artist who remains unbeaten;
• Manny Pacquiao, the most exciting^{[citation needed]} featherweight boxer with handspeed and powerful left who defeated, by K.O., such boxers like Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales

While some take this pound-for-pound title seriously, others^{[citation needed]} feel it is a bad rating system and has no real relevance. They feel that it is impossible to say what fighter at what weight is better than what other fighter at another weight. Others^{[citation needed]} would say that it is valid, and that it is possible to say that a fighter fighting at one weight is better than a fighter at a different weight. Ring Magazine features a pound-for-pound list in its monthly rankings. Their list is not a "who beats who" list but is heavily weighted in favour of factors like quality of opposition, attitude, and fame.^{[citation needed]} Oscar De La Hoya (IPA pronunciation: [1]) (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy — is a Mexican American boxer who won a gold medal for the United States Boxing Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games and is considered one of boxings all time greats. ... Félix Tito Trinidad Jr. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Sugar Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971) is a boxer from Pomona, California. ... Floyd Mayweather, Jr. ... Manny Pacquiao (born Emmanuel Dapigran Pacquiao on December 17, 1978 in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines), also known as the Pacman, is a Filipino professional boxer . ... Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia (born January 17, 1974 in Mexico City) is a Mexican professional boxer and former world WBC Super Featherweight champion. ... Erik Isaac Morales Elvira (born September 1, 1976 in Tijuana, Mexico) is a Mexican professional boxer, eight time WBC, IBF, WBO, IBA world champion and future hall-of-famer. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ...

"Pound for pound" has also been used in other combat sports; mixed martial artists Fedor Emelianenko, BJ Penn and Matt Hughes have had the label attached to them.^{[citation needed]} Fedor Emelianenko (IPA: , Russian: Фёдор Емельяненко), born September 28, 1976), is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter and the current PRIDE World Heavyweight Champion. ... B.J. The Prodigy Penn (born December 12, 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter. ... Matt Hughes is a Canadian author who lives in Courtenay, British Columbia. ...

Other uses

It can also be used to describe how any two things compare when bearing in mind their varying quantities. For example, a tin of tomatoes weighing 250 g and costing $2.50 is more expensive, pound for pound, than one weighing 500 g and costing $4 (as the former costs $1 per 100 g and the latter $0.8 per 100 g). Binomial name Solanumlycopersicum Linnaeus ref. ...

The term has also become something of a cliché, as it is now used to describe numerous other things apart from boxing. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

See also

• Ring Magazine pound for pound

This table lists the pound-for-pound rankings of The Ring magazine (the self-proclaimed Bible of Boxing), which some boxing experts and fans regard as an authoritative source for ranking the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. ...

References

1. ^ http://boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=9003