Fasttalker's Undisputed Pound-for-Pound Rankings -- Feb. 23, 2006 by Jeremy "Fasttalker" Bjornberg - 10/26/2005 1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- Floyd recently announced he will continue with the Zab Judah match on April 8. After Zab pulled a Munson and lost to journeyman Carlos Baldomir, the fight seemingly lost most of its luster. However, Judah does have fast hands and will be motivated. PBF really had no choice, as Hatton and Cotto weren't even willing to negotiate. 2. Marco Antonio Barrera -- Barrera now only needs a win over Pacquiao to solidify his god like status with the Mexican fans. If he does beat Manny, he very well may be the best Mexican of all time. Chavez and Salvador Sanchez don't even have the kind of resume that Barrera would. He is scheduled to fight 135 pound IBF champ Jesus Chavez on March 25. If Barrera can add another title he may have all the cards in negotiations with Morales and Pacman. 3. Manny Pacquiao -- Pacman thoroughly whooped the toughest Mexican since Julio Cesar Chavez when he KO'd Erik Morales. Manny is now discussing taking on ex 122 pound champ Oscar Larios or a grudge match with Erik Morales to settle the score once and for all. Manny may have to take the fight at 132 pounds to get it done 4. Winky Wright -- Winky's shutout over Felix Trinidad opened a lot of eyes but he hasn't been happy with the paydays he's been offered. I was surprised he wasn't jumping on the 55/45 split he was offered by Taylor's camp, but he did finally come to his senses. He will fight Jermain on June 17. 5. Ricky Hatton -- Ricky's win over Maussa was like eating a calzone. It was very sloppy but the end result was very rewarding. A knockout over a fairly legit titleholder was the perfect fight back after his win over Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu. Hatton is now supposedly negotiating with Vivian Harris, Carlos Baldomir, Acelino Freitas and his #1 contender. He has also said he will be fighting in the US next time out. 6. Antonio Tarver -- Tarver is rumored to be over 200 pounds but will have to be down to fighting weight on June 10, when he faces legend Bernard Hopkins. Hard Nard will be moving up to 175 for his final fight. His role in Rocky could be a deterrent to his preparations, but Tarver knows better than to take Hopkins for granted. 7. Rafeal Marquez. -- Rafeal has dominated his divison for years and proved it with a vicious KO over unbeaten Silence Mabuza in November. Marquez probably should take a shot at 122 pound champ Israel Vazquez but a unification bout with the winner of Jhonny Gonzalez and Mark Johnson might be a good idea too. Marquez has been a bit stagnant like his brother, but his wins over Tim Austin and Mark Johnson speak for themselves. 8. Tie: Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales -- I refuse to pick between these two Mexican warriors until after their third meeting. The last fight wasn't on even terms, but everything will be settled on June 3, when they rumble again. Whoever wins will be a force to deal with at 135 or 140. 9. Juan Manuel Marquez -- Marquez has a very tough fight coming up against unbeaten Chris John. As more proof of his self destruction, Marquez will also not be shown on US television and will travel to Indonesia to defend his title! Marquez earned this with his draw against Pacquiao and his run of wins since his last loss, a debatable decision loss to Freddie Norwood in 1999. 10. ermain Taylor -- Jermain was more than brave to take on Winky Wright June 10 coming off of 2 battles with Bernard Hopkins. I still believe that a hometown Arkansas fight with Sam Soliman was the best bet, but this is definitely better for the fans. Taylor is looking to move to the top and a win over Winky will be a huge step towards that status.
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