Pound-4-Pound: Mayweather, Pacquiao, and company ask "who's the man"?

The mythical pound-for-pound title is very deceptive. Most top dawgs claim it, each of them wants it, yet the answer relative to which one of them actually has it is reserved for the person in which you speak to - and whom he or she feels they would give it to.

The WBC has recently created a "Diamond Belt" which is supposed to be the belt of all belts, reserved for those smaller conquerors who can go up in weight and dethrone the best competition of other divisions.

Sounds good in theory, but no question, there will never be a true substitute for authentic P4P honors. In an effort to measure the worth of each man, today, we take a look at the front-runners by analyzing each man separtely. (In no special order).

The Case for Manny Pacquiao:

Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37KO's) is arguably the most spirited fighter in the sport today. Based on his resume, many view him as a Mexican slayer, however, it's the heart he employs in the ring which resembles their warrior-esque ability most, ultimately making him a fan fave, even amongst the proud Mexican nation. Few in the history of the sport have been able to rise through 7 weight classes and bring not only speed and power, but results. This major accomplishment puts Pacquiao not only in the P4P debate, but according to many, the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all-time) debate as well.

The Case for Floyd Mayweather jr.:

Floyd Mayweather jr. (40-0, 25KO's) is viewed by many as easily the most talented fighter of this era. Speed, good, although not great power, amazing stamina, and a ring IQ that parallels the greatest to ever lace up in the history of the sport. Mayweather's claim to fame is his diversity, as the flamboyant fighter has been known to deliver the goods whether it be in-fighting, outside fighting, moving forward or backing up. Mayweather's ability has already placed him in the G.O.A.T. discussion, and according to some, his performance in his return bout against a man Pacquiao failed to defeat decisively in two attempts thoroughly cemented his status of today's P4P king. Pacquiao is clearly the more exciting to watch, Mayweather is purely the more talented of the two. Perhaps a showdown between he and Pacquiao will one day settle the score, as few could deny the fact that the two of them stand at the top of this debate.

The Case for Bernard Hopkins:

Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32KO's) is the closest the sport has to a throwback type oldschool fighter, other than Mayweather. Few have ever seen Hopkins bruised, let alone hurt in a fight, simply because his amazing defense rarely allows one to land a flush shot on him. A resume that boast the legendary Felix Trinidad, ODH, Glen Johnson and others can never be denied. A pending matchup against the only man to ever truly dominate him may very well close the chapter of his book. A win would be an emphatic punctuation, while a loss would open the door to more questions. All-time great....yes. P4P king, definitely amongst the discussion.

The Case for Paul Williams:

The name of Paul Williams (37-1, 27KO's) rarely comes up in this debate, but for years I've rated this guy a 'dark horse', and in recent times, many have began to see what I saw quite a while back. Most guage P4P status on ability to excite and put cheeks-in-seats, but Williams has been an ambassador for the term P4P in a rather literal fashion, jumping weight class to weight class and seeking out the best available competition with little luck. There's a great reason why we never hear anyone call his name out. Standing at 6'2", throwing over 100 punches per round, and having a wingspan like that of Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, there are very few strategies one could employ to disengage this terminator. Resume strength prevents him from being the clear and concise P4P king, but a solid victory over Kelly Pavlik in his pending fight will certainly help.

The Case for Miguel Cotto:

Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27KO's) is a perfect example of a fighter who literally stands on the brink of both goodness and greatness. The good in him is always on display, but the greatness hasn't always found the same level of consistency. An example of this was losing to a less than talented Antonio Margarito, while defeating a very credible Shane Mosley - a fighter who later dismantled Margarito. Cotto is one of the few fighters in today's money driven era of the sport that has taken on all comer's, and looked relatively good while doing it. His past resume has been amazing (Judah, Mosley, Margarito, Malignaggi and more), but it's the fights of his immediate future (Pacquiao and potentially a Mayweather showdown) which will dictate exactly how high he stands on this list.

Falling in the "honorable mention" circle would be a number of fighters (Mosley, John, Dawson) who have the potential to be P4P greats, but not always the results. Shane Mosley is a perfect example. A loss in head-to-head competition with Cotto nullifies an otherwise solid victory over Cotto conqueror Antonio Margarito. In the case of Chris John and Chad Dawson, their records show no losses, but their resume's also show that the same amount of test have not been encountered.

Arguably any of the men listed today stand a chance, but considering that the mythical P4P strap is more opinion than fact, the operative question here is "WHO DO YOU LIKE"?

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-845-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m9d27-Pound4Pound-Mayweather-Pacquiao-and-company-ask-whos-the-man