The number one pick is a fighter who shouldn't be here at all: Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. If boxing worked like most other sports (where the best faced each other for supremacy) Golovkin, 30-0 with 27 knockouts, would be the lineal middleweight champion of the world; big names such as Peter Quillin and Miguel Cotto would already be marked as knockout wins on his record. But these top-rated fighters can make more money in one night fighting B-level fighters than most of us make in a year. Why would they fight each other let alone a monster like Golovkin, and risk damaging their earning potential? At 32, “GGG” is no longer a youngster in boxing, but he is miles beyond the rest of the division in terms of both ability and potential, which is why he is the number one pick. He has unreal power, and combines it with Olympic-level boxing skill. These traits have carried him to the top of the 160 pound weight division.
Keith “One Time” Thurman holds the number two slot. He has good speed, a high ring IQ, and is one of the biggest punchers in the welterweight division. His maturity is growing, and he has kept his cool against durable opponents such as Jesus Soto-Karass and Julio Diaz. For a point of comparison, Thurman, 25, performed far better than Brandon Rios against common opponent, Diego Chaves (who Thurman knocked out in the tenth round). While advisor Al Haymon has kept Thurman woefully inactive, if given the chance, Thurman, 23-0 with 21 knockouts, will outclass fighters like Shawn Porter and Kell Brook.
Rounding out the top three is 26 year-old lightweight, Terence Crawford. Both in the ring and out, “Bud” has a maturity and poise that is astonishing for his age. Crawford, 24-0 with 17 knockouts, is humble, hardworking, and displays a knowledge of the sport few modern prizefighters achieve. He doesn't rely solely on his physical abilities to get the win, but they are adequate for the job. Against Yuriorkis Gamboa this past July, fighting a near polar opposite of himself, Crawford adapted to a fighter who had faster hands before stopping Gamboa in the ninth round. With Mike Garcia below him, Danny Garcia above, and Omar Figueroa in his own division Crawford has plenty of chances to shock the world. In boxing’s current state, even making those fights would be shocking.
The rest of the list is offered in no particular order:
Mike Garcia, the 26 year-old lightweight with a record of 34-0 with 28 knockouts is a favorite of mine, but he needs to more active if he is going to become truly great. Lightweight Omar Figueroa, the fan-friendly 24 year-old who is 24-0-1 with 18 knockouts is a fantastic action fighter, but his defense needs an Amber Alert.
Abner Mares, 27-1-1 with 14 knockouts, would definitely have been in my top three a year ago. He was taking on every fighter he could get his hands on; switching from brawler to boxer throughout his fights, and simply finding ways to win. I didn't lower him because of his first round knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez—few featherweights could absorb a Gonzalez hook right on the button. Mares looked horrible in his comeback fight against Jonathan Oquendo, however; and new trainer Virgil Hunter has yet to work any magic. All Mares seems to have learned from Hunter was how to hug his opponent and throw as few punches as possible.
At age 24, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has already achieved great things. He is a dominant force in a talented junior middleweight division, and already a proven ticket seller. However, I do not think he should move up anytime soon. At middleweight, Alvarez, 44-1-1 with 31 knockouts, would lose his usual size advantage, and his punches would have less power. Unless he fights the smaller Miguel Cotto or the broken down Sergio Martinez he would be wise to stay in his weight division (the 155 pound Alvarez division).