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It was 27 years ago last week.
One of my boyhood dreams came true when I parked my car, strolled down Exchange Boulevard in one of my favorite cities – Rochester, N.Y. – picked up my media credential at the gate, and made my way to a ringside seat on an early summer Tuesday night at the War Memorial Auditorium.
It was a rematch between local hero Charles Murray and the man who’d stunned him with a majority decision two-plus years earlier in Atlantic City, Jake Rodriguez.
And it was my first time covering a live boxing match.
I spent the weekend thinking about that fight – which Murray won by a seventh-round TKO – and upon realizing this week’s Tuesday masterpiece would fall on Independence Day, I had an idea.
If that night marked the beginning of my “era” as a boxing writer, who have been the best fighters of that era? And given that we’re immersed today in a celebration of America and all its grandeur, how about narrowing the list to the best American fighters.
Of course, mid-year 1996 is sort of an arbitrary time period, so in my last act of Fourth of July-inspired self-determination I’ll begin the list instead at the start of the subsequent decade – January 1, 2000.
So there you have the concept – a list of the top 10 pound-for-pound U.S fighters of the 21st century.
And keep in mind, we’re talking about performances in the 21st century.
For example, Thomas Hearns fought three times in the 2000s and Mike Tyson eight, but none of those fights reminded anyone of what they’d accomplished during their primes in the ’80s and ’90s, thus, they’re not included here. Please re-read that paragraph a few times before suggesting I’m a “hater.”
OK, got that?
If so, now that we’ve dispensed with the specs… here’s one New York-born man’s opinion:
10. ERROL SPENCE JR. – One of two still-active pros who made the list. But even though he hasn’t finished his career climb, he’s still done enough across 11 years and 28 fights to make the list. A champion for six years with six defenses, none of which was close. And if he manages a victory on July 29, look for him to have climbed a few rungs by the next time around.
9. TIMOTHY BRADLEY – “Desert Storm” is a guy who you don’t realize was as good as he was. The Hall of Fame call is debatable (I voted yes, but it was no slam dunk), but he was a two-division champion and got a win (officially anyway) over Manny Pacquiao and another less-debatable one against Juan Manuel Marquez. An automatic all-time great? Maybe not. But in the U.S. over the last 23 years? Yes.
8. OSCAR DE LA HOYA – He’d already worn belts in four weight classes before Jan. 1, 2000, but a memorable two-fight series against Shane Mosley (lost the first, was ripped off in the second) and compelling grudge matches with Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga came after the new millennium’s arrival. He lost the biggest ones (Trinidad, Hopkins, Mayweather) but won enough to be remembered.
7. WINKY WRIGHT – When it comes to guys you may have forgotten were as good as they were, the longtime force at 154 pounds is as good as they get. Wright won a vacant title against Robert Frazier and proceeded to beat Mosley twice along with Felix Trinidad on the way to middleweight. A 2006 draw with Jermain Taylor could have gone either way and a loss to Bernard Hopkins a year later was close, too.
6. TERENCE CRAWFORD – The list’s second still-active fighter makes it a few notches higher than his imminent rival thanks to three weight-class titles and a more comprehensive body of work. His ability to seamlessly switch between stances amid competitive combat is as good as there’s ever been and those closest to him revel in the gleeful violence and magnificent cruelty he displays in the ring.
5. SHANE MOSLEY – Yes, Winky beat him twice. And yes, Oscar probably beat him in their rematch. But that doesn’t erase the fact that Mosley was an incredible physical specimen with ridiculous hand speed and terrific power. He finished two years atop Ring Magazine’s annual pound-for-pound list and was a top-three finisher two more times, which illustrates just how high his ceiling way on his best days.
4. BERNARD HOPKINS – Outside of guy you’ll see atop this collection, no U.S. fighter approaches the consistency B-Hop displayed over a prolonged period. He was in The Ring’s annual top 10 nine times from 2000 through 2009, including two years at the top of the heap. A record-setter at middleweight, he climbed to light heavyweight to stun Antonio Tarver and was still a legit champ at age 49. Incredible.
3. ANDRE WARD – The sample size doesn’t approach B-Hop’s or many others above and below him, but it’s hard to argue Ward’s level of preeminence from 2004 to 2017. He announced his presence with a win at Showtime’s Super 6 tournament at 168, handled the sturdy likes of Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, then climbed to light heavy to beat the fearsome Sergey Kovalev twice. If only he’d have fought more often.
2. ROY JONES JR. – Make no mistake, the “Superman” that performed through the ’90s and into the 2000s was as good on any given night as anyone. But because his run bridged the century’s arrival, he drops a spot to No. 2. Jones won nine straight from 2000 to 2003 including the memorable jump to outclass heavyweight claimant John Ruiz but was never the same after Antonio Tarver got to him.
1. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. – Loathe him if you must. But don’t ignore the fact, and yes, it’s a fact, that Mayweather was eighth or better on The Ring’s annual list 13 times from 2000 to 2013 – including five firsts and four seconds. He never lost. And in the cases where a victory was most debated (Castillo I and Maidana I) he fought and won a rematch. The Best Ever? Hardly. But since 2000? No doubt about it.
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
No title fights scheduled.
This week’s trash title-fight schedule:
WBA “world” welterweight title – San Antonio, Texas
Eimantas Stanionis (champion/No. 5 Ring) vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (No. 1 WBA/No. 4 Ring)
Why it’s trash: Don’t mistake the intent here. This is a wonderful fight between high-end welterweight contenders. But it’s not a title fight. And just weeks ahead of the unification at 147 that we’ve waited for forever, we needn’t be acknowledging any more stupid belts from useless sanctioning cartels.
Last week’s picks: 1-1 (WIN: Pradabsri; LOSS: Falcao)
2023 picks record: 23-9 (71.9 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,273-417 (75.3 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.