By Austin Killeen      December 30, 2018      (click on picture to enlarge)

With all the ridiculous weight divisions in boxing plus four major sanctioning bodies, we have the potential of 68 boxers claiming to be world champions. As a result, the ranking of the ten best fighters in the world, regardless of weight class, carries the most prestige. Boxing fans have come to know this as the top ten Pound 4 Pound rankings. Any fighter on this list has arrived. They have demonstrated superior skill against the best completion in their respective weight classes.  Below is the latest P4P ranking by BoxRec which is based solely on numerics and nothing else. The reader looking at this list is probably seeing names of fighters who they have never seen before. I have little doubt they are all pretty good, but my list would definitely not include some of these names.

 

1. Saul Alvarez, 2. Terence Crawford, 3. Vasiliy Lomachenko, 4. Gennady Golovkin 5. Oleksandr Usyk, 6. Luis Nery, 7. Wisaksil Wangek, 8. Miguel Berchelt, 9. Leo Santa Cruz, 10. Anthony Joshua

Using this same approach I’ve ranked the Top Ten Pound 4 Pound list for New Mexico. I stopped at five names. These five boxers separated themselves from the rest of the herd by making a statement outside the friendly confines of New Mexico. I know Josh Torres has never won a fight outside the “Land of Enchantment”, but let’s be real; people know his name.

1. Austin “No Doubt” Trout (31-5-0, 17 KO’s) Las Cruces-Junior Middleweight
2. Fidel “The Atrisco Kid“ Maldonado Jr. (24-4-1, 19 KO’s) Albuquerque-Lightweight
3. Josh “Pitbull” Torres (19-6-2, 11 KO’s) Albuquerque-Welterweight
4. Jason “El Alacrancito” Sanchez (13-0-0, 6 KO’s) Albuquerque-Junior Lightweight
5. Ron “El Tremendo” Baca (9-3-4, 3 KO’s) Gallup-Heavyweight

Austin Trout has been fighting professionally for thirteen years, winning his first twenty six fights as a pro. In 2011 he traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, to win the vacant WBA super welterweight title. Most of his victories have come on the road, in hostile environments, against some big bangers. Trout will never be compared to Mike Tyson in the hitting department, yet he has won decisions in the other guy’s back yard repeatedly. But the question arises, has father time caught up with Mr. No Doubt? In his last ten fights, five of those contests have ended in defeat. Trout has cashed some very impressive pay checks over the years, but to keep the money train on the tracks he’ll needed to win more than five out of ten. He is still relevant at the world class level, but now is seen as a good name to add to your win column. His value to promoters lessens with each additional defeat. Trout needs an impressive win in 2019 to have relevance in the world of boxing.

Fidel Maldonado has been cashing checks in the sport for a decade. You could call him a poor man’s Austin Trout because he has made some decent paydays, but not nearly at the same level as the former junior middleweight champ. The “Atrisco Kid“ exploded out of the starting blocks, winning his first thirteen fights eleven by knockout. He truly has one punch power and carries his punch into the late rounds, a trait lacking in many punchers. Additionally, many of his wins have come outside of the United States. So what’s the knock on Maldonado? Simply put three of his four losses have come by stoppage, resulting in many critics questioning his chin.  Listening to his detractors, one quickly gets the image of buzzards circling around the body of a semi-conscious man dragging himself across the desert. Coming off a knockout loss, he hasn’t fought in fourteen months. On January 26 of next year, Maldonado will launch his comeback against a live underdog, by the name of Luis Gerardo Avila of Nogales, Mexico. If Maldonado thinks he’ll win the fight by showing his opponent his scrap book, he’s in for a big surprise. In his last fight Avila upset Antonio Martinez, a Buffalo Thunder headliner by split decision. If Maldonado is not prepared for the import from Nogales, he could not only lose the fight, but get stopped in the process. The “Atrisco Kid“ needs an impressive win if he hopes to get another decent payday, and can’t afford to look past Avila.

Josh Torres has been in the punch for pay business for eight years. Torres is a text book case on how to develop a young boxer into a headliner, by slowly increasing his development with each success. Each time the “Pitbull” enters the ring he is in excellent shape, processes superior strength and he has a chin which is made out of concrete. Unlike Trout and Maldonado, he didn’t win over a dozen fights before tasting defeat. But setbacks never seem to discourage him. His philosophy seems to be “that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He is well schooled in the basics, just watch him work with a young fighter and you’ll know what I mean. In 2015 he scored the biggest win of his career, only to lose three of his next four fights. But like trying to drown a cork, Torres keeps rising to the surface. Presently he is on a four bout win streak, all by knockouts. He has put himself into a position where a big name fighter is going to be knocking on his door in 2019. The future looks bright for the “Pitbull.”

Jason Sanchez is the newest member of the P4P club, having never lost a fight in his six year career. Listening to some people talk, Sanchez is an overnight sensation. This probably has Sanchez shaking his head in amazement, as he has suffered lots of bloody noses, cut lips and swollen eyes over many years at his craft to become an overnight sensation. What has caused people to suddenly discover “El Alacrancito” after seemingly being in witness protection all these years? On October 31 of this year, Sanchez scored an upset ten round decision over previously undefeated Jean Carlos Rivera in Panama City, Panama. Sanchez is the shiny new car in the garage, and everybody with leather gloves whats to take it for a spin. Sanchez, like Trout and Maldonado before him, is finding out what it’s like to be a target. Because with each win there will be added pressure to see if you can win again, but against an even bigger challenge. Good luck Mr. Sanchez, because the road to success has many potholes.

Ron Baca is the final member of the P4P club and has been working at his craft since 2014. If you wondering who Baca is, you’ve got lots of company. Baca has to show ID to get into his own kitchen for breakfast. The fighter from Gallup lost his pro debut, which caused most of the boxing community to yawn. He is an anomaly in boxing because he’s a heavyweight who can’t punch, looks like the Michelin Tire Man, but has footwork that would impress Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars fame. When the phone rings, it’s to find out if he can be in somebody’s back yard in seventy two hours for an eight round fight. He usually says yes, leaving town the next day with another win. Like the other four boxers on the list, he’s not afraid to fight anybody. Working behind a beautiful left jab and great lateral movement he usually gets the win to the amazement of his opponents’ rabid fan base. I hope 2019 finally brings “El Tremendo” the recognition that he truly deserves.

These five boxers want to be champions and are willing to travel anyplace to achieve their goal of being number one. They are at the top of their game due to the level of their competition. When they finally hang up their gloves, they won’t have to wonder what could have been. They faced the best competition they could get in the ring and gave their very best effort. Based on that philosophy they are all winners.