For over 5 years, Floyd Mayweather reigned over the Pound-For-Pound rankings.  A lot of people may have disliked his attitude, but no one who knows anything about boxing could ever say anything negative about his skills.  But, now that Floyd is "retired" (a word that loses a lot of its meaning when it is used in the sport of boxing) who stands atop the Pound-For-Pound rankings?  Here's one fan's Top 10:

1.  Manny Pacquaio - He has fought in the most glamerous weight classes of his time and dominated the other Hall of Fame talent.  The Paq Man has 7 combined fights against Hall of Famers Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez.  His record in those fights is 5-1-1 with 3 KO.  On top of his dominance of other all-time greats, Pacquaio has completely cleaned out the Featherweight and Super Featherweight divisions.  The last fight he lost before the Morales loss (which he avenged with two knockout wins over El Terrible) was in 1999 as a 112 pound Flyweight.  The only question to ask about Pacquaio placing #1 on a list like this is where does he go from here?  He has already fought the big money matches in his weight class, so where is the next superfight?  Pacquaio himself has floated the name Oscar de la Hoya, but every boxer, from 126 to 175, wants to get Oscar in the ring and collect an all-time payday.  As of right now, after his mandatory defense against David Diaz, there's no telling what Paq Man's going to do next.  But, for right now, he's #1.

2.  Joe Calzaghe - Calzaghe answered a lot of questions when he came over to America and beat Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas.  After Ricky Hatton got exposed against Mayweather, there were a lot of people wondering if Calzaghe was another guy who built up a big record by "hiding out" in Europe.  But, just like he proved when he whacked out Peter Manfredo and Jeff Lacey, Calzaghe showed he is not a product of protective matchmaking by completely outworking Hopkins and taking the decision.  Even though Hopkins entered the ring a bigger man, Calzaghe was the one who moved forward and looked to engage Hopkins at all times and from all angles.  His straight-ahead style made him a fan favorite in Europe and played well in the States.  At the age of 36 and with 45 fights under his belt, it's hard to tell how much work Calzaghe has left in him.  Rumors of a fight against Roy Jones at the end of the year are prevalent, and the name value of the two boxers should sell the fight, but the match I want to see before Calzaghe hangs 'em up for good is a showdown with Kelly Pavlik at either 168 or 175. 

3.  Miguel Cotto - If Casey Kasem were announcing this list, he would say that Cotto is "#3 with a bullet."  No one on this list as a chance to make the kind of statement Cotto can make in his July 26th Welterweight Title fight with Antonio Margarito.  Most pundits are expecting a Fight of the Year candidate (although I think Vazquez-Marquez III will be tough to beat) that should turn the victor into an A-list superstar in the world of boxing.  Even without Mayweather, the Welterweight division is still one of the 2 or 3 most interesting divisions in boxing.  If Cotto wins this fight, he could look at a rematch or try to do business with someone like Paul Williams.  That said, if Cotto-Margarito is as good as expected, and Cotto ends up getting his hand raised, the clamoring for Cotto-Mayweather will start to get loud.  And the dollars offered will get big.  Mayweather will be able to ingnore all the talk.  But, will he be able to ignore that kind of money?

4.  Kelly Pavlik - The fighting pride of Youngstown, Ohio did exactly what he was expected to do against Gary Lockett on Saturday night and thrilled the crowd with a 3rd round stoppage.  These are the kinds of performances expected of an undefeated Middleweight King who has knockout victories over the likes of Jermain Taylor and Edison Miranda.  Common sense says that the winner of Abraham-Miranda II should try to do business with Pavlik, but "The Ghost" is quickly becoming the kind of superstar who can sell tickets and put viewers in front of televisions regardless of the opponent.  With Oscar on his way out in a couple of years, Floyd "retired," and the Heavyweight division dead, the emergence of Pavlik has a legit superstar is the best thing boxing can hope for.  And, as I said earlier, his first Superfight should be against Calzaghe at either 168 or 175.

5.  Israel Vazquez - There are a lot of boxers who can make an arguement for the 5th spot, but I've got to give the nod here to Vazquez on the strength of the thrilling triology he completed with Rafael Marquez.  These guys fought absolute wars, and to come out on top twice in a series like that makes Vazquez deserving of the 5th spot.  There's no early word on what Vazquez is looking to do next, but his style guarantees that I, and a ton of other fight fans, will be watching.

6.  Juan Manuel Marquez
7.  Ivan Calderon
8.  Christian Mijares
9.  Rafael Marquez
10.  Paul Williams
11.  Antonio Margarito
12.  Bernard Hopkins
13.  Joel Cassamoyer
14.  Ricky Hatton
15.  Arthur Abraham