As a casino guide we assess the best casinos like Pound4Pound.com rates their
top 10 fighters. We look at style, pedigree, reputation and public opinion.

1. Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao - There is no refuting Pacquiao’s supremacy. Miguel Cotto knew he was beat when he went down in the fourth round of his November 14th fight against the world’s #1 fighter. True, Cotto may have won another round or two, but mostly because Pacquiao took a few off. Cotto was in pure survival mode over the second half of the fight and couldn’t manage to reach the final bell. Pacquiao bludgeoned Cotto and in so doing beat yet another “bigger man”. Now we have to hope team Pacquiao and team Mayweather can stop posturing long enough to get paid. With all due respect to Paulie Malignaggi, no one wants to see Pacquiao v Malignaggi, or Bradley or anyone but Mayweather.

2. "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather - Juan Manuel Marquez is a great fighter but his handlers did him no favors in pitting him against Mayweather on September 19, 2009. Mayweather was much too fast and much too big for Marquez. Heck, Mayweather even packed too much punch for Dinamita. Mayweather said as much heading into the fight. Then why did he pull that bush league stunt and ignore the contractual catch weight? He did so because Mayweather needs to land the first blow. It is the same reason why Mayweather is insisting upon Olympic standards drug testing for his proposed fight with Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather requires his opponents to fight on his terms, even before the first bell rings.

4. Chad Dawson - Chad Dawson is finally getting the credit he is due. Not only did he move up one spot to #4 on our list, he’s finally cracked the top ten in all unbiased Pound4Pound lists. Bernard Hopkins won’t fight Bad Chad so Dawson is resigned to repeat winning performances against the likes of Antonio Tarver and most recently against Glen Johnson. I love the fight in Glen Johnson, but on November 7th, Dawson was clearly the better man (no matter how loudly Johnson protests). Dawson earned the nod by unanimous decision in a fight that wasn’t as close as the score cards read. In the September edition of this list I wrote, “The only flaw in Chad Dawson is that he isn’t a heavyweight.” I was wrong. The only flaw in Chad Dawson is that he doesn’t knock people out.

5. Paul "The Punisher" Williams - On December 5th, the two most avoided men in the sport squared off in a fight that is a leading candidate for fight of the year. No, Williams didn’t face middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik as had been announced. Pavlik opted instead for a gimme named Miguel Espino. Williams manned up and took on the second most avoided man in boxing; light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. The middleweight match up featured multiple knockdowns and non-stop action for twelve exhausting rounds. It was a showcase for Martinez and a defining moment for Williams. Williams earned a majority decision and a fan following for his performance in and out of the ring. For his effort Williams moves up three spots from #8.

6. Wladimir Klitschko - How did Klitschko move up from #10 to #6 without the benefit of a win? Simple: losses by two men ahead of him and my reluctant acceptance of Joe Calzaghe’s retirement. Klitschko fought only once in 2009 but he hasn’t lost since 2004 and over the past five years has racked up eleven straight victories. During the streak Klitschko beat two “can’t miss” undefeated fighters in Samuel Peter (24-0) and Calvin Brock (29-0). He also defeated three reigning champions during the span, including Chris Byrd (IBF), Sultan Ibragimov (WBO) and Ruslan Chagaev (WBA). Maybe more importantly, Klitschko revenged his loss to Lamon Brewster with a convincing performance that silenced most of his critics. Blessed with height and length, at 6’6” Klitschko stands tall and fights tall. And with one of the best jabs in the business Klitschko controls distance and his opponents.

8. "Dr. Iron Fist" Vitali Klitschko  - Unlike his brother, Vitali Klitschko has been busy in 2009. Dominant wins over Juan Carlos Gomez, Cristobal Arreola and Kevin Johnson secured his entrance onto this list. In fact, Klitschko has been so dominant he may not have lost more than three rounds since returning to the sport in October 2008, with an eye-popping win over then heavyweight champion Samuel Peter. Like his brother, Vitali Klitschko towers over opponents and controls them a wicked stiff jab. When he drops the right hand behind the jab he paralyzes his opponents and makes the game look easy. While not as physically gifted as younger brother Wladimir, he’s mentally tougher and blessed with a better chin. He’s also more crowd pleasing. Brawls against Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders at Staples Center in Los Angeles endeared him to fight fans and casual observers alike.

9. Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez - In the September edition of this list I wrote, “A loss to the second best fighter on the planet won’t drop Marquez from most Pound4Pound lists. A blow-out loss will.” Juan Manuel Marquez was blown out. It wasn’t close. If the fight was a tee ball game the mercy rule would have been called. Yet I chose to keep Marquez on this list because he remains among the world’s best pugilists. I do believe his skills are beginning to diminish and he’s getting hit too often. But to remove him from the list because he wanted a big payday more than another win is a disservice to one of the best counter-punchers of his generation. Marquez needs to return to lightweight, if possible, where he has the punch to do damage.

10. "Sugar" Shane Mosley  - Shane Mosley’s struggles as a boxer have come against naturally bigger men. He lost twice to the late Vernon Forrest and twice more to long time junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. So when the 5’8” Mosley signed on to fight the 5’11” Antonio Margarito in January 2009, the fight looked like an uphill battle. Enter trainer Nazim Richardson. Richardson put together a winning fight plan that Mosley executed perfectly. Mosley dispatched Margarito in the ninth after pummeling him round after plaster-free round. With Richardson once again in his corner, Mosley is preparing to unify the welterweight belts against Andre Berto. Berto promoter Lou DiBella had this to say about the future hall-of-famer, “In the history of boxing hundreds of guys have called themselves “Sugar”, but the three guys who have the right to call themselves “Sugar” are immortals: Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Shane Mosley.” Was it high praise or pre-fight hype? Both.

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