Fansided

5 boxers bound for boxing’s pound-for-pound list soon

By Jeremy Herriges

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 17: George Groves of England and Chris Eubank JR of England exchange blows during their WBSS Super Middleweight bout at the Manchester Arena on February 17, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 17: George Groves of England and Chris Eubank JR of England exchange blows during their WBSS Super Middleweight bout at the Manchester Arena on February 17, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images) /
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Oscar Valdez
CARSON, CA – APRIL 22: Oscar Valdez of Mexico punches Miguel Marriaga of Colombia to a 12th round unanimous decision during the WBO Featherweight World Championship at StubHub Center on April 22, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

2. Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs)

Oscar Valdez is a rising star in boxing. The featherweight division runs deep, but he might be the best boxer in the entire division.

Valdez has defended his WBO title five times. His most recent defense came against Scott Quigg on March 10. It was a violent fight, but he decisively outboxed Quigg to secure a unanimous decision victory.

Against Quigg, Valdez proved to be a masterful boxer with power behind his punch. He broke Quigg’s nose and badly cut him during the fight.

Valdez also showed a lot of heart and proved that he can take a lot of punishment. Quigg broke his jaw in the fifth round, but he was able to ignore the pain and continued to outwork Quigg. Valdez needed to have his jaw wired shut after the bout. It’s hard to find another boxer that can box brilliantly while being that badly damaged.

Other than Valdez, the biggest names in the featherweight division are Abner Mares, Gary Russell Jr., Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz and Frampton pose the biggest threat to Valdez, but he would be the favorite over Mares and Russell Jr.

Santa Cruz and Frampton each have a victory against each other. They need to settle things in a third bout. The winner should fight Valdez to decide who deserves pound-for-pound status.

Gary Russell Jr. is an afterthought in this division. He rarely fights and is a protected boxer. He has a WBC belt, but he hasn’t done much to earn it. Valdez would up his status by beating Russell. That should be his next fight, but Russell might try to avoid him.

If Valdez can take on either Frampton or Santa Cruz after they’ve fought a third time, then he might be facing a damaged boxer, which would give him an edge.

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