Boxing News 2015: Manny Pacquiao falls to No. 8, Roman Gonzales climbs to No. 1 in pound for pound rankings

With the official retirement of undefeated American Floyd Mayweather, previously the top-ranked fighter in the sport, Roman Gonzales of Nicaragua has taken over the No. 1 spot in Ring Magazine’s pound for pound rankings. The Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao, who lost to Mayweather last May in the “Fight of the Century” has fallen to No. 8 after being ranked No. 6 in the previous edition of the rankings.

Ring Magazine is widely considered as the “bible of boxing” and its rankings of the top boxers across all divisions in the sport are well respected and recognized by boxing critics and fans. Pound for pound, or also known as P4P, is a term used in boxing or mixed martial arts to compare all fighters regardless of the weight class they are fighting in.

Gonzalez has a record of 43-0-0 with 37 knockouts in his undefeated career. The Nicaraguan was ranked second to Mayweather before the American officially retired after his fight against Andre Berto this September. Gonzales holds the World Boxing Council flyweight title and coming off a win against Edgar Sosa last May. Gonzales will meet veteran Filipino boxer Brian Viloria on Oct. 17 when he puts the flyweight title at stake.

Meanwhile, the free fall for Pacquiao, a former world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, has continued. The Filipino has been inactive in the boxing scene since his sorry loss to Mayweather due to a shoulder injury he suffered and aggravated during the Mayweather fight. Pacquiao, who has a record of 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts, is scheduled to return to the ring in early 2016, possibly against British boxer Amir Khan, who is ranked third in the welterweight division. Another British pro, Kell Brook is ranked number one in the 147-pound division.

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