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ESPN Crowns Golovkin P4P King, Ward takes Ring Magazine Throne from Gonzales

Golovkin P4P number one? Andre Ward? Do you agree with either? Last weekend saw an unexpected, monumental shift in the world boxing hierarchy thanks to a close-call main event and an upset that nobody saw coming.

Golovkin P4P number one is now what tops the ESPN list – who have updated their own ‘Pound for Pound’ rankings.

They see Gennady Golovkin (who is linked with a unification fight next) taking the top spot after his hard fought, close unanimous decision against Daniel ‘Miracle Man’ Jacobs.

This marks the first time Triple G has earned top honours in a pound for pound ranking from a major broadcaster / news outlet.

While his impeccable 37-0 record certainly makes him appear to be the perfect candidate, it could be argued that his position as the top guy in the sport is disputable.

While he possesses the offensive ability of an industrial bulldozer his defence (or lack thereof) have been brought into question in his last two fights, both of which he appeared to be easily hit at times:

At the other end of the spectrum, the revered and world-renowned boxing outlet Ring Magazine has seen undefeated American Andre ‘S.O.G’ Ward ascend to their metaphorical throne after Roman Gonzalez suffered his first professional defeat on Saturday night.

Ward, who has been a top-ranked talent for the majority of his career, claimed the unified light-heavyweight world title last time out with a highly competitive victory over Sergey Kovalev, who remains hot on his heels at the number 2 spot.

Ward’s skill is undeniably deserving of Pound for Pound honours, and was always expected to take the top spot one day, but his pole position is not without questions of legitimacy, considering his inactivity in recent years and lack of quality opponents outside of Kovalev:

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So what do you think? Are either of these fighters the true Pound for Pound king? Should Gonzales remain at the top spot despite a close defeat?

Or would you prefer to see the likes of Crawford or Lomachenko climb the ladder?


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James Sullivan

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