"Pound for pound" lists are completely bogus

[kbackup408]

Pound for pound is complete fantasy, I have never understood the criteria/thought process/logic behind the rankings

using IF everyone is the same weight as a parameter is so deluded !

[conan_the_cribber]

Pound for pound is complete fantasy, I have never understood the criteria/thought process/logic behind the rankings

using IF everyone is the same weight as a parameter is so deluded !

pound for pound is just a name. Although verbally it implies that you're scaling people up or down, what you're actually doing is basically comparing accomplishments and skill-sets across divisions.

If you just ignored the "pound for pound" name, then were asked by a friend to make a list of the 10 best boxers in the world today, then you'd give it ago based on what I said, accomplishments and skill-sets.

Same for cross-sports lists. Who's better, Michael Jordan or Federer? Hard to say, both dominated their sport. Who's better Michael Jordan or Marin Cilic (winner of the 2014 US Open and two-time Grand Slam runner-up)? I'd say near to 100% would say Jordan, based simply on accomplishments.

[margaret thatcher]

Manuel Charr is a more skilled boxer than and has accomplished more in boxing than Floyd Mayweather.

True, false, or totally unanswerable?

[gilgamesh]

Manuel Charr is a more skilled boxer than and has accomplished more in boxing than Floyd Mayweather.

True, false, or totally unanswerable?

False

[jas80s]

People's views on P4P are based on what they believe based on what they have seen. Nobody is going to change their view based solely on the opinion of some other person. Thus, it can be fun to share a P4P list, but I'm mystified as to why people argue any of it. Nobody is going to win the argument and nobody is going to change their view on anything. No wonder it often devolves into insults.

This reminds me of the whole mythical fights thing on here. The history section was full of these mythical fights and before you knew it, nobody was talking about history at all. I suppose you can talk about P4P, but wouldn't it be better to talk about actual fights that happened and actual fights that could be made?

I'm with the OP, but I would say P4P is a big waste of time even more than being bogus.

[Ilya Muromets]

People's views on P4P are based on what they believe based on what they have seen. Nobody is going to change their view based solely on the opinion of some other person. Thus, it can be fun to share a P4P list, but I'm mystified as to why people argue any of it. Nobody is going to win the argument and nobody is going to change their view on anything. No wonder it often devolves into insults.

This reminds me of the whole mythical fights thing on here. The history section was full of these mythical fights and before you knew it, nobody was talking about history at all. I suppose you can talk about P4P, but wouldn't it be better to talk about actual fights that happened and actual fights that could be made?

I'm with the OP, but I would say P4P is a big waste of time even more than being bogus.

Really, unless we are actually one of the fighters (active fighters do post on here) or are on his team or otherwise closely connected to him in some capacity and stand to make a profit on the outcome of his fights, this whole boxing forum, and all the others, is just idle chatter, killing time.

For example if a Russian or Bulgarian guy (not many contenders from that once powerful but now backwater country!) wins a big fight, well that will make me happy for a few minutes, but how will it effect my personal life? it won't. Cynical me.

[Ilya Muromets]

What really bugs me about the absurd P4P thing is that the otherwise estimable and awesome BoxRec gives it top billing! Who runs this place anyway?

[squiggy]

This.

Not "completely" inasmuch as, sure, you'll find some pretty good fighters on the pound for pound lists, but really they're just a list of somebody's favorites, always favoring the smaller guys. For instance on Boxrec's list, which they give top billing on their front page, out of the 17 shown there's only one single heavyweight, and that's Andy Ruiz. Andy Ruiz? That's a lot of pounds for a "pound for pound" list!

Link:

https://boxrec.com/

It's pretty obvious that you think it favors the smaller guys because you favor the heavy guys. One out of 17 is exactly what you should expect, given that it is one out of 17 total divisions. That list on the front page currently has one bantamweight, one featherweight, and one super featherweight, and everybody else is from the bigger divisions. That is not "favoring the smaller guys" at all.

[Onetimeonly]

I doubt Ruiz would crack my top 100 p4p.

[Ilya Muromets]

Not "completely" inasmuch as, sure, you'll find some pretty good fighters on the pound for pound lists, but really they're just a list of somebody's favorites, always favoring the smaller guys. For instance on Boxrec's list, which they give top billing on their front page, out of the 17 shown there's only one single heavyweight, and that's Andy Ruiz. Andy Ruiz? That's a lot of pounds for a "pound for pound" list!

Link:

https://boxrec.com/

It's pretty obvious that you think it favors the smaller guys because you favor the heavy guys. One out of 17 is exactly what you should expect, given that it is one out of 17 total divisions. That list on the front page currently has one bantamweight, one featherweight, and one super featherweight, and everybody else is from the bigger divisions. That is not "favoring the smaller guys" at all.

Men under 5'2" or 110 pounds should be legally considered pets.

Ha ha - don't worry - just kidding!

[Onetimeonly]

yeah just kidding. Everyone under heavy you call a dwarf. You're definitely 5'1.

[Ilya Muromets]

yeah just kidding. Everyone under heavy you call a dwarf. You're definitely 5'1.

If I wear my Robert DiNiro elevator shoes I'm 5'2"!

[snake33]

Most ranking lists pound for pound, belt ranks and boxing rec are bogus.
They are all subjective, based on someones opinion. That's how fres oquendo
kept coming up as a contender. That's how John Ruiz kept getting title shots without
rematching Tua. etc.
But pound for pound is totally subjective and is the fantasy league of boxing.

[Ilya Muromets]

Most ranking lists pound for pound, belt ranks and boxing rec are bogus.
They are all subjective, based on someones opinion. That's how fres oquendo
kept coming up as a contender. That's how John Ruiz kept getting title shots without
rematching Tua. etc.
But pound for pound is totally subjective and is the fantasy league of boxing.

And if they treated it as such all well and good, but the otherwise awesome (except for the win-lost color scheme that make it very difficult to distinguish wins from losses for partially color-blind people like me) Boxrec here gives it top billing as if it was the most important rating of all!