Pacquiao loses Yahoo! P4P title to Floyd Jr.

Source: gmanews.tv

The title pound-for-pound king is not for Manny Pacquiao’s taking—for now.

The Filipino sensation dropped to No. 2 based on Yahoo! Sports' latest pound-for-pound list while unbeaten World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. jumped on top of the rankings.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao's unconvincing performance in his third meeting with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez for the 147-pound World Boxing Organization (WBO) crown definitely has a lot to do with it.

"His reputation took a hit with his performance against Marquez," said Yahoo! Sports boxing analyst Kevin Iole.

Pacquiao escaped with a disputed majority decision over Marquez, 38, last week in their 12-round bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The boxing star from the Philippines received 15 first-place votes out of the 44 active voters, composed of boxing writers from leading newspapers and internet websites around the world, who cast their ballots in the Yahoo! Sports poll.

The eight-time world champion also got 26 second-place votes, and two third-place votes.

"Pacquiao's disputed win over Marquez pointed out he still has several significant flaws," said Iole. "He struggles against counterpunchers and he doesn't do well backing up. He also often forgets to jab his way in."

Mayweather, 34 and unbeaten in 42 fights with 26 knockouts, got 29 first-place votes, nine second-place votes, and six third-place votes.

The native of Grand Rapids, Michigan stopped Victor Ortiz in the fourth round of their September 17 match for the WBC welterweight crown hardly showing signs that he was inactive for 16 months.

Yahoo! Sports' is the latest sports entity to dislodge Pacquiao on top of its pound-for-pound list.

Earlier, ESPN and Sports Illustrated already ranked Mayweather Jr. ahead of the 'Pacman' in their own P4P rankings.

"He (Pacquiao) looked vulnerable as he has in a long time. He looked confuse, he lacked snap on his punches in a less-than stellar outing (against Marquez)," observed ESPN's resident boxing columnist Dan Rafael.

"It just wasn't the kind of performance we have come to expect from Pacquiao, especially in the light of the fact that Marquez had been wiped out by Mayweather in 2009 in his only other welterweight fight," Rafael added.

Only The Ring magazine, the so-called Bible of Boxing, had Pacquiao still on top of its pound-for-pound fighter list.

"A great fighter shouldn't necessarily be demoted because another great fighter has his number," said The Ring's Michael Rosenthal.

"You can't say that Mayweather should supplant Pacquiao because he defeated Marquez more easily. That doesn't take into account styles and strengths. Plus, Pacquiao beat Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya more easily than Mayweather did," Rosenthal added.

Completing Yahoo! Sports' pound-for-pound list are Sergio Martinez (third), Marquez (fourth), reigning WBC and WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. of the Philippines (fifth), heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko (sixth), Andre Ward (seventh), WBO and WBC super-lightweight titlist and possible Pacquiao foe Tim Bradley (eighth), Lucian Bute (ninth) and Vitali Klitschko (10th).