Last updated: April 11, 2006

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (35-0, 24)
On June 25, Floyd Mayweather reminded the world why he is the single best fighter on the planet, pound for pound. Over the course of six rounds, he completely and thoroughly outclassed a very tough Arturo Gatti to win the WBC 140-lb title. Unlike Winky Wright - no disrespect intended - Mayweather finishes guys. He dominates them. He is too fast, too good, too technical, and too much of everything. The virtuoso truly is a once-in-a-generation fighter. After disposing of Gatti, Mayweather went straight to 147 pounds and knocked out former champion Sharmba Mitchell. Then, he completely dismantled the ultra-talented Zab Judah to capture his first welterweight "title." Last: UD12 over Jab Judah. Next: TBA.


2. James Toney (69-4-3, 43)
Think about this for a moment...James Toney was the recognized pound-for-pound king back in the early and mid 90s when he fought at 160 and 168 pounds. Ten years later, Toney fights at 227 pounds and is in contention for the World Heavyweight Title. He hasn't lost for more than 7 years, and he's fighting 60 pound above his best weight. Yet, he remains at the top of his weight class. James Toney is the definition of "pound-for-pound." Beating Vassiliy Jirov was incredible. Stopping Hoplyfield was impressive. But winning a piece of the heavyweight crown, despite being sripped after testing positive for steroids, puts him up there with the very best in the game. And a majority draw against a real-live heavyweight like Hasim Rahman does nothing to diminish that claim. Last: Majority draw with Hasim Rahman. Next: TBA.


3. Winky Wright (50-3, 25)
If any aspiring boxer questions whether a jab is important, all he has to do is watch Winky Wright fight a few rounds. Wright's jab is so dominant and his defensive skills are so solid that he completely dominanted Felix Trinidad, an all-time great, with little more than a jab thrown behind a high defensive guard. For years, Wright was one of the forgotten sons of the sport. After losing a controversial decision to Fernando Vargas, he struggled to get big fights. But when Shane Mosley stepped up to try and unify the 154-lb. division, Wright finally got his chance. Back-to-back wins over Mosley and then a lopsided win over Trinidad means Wright sits firmly on our pound-for-pound list. He is the mandatory challenger for the winner of Hopkins-Taylor. Adding a middleweight title to his resume could be just the thing Wright needs to guarantee a post-retirement trip to Canastota. Last: UD over Sam Soliman. Next: Jermain Taylor on June 17.


4. Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 32)
The Filipino superstar returned to the pound-for-pound list with an exclamation point to start 2006. Not only did he avenge a 2005 loss to Mexican all-time great Erik Morales, he knocked him out in 10 rounds. It was the first Morales was stopped in 52 professional fights. Mix that with Pacquiao's career-defining knockout win over Marco Antonio Barrera and he stands alone as the clear best under 140 pounds. Since the day he started, Pacquiao has raced up through seven weight classes - yes, seven. All that gives him a kung-fu grip on the No. 4 spot. Last: TKO10 over Erik Morales Next: Oscar Larios on June 25.


5. Joe Calzaghe (41-0, 31 KOs)
Joe Calzaghe is undefeated in 41 fights with 19 successful title defenses. Those numbers are staggering. Had his career unfolded exclusively on US soil, his spot among the pound-for-pound elite wouldn't even be a question. But a career spent fighting in the UK leaves the speedy, powerful southpaw a relative unknown among domestic pundits. He changed all of that by completely undressing a very tough Jeff Lacy on Showtime. It was a virtuoso performance reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather Jr's domination of Arturo Gatti. Only Lacy's amazing heart allowed the brutal beating to continue for 12 full rounds. But the win highlighted what experts in the UK have known for a long time - Lacy blends a mix of speed, power and boxing prowess that makes him a brutal matchup for anyone in the world from 160 to 175 pounds. Last: UD12 over Jeff Lacy. Next: TBA.


6. Marco Antonio Barrera (61-4, 42)
Aside from a train-wreck loss to Manny Pacquiao two years ago, Marco Antonio Barrera has been perfect since February 2000. The calm in-ring killer stalks opponents with a mix of power boxing and counterpunching that is reminescent of fighters from a different era. He's systematically dismantled everyone not named Pacquiao or Morales (beating El Terrible in two of three bouts) since 1997. So the three-division titlist sits comfortably at number 5 on our list. Last:UD12 over Robbie Peden. Next: TBA (March 25 fight with Jesus Chavez cancelled).

On the cusp: Rafael Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Diego Corrales, Antonio Tarver and Jose Luis Castillo.