Wednesday 24 August 2016 05:53, UK
With the season over and the new one coming our way, just who is the best in the world right now?
We asked The Panel to pick their top 10 pound-for-pound fighters and with Carl Froch's selection already causing a stir, it's Johnny Nelson's turn.
The former cruiserweight world champion was more than happy to throw a "cat among the pigeons", so read on...
This guy is a star, a genuine star, trust me. Sadly, because he's stayed in Japan plenty of people won't know too much about him. But this boy can fight and I like the way he does it. He can bang and box, box and bang and he's got bottle, which I like. I know it might be throwing a cat among the pigeons but if Yamanaka boxed in any other part of the world, you would realise how good he is and what he's got.
Of course I rate him, but I honestly think we've seen the best of him and that's why he's down at number nine. Even if that's not the case and he is as good as ever, we still haven't seen him get the sort of test to bring out the very best of him. He hasn't really needed to, but hasn't really made us sit up and think 'Wow! Where the hell did he get that from?'. We want to see something new from Guillermo. He can fight and he deserves to be in this list, but maybe it's all down to the opponents you face.
Technically he is good, not really good, and his injury problems haven't helped that and certainly haven't let us see the best of him yet. He is back, winning again and winning in style and potentially he can clearly get better and better. He's the sort of fighter I like to watch and I definitely want to see more. Age might not be on Russell Jr's side but I think this guy can still grow.
Unbeaten and beat the man no one else could beat but unfortunately the long lay-off since then is an issue. He probably would've been higher but all of a sudden, are we wondering if that first win over Klitschko was a fluke? I want to see them fight again because we know the biggest test isn't always winning the world title, it's staying world champion. I want to see that desire is still there and if there's anyone that can prove me and the rest of us wrong, it's Fury.
Krusher is crude and powerful and has got rid of everyone they've put in front of him, which is why he's in here and why he deserves that nickname. But this is about what you rate and what you like, and he is not my cup of tea due to his crudeness and his fighting style. He will, though, walk anyone down, rough them up and hurt them and even if you're not a fan, you can't ignore that. We all want to see what happens against Ward.
This little guy is a ball of fire and I really rate him. When you see him in action, you see his speed, his movement and of course that power, and there is no way he's the finished article. There is nothing not to like about him and when you are talking about a three-weight world champion that is a rarity but the way he's done it, knocking them all out on the way, is even rarer. This kid has blown them all away. Brilliant.
Ward would have deserved my number one spot but he has been so inactive over the last couple of years, never mind this year, I am afraid he's slipped down. Andre is a brilliant boxer and I think he's the best technical fighter on the planet right now, but you can't put him higher on the back of memories. The fight with Sergey Kovalev will shake things up, but do we know if he is as good as he was at super-middleweight?
Of course he's only been beaten by you-know-who but he has to stay behind Triple G because their fight should've happened and he seemed to be the one that avoided it. Yes, he showed a weakness when he lost to Floyd Mayweather and yes, the weight difference with Amir Khan was an issue, but he showed he has power while patience and experience also came to the fore. He is always worth watching.
Unblemished as an amateur and as a professional he's shown he's got everything and has done everything that's been asked of him. My only question is when - and if - he comes up against someone who can match him with power and the rest? Because if he gets through that, it could well cement him at the top of my list. Remember Julian Jackson until he met another banger in Gerald McClellan? Golovkin ticks all the boxes though... so far.
He hasn't put a foot wrong so far and looks the part. Give me a reason why he shouldn't be number one, and find me a fighter at lightweight or super-lightweight who can beat him, without a doubt, then we can have a debate. But until then, I am big, big fan. He is by no means the finished article but he's got the lot: he can box, he can bang, he's got character and he's got juice and he's still got growth. Crawford can only get better.
We will be putting all our pundits' Top 10's together to come up with a final list that will let you vote and come up with the current top 10 pound-for-pound fighters...
