The top three pound-for-pound fighters -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Who is the world's best fighter regardless of weight class?

Note: Results are through Aug. 17.

1. Manny Pacquiao

Welterweight titlist

Age: 31 | Record: 51-3-2, 38 KOs

Hits: Pacquiao was ready, willing and able to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing's biggest fight in the fall, but Mayweather blew it off. Blame Pacquiao for some of the mess, but not as much as Mayweather. With that fight falling through, Pacquiao will forge ahead and fight somebody else on Nov. 13. It's always a treat when the Pacman plies his trade.

Misses: Unfortunately, the "somebody else" will be Antonio Margarito in a fight that is like a lead balloon for the sport. Not only is Margarito a cheater in the eyes of most of the public and California regulators, he doesn't warrant the fight when you consider this: He was utterly destroyed by Shane Mosley in January 2009, idled for the next 16 months while his license was revoked and then looked terrible in a comeback fight against a journeyman. Pacquiao and fight fans deserve better.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.


Welterweight
Age: 33 | Record: 41-0, 25 KOs

Hits: No matter what you think of his actions in terms of ignoring the Pacquiao fight, Mayweather deserves a lot of credit for steamrolling Shane Mosley in a one-sided decision in their May fight. What was supposed to be at least a halfway competitive fight turned into a laugher for Mayweather, who routed a true welterweight.

Misses: His camp's denials that negotiations for the Pacquiao fight ever took place -- despite Pacquiao's camp and HBO intermediary Ross Greenburg saying otherwise -- are just plain ridiculous, not to mention disrespectful to every fight fan on the planet. Let Mayweather take his vacations and play with Don King, but don't serve us that gibberish. If you don't want to fight Pacquiao, just say so.

3. Paul Williams


Middleweight
Age: 29 | Record: 39-1, 27 KOs

Hits: It wasn't easy, as the Williams camp had to basically be dragged kicking and screaming back to the negotiating table by HBO and the Sergio Martinez camp, but it looks as though we will see a rematch between Williams and Martinez on Nov. 20. Their first fight in December was a classic, which Williams won via controversial majority decision. The rematch is what people want to see, and it appears we are going to get it. That's a good thing.

Misses: Why was it so hard to get the Williams side to move ahead with the rematch with Martinez, especially when there was no other significant fight available for Williams?

Source: sports.espn.go.com