One thing fight fans readily agree on is the fact that the almost ludicrously talent-rich welterweight division is the best, the most entertaining and the most competitive weight class in boxing today. But something that is very much up for debate is this: who is the best 147-pound operator in the sport today? With the “retirement” of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, fans have wondered which fighter will become the undisputed pick as the best in the world.
Right now, fans are anything but undisputed when it comes to naming one fighter as the best welterweight out there. There are a number of very good, maybe even great fighters who could be argued as the best in the game at 147, but – as the simply terrific battle/FOTY candidate between Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman showed us in graphic detail – the distinction is fiercely debated. Thurman and Porter both said before their awesome fight how the winner would be, and should be, recognised as the premiere welterweight on the planet, but the fight was so close – oh, so close – that a rematch has been all but demanded.
With other excellent welterweights such as Kell Brook, Danny Garcia (who Thurman seems most interested in fighting next) and the never-to-be-written-off Tim Bradley competing, it really is up for grabs who the best in the division is.
That said, here is an attempt at rating the 10 best 147-pounders in the world today:
1: Keith Thurman, 27-0
2: Shawn Porter, 26-2-1
3: Danny Garcia, 32-0
4: Kell Brook, 36-0
5: Tim Bradley, 33-2-1
6: Jessie Vargas, 27-1
7: Amir Khan, 31-4
8: Errol Spence Junior, 20-0
9: Lamont Peterson, 34-3-1
10: Robert Guerrero, 33-4-1
Disagree with this list if you choose to, but everyone must agree how there is quite simply a ton of potentially great fights that can be made if these superb fighters are put in the ring together. Thurman and Porter showed the rest of the pack how it’s done on Saturday gone, and it is hoped the other welterweight stars will follow suit and fight, giving fans yet another reason to remember why boxing is such a great sport in the process.