After Ward's win, there is quite a lot of conversation about him as a top P4P fighter. Some people have him ranked as high as #2, though the plurality have him now at #3. In your mind, what would it take for him to become #1? I'm thinking if the following happens: Ward beats Bute and either Kessler or Anthony Dirrell in 2012 Dawson decisively defeats Hopkins and gets his revenge on Pascal in 2012 Ward moves up and beats Dawson in early 2013 Floyd never fights Pacquiao, but beats Bradley or the Berto/Ortiz winner instead in 2011, and doesn't fight again that year That should be enough for Ward to surpass Floyd as P4P #1 by 2013. Would that be enough? If not, what would?
Ward himself mentioned Kessler. He said he wants to "clear any misconceptions about their first fight".
I'll tell you what, if Ward keeps going at the rate he has been these two years and Floyd goes the same rate he has been, Floyd will find himself #2 again before long.
Ward is p4p number one in my p4p list. ward fights the best, one after another, he doesn't cherry pick no green brawler and calls him a "young hungry lion" nor does he fight senior citizens and try fool the public. he's the most skilled fighter in boxing right now.
He's p4p 4 in my list I still rate him after Sexito even though it's very close. To rate him number one I would like him to beat Bute and than to move up to 175 and beat Dawson. If Pac and Floyd don't fight each other by that time he should be rewarded for continuously facing very good fighters in their prime. P.S. Ward has one advantage over Pac and Floyd and it is that he is not destroying his opponents like them (in a lesser extend Floyd). He will UD them but they will go on to have good careers after and his wins looks good that way. When you take Donaire for example he almost killed Montiel in the ring with that punch and now Montiel loses to some B level fighter. Everybody is thinking that Montiel wasn't that good at the first place now.
Floyd would have to retire or be beat IMO. Edit: unless he only fights once in the time ward would have accomplished what you mentioned
He's got no chance of winning it if/when Floyd beats Pacquiao/Sergio, but if that doesn't happen, then he can win it by beating Bute and then beating Dawson after Dawson beats Bernard.
Keep fighting the best and do it in dominating fashion. Floyd and Pacquiao stocks are falling fast with their antics in recent years.
For anyone to become p4p number 1. 1 They need to clear out their division 2 They need to become a Two Division Champion 3 They need to fight other top ten p4p fighters I think if a fighter can meet these expections then they should be number 1
I would be kind of surprise if the mainstream put somebody else than Pac and Mayweather 1 and 2 of p4p until one of them is officially beaten or retire. I think Ward would have a strong case in your scenario but there this mystic about Pac and May
