~~The six best southpaws in boxing~~

1. Joe Calzaghe:
Calzaghe is the classic quick hitting southpaw. He throws punches in bunches and slaps his way to victories.
It’s hard to argue against Manny Pacquiao for this spot – or the spot as the sport’s best fighter, pound for pound – but Calzaghe’s long, undefeated reign is an accomplishment unmatched in my eyes; perfection pays off when it comes to pound for pound rankings.

2. Manny Pacquiao:
Pacquiao might be the most ferocious southpaw in the history of boxing. He’s a machine who wrecks opponents with snappy straight left hands and deadly right hooks.
Any pundit who favors a fighter’s quality of wins over quantity of wins puts Pacquiao number one on this list – I’m just not one of those writers. Pacquiao has made a career out of blitzing the best boxers of his generation. His most recent performance, a ninth round TKO against lightweight champ David Diaz, was one of his most impressive.A six time champion in five weight classes, it’s hard to find fault with Pacquaio’s resume. The only blemish of note on his record is a close decision loss to legend Erik Morales in 2005. Unfortunately, all it takes is a minor blemish to keep a fighter off of the top of my lists.


3. Cristian Mijares:
Though a largely unknown entity in the boxing world, Mijares is one of the fight game's most talented pugs. His super-slick style is so unorthodox that fans enjoy watching him fight even though they rarely see him score knockouts. Mijares' dominant wins over Jorge Arce and Jose Navarro evince his high status in the boxing world. And his most recent victory – a split decision nod over the talented Alexander Munoz – confirms this high spot.
Up next for Mijares is an August fight with veteran Chatchai Sasakul, who is best known for losing to Pacquiao in 1998.

4. Paul Williams:
Williams is a freak. Standing at 6’1 and fighting at 147 pounds, "The Punisher" is tough for any fighter to handle simply because of his body structure. But physique isn’t the only tool Williams uses to punish opponents. The South Carolina native throws upwards of 100 punches every round and his chin is hard as rock.
Williams’ most recent outing was a first round trouncing of Carlos Quintana, who had handed Williams his first career defeat. The sweet revenge helps Williams earn this spot.

5. Ivan Calderon:
Calderon is a smaller version of Mijares, only the Puerto Rican doesn’t get hit as much. He makes opponents miss and snaps opponents’ heads back with his fast hands.
A two division champion, Calderon has had to remain perfect to gain respect from pundits. He’s done just that, avoiding defeat in 31 bouts. He deserves this spot based on his dynamic resume.

6. Joel Casamayor: Pound for pound, Casamayor is the world’s second strongest southpaw (Pacquiao deserves the number one spot). Even though the Cuban is 37 years old (we think; Cuban fighters are notorious for shaving years off of their real age), he is able to thwart younger opponents with his slick style and robust punches.
Casamayor faces one of the toughest tests of his career on September 13 when he takes on Juan Manuel Marquez. That fight should be a war.