FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. has been dropped from the pound-for-pound list of the respected Ring Magazine.
The Ring’s rankings continue to have Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao as No. 1 with WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina replacing Mayweather at No. 2 and Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire moving up to No. 3.
Donaire won the WBC and WBO bantamweight belts with a spectacular 2nd round knockout of Mexican veteran Fernando “Ko-Chulito” Montiel last February in Las Vegas.
Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez, who may face Pacquiao in a third fight sometime in November is at No. 4, followed by Thai veteran Pongsaklek Wonjongkam.
Rounding off the top ten are heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, Timothy Bradley, Giovanni Segura, Andre Ward and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao, who is also the reigning WBO welterweight champion, is No. 1 in the welterweight divisional rankings with Victor Ortiz at No. 2 and former three-time champion Shane Mosley, who faces Pacquiao at the MGM Grand on May 7, at No. 3.
Ring Magazine editor in chief Nigel Collins told the Inquirer some two weeks ago that Mayweather had until May 1, 2011—exactly a year since his last fight, a victory over Mosley—to sign for a match or be removed from both The Ring’s divisional and pound-for-pound ratings.
Collins said “if that happens, he won’t be reinstated in either of the ratings until after he fights again.”
He said “a win over low-level or undersized opponents would not earn him as high a spot as he held before being dropped.”