Here’s a current breakdown of the best welterweights in the world. It’s one of the classic boxing divisions, and it’s also one of the most crowded today. A lot of the top fighters have met each other, but there are more great fights that need to be made. The return of Floyd Mayweather to the fold and the dominance of Manny Pacquiao only adds more excitement to the jam packed welterweight division.

Welterweight division rankings last updated November 18, 2009.

1. Manny Pacquiao – Nothing against Floyd Mayweather, but Pacquiao’s win over Miguel Cotto was simply that much better than Mayweather’s win over Marquez. Plus it means more in the scheme of the welterweight division, and it establishes Pacquiao as a true welterweight and not just a smaller fighter looking to cherry pick larger opponents. Numbers 1 and 2 in the pound for pound list and the welterweight division, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather must happen.
2. Floyd Mayweather – His comeback fight is now out of the way, after Mayweather dominated Juan Manuel Marquez. Next up has to be Manny Pacquiao. A Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout would be the biggest fight in the sport. Even though Marquez is not a welterweight, the dominance of the performance vaults Mayweather back to one of the top spots in the division.
3. Shane Mosley– Shane Mosley absolutely crushed Antonio Margarito, and his recent loss to Cotto was an extremely close fight. Mosley has never backed down from a challenge, and it’ll be interesting to see a rematch with Cotto or other big fights. He was vying for a fight with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao but that looks like it won’t be happening anytime soon. Now Mosley is lined up to face off against Andre Berto.
4. Andre Berto – Sure, Berto is a titleholder, but he hasn’t faced the best competition. Many people felt that he lost to Luis Collazo, and dominating junior welterweight Juan Urango is only moderately impressive. Regardless of his competition, Berto has serious handspeed, a great offensive arsenal and good power. Whether he has the chin and the defense to be the top dog is very questionable. The time is now for a fight with one of the men ahead of him on this list. Shane Mosley will test both of those factors to the fullest when the two meet.
5. Miguel Cotto – Cotto suffered a huge defeat at the hands of Margarito, but were those hands coated in plaster of Paris? We may never know, but there is nothing that can make you question the loss at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, who simply overwhelmed him. Cotto deserves a long break and then needs to evaluate his prospects – a comeback fight and then a bout against the winner of Shane Mosley vs. Andre Berto would be a smart idea.
6. Joshua Clottey – Clottey has now lost the two biggest fights of his career, against Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto. Still, he acquitted himself well in both performances and is a tough stylistic match up for any other fighter. He also weighs in at well over 160 pounds on the night of his fights. Handlers of Andre Berto beware.

The Next 5 Welterweights: Alfonso Gomez, Luis Collazo, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, Delvin Rodriguez

Welterweights not included

• Antonio Margarito: Currently serving a suspension for his illegal hand wraps in the Mosley fight.
• Juan Manuel Marquez: Yes, he just fought a welterweight, but he isn’t campaigning in the division. Marquez will definitely move back down to lightweight or junior welterweight following the loss to Mayweather, where he was clearly at a size disadvantage.
• Paul Williams – People argue over the placement of Williams because he hasn’t been fighting at welterweight recently. He claims to be able to still make the weight, but at this point it’s doubtful that he ever fights there again unless something major expectantly develops.

More Boxing Weight Division Rankings:

• 135-140 lbs – Boxing Junior Welterweight Rankings
• 147-154 lbs – Boxing Junior Middleweight Rankings

Written by: Jake Emen