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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. Can anybody say Pacquiao vs. Mayweather? In the meantime, here are the top 10 boxers in the welterweight division today.

Welterweight division rankings last updated March 2012

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1. Floyd Mayweather – Welcome back to the number 1 spot in the welterweight division, Floyd Mayweather. He bypassed Pacquiao in the rankings based on the strength of his win over Ortiz - the #2 guy in the division fought the #3 guy and was triumphant with a concussive KO victory. Meanwhile Pacquiao looked less than stellar in a catchweight bout against Marquez. Next up is another brief foray to 154 lbs to take on the top guy there, Miguel Cotto.
2. Manny Pacquiao - Pacquiao looked dominating against Shane Mosley, although to keep in context, that's certainly what we expected out of him. Then he failed to make a definitive statement against Marquez. Next, he's facing Timothy Bradley, a worthy challenger, but one who may be hard to look good against.
3. Victor Ortiz - It's hard to knock Ortiz down at all after his loss to Mayweather. He was fighting pretty well through 4 rounds, and I'm not ready to put him behind the guy he just beat to begin with, Andre Berto. So he stays at the number 3 slot for the time being, until the Ortiz vs. Berto rematch finally comes off this summer after being delayed due to injury.
4. Andre Berto – A lot of people had a lot of questions about Berto, and nearly all of them were answered against Ortiz, some for the better, and some for the worse. He showed great heart and will, but was taken out of his element and outdone by a fighter who had the heart, power and skill to really challenge him. He easily took care of Jan Zaveck, although some will find it alarming that he was being tagged by him even as he cruised to an early stoppage win.
5. Kell Brook - Brook is one of the hottest names in the British and UK boxing scene. He currently sits at 26-0 with 18 KOs, and is looking to come to the states to start turning things up a notch. He's passed all of his prospect and young contender tests with flying colors. Now it's time to land a major fight and make a real splash.
6. Devon Alexander - Alexander looked sharp, strong and solid in his welterweight debut against Marcos Maidana. Maidana's sloppy skills and slow speed were tailor-made for Alexander though. Number 6 seems like a fair spot for him to debut, and there are some very intriguing fights which could be made for him at this weight.
7. Viacheslav Senchenko - Senchenko is an undefeated champion with 21 knockouts in 32 wins. The competition has been less than stellar though, and he fights almost exclusively out of his home country, Ukraine. Already 33, it's hard to envision him branching out and seeking tougher challenges in the States. He's facing Paulie Malignaggi next, and making the Magic Man fly to the Ukraine to face him.
8. Selcuk Aydin - Aydin has put together a pretty good run in his thus far undefeated pro career, turning back Said Ouali, Jackson Osei Bonsu and Jo Jo Dan in three straight outings, before defeating Dan for a second time and extending his mark to 23-0 with 17 KOs. Next up, a match against Robert Guerrero this summer.
9. Mike Jones - Jones is a talented Philly fighter who barely survived his first encounter against Jesus Soto Karass. He more handily took care of business in the second bout, sticking to the game plan more and utilizing his superior skills and tactics instead of simply brawling. There has been some heat behind a Jones vs. Brook match-up, but first, Jones takes on Bailey for the vacant IBF crown on the Pacquiao-Bradley undercard.
10. Randall Bailey - The book has been written on Randall Bailey. Hellacious power, but if you can avoid getting tagged, you'll probably win. He looks strong and powerful at 147 lbs, and was supposed to face Berto for the IBF title. Since Berto dropped it for the Ortiz rematch, Bailey gets to meet Jones for the vacant strap.

More Names to Watch

Paulie Malignaggi, Jan Zaveck, Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, Luis Carlos Abregu, Carson Jones, Rafal Jackiewicz, Said Ouali, Matthew Hatton, Jackson Osei Bonsu, Jo Jo Dan, Brad Solomon

More Boxing Weight Division Rankings:

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

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