I revised this list in mid-March but enough has transpired in the last three months to merit an update. Floyd Mayweather beat up on Zab Judah to collect another paper title, this one at 147 pounds, Oscar De La Hoya smashed Ricardo Mayorga into submission, Marco Antonio Barrera barely pulled out a spirited challenge from Rocky Juarez, Ricky Hatton was fortunate to get the “W” versus welterweight title holder Luis Collazo, Bernard Hopkins defied the odds and Father Time by dominating Antonio Tarver en route to winning the light heavyweight championship, and middleweight champ Jermain Taylor and Winky Wright fought to a hotly contested (and disputed) draw.

Read on to see who has advanced, who has dropped, who has fallen off completely, and who is knocking at the door, but keep in mind that this is just the opinion of one boxing writer (and admitted lifelong fight fan). You all know my criteria for ranking these fighters, I don’t see the use of repeating it here for the 15th time in the past two years. You’re welcome to disagree with the placement of all 25 fighters that I deem “elite”, just keep it civil unless you want to wind up in a “Bitch Bag”. Enjoy!

1. (tie) Winky Wright, 50-3-1 (25), and Manny Pacquiao, 41-3-2 (32) – Although I thought that Wright won eight of the 12 rounds of last Saturday’s competitive middleweight title fight (along with the Tim Dahlberg, Ron Borges, Kevin Iole, and many other ringside scribes, not to mention a lot of fans who watched the fight on HBO), the Winkster’s nature of taking his foot off the gas pedal in the final round of fights he THINKS he’s winning handily bit him the ass (again) resulting in a spilt-draw verdict against the younger and physically stronger champ. The draw cost Winky the undisputed middleweight title and it also caused him lose his grip on the number one spot on this list just a little bit by having to share the space with Manny Pacquiao, who had advanced to the no. 2 spot earlier this year with his impressive stoppage of Erik Morales. If Wright had the mentality of the Filipino icon, he would be 54-0 (and have at least 15 more KOs to add to his current .500 percentage of 25). If Pacquiao had the technique, defense and poise that Wright possesses, he probably would have stopped Juan Manuel Marquez and got El Terrible out of there in their first scrap. Both veterans have their flaws, but both also epitomize what my pound-for-pound criteria is all about. They are elite fighters who take on other elite fighters as often as possible. Wright has gone 4-0-1 in his last five fights, which includes four bouts against three fighters that I ranked inside my top 15 at the time the St. Petersburg southpaw fought them (Shane Mosley, twice, Felix Trinidad and Jermain Taylor). Pacquiao’s recent record is even more impressive since he’s gone 4-1-1 in his last six bouts, which includes four bouts against three fighters that I ranked inside my top 10 (two were top five - Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales, twice).

3. Bernard Hopkins, 47-4-1 (32) – What more can be said about ‘the Executioner’ that hasn’t been written since his surprisingly easy points victory over reigning light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver? The stubborn old man from Philadelphia is a great fighter. He’s the closest thing today’s fight fans are going to see to Jersey Joe Walcott and Archie Moore. He hasn’t been an exciting fighter to watch in at least five years, he wasn’t gifted with exceptional athletic gifts, he’s never been that pretty of a technician or the cleanest boxer around, but the man who went unbeaten for 12 years (and many believe he deserved to win both of his back-to-back losses to Jermain Taylor last year) could have fought in any era. The scary thing is that at his new weight, Hopkins, who says the Tarver victory was his last fight, could probably continue to compete at the world-class level for another two years.

4. Floyd Mayweather Jr., 36-0 (24) – There’s no debating that the Pretty Boy is the most naturally gifted, technically proficient and skilled boxer on this list. The problem I have with Mayweather, which has been repeated by Yours Truly and debated by the fighter’s legion of supporters among the press and fandom ad nauseam, is that he hasn’t tested himself in over three years – long enough for me to question if he is really as good as he looks; long enough for me to question if he REALLY wants to seek out and challenge the best fighters currently campaigning in and around his weight classes (the 140 and 147-pound divisions). It sucks that Zab Judah lost his undisputed welterweight title to an unheralded journeyman before Mayweather was able to get to him. The Brooklynite would have been the first top 15, pound for pound, fighter that Mayweather had faced since Jose Luis Castillo (or maybe Diego Corrales, ‘cause I’m not even sure if the Mexican was considered top 15 when PBF battled him). Even if Judah hadn’t dropped the ball vs. Baldomir, did Mayweather, who clearly lost three of the first five rounds vs. “Super” (and was lucky not have a knockdown count against him), really look like the best fighter on the planet? I’m not so sure, and I’m not so sure about his sincerity in wanting to face top welterweight contender Antonio Margarito. When Mayweather bypassed a guaranteed $8 million payday vs. the Tijuana native in order to pursue a more lucrative showdown with Oscar De La Hoya, he said it was “just business” and assured the boxing press and fight fans that he would come back to Margarito if a super bout vs. the Golden Boy couldn’t be made this year. Well, De La Hoya has no idea what he wants to do, but he definitely ain’t fighting again this year, however, now we hear that Mayweather has a whole list of fighters that he might take on in November, including the winner of the Mosley-Vargas rematch and Carlos Baldomir if the Argentine overachiever beats Arturo Gatti next month. Whatever Floyd. If you don’t want to fight Margarito for whatever reason just say so and stop jerking the guy around. The majority of fans and media will give you a pass at least for the rest of this year, but I wonder for how much longer?

5. Marco Antonio Barrera, 62-4 (42) – Like Hopkins, there’s no debating Barrera’s greatness, the Mexico City native would have been a champ in any era, just look at his record and his accomplishments that are too numerous to detail. Hell, look at his four losses, which have come to three men: Junior Jones, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. You gotta be a future hall of famer (or damn close) to beat Barrera. So what does that say about Barrera’s grueling close call vs. Rocky Juarez? Is the young Texan a future hall of famer? Too early to tell. What’s not too early to tell is that Barrera is slipping. Father Time is getting to him. Age doesn’t have him beat, but it’s slowing him down – that’s clear whether you think Juarez added the fifth “L” to Barrera’s ledger or you believe the veteran pulled out a draw or close points win (both of which happened in a span of 20 minutes thanks to ‘California addition’). So Barrera falls a few notches from no. 3 where I had him at the start of this year, but give the “old” lion credit, he’s agreed to face the young lion again this September.