If you aren’t a boxing fan, right now would be the best time for you to jump in. The welterweight division is bursting with talent and we’re all about to witness some exciting megafights within the next 12 months.

Meet the cast.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (38 Wins (24KO’s) – 0 Losses)
What can you say? Floyd is unquestionably the best welterweight, and likely the best boxer in any division right now. His skills are similar to Roy Jones in his prime (except Floyd has faced much better competition than Roy did). With the skills he has, the only thing standing in his way are his brittle hands and father time. His unwillingness to establish a jab in recent fights is a minor worry, but his blinding speed and pinpoint accuracy make up for it.

Weaknesses: Often injures his hands during fights. Questionable power punching.
Strengths: Just about everything else.

Mayweather destroying Gatti

2. Paul Williams (33 Wins (24KO’s) – 0 Losses)
You may not have heard of Paul Williams yet, but you will, this freak of nature is on the cusp of a breakout into boxing stardom. His unusual height and reach advantage will give any welterweight figher fits, even Floyd Mayweather. His physical makeup and relentless workrate makes it extremely difficult for any fighter to establish a rhythm. He almost literally never stops throwing punches, and his arms are so long it’s difficult for shorter fighters to do any damage. Williams will be facing Kermit Cintron early next year, Cintron has the best chance of defeating Williams out of anyone else in the Welterweight division. If Paul somehow comes away with the victory….. watch out.

Weaknesses:Questionable footwork, questionable power. Hasn’t beaten any elite fighters.
Strengths: Height and reach advantage in almost every fight, punching machine

Paul Williams in action

3. Miguel Cotto (31 Wins (25KO’s) – 0 Losses)
After his win over Shane Mosley last Saturday, a huge portion of boxing analysts have Cotto at #2 behind Mayweather, but I’m not on that bandwagon for two reasons. First reason being he faded down the stretch in his bout with Mosley. When you’re in the most important fight of your life, you can’t suddenly stop throwing punches down the stretch. The second reason, it’s doubtful that Miguel Cotto can defeat Paul Williams. Cotto has championship sized balls and a great punch, but then again so did Antonio Margarito and all he managed to do was stand there and get punched in the face for nine rounds against Williams.

Weaknesses: Weak chin, defense
Strengths: Fearless heart, body punching, power shots

Cotto in action

4. Ricky Hatton (43 Wins (31KO’s) – 0 Losses)
Forty three wins and no losses and he’s number four???? Well… yes. Ricky is a great fighter, but there are a few things about Ricky that can’t be overlooked. Technically Ricky is a light welterweight fighter, the one time he moved up and fought Luis Collazo at welterweight he barely escaped with a win. Hatton himself even acknowledged this and moved back down to light welter where he feels more comfortable. If he struggled with Luis Collazo, what would happen to ricky against big hard punchers like Margarito and Cintron? The second knock against Hatton is the fact that he’s never had a fight of importance in the United States.

Weaknesses: Size, Defense
Strengths: Heart, inside fighting

Ricky Hatton in action

5. Antonio Margarito (35 Wins (25KO’s) – 5 Losses)
This is another guy who seems to have a big following with both fans and boxing analysts, but the bottom line is he hasn’t beaten any elite fighters. He lost to Paul Williams, and he would have lost to Joshua Clottey if it weren’t for a freak accident in the middle of the fight. The upside with Margarito is he’s so big, sturdy and powerful, he could easily knock out every guy on this list if he managed to connect with the right punch. Although I’m not high on his skills, I believe he is the ultimate wildcard in this division.

Weaknesses:Slow hand speed, hasn’t won any BIG fights
Strengths: Knockout power

Margarito defeating Kermit Cintron

6. Shane Mosley (44 Wins (37KO’s) – 5 Losses)
Shane’s career is in limbo due to his latest defeat to Miguel Cotto. Shane seemed like he was leaning towards retirement in his post fight interview, but he didn’t look bad in defeat. Shane may have not looked like he did in 2003, but he undoubtedly has 2 or 3 competitive big time bouts left in the tank. I personally thought he did enough to at least earn a draw against Cotto. Shane has the heart of a champion and the resume to match.

Weaknesses:slightly past his prime, doesn’t utilize the jab enough
Strengths: Never gives up, always prepared, championship pedigree

Mosley knocking out Fernando Vargas

7. Joshua Clottey (32 Wins (19KO’s) – 2 Losses)
Clottey would be a few slots higher on this list had he not sustained an injury in his fight with Margarito. Joshua outboxed and outperformed Antonio Margarito about a year ago, but somewhere during the course of the fight he broke his hand/wrist. He gutted it out and finished the fight with one hand and ultimately lost. It was an unfortunate break, but it did show me he has the heart of a champion. Most boxing fans would put Cintron ahead of Clottey. But I place Clottey in the number seven slot based on the fact that Margarito gave Cintron a beatdown.

Clottey In Action

8. Kermit Cintron (28 Wins (26KO’s) – 1 Loss)
If you look at his record, it becomes a no brainer that this kid has POWER. One punch “leave you sleepin wit da fishes” kinda power. The drawbacks with Cintron are twofold. The first being he hasn’t faced any big names, all his wins have come against mediocre competition. The one world class welterweight he faced (Antonio Margarito) kicked his ass. Not only did Cintron lose to Margarito, he quit. He climbed off the mat and walked over to his corner and quit. His second drawback would be technical prowess, but this should be corrected after he gets a few more fights under his belt. Theres a HUGE upside with Kermit however, like I’ve said before, I think Cintron has the best chance of defeating Paul Williams than any other welterweight due to his size and power.

Weaknesses: Heart, unpolished skills
Strengths: He will literally knock your head off

9. Andre Berto (20 Wins (17KO’s) – 0 Losses)
The top young welterweight prospect in the world as of now. If he continues to rise and meet the potential the world thinks he has, Berto could easily be at the top of this list in two or three years.

Weaknesses:Defense
Strengths: Speed, Power

10. Zab Judah (35 Wins (25KO’s) – 5 Losses)
Zab gets a spot on this list based on his name alone. He’s only won one of his last five fights and I honestly can’t see him rising any higher on this list unless he completely overhauls his lifestyle and work ethic. He’s always seemed more interested in hanging out with Mike Tyson and being in Jay-Z videos than honing his craft. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mike Tyson, and I love Jay-Z videos, but I wouldn’t exactly prioritize them higher than my career. He hasn’t been the same since Kostya Tszyu made him crip walk in 2001.

Weaknesses: Unfocused, unmotivated, constantly drops his hands in the ring
Strengths: Speed, unorthodox style, immense talent when prepared

Judah’s last great fight, vs. Corey Spinks