Top three pound-for-pound fighters

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Who is the world's best fighter regardless of weight class? See my Top 20 below.

And don't forget to check out the divisional rankings, which are updated weekly.

For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.

Note: Results are through Jan. 24.

1. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.

Welterweight titlist Record: 42-0, 26 KOs Age: 34 Mayweather Hits: The world wants to see Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao, and, at long last, Mayweather has put the hard press on to try to make boxing's biggest fight by calling out Pacquiao repeatedly on Twitter, including his classic "Step up punk" quote. It was the most vociferous he has been in saying he wants the fight on May 5, the date Mayweather said he is committed to fighting on before reporting for an 87-day jail sentence on June 1. Misses: Arguing about the date of a potential fight with Pacquiao is one thing. But Mayweather's apparent demand for more than 50 percent of the pie is ridiculous and a clear deal killer. If Mayweather is truly demanding the lion's share of the money, he knows the fight will never get made and it is akin to his saying he doesn't really want to face Pacquiao. Demanding more than half the money from this bout, when both fighters bring enormous money to the table, is patently absurd. If ever there was a 50-50 fight, this is it. Either do it 50-50 or put your money where your mouth is and do it 45-45 and let the winner take the extra 10 percent.

2. MANNY PACQUIAO

Welterweight titlist Record: 54-3-2, 38 KOs Age: 33 Pacquiao Hits: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum went to visit Pacquiao in the Philippines armed with a list of four potential opponents to discuss related to Pacquiao's probable June 9 return -- Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, Lamont Peterson and Timothy Bradley Jr. -- so it was nice to see Pacquiao instead seemingly get serious about making a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., which is the bout the world wants to see. Everything else is a distant second place. Good for Pacquiao for realizing that. Misses: Although Pacquiao and Arum say they hope to work out a deal with Mayweather, they have put up a lot of obstacles to actually making the match, such as insisting on moving the date three weeks later in May (to Memorial Day weekend and opposite a UFC event) and claiming that the construction of a temporary outdoor facility in Las Vegas for the fight is needed. When will it end?

3. SERGIO MARTINEZ

Middleweight champion Record: 48-2-2, 27 KOs Age: 36 Martinez Hits: Although he hasn't been able to land a fight with a big-name opponent and has been blatantly ducked by paper titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Martinez will at least face the best available opponent in his next fight on March 17: uncrowned titleholder Matthew Macklin, who was ripped off by the judges in his previous fight, against Felix Sturm. Martinez will face Macklin, an Irishman, on St. Patrick's Day in New York, where the crowd will be heavily pro-Macklin. But Martinez, so professional and poised, probably will be unmoved by it all. He just goes in the ring and gets the job done. Misses: While Martinez complains that he can't get Chavez to fight him (or Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr., for that matter), he should realize he is doing the same thing to other worthy fighters in his division. For instance, Martinez hasn't looked to titleholders Dmitry Pirog and Gennady Golovkin, who would love a crack at him. It works both ways.

Click here for Nos. 4-20.

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Dan Rafael

Boxing

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• ESPN.com boxing writer since 2005
• Writes pound-for-pound rankings
• Five years at USA Today