2. Mikkel Kessler – 39-1 (29 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #2) ...Yes, Kessler lost to Calzaghe, but he did not get embarrassed, nor did he fight poorly. In fact, I thought Kessler fought a very good fight. However, Calzaghe fought a great fight. It seems that no matter how awesome you are, Calzaghe spoils good boxing with superior skill. Kessler wasn’t hurt and won a bunch of rounds on my scorecard, so he will stay at number two until someone else proves they can beat him. Kessler is young and still has a chance to be the king of the division. Calzaghe will leave the division to fight the ageless Hopkins, and probably retire soon after that. In either case, Kessler will have plenty of opportunities to regain his titles… and then some. Next Fight: TBA

3. Lucian Bute – 21-0 (17 KOs) – IBF titlist (Official Boxingtalk rating: #4)... He’s young, he’s strong, and he hasn’t lost yet. The six-foot-two, Romanian southpaw is coming along nicely and has reeled off some impressive wins lately, including a unanimous decision over “Contender Champion” Sakio Bika and a TKO victory over Alejandro Berrio to capture the (meaningless) IBF title. While the kid has potential, unfortunately his first defense will be against former middleweight belt holder William Joppy, and no, I’m not kidding (apparently Lou DelValle wasn’t available). Joppy, who hasn’t fought any decent opposition since losing to Jermain Taylor in 2005, has been winning pointless stay busy fights at light heavyweight for the last three years, and will drop down to 168 to contest Bute. Once this nonsense is taken care of, there should be endless options for meaningful fights. Next Fight: February 29 vs. Willam Joppy, for Bute’s IBF title.

4. Anthony Mundine – 30-3 (23 KOs) – WBA “Regular” titlist (Official Boxingtalk rating: #3)... Things seemed to be going in the right direction for “The Man” from Australia. Since losing a lopsided decision to Kessler in 2005, Mundine has been on a seven fight winning streak, including victories over current light heavyweight titlist Danny Green, and Sam Soliman. Mundine seemed to have a world of possibilities at his doorstep; a chance to be the top dog against Calzaghe, a shot at revenge against Kessler, or a chance to unify with the IBF strap against Bute. Then Mundine decided to clean his contact lens with his mouth, and put it back in his eye, thus rendering himself temporarily blind (this is not a joke). Mundine bounced back and defended his WBA “regular” title – which is the WBA’s unique way of destroying the credibility of boxing – against a bum who was 2-3-1 in his previous six bouts. Don’t worry though, next month Mundine will defend against the “Lionheart”, Nader Hamdan, who is 3-3 in his last six (no ties this time), including losses to three guys you’ve probably never heard of. Man, I love the WBA (this is a joke). Next Fight: February 27 vs. Nader Hamdan, for Mundine’s WBA “ridiculous” title.

5. Jeff Lacy – 23-1 (17 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #9)... Many people will wonder why exactly I am ranking Jeff Lacy this high. The answer is simple: he’s a young knockout artist who has only lost to Joe Calzaghe. Before and right after the beating that Lacy took, everyone threw Lacy to the bottom of the deck because we knew nothing about Calzaghe. Since then we’ve learned that Calzaghe is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, and that Lacy was entirely too green to be in there with him. The one thing Lacy proved in that bout was that he has some serious balls for finishing the fight when most would have quit. Lacy has bounced back since then, most recently with a victory over Peter Manfredo Jr., in a fight where both men looked bad. We know Lacy was rehabbing his shoulder and hadn’t been in the ring for about a year, so a rusty performance is expected, but if I have to hear Lacy say “it was my muscle mass that was slowing me down” one more time, I’m going to kill myself. Lacy had a bad shoulder and a year of inactivity, Manfredo had strep throat, and this made for a terrible fight. However, just like Kessler, Lacy has only lost to Calzaghe. He has also defeated some very good fighters and remains one of the best in the division. He has the chance to win another title here, but will likely take his muscle mass up to light heavyweight, where there seem to be more big money fights. Next Fight: TBA after turning down Antonio Tarver

6. Edison Miranda – 30-2 (26 KOs) –(Official Boxingtalk rating: #5)... Edison Miranda is as exciting to watch as they come. He is fast, murderous puncher with one of the most explosive right hands I’ve seen since Tommy Hearns. He’s also shown a bit of a suspect chin (except when talking trash), which makes him all the more marketable. Miranda has rebounded nicely since his TKO loss to now middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, moving up to super middleweight and reeling off two big knockout wins against Henry Porras and most recently against up and comer David Banks, which is an easy candidate for knockout of the year (seriously, YouTube it). I feel for Miranda, he probably wouldn’t have to be fighting on ESPN cards if he didn’t get raped in Germany against Abraham. If that fight had been called fairly, Miranda would have went home with the IBF title and been collecting nice paydays on HBO. However, his next fight on ESPN should be a thriller, against the young, talented, and inexperienced Jean Pascal. If he wins this one convincingly, Miranda should be right back on HBO or Showtime. Next Fight: TBA against Jean Pascal.

7. Allan Green – 26-1 (18 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #8): Allan Green should be higher on this list, yet his lopsided loss to Edison Miranda prevents that from happening. I’m willing to give Green the benefit of the doubt here; he had to suck down to an unfamiliar middleweight class, and was apparently sick as a dog for that fight. Nevertheless, a loss is a loss.  However, since that night, Green once again looks unstoppable, reeling off some solid performances. Green is looking to fight again in late February on ESPN, and with Miranda now in the same weight class, a rematch between these knockout artists can’t be far from fruition. This time around, expect Green to be ready to rumble. Next Fight: TBA

8. Carl Froch – 22-0 (18 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #7)... The choices for slots number eight and nine was a toss up between Carl Froch and Denis Inkin. They are two undefeated power punchers who seem to be in their primes, both in a position to challenge for the title. The difference maker in this one was Froch’s stoppage victory over former champion Robin Reid. Luckily, this dispute will be easy to settle, as Froch and Inkin are set to meet one another in the squared circle in a couple of months. In the words of the infamous T.O., “Get your popcorn ready.” Next Fight: March 15 vs. Denis Inkin in a WBC eliminator.

9. Denis Inkin – 32-0 (24 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #6)... Dennis Inkin has won all of his 32 bouts by unanimous decision or stoppage. The same goes for rising star Froch. We will see exactly who the better man is in March when these two rugged individuals meet. With Calzaghe leaving the division and most likely vacating his titles, the winner of this fight will be in a position to fight for the vacant titles and do something big in this division. Just thinking about it makes me shiver with anticipation.

10.    Jean Pascal – 21-0 (14 KOs) – (Official Boxingtalk rating: #15)... I like Pascal. His skills and raw athletic talent remind me of a young Roy Jones. However, I think he needs some more time to sharpen his defensive skills before taking on the best the division has to offer. Unfortunately, his next bout is most likely one against Miranda, a devastating puncher. He better wear a helmet for this one. Next Fight: TBA vs. Edison Miranda.