I’m frequently asked my opinion about whom I consider the best boxers in the world, especially on the heels of a high-profile fight like Floyd Mayweather/Robert Guerrero. As I do a few times a year, I’ve compiled my Top 20 list of the best boxers in the sport, regardless of weight division. It’s totally my opinion, but that’s what makes it a fun list to put together. One of the most important things I consider when putting this list together is level of opposition. I think a fighter should be rewarded for their strength of schedule, if you will.

In the coming months, several of my ranked fighters are scheduled to be in some really interesting fights. Juan Manuel Marquez(3) will be fighting Timothy Bradley, Jr.(7) on September 14 in a battle of top-ten fighters from my list. This fight will offer an intriguing contrast between Bradley’s speed and defense versus Marquez’s power, accuracy and counter-punching.

In another fascinating fight, Manny Pacquiao makes his return to the ring after his brutal knockout loss to Marquez, against Brandon Rios, one of the most exciting boxers in the sport. The bout will take place on November 23 in China and has the makings of a fight-of-the-year candidate. Expect an absolute brawl.

The fastest rising-star on my list is the poor-man’s version of Floyd Mayweather, Adrien Broner. He’s vociferous and obnoxious, but extremely talented. On June 22, Broner fights Paulie Malignaggi, who has the speed and skills to bother Broner, but won’t have the power to hold him off for 12 rounds.

As you can see, there are some great fights on the horizon. Enjoy the list and let the debates begin…

1)      Floyd Mayweather

2)      Andre Ward

3)    Juan Manuel Marquez

4)    Sergio Garcia

5)    Manny Pacquiao

6)    Adrien Broner

7)    Timothy Bradley, Jr.

8)    Guillermo Rigondeaux

9)    Canelo Alvarez

10)  Abner Mares

11)  Wladimir Klitschko

12)  Nonito Donaire

13)  Carl Froch

14)  Vitali Klitschko

15)  Yurorkis Gamboa

16)  Austin Trout

17)   Mikey Garcia

18)  Robert Guerrero

19)  Danny Garcia

20)  Gennady Golovkin

By Steven St. John

• Once Ned Yost announced that Luis Mendoza would be the Royals fifth  starter instead of Luke Hochevar, I made my official prediction of 85 wins for the boys in blue. It may have been a silly notion, but I felt the Royals were making a clear statement by sending Hochevar to the bullpen.
  
  The organization had already displayed how serious they were about winning by totally rebuilding their starting rotation in the off-season, but there was something about finally removing Hochevar from the rotation that raised my optimism to a new level. Now, the Royals are 6-3 and alone atop the AL Central.
  
  Could this finally be the magical season we’ve all been waiting for? I’ve actually caught myself a few times this week, day dreaming of the Royals making the playoffs…celebrating in the stands with my two sons. Every time I picture it, I get goose bumps on my arms and damn near get tears in my eyes.
  
  Yes, it’s still early in the season…very early. But, I’m having a hard time holding back my enthusiasm for this team and my belief that this promising start isn’t a cruel mirage, waiting to disappear as soon as I reach out to touch it. I’m rambling…I’m excited…I think I’m all in.
• Phil Pressey is leaving Mizzou and heading to the NBA…Draft. I really don’t know if Pressey will actually get drafted. My gut tells me he’ll go late in the 2^nd round, but it’s far from a sure thing.
  
  It doesn’t seem like the type of situation that would lead a talented player like Pressey to leave school before his senior year. Especially a player that has a former NBA star and current NBA assistant coach for a father. You would think he’d be getting great advice. But, maybe Pressey is only listening to the people that are telling him what he wants to hear.
  
  I think this may be a case where the school and the player simply need a fresh start. I don’t think Pressey would have ever received the accolades he wanted at Mizzou because I don’t think he is quite as good as he thinks he is. And, I don’t think the Mizzou fan base would have ever given Pressey the credit he actually did deserve because he’s viewed as a dymanic, yet inconsistent player that couldn’t close games and never won in the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps both will be better off without each other.

By Steven St. John

     Mizzou fans have wanted to embrace Frank Haith. They’ve wanted to love him. But, there has always been hesitation. There has always been a “but”. Haith said all the right things at his introductory press conference, but fans were still reeling from Mike Anderson’s departure and the Matt Painter fiasco and were hoping for a bigger “name” to coach the team. Haith led the Tigers to 30 wins and a Big 12 Tournament title, but Missouri flamed out against Norfolk State in the NCAA Tournament. Haith did a terrific job finding transfers to cover up recruiting holes left by Anderson, but couldn’t escape the whispers of NCAA alligations that could follow him to Missouri from Miami. Haith fielded a team that was projected to compete for an SEC title, but continued to struggle winning important games on the road. Mizzou fans wanted to fully embrace Frank Haith, but there always seemed to be a reason that prevented that from happening…until Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena.

     The crowd couldn’t wait to boo Mike Anderson. The atmosphere was electric. Fans had been waiting for this game since the schedule was released. It had the makings of quite the memorable night in Columbia. Senior night for Laurence Bowers.  Anderson’s return to campus as the enemy coach of the now rival Razorbacks. And, as the season unfolded, the game only became more meaningful. Missouri was looking for revenge after a heartbreaking loss in Fayetteville. Arkansas needed a win to keep their fading NCAA tournament hopes alive. 

     As expected, the capacity crowd let Anderson have it when he was introduced. And, the Tigers pummeled the Razorbacks. If the game was a fight, it would have been stopped in the first half. Then it happened. Phil Pressey hit a three-pointer to give the Tigers a 30-15 lead with about eight minutes left in the half. Anderson called a time out. And, Frank Haith lost it. He appeared to be going after Anderson as the Arkansas coach replied with an awkward grin. Mizzou assistant Tim Fuller held Haith back, seemingly to prevent Haith from charging Anderson.  Fans in attendance went wild. (At leastthe ones that realized what was happening.)  Mizzou faithful watching on ESPN took to Twitter and other social media outlets to celebrate Haith. He had shown fire, emotion and everything that a fan base looks for from their leader. Frank Haith was representing the fans, their frustration, their resentment and taking on the enemy that was Mike Anderson.

Both coaches would later say the in-game exchange was simply a miscommunication. Even the animated discussion that took place during the post-game handshake was defused by both parties. However, none of that matters. In fact, the actual cause of the incident doesn’t really matter either. What matters is that during Missouri’s 93-63 beat down of the Razorbacks, Frank Haith took all the doubt, all the hesitation, all the “buts”, and made them go away. Should it have taken this long? Probably not. By winning 52 of his first 65 games at Missouri, the naysayers should have been silenced. He’s won a lot and recruited well. He’s positioned this team to accomplish what last year’s team couldn’t…go on a run in the NCAA tournament. And, on Tuesday night, he galvanized a fan base. Now, Mizzou fans that were still hesitant, still reluctant…they’ve finally put that all aside and placed their full faith in Haith.

• Missouri lost a golden opportunity for a huge road win on Saturday in Fayetteville as Arkansas came away with a controversial 73-71 victory. The Tigers were in position to earn the win, but some sloppy play in the final minute combined with questionable officiating led to another Mizzou loss on the road.

I understand how easy it is to blame the officials in a game like Mizzou/Arkansas. As soon as the game was over, I was fuming about the way the game was “officiated” down the stretch. However, the Tigers squandered a few chances to put the game away. Missed free throws by Keion Bell and Jabari Brown…another bad turnover by Phil Pressey…a total team breakdown defensively, that led to B.J. Young’s second three-point-play.

Mizzou has fallen apart late in three games on the road (UCLA, Texas A&M, Arkansas) when they had excellent chances to close the show. The LSU game wasn’t as bad, but they didn’t play very well in the final minutes of that game, either. You can blame the refs, blame the coaches, blame the players…it doesn’t matter. What matters is the fact that Mizzou continues to fall apart in close games on the road and this must change or the Tigers will be on the bubble on Selection Sunday.

Missouri needs to win Tuesday night at home against Florida or on the road at Kentucky this Saturday. If they can win one of those two games (Florida/Kentucky) and follow that up with a win at South Carolina, Mizzou should be in good shape for the NCAA tourney.

• Adrien Broner defended his lightweight championship on Saturday night against a tough, but overmatched Gavin Rees with a 5^th round TKO. The appearance on HBO continues the meteoric rise of the undefeated Broner (26-0, 22 KO’s) into the conversation as one of the best/most exciting fighters in the world. Broner has the defensive ability and flamboyant personality comparable to Floyd Mayweather, but also appears to have the one-punch knockout power that Floyd doesn’t possess.
  
  Broner is entertaining in the ring and has the type of skills on the mike that will make him a superstar.  However, Broner, still only 23, needs to leave the lightweight division and move up to the 140-pound class if he truly wants to take his career to the next level. Fights against Danny Garcia, Amir Kahn, Zab Judah, Mike Alvarado, Brandon Rios and Lucas Matthysse would offer Broner a much-higher level of opponent and give boxing fans the type of action fights that would make the polarizing Broner a potential pay-per-view star. Regardless, if you like boxing, Broner has become a must-watch whenever he fights.

On Friday morning, the new General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, John Dorsey, made his first appearance on The Border Patrol. Here is a summary of what Dorsey had to say about a few topics from the interview that weren’t discussed during Dorsey’s introductory press conference.

On his first few days as Chiefs GM

We’ve had a lot of meetings, I can tell you that. I think we’ve had a very productive first three days. I think when you make a transition like this, you try to bring everything together and gather all the information up because you’re beginning to set your plan up, with regards to your own team, free agency and the college draft . I’ve actually spent a lot of time with various departments of the football operations trying to get to know people and trying to put my arms around everything, so we can make factual decisions, moving ahead.

Manti Te’o’s situation and how it affects his draft stock

The first time I heard about it was yesterday. This is how much I’ve been buried in the piles of papers on my desk. I really didn’t know it had occurred until one of the guys came up to me and asked me if I had heard about this Manti Te’o stuff and I really hadn’t. I’m not going to cast judgment on the kid until I understand everything about the situation. Was he a really productive player? Yes. And, that’s where it stops with me because I’m not going to say something when I know anything about it.

Will you discuss it with him at the NFL Combine?

Absolutely. I think that’s what that platform is all about. It’s a chance for both parties to get to know each other and a chance to find out what makes up the man. I look forward to seeing him. I want to find out what drives him. Is he passionate about football? What is his character all about? I’m going to find those things out, but right now, I don’t think it helps anybody to make a decision about the kid.

How do you evaluate a quarterback like Ricky Stanzi when he hasn’t played in the regular season since he was drafted?

I think the very first thing you do in the process is go back and evaluate how he played in college. Then, you begin to combine that information with how he has played in the previous preseason games and then you begin to make a determination. Then, you meet him and you can see what his person is all about. I think that’s how the process begins to unfold with regards to making a judgment. I think there’s enough film out there to get a feel for what he’s capable of and then you move ahead in the process.

The importance of the quarterback position

Let’s make no mistake, we are in a quarterback driven era and league. There’s a lot of premium put on that position and we all know that. My personal philosophy is, I’d like to draft a quarterback if I could get a shot at the quarterback, but I’m not going to reach on somebody, if his abilities don’t warrant where he’s going to be selected.

Will you pursue Matt Flynn?

I will explore every avenue possible. If it helps this team, I will explore every opportunity and avenue to do that.

On Friday morning, the new General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, John Dorsey, made his first appearance on The Border Patrol. Here is a summary of what Dorsey had to say about a few topics from the interview that weren’t discussed during Dorsey’s introductory press conference.

On his first few days as Chiefs GM

We’ve had a lot of meetings, I can tell you that. I think we’ve had a very productive first three days. I think when you make a transition like this, you try to bring everything together and gather all the information up because you’re beginning to set your plan up, with regards to your own team, free agency and the college draft . I’ve actually spent a lot of time with various departments of the football operations trying to get to know people and trying to put my arms around everything, so we can make factual decisions, moving ahead.

Manti Te’o’s situation and how it affects his draft stock

By Steven St. John

The first time I heard about it was yesterday. This is how much I’ve been buried in the piles of papers on my desk. I really didn’t know it had occurred until one of the guys came up to me and asked me if I had heard about this Manti Te’o stuff and I really hadn’t. I’m not going to cast judgment on the kid until I understand everything about the situation. Was he a really productive player? Yes. And, that’s where it stops with me because I’m not going to say something when I know anything about it.

Will you discuss it with him at the NFL Combine?

Absolutely. I think that’s what that platform is all about. It’s a chance for both parties to get to know each other and a chance to find out what makes up the man. I look forward to seeing him. I want to find out what drives him. Is he passionate about football? What is his character all about? I’m going to find those things out, but right now, I don’t think it helps anybody to make a decision about the kid.

How do you evaluate a quarterback like Ricky Stanzi when he hasn’t played in the regular season since he was drafted?

I think the very first thing you do in the process is go back and evaluate how he played in college. Then, you begin to combine that information with how he has played in the previous preseason games and then you begin to make a determination. Then, you meet him and you can see what his person is all about. I think that’s how the process begins to unfold with regards to making a judgment. I think there’s enough film out there to get a feel for what he’s capable of and then you move ahead in the process.

The importance of the quarterback position

Let’s make no mistake, we are in a quarterback driven era and league. There’s a lot of premium put on that position and we all know that. My personal philosophy is, I’d like to draft a quarterback if I could get a shot at the quarterback, but I’m not going to reach on somebody, if his abilities don’t warrant where he’s going to be selected.

Will you pursue Matt Flynn?

I will explore every avenue possible. If it helps this team, I will explore every opportunity and avenue to do that.

            Today, as you heard first on Sports Radio 810 WHB, the Kansas City Chiefs parted ways with General Manager Scott Pioli after four disappointing seasons. During his tenure in Kansas City, Pioli compiled a 23-41 record and helped lead the Chiefs to an AFC West title in 2010 and one playoff appearance. Despite the former NFL Executive of the Year arriving in Kansas City with a sterling reputation, Pioli’s era will be remembered for two failed coaching hires, four underwhelming drafts and dysfunction within the team and organization.

            With the announcement of his dismissal, Pioli released this statement:

I would like to thank Norma, Clark and the Hunt Family for the opportunity that they gave me four years ago. I’d also like to thank the players, coaches, scouts and countless other employees, throughout the organization and at Arrowhead Stadium that have worked so hard during my time here. I would also like to genuinely thank Chiefs fans.

The bottom line is that I did not accomplish all of what I set out to do. To the Hunt family – to the great fans of the Kansas City Chiefs – to the players, all employees and alumni, I truly apologize for not getting the job done.

            Now that the business with Pioli is done, the Chiefs are expected to hire Andy Reid as head coach, making it official with a press conference as soon as Monday. Reid is expected to have full control of the football operations. Reid will also be focused, along with Clark Hunt, on hiring a new general manager to replace Pioli. The pool of GM candidates likely includes former Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert, current Green Bay Packers Director of Football Operations John Dorsey, and current San Francisco 49ers Director of Player Personnel Tom Gamble.

Reid was fired by the Eagles this week after 14 years as head coach, and a disastrous 4-12 season. During his time with the Eagles, Reid built a record of 130-93-1, including nine playoff appearances. In fact, Reid’s 10 playoff victories with the Eagles are two more than the Chiefs have won in their entire team history.

            Stay tuned to Sports Radio 810 WHB for more details as they happen.