Maxboxing.com in their paid subscription articles has included Manny Pacquiao in their Ten Most Exciting Fighters in the World. The Pacman this year was included in many top list, among them capturing Yahoo! Sports Top 16 in the 25 Most Powerful Men in Boxing.

The list recognized the most exciting and crowd-pleasing boxers - ones that not only put people in the seats, but put on compelling, memorable affairs. These boxers are the ones they deemed receives fan accolades and is deserving of their most lucrative paydays. The list excludes those fighters who are safety first boxers, those who don't entertain the fans and those that don't attract spectators to the sport.

In listing this boxers list, they look at those whose goal is not just do enough to win, but to also be a captivating, fun fighter. The column did not include good boxers who bore the audience to death, instead highlighting today's performers, who may be imperfect, might never get to the top of the mountain, but are always worth watching.

Here is the complete list of the 10 Most Exciting Fighters in the World arranged alphabetically:


Miguel Cotto: What makes his fights so appealing is that he seems to have no problems taking on any challenger that comes his way. And in the past, he has struggled and survived with the likes of Ricardo Torres and DeMarcus Corley, and then more recently engaged in some interesting scraps against Zab Judah and Shane Mosley that had more than their fair share of action.

Quick, can you think of a boring fight Cotto was ever a part of?

Didn't think so.

Juan Diaz: Yeah, he may not have abs of steel and he doesn't punch particularly hard, but what he does is punch a lot. 'The Baby Bull' of Houston, Texas has come a long way from the kid that broke down emotionally after his bout against Ubaldo Hernandez.

He's one of those guys who looks easy to beat in theory - just use lateral movement and box him, right? But as you see the waves of punches coming one after another, keeping him off you is much more difficult in reality.

He has the type of temperament and style that makes it an impossibility that he'll ever be in a dull contest.

David Haye: 'The Haye-maker' is one of those classic punchers that on the flipside may not take the best punch himself, which is precisely the reason why you tune into his bouts. His seventh-round stoppage of Jean-Marc Mormeck for two of the cruiserweight titles was a perfect example. His overall skills would control most of the bout, but he would be knocked down and buzzed badly by the Frenchman in the middle of the fight. He would then recover and stop Mormeck with a series of power punches later on.

There is a lot of talk of him moving up to heavyweight, but before that, he faces Enzo Maccarinelli in what should be a cruiserweight unification bout full of fireworks.

Michael Katsidis: Anyone that is considered the heir apparent to Arturo Gatti just has to be on this list. Seriously, when was the last time a fighter had two fights that were nominees for 'Fight of the Year' in the same year? Well, that's precisely what happened with Katsidis as he slugged it out with Graham Earl and Czar Amonsot in '07.

He looks like the type of fighter who's not built for the long run, but who will have a memorable career regardless. He has the heart of a warrior and gives more blood than the Red Cross (at least he did against Amonsot).

Antonio Margarito: 'The Tijuana Tornado' is your classic heavy-handed Mexican banger, one that is long on heart and conditioning and perhaps just a tad too slow to ever reach greatness. But, again, this list is not about who the best boxer is or who compiles the best record.

Margarito is a guy that likes to stand in there and bang away with both hands. His chin and stamina allow him to make late runs in bouts that he falls behind in. A win against Kermit Cintron in April could lead to a highly anticipated slugfest with Miguel Cotto in the late summer. That bout has 'can't miss' written all over it.

Edison Miranda: Did you see his KO of David Banks?

I think that's all that needs to be said.

Manny Pacquiao: Now, 'the Pac Man' wasn't quite the Filipino whirlwind he had been in the past in 2007, where he seemed to take a bit of a paid vacation. But who can forget his memorable trilogy against Erik Morales, his mugging of Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 or his disputed draw versus Juan Manuel Marquez?

Yes, he does have some technical flaws, but to him, the best defense is a great offense. And with his trainer Freddie Roach, they have worked hard to develop more offensive weapons in their arsenal.

His rabid following only heightens the excitement of his fights.

Kelly Pavlik: Pavlik, the current middleweight champion of the world, burst onto the scene in 2007 with three memorable knockouts. First he froze Jose Luis Zertuche in mid-air, then he busted the bubble of Edison Miranda, and in dramatic fashion came off the canvas to stop Jermain Taylor.

'The Buckeye Banger' throws sharp, straight, accurate punches and is fundamentally sound. But he gets hit just enough to make his fights exciting. His power seems to be just short of devastating, but he throws a high volume of punches that wears out his opposition.

He seems to have the style and charisma to be one of the sport’s biggest stars. Next week he rematches with Taylor in Las Vegas and then is slated to face John Duddy in early June. But here's a crazy idea (and I got a million of them): instead of facing Duddy, who many believe is unproven and green, how bout Felix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden? Crazy? Not as much as you think. Trinidad showed against Roy Jones that while he is too small at 170 pounds, at middleweight he would still be formidable. When I interviewed Larry Merchant last week I stated that I'd love to see him face an Arthur Abraham. Well, why not Pavlik on the Puerto Rican Day Parade weekend?

You can guarantee two things if this were to take place: an exciting fight and big business.


Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez: It's appropriate that I lumped these two together being that they have engaged in 13 rounds of war and will go at it once again on March 1st.

Vazquez, in 2006, was involved in the 'Fight of the Year' by overcoming two trips to the canvas to stop Jhonny Gonzalez in dramatic fashion. Then last year, his revenge victory over Marquez in August was the consensus choice for 2007's best battle. Round three of that encounter was perhaps the most thrilling back-and-forth stanza we have seen since the tenth round of Corrales-Castillo I.

He's certainly not a defensive wizard, he's prone to slow starts and he cuts rather easily. But he more than makes up for it with a great ticker and power in both fists. Yes, he catches, but he also pitches quite well.

As for Marquez, the brother of Juan Manuel, if he had a stouter chin, he'd perhaps be the most perfect package in boxing today. He's your classic Nacho Beristain trained stylist, and is more prone to take risks than his brother, but unfortunately, his whiskers have let him down more than once. It's this one fatal flaw that has made him human inside the ring.

At anytime during a fight, he's always one punch from turning things around, or, conversely, being sent down. Which is why he's a must-see fighter.

Related: Manny Pacquiao vs Israel Vasquez in Sparring Video