On the whole, the welterweight division has arguably proven to be the best of any weight class. The welterweight division offers some of the biggest names that can be found. Namely, Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Terence Crawford, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia remain marquee men. In turn, there are hopes for an eventual unification bout with the boxing odds to settle who’s best once and for all. Each welterweight bout carries a level of intensity and high stakes that can’t be matched. Let’s take a look at the top welterweights for 2019.
Errol Spence Jr.
At the onset of his career, everyone could see that Errol Spence Jr. was going to be something special. Spence (25-0, 21 knockouts) has never lost a professional fight with the boxing odds. Adding to his resume is membership on the 2012 United States Olympic boxing team. Overall Spence is ranked fifth in the pound for pound rankings. He has held the International Boxing Federation welterweight title since 2017. Last time out for Spence was a 12 round unanimous decision win over Mikey Garcia. Spence won the bout on March 16, 2019, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Terence Crawford
In the same way, Terence Crawford (35-0, 26 knockouts) has also been an undefeated professional. Crawford is one of the most respected names in offshore betting with multiple world titles in three weight classes. Concurrently he has held the World Boxing Organization welterweight title since 2018. Crawford was briefly the undisputed light welterweight champion before moving up to welterweight. In his last fight on April 20, 2019, Crawford faced Amir Khan at Madison Square Garden, New York. Likewise, Crawford earned a sixth-round technical knockout win. Khan was in trouble from the start getting knocked down in the first round.
Manny Pacquiao
Account of his split decision win over Keith Thurman on July 20 Manny Pacquiao remains a top contender. Pac Man (62-7-2, 39 knockouts) is aging like fine wine at 40 years old. His boxing odds win over Thurman at MGM Grand in Las Vegas further validated his credentials. Extending Pacquiao’s reputation are countless major awards. Among them are “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s. Additionally, Pac Man is the only eight-division champion in the history of boxing. He has won 12 major world titles. Pacquiao is valued for moving the fan and revenue needle.
Keith Thurman
Following his loss to Pacquiao, there will be a period of reflection for Keith Thurman. “One Time” suffered his first career loss as a professional to Pacquiao. Thurman (29-1, 22 knockouts) lost the World Boxing Association world super welterweight title belt. Because of this, he will be facing the biggest character test of his career. Certainly, Thurman’s name and reputation will mean a future shot at a world title. He held his belt for over four years which adds to his box office and gambling appeal. By reason of his powerful punch does he draw further attention.
Danny Garcia
Yet another champion from multiple classes is Danny Garcia (35-2, 21 knockouts). However, Garcia has lost two of his last four bouts. The losses were championship bouts against Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman. By reason of those defeats does Garcia have his work cut out for him at age 31.