The last time I took a list at the top 10 pound for pound boxers in the world was in December. Manny Pacquiao was fresh off of his destruction of Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins was enjoying his extended reemergence as a dominant fighter after thoroughly dominating Kelly Pavlik.

Since then a lot has changed. Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirement, joining the likes of Floyd Mayweather as fighters who retired at the top of the game with an undefeated record but are likely to be drawn back to the sport for the right fight. Antonio Margarito was suspended for using illegal hand wraps, and Shane Mosley emerged as the best welterweight in the world. Let's take a look at the current top 10 pound for pound boxers.

1A. Manny Pacquiao - 48 (36) - 3 - 2 - After jumping up to welterweight and trouncing Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao's next fight is scheduled for May against junior welterweight Ricky Hatton. Hatton fought the last pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather, in December of 2007 and suffered his only defeat. He faces an entirely different beast in Manny Pacquiao, but perhaps one he is better suited to. Will Pacquiao's speed and power enable him to avoid Hatton's inside mauling tactics?

1B. Juan Manuel Marquez - 50 (37) - 4 - 1 - Marquez established himself as the best lightweight on the planet when he knocked out Juan Diaz. After which he called out the retired Mayweather, while still clamoring for another shot at Manny Pacquiao. Marquez, like Pacquiao, has been able to take both his speed and his power up to higher weight classes. As one of the most technically sound fighters in the game he has a chance to pull out any fight that he enters. The Diaz performance was a dynamic one, and Marquez needs big fights at this stage of his career. He's following Pacquiao and the money to the junior welterweight ranks.

3. Bernard Hopkins - 49 (32) - 5 - 1 - After Hopkins embarrassed the middleweight champion, he has taken some time to survey the scene. With Calzaghe retiring, and the prospects of facing the quick and powerful Chad Dawson in a Jermain-Taylor-nightmare-redux scenario (younger, physically gifted fighter in his prime) awaiting him, Hopkins instead may be opting to jump to cruiserweight to challenge champion Tomasz Adamek. Dawson was able to outbox Adamek, so one would have to give the crafty Hopkins a solid chance at out pointing the best cruiserweight on the planet.

4. Israel Vazquez - 43 (31) - 4 - Now inactive for a year, Vazquez has been eyeing several return bouts. The possibilities include a fourth fight with Marquez and battles with young stars such as Juan Manuel Lopez. However, if he doesn't return to the ring soon, he risks losing his status as one of the best warriors in the game. One has to wonder how much the Marquez fights took out of him at this point.

5. Rafael Marquez - 37 (33) - 5 - Ditto for Marquez.

6. Paul Williams - 36 (27) - 1 - Williams finally has his next fight scheduled. After not being able to secure a bout with any of the top welterweights, Williams will be taking on veteran tactician Winky Wright. Wright hasn't fought since he jumped to 170 and looked out of shape in a losing effort to Bernard Hopkins a year and a half ago. Williams, who has been jumping around weight classes from welterweight to middleweight, would make a statement by beating Wright, who is returning to a more natural weight.

7. Shane Mosley - 46 (39) - 5 - Antonio Margarito and his hand wraps didn't phase Shane Mosley. The former welterweight champ made a long awaited return to the top of the welterweight division. He showed why he is still a fan favorite, a head first style, power in both hands and a willingness to take on seemingly all comers, which has in the past cost him his perch atop the boxing world. Mosley was narrowly out pointed by Miguel Cotto, and now that Margarito is suspended and Cotto has returned from his loss via the possibly tainted hands of Margarito, a rematch between the two seems the logical decision.

8. Chad Dawson - 27 (17) - 0 - Dawson's rematch with Antonio Tarver was postponed after he suffered an injury in training. It would be much better if the rematch was cancelled. In its place could be a rematch of a fight that was actually close and disputed, with Glen Johnson. Dawson could also jump to cruiserweight to fight a man he has also already beaten (a win that looks more impressive in each passing day), Tomasz Adamek. Of course fights against Hopkins and Calzaghe would be interesting, but both seem to want to go in another direction.

9. Tomasz Adamek - 37 (25) - 1 - Perhaps the fighter on the best streak in boxing is Tomasz Adamek. After suffering his lone loss to Chad Dawson, Adamek jumped up to cruiserweight and emerged as an unstoppable wrecking ball. He dispatched former unified champion O'Neil Bell and then dispatched champion Steve Cunningham. Since, he knocked out Johnathon Banks seemingly out of nowhere, and a rematch with Cunningham awaits, as long as he accepts the challenge.

10. Vic Darchinyan - 32 (26) - 1 - 1 - After being knocked out against Nonito Donaire, the cocky Armenian went back to the gym and honed his craft. He returned with a crisp jab and enough head movement that the word "defense" can now be counted as being included in his vocabulary. A three fight win steak over Dmitri Kirillov, Cristian Mijares and Jorge Arce is as good as any active fighter's not named Tomasz Adamek. However, continuing to move up in weight and challenging the fighters at 122 lbs could be a case study in fatal hubris.

Bubble Fighters: Arthur Abraham, Ivan Calderon, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Lopez

Credit: Ed Mulholland

Steve "USS" Cunningham, 21 (11) - 2, has been biding his time since his loss to Tomasz Adamek, waiting for a chance at a rematch. After Adamek quickly lined up Jonathon Banks as his next opponent - and knocked him out - Cunningham now has his next fight scheduled as well. On Saturday, April 18, Cunningham will take on former cruiserweight champion Wayne "Big Truck" Braithwaite. USS also talks about his time in the Navy, and shares some words he has for the boxing judging system.

There have been some rumors, but has your next fight been made official yet?

SC: Yea, as far as we know the contract has been signed by both of us.

Are you already back in training right now? I know you just got back from a run.

SC: Yea I just got back from running. I'm always training. I'm always in shape, it's my job and I treat it like that.

How do you feel about taking on Big Truck, another former cruiserweight champion like yourself?

SC: It's a real good fight for me. A fight we can win. Of course, I want to win and I want to look impressive. And man, just win. It's one of those must win, gotta win fights.

Any predictions, will the fight go the distance?

SC: I don't really get into predicting. If I see the opening I'm going after it. We're gonna try to make it go early but if not we'll be content with the unanimous decision.

Yea well a unanimous decision must sound nice. You've only lost twice in your career, and both times have been split decisions. Has that been tough for you, coming up close both times you lost?

SC: Well, the first loss was really a very disputed and controversial loss. Everybody who saw the fight really knows who won, and knows the circumstances with me being overseas and all of that. But that type of stuff doesn't go next to the loss on your record. When somebody looks at it in the future they're just gonna see the loss. With this Adamek loss, I totally felt that I won. It should have been nothing less than a draw. Even with the three knock downs, I don't think he won any rounds outside of those rounds. And even a couple of the knockdown rounds I don't think he won them. But that's the kind of thing you have to deal with. With those judges man...

What, not a fan of the judges these days?

SC: I have a few words for those judges man. You have all these crazy, controversial numbers with the Collazo-Berto fight, my fight, a few other fights in the past six months. Something needs to be done about these judges making these outrageous scores. Either they need to be trained better or... well, personally I think you shouldn't be a judge unless you fought professionally in the ring. That's what I personally believe.

Not a bad idea. On one hand you'll get a guy with a knowledgeable perspective on the fight and on the other hand you'll get another good outlet for retired boxers done with their time in the ring.

SC: I totally believe that and don't get me wrong, I've met and ran into some judges who haven't fought and they understand boxing. But I think that more boxers should have the opportunity. I think the doors should be open a little more for them to come in and be able to be judges.

So, you were rooting for Adamek against Banks, correct?

SC: Yea of course. I was carrying a little Polish flag there, and I was rooting for him to win.

You want to make sure you're the one to dethrone him...

SC: Exactly. I totally feel, as have other people who have gotten in contact with me... that he knows what time it is with the rematch. They squeaked by, and they know the rematch is super dangerous, so of course they don't want to take it. I mean, I wouldn't take it if I was smart. If I was a manager or a promoter I wouldn't want my guy to fight Steve Cunningham again after that performance.

U.S. audiences haven't seen too much of you, but you definitely made a big splash with the last fight. What was it like to be fighting in the states again and have you been receiving more recognition around town?

SC: Yea a lot more recognition. Whenever you fight on television - in America that is - people stop and recognize you and notice you. And I've been getting a lot of love at the fights. I go to a lot of fights and we're going to the fights at the Blue Horizon tomorrow night. A lot of people are running up to me and telling me I had that fight. And that keeps me up and lets me know that I'm not the only crazy one who thought I won.

And even though your last fight was in Newark, a close drive from Philly, it seems like you were in Poland west. What was that atmosphere like?

SC: Truthfully, the fight wasn't really promoted good down here in Philadelphia for my fan base to even try and materialize at the fight. Most of the people that were there were fans I had from New York and New Jersey, and just a few fans from Philly. A lot of people here in Philly didn't know about the fight. But the fight was promoted big time in Jersey and New York for the Polish fan base, because you know, the promoters want to fill the seats. With me fighting overseas the last three times in a row a lot of people didn't know me. But I bet you they know me now.

They definitely do. How important is it for you to get back to Philly and try to get a fight there sometime soon?

SC: Well, what me and my wife have come to realize, and she's my manager, is that my fan base isn't going to be in Philadelphia. I was born and raised here in Philly, but I didn't start boxing in Philadelphia. I started boxing when I joined the Navy, and I just visited my old ship, the USS Enterprise, last month and we were ecstatic. They rolled the red carpet out for me and I had a lot of sailors come up to me and congratulate me, for doing something else and showing people that the Navy is tough and all of that. So we've been talking to my promoter about getting a fight down at the Navy base down in Virginia where I originally started boxing, and possibly on the aircraft carrier.

That'd be an event, were you stationed down near Virginia Beach?

SC: I was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia for about three years and then I was stationed with the Navy boxing team in Oxnard, California near Port Hueneme. So my fan base is the United States Navy and the United States military. So we're really going to try to tap into that fan base and give those guys a show in the coming years.

Well they deserve it. I know you're still clamoring for it but will the Adamek rematch be next or what's in store for the rest of the year?

SC: Yea, exactly, that's the goal. That's my goal and however God wants it, I have to follow God's will. And yea that's what we want, and we're praying for that. I hear that he and Bernard Hopkins are scheduling a fight, but either way, however it works out, my motto for 2009 is 'two times in 09.'

Two times in 09, sounds good. Any other closing thoughts Steve?

SC: Yea, two times in 09... and I plan to be world champion again.

I appreciate the time Steve.

Interview by Jake Emen