Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

There is only one thing on the mind of fight fans throughout the world this week. Sideline Sid believes that the so-called Super Fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday (NZ time) highlights the best and worst of professional boxing.

Hyperbole and professional boxing go hand in hand, with all sorts of statements and comments about the bout being the fight of the century, the greatest fight ever etc, etc.

The 'Money” Mayweather verses Pacquiao, is a genuine boxing blockbuster, which matches up arguably the two best pound-for-pound pugilists in the world.

The interest generated in the weekend's stouch in Vegas rivals the Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier series and Mike Tyson at his peak, with fight fans paying unprecedented money to view the ringside action or watch pay-per-view television coverage.

However, the people putting on the fight, such as the TV networks, promoters and all the other associated interests, simply see the fight as an opportunity to gouge as much money as possible from those who wish to catch the live battle.

Ringside seats, if you could buy one, started at $1500 and are now selling for four and five times their face value on the black market.

Pay-per-view is where the real money is today in super fights, with Saturday's fights elling for US $99 in the states, with the Sky Arena price in New Zealand at $49.99, which in anyone's language is fifty bucks.

Having been to Vegas just before one of the Mayweather fights a couple of years ago, Sin City sees big fights as a license to print money.

Boxing rankings are what drive the big fights worldwide, with the two top in the world meeting in combat in the ring, drawing the big crowds.

The hype of the weekend's fight got me thinking about whether any Kiwi boxers figure in the rankings' big picture. With up to ten sanctioning bodies that claim to deliver World Championship fights – the only true indicator of boxer's rankings are the independent rating bodies.

The well respected Box Rec site, where you can find the fight record of just about anyone who has pulled on gloves in the professional ranks worldwide, uses a well-regarded independent assessment.

Kiwi heavyweight Joseph Parker, who is in single digits on a couple of the sanctioning bodies, has a standing on Box Rec of a highly-respectable 22 out of some 1081 Heavyweight boxers worldwide.

Further research revealed that Gunnar Jackson, who boxes out of Chris Walkers' Tauranga Boxing Gym, is also well-regarded on the Box Rec standings.

The Box Rec independent rankings are put together on a points system that has regard to the quality of opponents faced. Jackson holds a current Box Rec world ranking of 114 out of 1244 Middleweight boxers.

The Western Bay pro has rocketed up the Box Rec rankings after solid wins in his last three fights.

Winning the vacant WBO Oriental Middleweight crown in May 2014 and two successful Oriental title defenses against highly-ranked Australian opponents means that promoters view Jackson as a very creditable opponent, with more international assignments likely in the immediate future.