2005 is turning out to be 'The Year That Was' in world boxing.

Earlier in the year fight fans were treated to some cracking scraps including Marco Antonio Barrera - Erik Morales III, Morales - Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins - Howard Eastman.

Then as spring turned to summer things began to heat up further as Ronald 'Winky' Wright justified my Pound-for-pound faith in him by schooling modern great Felix Trinidad.

Wright put on a pugilistic masterclass to easily outpoint Trinidad, whose only offensive punch of significance it seemed was when the pair touched gloves at the start.

'Tito' promptly retired (again) as a result, while Wright can now look forward to more huge paydays against the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Jermaine Taylor or Oscar De La Hoya.

Wright is a real pro's pro, a defensive master who has served his time in the trade and who is now reaping the fiscal rewards.

Yet while I enjoyed Wright-Trinidad immensely, the fight of the year for me has to be Diego Corrales' explosive war with Jose Luis Castillo.

Corrales' miraculous come from behind win over Castillo when, half blind, he would stop the Mexican native after being floored heavily himself twice in the 10th, was the stuff of legend.

It is easily one of the five best fights I have ever seen, up there with Benn-McClellan, Barrera-Morales I, Trinidad-Vargas and Hagler-Hearns for sheer ferocity.

Indeed, it was the type of fight that makes Rocky Balboa-Apollo Creed I look tame in comparison.

Showtime Executive Jay Larkin, whose network televised the fight, was left in no doubt.

"This wasn't the Fight of the Year, it's Fight of the Decade.

"I've never seen a fight like this."

He has a point.

For all the brutal electricity of Hagler-Hearns, that bout was over within nine, short minutes.

This fight was boxed at a hyper intensive pace throughout.

It was pure toe-to-toe savagery.

The win catapults lightweight ruler Corrales into our 'P-4-P' elite, and he could next be up against another ring warrior who has gatecrashed the 'pound-for-pound' party.

Few outside of his native Manchester (myself included), gave Ricky Hatton much of a chance of beating the wonderfully talented and savage-punching Kostya Tszyu recently.

Yet he didn't only beat 'The Thunder From Down Under', he dominated him.

I have not seen a performance of such heart and intensity from a British fighter for many a long year, and despite having a significant wager on Tszyu to win the fight, I could not help but roar on Hatton as it became apparent just how well he was doing.

Make no mistake about it, Tszyu was a bona fide world champion, the best in his division and one of the best ever at the weight.

Yet Hatton would not give him any respite, ripping into the Russian-Australian like a Bulldog with boxing gloves on (ironically similar to the tatoo Hatton has on his left arm).

Hatton, for so long lambasted in the media for being over-protected, went toe-to-toe with the very best the division had to offer and covered himself in glory.

Manchester's finest had always said that he was willing to fight the best and promotor Frank Warren always claimed Ricky would get the big fight he craved "when the time was right".

Both were vindicated on the night, and a new British sporting superstar was born.

A fight against Corrales would be X-Rated stuff.

Corrales is a thrilling, come-forward fighter with a monster punch, but as Castillo showed he remains very vulnerable defensively.

Hatton too loves a tear-up but can be tagged.

Both men are immensely proud warriors, and you simply can't see the fight being anything other that a festival of hostility.

As for Tszyu, until his future plans become clear he remains in the lower ecehlons of our list.

For while this great champion was soundly beaten by the better man on the night, anyone with his punch and ring skills simply cannot be written off.

And the summer sizzlers keep on coming.

Further down the line there is the small matter of Glen Johnson-Antonio Tarver II, Arturo Gatti-Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor.

I feel vindicated for keeping Morales so high on the list.

The amount of emails I had from bitter Filipinos in the build up to Morales-Pacquiao was nobody's business.

The Mexican proved me right with a truly masterful display.

Antonio Margarito also proved himself to be the real deal at welterwight by blowing away the touted Kermit Cintron recently.

Margarito is criminally under-rated, but proved once more how much of a class act he is by dropping the highly regarded Cinton four times in five rounds.

Margarito just misses out on making the latest Top 10, but as sure as Tuesday follows Monday he is knocking on the door.

Sportinglife.com Pound-for-Pound World Top Ten:

1= - Bernard Hopkins

1= - Floyd Mayweather

3 - Ronald 'Winky' Wright

4 - Juan Manuel Marquez

5 - Erik Morales

6 - Marco Antonio Barrera

7 - Ricky Hatton

8 - Diego Corrales

9 - Kostya Tszyu

10 - Manny Pacquiao

Honourable mentions: Glen Johnson, Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Antonio Margarito, Oscar Larios and Silence Mabuza.