November Ratings

(as of 11/24)

I’ve been doing these monthly ratings since 1983. There are 3 criteria I use to rate fighters:

•Quality of Opposition

•Performance

•Activity

I am not ranking the best from 1 to 10; rather, this is to see who deserves a title shot. I rate all 18 divisions, a time-consuming activity to say the least. Therefore, commentary only appears every 3rd month.

Some mistakingly think the Champion in each division is the guy who I think is the best. This is not the case. There are 2 criteria by which I determine Champions: the 1st is lineage (The Man who beat The Man who beat The Man); and the 2nd is defeating another fighter also ranked in the top 3 in the division.

“Inactive List” is for fighters who have not fought in 6 or more months. It may mean that he is or will be dropping in the ratings due to his inactivity. It is unfair to other fighters for a guy to sit on his rating. If a fighter has a fight scheduled or is injured, I try to take this into consideration.

I do not recognize “Super Champions” or other such nonsense. If the WBA wants to take its world title recognition from a fighter, then it has stripped him as far as I’m concerned.

Heavyweights (over 195 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Vitali Klitschko (WBC)
2. Chris Byrd (IBF)
3. James Toney (IBA)
4. John Ruiz (WBA)
5. Andrew Golota
6. Hasim Rahman
7. Lamon Brewster (WBO)
8. Lance Whitaker
9. Monte Barrett
10. Dominick Guinn

active: Byrd, Golota, Ruiz, McCline, Rahman (out: McCline-lost)

Crusierweights (195 lbs)
Champion: Jean-Marc Mormeck (WBA)
1. Wayne Braithwaite (WBC)
2. Johnny Nelson (WBO)
3. O’Neill Bell
4. Carl Thompson (IBO)
5. Kelvin Davis (IBF)
6. Pietro Aurino
7. Guillermo Jones
8. Virgil Hill
9. Dale Brown
10. Vincenzo Cantatore

active: Brown
Inactive List: Hill

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Antonio Tarver (WBC, IBO)
2. Glenn Johnson (IBF)
3. Julio Gonzalez
4. Thomas Ulrich
5. Paul Briggs
6. Fabrice Tiozzo (WBA)
7. Clinton Woods
8. Medhi Sahnoune
9. Rico Hoye
10. Montell Griffin

active: Woods, Sahnoune

Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Joe Calzaghe (WBO)
2. Danny Green
3. Mikkel Kessler (WBA)
4. Robin Reid (IBO)
5. Mads Larsen
6. Anthony Mundine
7. Mario Veit
8. Rudy Markussen
9. Jeff Lacy (IBF)
10. Markus Beyer (WBC)

active: Calzaghe, Veit, Kessler (out: Siaca-lost)
Inactive List: Larsen

Middleweights (160 lbs)
Champion: Bernard Hopkins (IBF, WBC, WBO)
1. Howard Eastman
2. Felix Trinidad
3. Felix Sturm
4. Oscar de la Hoya
5. Sam Soliman
6. Kingsley Ikeke
7. Maselino Masoe (WBA)
8. Raymond Joval
9. Sergei Tatevosyan
10. David Lopez (IBA)

active: Ikeke, Soliman
Inactive List: Masoe

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: Winky Wright (WBC)
1. Kassim Ouma (IBF)
2. Daniel Santos (WBO)
3. Antonio Margarito (WBO 147)
4. Shane Mosley
5. Verno Phillips
6. Javier Castillejo
7. Keith Holmes
8. Sergei Dzindziruk
9. Sergio Martinez (IBO)
10. Travis Simms (WBA)

active: Wright, Mosley, Dzindziruk, Phillips (out: Kodzoev-displaced)
Inactive List: Holmes, Martinez

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: Cory Spinks (WBC, IBF)
1. Zab Judah
2. Michele Piccirillo
3. Kermit Cintron
4. Thomas Damgaard
5. Cosme Rivera
6. Manuel Gomez
7. Rafael Piñeda
8. Frederic Klose
9. David Barnes
10. Ernesto Zavala

active: Barnes (out: Khaliq-inactive)
Inactive List: Damgaard, Piñeda

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Kostya Tszyu (IBF)
1. Arturo Gatti (WBC)
2. Floyd Mayweather
3. Vivian Harris (WBA)
4. Miguel Cotto (WBO)
5. James Leija
6. Ricky Hatton (WBU)
7. Demarcus Corley
8. Henry Bruseles
9. Francisco Bojado
10. Souleyman Mbaye

active: Harris, Bruseles, Tszyu, Mbaye (out: Mitchell-lost, Urkal-lost, Valenzuela-inactive)

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: Jose Luis Castillo (WBC)
1. Diego Corrales (WBO)
2. Juan Diaz (WBA)
3. Julio Diaz (IBF)
4. Juan Lazcano
5. Acelino Freitas
6. Matt Zegan (WBF)
7. Stefano Zoff
8. Aldo Rios
9. Michael Clark
10. Javier Jauregui

active: Juan Diaz, Rios, Zoff (out: Cook-lost)

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Erik Morales (WBC)
2. Joel Casamayor
3. Carlos Hernandez
4. Yodsanan Nanthachai (WBA)
5. Robbie Peden
6. Jesus Chavez
7. Cassius Baloyi (IBO)
8. David Santos
9. Janos Nagy
10. Daniel Seda

active: Baloyi
Inactive List: Chavez, Santos

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: Manny Pacquiao
1. Juan Manuel Marquez (IBF, WBA)
2. Marco Antonio Barrera
3. Scott Harrison (WBO)
4. Injin Chi (WBC)
5. Rocky Juarez
6. Zahir Raheem
7. Chris John (WBA)
8. Frank Archuleta
9. Johnny Tapia
10. Hector Velazquez

active: Archuleta, Harrison
Inactive List: Tapia

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Oscar Larios (WBC)
2. Joan Guzman (WBO)
3. Israel Vazquez (IBF)
4. Mahyar Monshipour (WBA)
5. Manabu Fukushima
6. Shigeru Nakazato
7. Jorge Lacierva
8. Jose Luis Valbuena
9. Shiji Kimura
10. Yoshikase Nakajima

active: Guzman, Monshipour, Fukushima, Lacierva (out: Sithyodthong-lost)
Inactive List: Valbuena

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Rafael Marquez (IBF)
2. Veeraphol Sahaprom (WBC)
3. Ratanachai Sor Vorapin (WBO)
4. Silence Mabuza (IBO)
5. Genaro Garcia
6. Cruz Carbajal
7. Jhonny Gonzalez
8. Simone Maludrottu
9. Diego Morales
10. Frederic Patrac

active: Vorapin, Mabuza, Garcia, Gonzalez, Maludrottu
Inactive List: Carbajal

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Katsushige Kawashima (WBC)
1. Masamori Tokuyama
2. Luis Perez (IBF)
3. Ivan Hernandez (WBO)
4. Mark Johnson
5. Fernando Montiel
6. Martin Castillo
7. Jose Navarro (IBA)
8. Eric Morel
9. Gerson Guerrero
10. Medgoen Lukchaopormasak

active: Navarro, Lukchaopormasak (out: Booth-inactive)
Inactive List: Perez, Morel

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (WBC)
1. Omar Narvaez (WBO)
2. Vic Darchinyan
3. Brahim Asloum
4. Mzukisi Sikali (IBO)
5. Lorenzo Parra (WBA)
6. Hussein Hussein
7. Jose Lopez
8. Luis Maldonado
9. Takefumi Sakata
10. Mhikiza Myekeni

active: Narvaez, Asloum
Inactive List: Darchinyan

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: Jorge Arce (WBC)
1. Jose Victor Burgos (IBF)
2. Rosendo Alvarez
3. Hugo Cazares
4. Nelson Dieppa (WBO)
5. Juanito Rubillar
6. Bebis Mendoza
7. Shingo Yamaguchi
8. Phichit Siriwat
9. Nobuaki Masuda
10. Erik Ortiz

active: Siriwat
Inactive List: Burgos

Strawweights (105 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Eagle Akakura (WBC)
2. Ivan Calderon (WBO)
3. Yutaka Niida (WBA)
4.Muhammad Rachman (IBF)
5. Jose Aguirre
6. Daniel Reyes
7. Juan Landaeta
8. Chana Porpaoin
9. Rodel Mayol
10. Junichiro Kaneda

active: Niida, Landaeta (out: Arambulet-moved up)

World Champions: 12 (of 17)