February Ratings

(as of 2/27)

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: 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. Monte Barrett
9. Lance Whitaker
10. Jameel McCline

active: Barrett
Inactive List: Whitaker

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. Dale Brown
9. Vincenzo Cantatore
10. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBU)

active: Maccarinelli, Jones, Brown (out: Hill-inactive)
Inactive List: Davis, Cantatore

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

active: Erdei, Tiozzo, Griffin

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

active: Mundine, Reid

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

active: Hopkins, Eastman, Soliman, Tatevosyan, Taylor, Joval, Ikeke (out: Lopez-lost)
Inactive List: Masoe

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

active: Ouma, Martinez, Linton (out: Margarito-moved down)

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

active: Judah, Spinks, Margarito, Rivera, Barnes (out: Damgaard-inactive)
Inactive List: Klose, Piñeda

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Kostya Tszyu (IBF)
1. Arturo Gatti (WBC)
2. Floyd Mayweather
3. Miguel Cotto (WBO)
4. Vivian Harris (WBA)
5. Ricky Hatton (WBU)
6. Junior Witter
7. Ernesto Zepeda
8. Cesar Bazan
9. Francisco Bojado
10. Souleyman Mbaye

active: Cotto, Mayweather, Gatti, Zepeda, Bazan, Witter (out: Leija-retired, Corley-lost, Bruseles-lost)

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

active: Juan Diaz, Jauregui (out: Clark-inactive)

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC)
2. Erik Morales
3. Carlos Hernandez
4. Robbie Peden (IBF)
5. Yodsanan Nanthachai (WBA)
6. Cassius Baloyi (IBO)
7. Janos Nagy
8. Daniel Seda
9. Lehlo Ledwaba
10. Jorge Barrios

active: Peden

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

active: Harrison, Chi, Tapia, Velazquez

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: 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. Shiji Kimura
9. Adrian Valdez
10. Toshiaki Nishioka

active: Larios, Vazquez, Valdez (Valbuena-inactive, Nakajima-lost)

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

active: Vorapin, Sahaprom, Gonzalez

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

active: Kawashima, Navarro, Morel, Lukchaopormasak (out: Peñalosa-displaced)

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (WBC)
1. Vic Darchinyan (IBF)
2. Omar Narvaez (WBO)
3. Brahim Asloum
4. Mzukisi Sikali (IBO)
5. Lorenzo Parra (WBA, NBA)
6. Hussein Hussein
7. Jose Lopez
8. Mhikiza Myekeni
9. Daisuke Naito
10. Denkaosan Kaovichit

active: Wonjongkam, Parra, Hussein, Kaovichit (out: Sakata-inactive, Maldonado-moved up)

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

active: Dieppa, Yamaguchi, Cazares, Masuda
Inactive List: Burgos

Strawweights (105 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Ivan Calderon (WBO)
2. Yutaka Niida (WBA, NBA)
3. Muhammad Rachman (IBF)
4. Eagle Akakura
5. Juan Landaeta
6. Chana Porpaoin
7. Satoshi Kogumazaka
8. Rodel Mayol
9. Omar Soto
10. Isaac Bustos (WBC)

active: Soto (out: Reyes-lost)

World Champions: 11 (of 17)