January Ratings

(as of 2/2)

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 200 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. James Toney (IBA)
2. Chris Byrd (IBF, WBF)
3. Lamon Brewster (WBO)
4. Hasim Rahman (WBC)
5. Wladimir Klitschko
6. Calvin Brock
7. Monte Barrett
8. Nicolay Valuev (WBA)
9. Samuel Peter
10. Oleg Maskaev

active: none

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: O’Neill Bell (IBF, WBC)
1. Jean-Marc Mormeck
2. Dale Brown
3. Steve Cunningham
4. Guillermo Jones
5. Johnny Nelson (WBO)
6. Pietro Aurino
7. Krzys Wlodarczyk
8. Wayne Braithwaite
9. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBU)
10. Carl Thompson (IBO)

active: none
Inactive List: Aurino

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Antonio Tarver (IBO, WBF)
2. Glenn Johnson
3. Clinton Woods (IBF)
4. Tomasz Adamek (WBC)
5. Roy Jones
6. Julio Gonzalez
7. Eric Harding
8. Thomas Ulrich
9. Paul Briggs
10. Montell Griffin

active: none (out: Tiozzo-inactive)

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

active: Kessler, Markussen (twice), Beyer (out: Andrade-inactive)

Middleweights (160 lbs)
Champion: Jermain Taylor (WBC, WBO, IBC, WBF)
1. Winky Wright
2. Bernard Hopkins
3. Alex Abraham (IBF)
4. Felix Sturm
5. Sam Soliman
6. Kingsley Ikeke
7. Howard Eastman
8. Sergei Tatevosyan
9. David Lopez
10. Kelly Pavlik

active: none
Inactive List: Tatevosyan

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Roman Karmazin (IBF)
2. Kassim Ouma
3. Sergei Dzindziruk (WBO)
4. Fernando Vargas
5. Ike Quartey
6. Joachim Alcine
7. Verno Phillips
8. Alex Garcia (WBA)
9. Ricardo Mayorga (WBC)
10. Marco Antonio Rubio

active: Ouma, Rubio (out: Jones-displaced)
Inactive List: Karmazin, Phillips

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: Carlos Baldomir (WBC)
1. Antonio Margarito (WBO)
2. Zab Judah (IBF, WBF)
3. Floyd Mayweather
4. Shane Mosley
5. Manuel Gomez
6. Oktay Urkal
7. Arturo Gatti (IBA, WBF 140)
8. Luis Collazo (WBA)
9. Frederic Klose
10. Michel Trabant

active: Gatti (out: Spinks-inactive, Damgaard-lost)
Inactive List: Klose

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Ricky Hatton (IBF, WBA, WBU)
1. Kostya Tszyu
2. Miguel Cotto (WBO)
3. Junior Witter
4. Carlos Maussa
5. Vivian Harris
6. Cesar Bazan
7. Souleyman Mbaye
8. Andreas Kotelnik
9. Demetrius Hopkins
10. Gianluca Branco

active: Harris
Inactive List: Tszyu

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Jose Luis Castillo
2. Diego Corrales (WBC, WBO, WBF)
3. Juan Diaz (WBA)
4. Acelino Freitas
5. Joel Casamayor
6. Jesus Chavez (IBF)
7. Matt Zegan
8. Julio Diaz
9. Nate Campbell
10. Juan Lazcano

active: Campbell

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC, IBF, WBF)
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Zahir Raheem
4. Carlos Hernandez
5. Vicente Mosquera (WBA)
6. Yodsanan Nanthachai
7. Robbie Peden
8. Jorge Barrios (WBO)
9. Bobby Pacquiao
10. Alex Arthur

active: Pacquiao (out: Morales-lost)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Juan Manuel Marquez
2. Scott Harrison (WBO)
3. Humberto Soto
4. Chris John (WBA)
5. Joan Guzman
6. Rocky Juarez
7. Takashi Koshimoto (WBC)
8. Injin Chi
9. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
10. Frank Archuleta

active: Koshimoto, Chi, Juarez (out: Abazi-inactive)
Inactive List: Archuleta

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Mahyar Monshipour (WBA)
2. Israel Vazquez (IBF, WBC)
3. Oscar Larios (WBF)
4. Celestino Caballero
5. Manabu Fukushima
6. Takalani Ndlovu
7. Armando Guerrero
8. Toshiaki Nishioka
9. Rikiya Fukuhara
10. Shiji Kimura

active: none
Inactive List: Monshipour

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: Rafael Marquez (IBF, IBO, WBF)
1. Jhonny Gonzalez (WBO)
2. Silence Mabuza (IBO)
3. Hozumi Hasegawa (WBC)
4. Veeraphol Sahaprom
5. Ratanachai Sor Vorapin
6. Simone Maludrottu
7. Genaro Garcia
8. Cruz Carbajal
9. Poonsawat Kratingdangym
10. Wladimir Sidorenko (WBA)

active: none
Inactive List: Garcia, Carbajal

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Masamori Tokuyama (WBC)
1. Katsushige Kawashima
2. Martin Castillo (WBA)
3. Jose Navarro
4. Fernando Montiel (WBO)
5. Gerson Guerrero
6. Alex Muñoz
7. Luis Maldonado
8. Luis Perez (IBF, WBF)
9. Hawk Makepula
10. Cristian Mijares

active: Kawashima, Castillo, Muñoz (out: Lukchaopormasak-lost)
Inactive List: Guererro, Perez

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Pongsaklek Wonkongjam (WBC)
1. Jorge Arce
2. Lorenzo Parra (WBA, NBA)
3. Vic Darchinyan (IBF, IBO, WBF)
4. Omar Narvaez (WBO)
5. Rosendo Alvarez
6. Mhikiza Myekeni
7. Brahim Asloum
8. Daisuke Naito
9. Denkaosan Kaovichit
10. Damien Kelly (IBO)

active: Kaovichit, Arce (out: Rivas-lost)

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Hugo Cazares (WBO)
2. Roberto Vasquez (WBA)
3. Juanito Rubillar
4. Nelson Dieppa
5. Victor Burgos
6. Brian Viloria (WBC)
7. Nobuaki Masuda
8. Ulises Solis (IBF)
9. Shingo Yamaguchi
10. Munetsugu Kayo

active: Kayo (out: T Masuda-lost)

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

active: Kyowa
Inactive List: Rachman, Porpaoin

World Champions: 9 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2006