February Ratings

(as of 2/28)

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: Brock
Inactive List: Barrett

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. Krzys Wlodarczyk
7. Pietro Aurino
8. Wayne Braithwaite
9. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBU)
10. Carl Thompson

active: none

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Antonio Tarver (IBO, WBF)
2. Glenn Johnson (IBA)
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: Johnson

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: none
Inactive List: Reid

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. David Lopez
9. Sergei Tatevosyan
10. Kelly Pavlik

active: Lopez
Inactive List: Tatevosyan

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

active: Alcine, Vargas
Inactive List: Phillips

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

active: Mosley, Margarito, Trabant, Quintana (out: Gomez-lost)

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

active: Bazan (out: Tszyu-inactive)

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. Aldo Rios

active: Castillo, Casamayor (out: Lazcano-moved up)
Inactive List: Julio Diaz

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

active: Mosquera s

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 (WBF)
9. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
10. Frank Archuleta

active: Soto

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: Nishioka, Fukuhara, Caballero

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. Poonsawat Kratingdangym
8. Wladimir Sidorenko (WBA)
9. Genaro Garcia
10. Cesar Morales

active: Gonzalez, Morales (out: Carbajal-inactive)
Inactive List: Garcia

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

active: Tokuyama, Navarro

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. Daigo Nakahiro

active: Wonkongjam, Alvarez, Naito, Nakahiro (out: Kelly-displaced)

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: Viloria
Inactive List: Yamaguchi

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

active: Calderon (out: Rachman-inactive)
Inactive List: Porpaoin

World Champions: 9 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2006