March Ratings

(as of 4/10)

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. Hasim Rahman (WBC)
4. Wladimir Klitschko
5. Calvin Brock
6. Nicolay Valuev (WBA)
7. Monte Barrett
8. Sergei Lyakhovitch (WBO)
9. Lamon Brewster
10. Samuel Peter

active: Toney, Rahman, Lyakhovitch, Brewster (out: Maskaev-displaced)
Inactive List: Barrett

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: O’Neill Bell (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: Wlodarczyk, Maccarinelli
Inactive List: Braithwaite

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Antonio Tarver (IBO, WBF)
2. Glen 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: Griffin, Ulrich

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

active: Calzaghe, Lacy, Andrade (out: Grant-lost)
Inactive List: Reid

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

active: Sturm, Miranda, Abraham, Soliman (out: Eastman-lost)

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: Phillips

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

active: Mayweather, Judah
Inactive List: Urkal

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. Ricardo Torres
10. Rogelio Castaneda (IBA)

active: Hopkins, Cotto (out: Branco-lost)
Inactive List: Torres

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. Isaac Hlatshwayo (IBO)
9. Julio Diaz
10. Aldo Rios

active: Hlatshwayo (twice), Rios, Juan Diaz, Zegan (out: Campbell-lost)
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: Nanthachai, Arthur

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

active: John, Marquez, Mashaba, Linares (out: Archuleta-displaced)

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

active: Sithchatchawai, Kimura (out: Monshipour-retired)

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

active: Sidorenko, Hasegawa, Sahaprom, 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. Hawk Makepula
8. Luis Maldonado
9. Luis Perez (IBF, WBF)
10. Cristian Mijares

active: Makepula (twice), Kawashima, Guerrero

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

active: Arce, Darchinyan, Lopez (out: Alvarez-lost, Nakahiro-displaced)

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

active: Solis, Rubillar
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. Katsunari Takayama
10. Chana Porpaoin

active: Niida
Inactive List: Gejon, Porpaoin

World Champions: 10 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2006