May Ratings

(as of 6/1)

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. Wladimir Klitschko (IBF)
2. James Toney (IBA)
3. Hasim Rahman (WBC)
4. Chris Byrd (WBF)
5. Calvin Brock
6. Nicolay Valuev (WBA)
7. Sergei Lyakhovitch (WBO)
8. Monte Barrett
9. Lamon Brewster
10. Samuel Peter

active: Klitschko, Byrd
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. Vassili Jirov
9. Wayne Braithwaite
10. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBU)

active: Jirov, Aurino (out: Thompson-retired)
Inactive List: Nelson, 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. Jose Luis Herrera

active: Herrera, Gonzalez, Erdei, Woods (out: Griffin-displaced)
Inactive List: Adamek

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

active: Mundine, Green, Veit, Beyer, Bute, Häussler (out: Reid-inactive, Siaca-inactive)

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. Sebastian Sylvester

active: Sylvester, Abraham (out: Tatevosyan-displaced)
Inactive List: Pavlik

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Kassim Ouma
2. Oscar de la Hoya (WBC)
3. Roman Karmazin (IBF)
4. Sergei Dzindziruk (WBO)
5. Ike Quartey
6. Joachim Alcine
7. Fernando Vargas
8. Jose Rivera (WBA)
9. Verno Phillips
10. Alex Garcia

active: de la Hoya, Ouma, Rivera, Garcia, Dzindziruk (out: Mayorga-lost, Rubio-lost)

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

active: Cintron, Hatton, Collazo, Klose (out: Trabant-displaced, Quintana-displaced)

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
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. Rogelio Castaneda (IBA)
10. Ricardo Torres

active: Castaneda, Kotelnik (out: Hatton-moved up)
Inactive List: Witter, Maussa, Torres

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

active: Freitas, Raheem, Julio Diaz (out: Rios-displaced)

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC, WBF)
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Vicente Mosquera (WBA)
4. Rocky Juarez
5. Cassius Baloyi (IBF)
6. Jorge Barrios (WBO)
7. Carlos Hernandez
8. Yodsanan Nanthachai
9. Joan Guzman
10. Robbie Peden

active: Nanthachai, Barrera, Juarez, Mosquera, Barrios, Baloyi, Guzman (out: Raheem-moved up, B Pacquiao-displaced, Arthur-displaced)
Inactive List: Hernandez, Peden

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. Injin Chi (WBF)
7. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
8. Jorge Linares
9. Spend Abazi
10. Nedal Hussein

active: none (out: Guzman-moved up, Juarez-moved up)
Inactive List: Harrison

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1.Israel Vazquez (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. Daniel Ponce de Leon (WBO)

active: Ponce de Leon, Ndlovu (twice) (out: Kimura-displaced)
Inactive List: Guerrero

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

active: Maludrottu, Mabuza, Pacheco, Gonzalez (Morales-displaced)

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. Hawk Makepula
7. Luis Maldonado
8. Cristian Mijares
9. Luis Perez (IBF, WBF)
10. Dimitri Kirilov

active: Montiel (at 118), Mijares, Maldonado, Perez, Kirilov, Navarro (Guerrero-moved up, lost)

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: Narvaez, Wonkongjam

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

active: Vasquez, Dieppa, N Masuda (out: Yamaguchi-inactive)

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

active: Kyowa, Rachman, Calderon (out: Soto-lost, Porpaoin-inactive)
Inactive List: Gejon

World Champions: 9 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2006