August Ratings

(as of 8/28)

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

active: Maskaev, Rahman (out: Thompson-displaced)

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: O’Neill Bell (WBC)
1. Jean-Marc Mormeck
2. Steve Cunningham
3. Johnny Nelson (WBO)
4. Krzys Wlodarczyk
5. Pietro Aurino
6. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBU)
7. Vassili Jirov
8. Dale Brown
9. Johnathan Banks
10. David Haye

active: Aurino (out: Jones-inactive)

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Glen Johnson (IBA)
2. Clinton Woods (IBF)
3. Antonio Tarver
4. Tomasz Adamek (WBC)
5. Roy Jones
6. Julio Gonzalez
7. Paul Briggs
8. Chad Dawson
9. Silvio Branco
10. Stipe Drews

active: none (out: Herrera-lost)

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: none

Middleweights (160 lbs)
Champion: Jermain Taylor (WBC, WBO)
1. Winky Wright
2.Alex Abraham (IBF)
3. Sam Soliman
4. Edison Miranda
5. Kelly Pavlik
6. David Lopez
7. Javier Castillejo (WBA)
8. Felix Sturm
9. Amin Asikainen
10. Sergio Mora

active: Mora (out: Ikeke-inactive)

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

active: Quartey, Ouma, Phillips

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: Carlos Baldomir (WBC)
1. Antonio Margarito (WBO)
2. Shane Mosley
3. Floyd Mayweather (IBO)
4. Ricky Hatton (WBA)
5. Oktay Urkal
6. Luis Collazo
7. Zab Judah
8. Kermit Cintron
9. Carlos Quintana
10. Paul Williams

active: Williams (out: Klose-displaced)

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Miguel Cotto (WBO)
2. Vivian Harris
3. Junior Witter
4. Jose Luis Castillo
5. Souleyman M'baye
6. Andreas Kotelnik
7. Rogelio Castaneda (IBA)
8. Demetrius Hopkins
9. Henry Bruseles
10. Ricardo Torres

active: none

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Diego Corrales (WBC)
2. Acelino Freitas (WBO)
3. Juan Diaz (WBA)
4. Zahir Raheem
5. Joel Casamayor
6.Isaac Hlatshwayo (IBO)
7. Julio Diaz
8. Matt Zegan
9. Aldo Rios
10. Edner Cherry

active: Cherry (out: Chavez-inactive)

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC)
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Jorge Barrios (WBO)
4. Rocky Juarez
5. Carlos Hernandez
6. Yodsanan Nanthachai
7. Joan Guzman
8. Bobby Pacquiao
9. Edwin Valero (WBA)
10. Gairy St. Clair (IBF, IBO)

active: Valero (out: Mosquera-lost)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Chris John (WBA)
2. Juan Manuel Marquez
3. Scott Harrison (WBO)
4. Humberto Soto
5. Injin Chi
6. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
7. Jorge Linares
8. Robert Guerrero
9. Spend Abazi
10. Nedal Hussein

active: Marquez, Soto

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1.Israel Vazquez (WBC)
2. Celestino Caballero
3. Somsak Sithchatchawai (WBA)
4. Takalani Ndlovu (IBO)
5. Daniel Ponce de Leon (WBO)
6. Toshiaki Nishioka
7. Shiji Kimura
8. Michael Hunter
9. Daisuke Yamanaka
10. Al Seeger

active: none (out: Guerrero-inactive)
Inactive List: Nishioka

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

active: Marquez, Mabuza, Maludrottu, Sahaprom, Vorapin

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

active: none
Inactive List: Muñoz

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

active: Narvaez, Segura (out: Lopez-displaced)

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Hugo Cazares (WBO)
2. Roberto Vasquez
3. Nelson Dieppa
4. Ulises Solis (IBF)
5. Victor Burgos
6. Nobuaki Masuda
7. Wandee Singwancha
8. Juanito Rubillar
9. Koki Kameda (WBA)
10. Omar Nino (WBC)

active: Kameda, Solis, Nino (out: Viloria-lost, Kayo-displaced)

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. Omar Soto
8. Jun Kaneda
9. Teruo Misawa
10. Oleydong Sithsamerchai

active: Kogumazaka, Misawa (out: Landaeta-moved up)

World Champions: 9 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2006