January Ratings

(as of 1/31)

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. Oleg Maskaev (WBC)
3. Samuel Peter (IBA)
4. Hasim Rahman
5. Chris Byrd
6. Nicolay Valuev (WBA)
7. James Toney
8. Tony Thompson
9. Ruslan Chagaev
10. Lamon Brewster

active: Peter, Toney, Valuev
Inactive List: Byrd, Brewster

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: O’Neill Bell (WBC)
1. Jean-Marc Mormeck
2. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (IBF)
3. Steve Cunningham
4. Enzo Maccarinelli
5. Pietro Aurino
6. David Haye
7. Johnathan Banks
8. Vassili Jirov
9. Firat Arslan
10. Vincenzo Cantatore

active: Aurino (out: Brown-lost)
Inactive List: Jirov

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

active: Erdei, Green
Inactive List: Tarver, Jones

Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Champion: Joe Calzaghe (WBO)
1. Mikkel Kessler (WBA, WBC)
2. Anthony Mundine
3. Lucian Bute
4. Jeff Lacy
5. Librado Andrade
6. Danilo Häussler
7. Peter Manfredo
8. Rudy Markussen
9. Denis Inkin
10. Vitali Tsypko

active: Häussler, Bute (out: Tatevosyan-lost)

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

active: Miranda, Pavlik, Asikainen

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Oscar de la Hoya (WBC)
2. Sergei Dzindziruk (WBO)
3. Cory Spinks (IBF)
4. Roman Karmazin
5. Verno Phillips
6. Joachim Alcine
7. Alex Garcia
8. Travis Simms (WBA)
9. Vernon Forrest
10. Rodney Jones

active: Karmazin, Simms (out: Rivera-lost)
Inactive List: Garcia

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

active: none

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Ricky Hatton (IBF)
1. Vivian Harris
2. Junior Witter (WBC)
3. Jose Luis Castillo
4. Demetrius Hopkins
5. Souleyman M'baye (WBA)
6. Andreas Kotelnik
7. Henry Bruseles
8. Kendall Holt
9. Ricardo Torres (WBO)
10. Rogelio Castaneda

active: Hatton, Bruseles, Castillo, Witter

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Joel Casamayor (WBC)
2. Juan Diaz (WBA)
3. Zahir Raheem
4. Julio Diaz
5. Nate Campbell
6. Aldo Rios
7. Edner Cherry
8. Yuri Romanov
9. David Diaz
10. Almazbek Raiymkulov

active: Raheem, Raiymkulov (out: Zegan-displaced)

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Manny Pacquiao
2. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBC)
3. Joan Guzman (WBO)
4. Jorge Barrios
5. Humberto Soto
6. Yodsanan Nanthachai
7. Bobby Pacquiao
8. Rocky Juarez
9. Edwin Valero (WBA)
10. Alex Arthur

active: Guzman, Valero (out: Klaussen-displaced)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Chris John (WBA)
2. Juan Manuel Marquez
3. Injin Chi (WBC)
4. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
5. Jorge Linares
6. Hiroyuki Enoki
7. Orlando Salido
8. Robert Guerrero
9. Spend Abazi
10. Oscar Larios

active: Chi, Mashaba (out: Soto-moved up)

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

active: none

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
6. Wladimir Sidorenko (WBA)
7. Veeraphol Sahaprom
8. Manabu Fukushima
9. Gerry Penalosa
10. Tshifhiwa Munyai

active: Munyai (out: Pacheco-displaced)

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Masamori Tokuyama
1. Jorge Arce
2. Cristian Mijares (WBC)
3. Fernando Montiel (WBO)
4. Jose Navarro
5. Nobuo Nashiro (WBA)
6. Martin Castillo
7. Luis Perez
8. Dimitri Kirilov
9. Chatchai Sasakul
10. Pramuansak Posuwan

active: Arce, Mijares, Sasakul (out: Kawashima-lost)
Inactive List: Castillo, Perez, Kirilov

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Pongsaklek Wonkongjam (WBC)
1. Vic Darchinyan (IBF, IBO)
2. Omar Narvaez (WBO)
3. Brahim Asloum
4. Daisuke Naito
5. Roberto Vasquez (WBA)
6. Mhikiza Myekeni
7. Denkaosan Kaovichit
8. Giovanni Segura (IBA)
9. Hussein Hussein
10. Jose Lopez

active: Wonkongjam, Lopez

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: Hugo Cazares (WBO)
1. Ulises Solis (IBF)
2. Wandee Singwancha
3. Victor Burgos
4. Nobuaki Masuda
5. Koki Kameda
6. Nelson Dieppa
7. Juanito Rubillar
8. Omar Nino
9. Jose Antonio Aguirre
10. Brian Viloria

active: Kameda, Solis

Strawweights (105 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Ivan Calderon (WBO)
2. Eagle Kyowa (WBC)
3. Muhammad Rachman (IBF)
4. Katsunari Takayama
5. Omar Soto
6. Teruo Misawa
7. Jun Kaneda
8. Lorenzo Trejo
9. Oleydong Sithsamerchai
10. Pornsuwan Porpramook

active: Misawa, Rachman (out: Kogumazaka-lost)

World Champions: 10 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2007