March Ratings

(as of 3/26)

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
4. Hasim Rahman
5. Chris Byrd
6. Nicolay Valuev (WBA)
7. James Toney
8. Tony Thompson
9. Ruslan Chagaev
10. Luan Krasniqi

active: Thompson, Klitschko, Krasniqi (out: Brewster-inactive)

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

active: Mormeck, Bell, Gurov, Banks, Aurino (out: Jirov-inactive)

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

active: Dawson, Adamek
Inactive List: Jones

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

active: Mundine, Kessler, Inkin (out: Andrade-lost)

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

active: Miranda (out: Soliman-moved up)
Inactive List: Abraham, Mora

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Oscar de la Hoya (WBC)
2. Sergiy Dzinziruk (WBO)
3. Cory Spinks (IBF)
4. Roman Karmazin
5. Verno Phillips
6. Joachim Alcine
7. Travis Simms (WBA)
8. Vernon Forrest
9. Sechew Powell
10. Zaurbek Baysangurov

active: Spinks, Powell, Phillips (out: Garcia-inactive, Jones-lost)
Inactive List: Baysangurov

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

active: Mosley, Cotto (out: Urkal-lost, Collazo-lost)

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Ricky Hatton
1. Vivian Harris
2. Junior Witter (WBC)
3. Jose Luis Castillo
4. Souleyman M'baye (WBA)
5. Andreas Kotelnik
6. Demetrius Hopkins
7. Steve Forbes (IBA 135)
8. Henry Bruseles
9. Kendall Holt
10. Ricardo Torres (WBO)

active: Harris, M'baye, Kotelnik, Hopkins, Forbes (out: Castaneda-displaced)

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

active: Julio Diaz, Campbell (out: Cherry-moved up)

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

active: Marquez, Barrera, Juarez, Soto (out: Klaussen-displaced)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Chris John (WBA)
2. Injin Chi (WBC)
3. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
4. Jorge Linares
5. Robert Guerrero (IBF)
6. Hiroyuki Enoki
7. Orlando Salido
8. Oscar Larios
9. Nedal Hussein
10. Martin Honorio

active: Guerrero, Linares, John, Enoki (out: Marquez-moved up, Abazi-lost)

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

active: Marquez, Vazquez, Ponce de Leon, Carbajal, Caballero, Penalosa, Sithchatchawai (out: Kimura-displaced)

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
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. Tshifhiwa Munyai
10. Ricardo Cordoba

active: Sidorenko, Cordoba, Maludrottu, Vorapin (out: Marquez-moved up, Penalosa-moved up)

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

active: Montiel, Gorres (out: Tokuyama-retired, Posuwan-displaced)
Inactive List: Castillo, Perez, Kirilov

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

active: Darchinyan, Narvaez, Asloum, Sakata (out: Segura-moved down)
Inactive List: Hussein

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

active: Reyes, Dieppa, Segura (out: Burgos-moved up, Viloria-displaced)

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: none

World Champions: 9 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2007