December Ratings

(as of 12/31)

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. Hasim Rahman
4. Samuel Peter
5. Tony Thompson
6. Alexander Povetkin
7. Ruslan Chagaev (WBA)
8. Sultan Ibragimov (WBO)
9. Nicolay Valuev
10. Eddie Chambers

active: Rahman

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: David Haye (WBC)
1. Steve Cunningham (IBF)
2. Jean-Marc Mormeck
3. Enzo Maccarinelli (WBO)
4. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
5. Firat Arslan
6. Johnny Jensen
7. Johnathan Banks
8. Yoan Hernandez
9. Giacobbe Fragomeni
10. Marco Huck

active: Arslan, Jensen, Cunningham, Huck, Banks, Hernandez, Fragomeni (out: Bell-inactive, Aurino-inactive, Cantatore-lost)

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Clinton Woods (IBF)
2. Glen Johnson
3. Chad Dawson (WBC)
4. Bernard Hopkins
5. Antonio Tarver (IBO)
6. Danny Green (WBA)
7. Adrian Diaconu
8. Julio Gonzalez
9. Antonio Brancalion
10. Silvio Branco

active: Erdei, Tarver, Green (out: Briggs-inactive, Drews-lost)
Inactive List: Diaconu

Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Champion: Joe Calzaghe (WBO, WBC)
1. Anthony Mundine (WBA)
2. Vitali Tsypko
3. Lucian Bute (IBF)
4. Mikkel Kessler
5. Carl Froch
6. Denis Inkin
7. Jürgen Brähmer
8. Christian Sanavia
9. Jean Pascal
10. Sakio Bika

active: Sanavia, Mundine, Inkin, Pascal

Middleweights (160 lbs)
Champion: Kelly Pavlik (WBC, WBO)
1. Arthur Abraham (IBF)
2. Jermain Taylor
3. David Lopez
4. Felix Sturm (WBA)
5. Sebastian Sylvester
6. Amin Asikainen
7. Giovanni Lorenzo
8. Khoren Gevor
9. Javier Castillejo
10. Sergio Mora

active: Castillejo, Abraham, Lopez, Gevor, Lorenzo (out: Ayala-displaced)

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Sergiy Dzinziruk (WBO)
2. Joachim Alcine (WBA)
3. Roman Karmazin
4. Verno Phillips
5. Vernon Forrest (WBC)
6. Sergio Martinez
7. Daniel Santos
8. Sechew Powell
9. Travis Simms
10. Attila Kovacs

active: Karmazin, Forrest, Powell, Martinez, Alcine (out: Spinks-inactive)
Inactive List: Phillips

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: Floyd Mayweather (WBC)
1. Miguel Cotto (WBA)
2. Paul Williams (WBO)
3. Antonio Margarito
4. Shane Mosley
5. Joshua Clottey
6. Kermit Cintron (IBF)
7. Andre Berto
8. Alfonso Gomez
9. Michel Trabant
10. Joel Julio

active: Mayweather, Clottey, Cintron (out: Klose-lost)

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Ricky Hatton (IBO)
1. Junior Witter (WBC)
2. Ricardo Torres (WBO)
3. Steve Forbes
4. Andreas Kotelnik
5. Kendall Holt
6. Demetrius Hopkins
7. Paul Malignaggi (IBF)
8. Victor Ortiz
9. Gavin Rees (WBA)
10. Herman Ngoudjo

active: Hatton (at 147), Hopkins
Inactive List: Kotelnik

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: Juan Diaz (WBO, IBF)
1. Yuri Romanov
2. Joel Casamayor
3. Nate Campbell
4. Zahir Raheem
5. Edner Cherry
6. David Diaz (WBC)
7. Jose Santa Cruz
8. Almazbek Raiymkulov
9. Michael Katsidis
10. Miguel Angel Huerta

active: Cherry, Huerta
Inactive List: Raiymkulov

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: Manny Pacquiao
1. Juan Manuel Marquez (WBC)
2. Joan Guzman (WBO)
3. Alex Arthur
4. Edwin Valero (WBA)
5. Humberto Soto
6. Jorge Barrios
7. Mzonke Fana (IBF)
8. Cassius Baloyi
9. Yodsanan Nanthachai
10. Manuel Medina

active: Baloyi, Guzman, Soto, Arthur, Valero
Inactive List: Barrios

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Chris John (WBA)
2. Jorge Linares (WBC)
3. Robert Guerrero (IBF)
4. Thomas Mashaba (IBO)
5. Rocky Juarez
6. Hiroyuki Enoki
7. Hector Velazquez
8. Orlando Salido
9. Steven Luevano (WBO)
10. Elio Rojas

active: Mashaba, Linares, Salido

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: Israel Vazquez (WBC)
1. Daniel Ponce de Leon (WBO, IBA)
2. Rafael Marquez
3. Celestino Caballero (WBA)
4. Steve Molitor (IBF)
5. Somsak Sithchatchawai
6. Mike Oliver (IBO)
7. Toshiaki Nishioka
8. Jorge Lacierva
9. Kiko Martinez
10. Olivier Lontchi

active: Ponce de Leon, Caballero, Nishioka, Sithchatchawai

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Hozumi Hasegawa (WBC)
2. Gerry Penalosa (WBO)
3. Jhonny Gonzalez
4. Silence Mabuza (IBO)
5. Jorge Arce
6. Simone Maludrottu
7. Ratanachai Sor Vorapin
8. Veeraphol Sahaprom
9. Nobuto Ikehara
10. Joseph Agbeko (IBF)

active: Gonzalez (at 126), Arce

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Cristian Mijares (WBC)
1. Fernando Montiel (WBO)
2. Z Gorres
3. Martin Castillo
4. Pramuansak Phosuwan
5. Alexander Muñoz (WBA)
6. Dmitri Kirilov (IBF)
7. Chatchai Sasakul
8. Vic Darchinyan
9. Jose Navarro
10. Luis Melendez

active: Phosuwan

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Daisuke Naito (WBC)
1. Pongsaklek Wonkongjam
2. Takefumi Sakata (WBA)
3. Nonito Donaire (IBF, IBO)
4. Omar Narvaez (WBO)
5. Denkaosan Kaovichit
6. Roberto Vasquez
7. Koki Kameda
8. Rayonta Whitfield
9. Brian Viloria
10. Carlos Tamara

active: Donaire (out: Asloum-moved down, Lopez-inactive, Maldonado-lost)

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: Ivan Calderon (WBO)
1. Hugo Cazares
2. Ulises Solis (IBF)
3. Wandee Singwancha
4. Giovanni Segura
5. Edgar Sosa (WBC)
6. Juanito Rubillar
7. Munetsugu Kayo
8. Brahim Asloum (WBA)
9. Omar Salado
10. Luis Lazarte

active: Calderon, Sosa, Solis, Asloum (out: Esquer-displaced)

Strawweights (105 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (WBC)
2. Yutaka Niida (WBA)
3. Eagle Den Junlaplan (Kyowa)
4. Florante Condes (IBF)
5. Muhammad Rachman
6. Jun Kaneda
7. Yasutaka Kuroki
8. Katsunari Takayama
9. Roman Gonzalez
10. Teruo Misawa

active: Sithsamerchai, Den Junlaplan, Kaneda

World Champions: 12 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2007