February Ratings

(as of 2/28)

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, WBO)
2. Oleg Maskaev (WBC)
3. Hasim Rahman
4. Samuel Peter
5. Alexander Povetkin
6. Tony Thompson
7. Ruslan Chagaev (WBA)
8. Nicolay Valuev
9. Alexander Dimitrenko
10. Kali Meehan

active: Chagaev, Povetkin, Valuev, Klitschko (out: Ibragimov-lost, Chambers-lost)

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 (WBA)
6. Johnny Jensen
7. Johnathan Banks
8. Yoan Hernandez
9. Giacobbe Fragomeni
10. Marco Huck

active: Wlodarczyk, Banks

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. Antonio Brancalion
9. Yuri Barashian
10. Silvio Branco

active: Barashian, Johnson (out: Gonzalez-lost)

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: 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: Pavlik, Taylor, Sylvester, Asikainen, Mora

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

active: Bunema, Martinez (out: Karmazin-lost)
Inactive List: Simms

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

active: Quintana, Williams, Berto (out: Trabant-lost, Julio-moved up)

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. Herman Ngoudjo
9. Victor Ortiz
10. Gavin Rees (WBA)

active: Malignaggi, Ngoudjo, Holt

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. Michael Katsidis
9. Miguel Angel Huerta
10. Amir Khan

active: Raheem, Khan (out: Raiymkulov-inactive)

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. Mzonke Fana (IBF)
7. Cassius Baloyi
8. Yodsanan Nanthachai
9. Takashi Uchiyama
10. Manuel Medina

active: Uchiyama (out: Barrios-inactive)
Inactive List: Medina

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. Orlando Salido
8. Hector Velazquez
9. Steven Luevano (WBO)
10. Monty Meza-Clay

active: John, Meza-Clay (out: Rojas-inactive)

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: Molitor

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

active: Hasegawa, Maludrottu, Sidorenko, Arce, Mabuza, Nakornluang (out: Ikehara-lost)

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

active: Muñoz, Darchinyan, Gorres, Sasaki, Mijares, Montiel (out: Castillo-lost, Navarro-lost)

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 Singwancha (Kaovichit)
6. Roberto Vasquez
7. Koki Kameda
8. Brian Viloria
9. Rayonta Whitfield
10. Carlos Tamara

active: Narvaez, Viloria

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: Cazares, Kayo, Sosa

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

active: Takayama, Porpramook (out: Gonzalez-moved up)
Inactive List: Rachman

World Champions: 12 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2007