May Ratings

(as of 5/15)

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

active: Dimitrenko, Peter (out: Maskaev-lost)

Crusierweights (200 lbs)
Champion: David Haye
1. Steve Cunningham (IBF)
2. Jean-Marc Mormeck
3. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
4. Firat Arslan (WBA)
5. Tomasz Adamek
6. Johnathan Banks
7. Wayne Braithwaite
8. Giacobbe Fragomeni
9. Marco Huck
10. Rudolf Kraj

active: Haye, Kraj, Arslan,Braithwaite, Huck, Fragomeni (out: Maccarinelli-lost, Jensen-lost, Hernandez-lost)
Inactive List: Mormeck

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Zsolt Erdei (WBO)
1. Joe Calzaghe
2. Chad Dawson (WBC)
3. Glen Johnson
4. Antonio Tarver (IBF, IBO)
5. Clinton Woods
6. Adrian Diaconu
7. Bernard Hopkins
8. Shaun George
9. Antonio Brancalion
10. Yuri Barashian

active: Erdei, Calzaghe, Dawson, Johnson, Tarver, Woods, Diaconu, Hopkins, George (out: Green-retired, Branco-displaced)

Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Anthony Mundine (WBA)
2. Lucian Bute (IBF)
3. Mikkel Kessler
4. Carl Froch
5. Vitali Tsypko
6. Denis Inkin
7. Jürgen Brähmer
8. Jean Pascal
9. Sakio Bika
10. Librado Andrade

active: Mundine, Froch, Tsypko, Bute, Andrade, Brähmer (out: Calzaghe-moved up, Sanavia-lost)

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

active: Abraham, Sylvester, Lopez, Sturm (out: Castillejo-lost)

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

active: Dzinziruk, Phillips, Spinks, Kirkland, Powell, Kovacs (out: Simms-inactive, Bunema-displaced)
Inactive List: Santos

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

active: Cotto, Margarito, Clottey, Nuzhnenko, Bonsu (out: Cintron-lost, Gomez-lost)
Inactive List: Mosley

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

active: Kotelnik, Urango, Bradley, Witter, Ortiz (out: Forbes-moved up, Rees-lost)
Inactive List: Hopkins

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: Nate Campbell (WBO, IBF)
1. Juan Diaz
2. Yuri Romanov
3. Joel Casamayor
4. Zahir Raheem
5. Edner Cherry
6. David Diaz (WBC)
7. Amir Khan
8. Jose Santa Cruz
9. Javier Jauregui
10. Jesus Chavez

active: Jauregui, Campbell, Diaz, Romanov, Diaz, Khan, Chavez (out: Katsidis-lost, Huerta-lost)

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

active: Pacquiao, Marquez, Baloyi, Fana, Antillon, Nanthachai (out: Medina-displaced)
Inactive List: Guzman

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

active: Guerrero, Cruz, Mashaba, Enoki, Luevano, Salido, Velazquez (out: Juarez-moved up)

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. Toshiaki Nishioka
6. Jhonny Gonzalez
7. Jorge Lacierva
8. Olivier Lontchi
9. Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym
10. Rendall Munroe

active: Munroe, Vazquez, Marquez, Molitor, Kratingdaenggym, Gonzalez (twice), Lacierva, Lontchi, Nishioka (out: Sithchatchawai-lost, Oliver-lost, Martinez-lost)

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Hozumi Hasegawa (WBC)
2. Gerry Peñalosa (WBO)
3. Silence Mabuza (IBO)
4. Jorge Arce
5. Veeraphol Nakornluang (Sahaprom)
6. Simone Maludrottu
7. Joseph Agbeko (IBF)
8. Wladimir Sidorenko (WBA)
9. Abner Mares
10. Sasha Bakhtin

active: Peñalosa, Mares, Bakhtin (out: Gonzalez-moved up, Vorapin-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. Jose Lopez

active: Kirilov, Lopez (out: Sasaki-displaced)
Inactive List: Melendez

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: Naito, Wonkongjam, Sakata, Narvaez, Vasquez, Kameda, 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. Luis Lazarte
10. Juan Esquer

active: Calderon (out: Salado-moved up)

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. Pornsawan Porpramook
10. Raul Garcia

active: Sithsamerchai, Niida, Takayama, Kuroki, Garcia (out: Misawa-lost)
Inactive List: Rachman

World Champions: 11 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2008