July Ratings

(as of 7/22)

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. Alexander Povetkin
4. Ruslan Chagaev (WBA)
5. Nicolay Valuev
6. James Toney
7. Alexander Dimitrenko
8. Kali Meehan
9. Vladimir Virchis
10. Chris Arreola

active: Arreola, Klitschko, Toney, Povetkin (out: Rahman-lost, Thompson-lost)

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

active: Banks, Huck, Adamek, Hide (twice) (out: Kraj-displaced)
Inactive List: Cunningham, Mormeck

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

active: Garay (out: Barashian-lost)

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

active: Mundine, Kessler

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. Khoren Gevor
8. John Duddy
9. Mahir Oral
10. Marco Antonio Rubio

active: Pavlik, Abraham, Lopez, Sturm, Duddy, Rubio (out: Lorenzo-lost, Mora-moved down, Griffin-lost)

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

active: Mora, Forrest, Martinez, Santos, Powell, Bunema (out: Alcine-lost, Powell-lost)

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Miguel Cotto (WBA)
2. Antonio Margarito
3. Shane Mosley
4. Andre Berto (WBC)
5. Joshua Clottey
6. Paul Williams (WBO)
7. Yuri Nuzhnenko
8. Jackson Bonsu
9. Kevin McIntyre
10. Saul Alvarez

active: Williams, Berto (out: Mayweather-retired, Quintana-lost, Klose-lost)

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

active: Hatton, Malignaggi, Ngoudjo, Holt, Torres
Inactive List: Hopkins

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

active: Pacquiao, Pacquiao, Khan, Cherry, Funeka (out: Raheem-lost, Diaz-lost)

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

active: Valero, Nanthachai (twice), Soto, Antillon (out: Pacquiao-moved up)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: VACANT
1. Chris John (WBA)
2. Jorge Linares (WBC)
3. Robert Guerrero
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: Luevano, Meza-Clay
Inactive List: Linares

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: Israel Vazquez (WBC)
1. Rafael Marquez
2. Celestino Caballero (WBA)
3. Steve Molitor (IBF)
4. Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym
5. Toshiaki Nishioka
6. Jhonny Gonzalez
7. Jose Manuel Lopez (WBO)
8. Daniel Ponce de Leon
9. Jorge Lacierva
10. Olivier Lontchi

active: Caballero, Lopez, Ponce de Leon, Kratingdaenggym (twice) (out: Munroe-displaced)

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

active: Hasegawa, Mabuza, Sidorenko, Moreno, Malinga (out: Arce-moved down, Nakornluang-lost)
Inactive List: Agbeko

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Cristian Mijares (WBC, WBA)
1. Fernando Montiel (WBO)
2. Vic Darchinyan
3. Jorge Arce
4. Z Gorres
5. Pramuansak Phosuwan
6. Dimitri Kirilov (IBF)
7. Chatchai Sasakul
8. Alexander Muñoz
9. Jose Lopez
10. Nobuo Nashiro

active: Mijares, Montiel, Muñoz, Arce, Gorres (out: Melendez-inactive, Hisataka-moved down)

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. Wandee Singwancha
8. Koki Kameda
9. Brian Viloria
10. Rayonta Whitfield

active: W Singwancha, Kameda (out: Tamara-moved down)

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: Ivan Calderon (WBO)
1. Hugo Cazares
2. Ulises Solis (IBF)
3. Juanito Rubillar
4. Edgar Sosa (WBC)
5. Giovanni Segura
6. Munetsugu Kayo
7. Carlos Tamara
8. Brahim Asloum (WBA)
9. Roman Gonzalez
10. Juan Landaeta

active: Rubillar, Tamara, Solis, Sosa, Kayo, Gonzalez (out: Lazarte-moved up, Singwancha-moved up, Esquer-lost)
Inactive List: Asloum

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

active: Garcia, Condes, Rachman
Inactive List: Den Junlaphan

World Champions: 10 (of 17)


these ratings © Phrank da Slugger 2008