Originally Published: November 17, 2009
ESPN.com's divisional rankings
What recent changes have been made in boxing's weight class rankings? Dan Rafael reveals his new world standings.
Check out my rankings within each division by clicking on the links below.
Who is the best fighter, regardless of weight class? See my pound-for-pound rankings. 
Note: Results through Nov. 17. In an effort to provide the most up-to-date rankings, ESPN.com's division-by-division boxing rankings will be updated every Tuesday.
1. Wladimir Klitschko (53-3) Klitschko's plan to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Eddie Chambers in December is on hold because Klitschko suffered a left shoulder injury during his destruction of Ruslan Chagaev in June and had surgery that will keep him out of the ring probably until the spring. Next: TBA. 2. Vitali Klitschko (38-2) After being retired for four years, Klitschko is making up for lost time by taking his third fight of the year, a defense against American Kevin Johnson (22-0-1) that was negotiated even before Klitschko smashed Cristobal Arreola into submission Sept. 26. And good news: HBO picked up the American television rights for the bout and will air it on same-day tape. Next: Dec. 12 vs. Johnson. 3. Alexander Povetkin (17-0) With Wladimir Klitschko recovering from shoulder surgery and probably out until the spring, Povetkin, a mandatory challenger, may fight for an interim belt, although his schedule remains up in the air. Next: TBA. 4. Eddie Chambers (35-1) After dismantling Alexander Dimitrenko in Germany on July 4, Chambers became one of Wladimir Klitschko's mandatory challengers. With Klitschko recovering from a shoulder injury, their fight won't happen until at least March. Next: TBA. 5. Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1) In the wake of his disastrous outing against Wladimir Klitschko in June, Chagaev has replaced trainer Michael Timm with Magomed Schaburow with an eye toward returning to the ring in early 2010. His trainer is not why he lost to Klitschko. He lost because he was the far inferior fighter. Eddie Futch couldn't have helped him win. Next: TBA. 6. David Haye (23-1) Despite being 9 inches shorter and 98 pounds lighter, the former cruiserweight champ claimed a dreadful majority decision against Nikolai Valuev to claim a title on Nov. 7. The good news for Haye is he got the belt. The bad news is he's stuck with a mandatory defense against John Ruiz next. Next: TBA vs. Ruiz. 7. Samuel Peter (32-3) The former titlist was being lined up for a stay-busy bout on Nov. 13, but it didn't happen because the possibility exists that he may get an opportunity to face Povetkin for an interim belt in early 2010. Next: TBA. 8. Nikolai Valuev (50-2) Valuev was as slow as a glacier against Haye on Nov. 7. He didn't throw nearly enough punches or use his massive size to his advantage. It cost Valuev his title in what was yet another thoroughly boring fight to watch. Next: TBA. 9. Denis Boytsov (26-0) The 23-year-old German-based Russian became the first man to knock out American journeyman Jason Gavern (now 18-6-3) on Oct. 10. Boytsov dropped Gavern four times on the way to a seventh-round KO in an impressive performance. Next: TBA. 10. Cristobal Arreola (27-1) With the Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight being canceled and the HBO card now being promoted by Dan Goossen, Arreola will make his return on the undercard against Brian Minto (34-2) in his first fight since Vitali Klitschko beat him down in 10 lopsided rounds on Sept. 26. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Minto. | ||||||
1. Tomasz Adamek (39-1) The champ gave heavyweight a try and destroyed Polish countryman Andrew Golota, dropping him twice en route to an impressive fifth-round knockout on Oct. 24. So excited by the performance, Adamek intends to take on another heavyweight in Newark, N.J., in early 2010. It seems as though he may have seen his last days at cruiserweight. Next: Feb. 6 vs. TBA. 2. Steve Cunningham (22-2) Mandatory challenger Cunningham will fight for a belt in early 2010. However, it won't be against Adamek, who vacated his alphabet title. Instead, Cunningham likely will face Matt Godfrey. Next: TBA. 3. Marco Huck (26-1) The first time Huck fought for a world title, he lost via heartbreaking 12th-round TKO to Cunningham in 2007. In his second shot, he outpointed Victor Emilio Ramirez in a tough fight on Aug. 29 to finally claim a belt. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Ola Afolabi. 4. Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1) Fragomeni, 40, fought to a draw in May in his first defense against Poland's Krzysztof Wlodarczyk. Next up, the Italian will defend in Germany against Zsolt Erdei (30-0), who vacated his light heavyweight title to move up and challenge for Fragomeni's belt. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Erdei. 5. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (41-2-1) The former titleholder from Poland got a mandatory shot at Fragomeni in Italy on May 16 and, despite a ninth-round knockdown in a close fight, could only muster a draw. Next: TBA. 6. Ola Afolabi (14-1-3) As interim titlist, Afolabi is getting his mandatory shot against Huck in Germany. It should be a pretty darn good fight. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Huck. 7. Troy Ross (22-1) This year's winner of "The Contender" was scheduled to fight in Montreal in Oct. 3, but a rib injury has sidelined him. He's expected to be back in action in December. Next: TBA. 8. B.J. Flores (24-0-1) It has been another year of wasted time for Flores, who went 3-0 but fought weak opposition and did very little to position himself for a serious fight. He's as frustrating as any fighter in the sport. Next: TBA. 9. Matt Godfrey (20-1) Godfrey has won four in a row since a March 2008 decision loss to Rudolf Kraj in Germany in a title eliminator. With his rebound, Godfrey is in position to face Cunningham for a vacant title. Next: TBA. 10. Herbie Hide (48-4) Believe it or not, Hide is still around and on a 13-fight winning streak since his last loss in 2004. Next: TBA. | ||||||
1. Chad Dawson (29-0) Although it wasn't a crowd-pleasing performance, Dawson dominated Glen Johnson to pick up an interim trinket in their rematch on Nov. 7. Dawson had a much easier time with Johnson than he did in their first far more competitive fight in 2008. Next up could be a trip to Canada to face titlist Jean Pascal. Next: TBA. 2. Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1) Ahead of a planned rematch with rival Roy Jones Jr., Hopkins will fight a tune-up against Enrique Ornelas (29-5) on Versus. It will be a homecoming for Hopkins, who will fight in Philadelphia for the first time since 2003. If Hopkins wins, and Jones wins the same day in Australia, they'll meet in early 2010 -- 16 years after Jones won their first fight. Next: Dec. 2 vs. Ornelas. 3. Zsolt Erdei (30-0) After holding a title for six years and never facing a truly serious opponent in any of his 11 defenses, Erdei is planning to move up to cruiserweight to challenge titlist Giacobbe Fragomeni. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Fragomeni. 4. Jean Pascal (24-1) If Pascal retains his title in a rematch with fellow Montreal-based Adrian Diaconu, we could see Pascal-Dawson in the spring. That would be about the best fight you could make in the division right now. Next: Dec. 11 vs. Diaconu. 5. Glen Johnson (49-13-2) After losing a decision to Dawson in their Nov. 7 rematch, even Johnson couldn't complain about the scoring, which he did loudly after their first fight. Johnson had his moments but just didn't have enough to get it done. If he retires, he has had a hell of a career. Next: TBA. 6. Roy Jones Jr. (54-5) Good news for American fight fans: Versus has picked up the rights to televises Jones' fight in Australia against Danny Green (27-3) and will pair the same-day taped coverage with the live telecast of Hopkins-Ornelas. Next: Dec. 2 vs. Green. 7. Gabriel Campillo (19-2) Campillo outpointed Beibut Shumenov in his first defense Aug. 15 in Shumenov's native Kazakhstan, but there was some controversy over the postfight drug-testing procedures, which has led to the camps agreeing to a rematch. It likely will take place in January in Las Vegas, where Shumenov now lives. Next: TBA vs. Shumenov. 8. Adrian "The Shark" Diaconu (26-1) Diaconu lost his belt to Pascal in June via unanimous decision in one of the biggest fights in Montreal history. It was such a sensational fight that they're going to do it again. Let's just hope an American television network sees fit to acquire the TV rights. Next: Dec. 11 vs. Pascal. 9. Antonio Tarver (27-6) Now 40, Tarver doesn't have much of a career left in the ring, but he may have a nice post-fighting career as a commentator after showing his broadcasting talent on recent "ShoBox" cards. Next: TBA. 10. Tavoris Cloud (20-0) Cloud, a fresh face for the division and a guy who makes entertaining fights, claimed the belt that Dawson dumped by dominating former titlist Clinton Woods in a unanimous decision Aug. 28 on "Friday Night Fights." Next: TBA. | ||||||
1. Mikkel Kessler (42-1) Kessler returned from an 11-month layoff to smash undeserving mandatory challenger Gusmyr Perdomo in four lopsided rounds on Sept. 12 to secure his spot in Showtime's much-anticipated Super Six World Boxing Classic. Kessler is headed to Andre Ward's hometown of Oakland, Calif., for his first bout of the tournament, which is no cakewalk. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Ward. 2. Carl Froch (26-0) Froch opened Showtime's Super Six tournament by retaining his title via split decision against the quicker Andre Dirrell on Oct. 17. It wasn't Froch's best performance, but he got the job done against a faster opponent who tried to stink him out. Froch's next opponent in the round robin will be Kessler (probably in March), regardless of the outcome of Kessler-Ward. Next: TBA vs. Kessler 3. Lucian Bute (24-0) Although Bute was snubbed of an invitation to Showtime's tournament, he'll still get considerable American exposure when he defends his belt in a mandatory rematch with Librado Andrade on HBO, which will televise only its second card from Canada in its 36 years of covering boxing. With a win, Bute looms as a likely future opponent for middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, who will move up in the next fight or two. Next: Nov. 28 vs. Andrade. 4. Arthur Abraham (31-0) As usual, Abraham started slow and came on very, very strong, knocking Jermain Taylor out cold with six seconds left in their Oct. 17 fight for an explosive finish to the opening bout of the Super Six tournament. While Taylor's career is in doubt, Abraham will move on in the round robin to face Dirrell in a fight that is expected to take place in January in the United States. Next: TBA vs. Dirrell. 5. Librado Andrade (28-2) Andrade will head back to Canada for the rematch with Bute. Andrade was only a few seconds away from knocking out Bute in the 12th round of their first meeting. Next: Nov. 28 vs. Bute. 6. Allan Green (29-1) Given the strong possibility that Taylor will not continue in the Super Six tournament, Green is warm in the bullpen as the likely replacement, although he didn't do a lot to show he deserves to be in the field with his poor performance in a win against Tarvis Simms on Oct. 2. Next: TBA. 7. Sakio Bika (28-3-2) If Showtime is looking for a replacement for Taylor in the Super Six tournament, and doesn't want to include the Bute-Andrade winner, there's no reason Bika shouldn't be considered. Next: TBA. 8. Andre Dirrell (18-1) In his opening bout of the Super Six tournament, Dirrell dropped a tight split decision to Froch. It was a fight Dirrell certainly could have won had he not given away so many rounds with his running, holding style. But he gained valuable experience for his next bout, a very tough assignment against Abraham in early 2010. Next: TBA vs. Abraham. 9. Robert Stieglitz (36-2) In an upset, Stieglitz stopped Karoly Balzsay in the 11th round in front of Balzsay's home crowd in Budapest on Aug. 22 to claim a title in his second shot at a major belt. Next: TBA. 10. Andre Ward (20-0) The only 2004 U.S. Olympic boxing gold medalist locked up his title shot against Kessler in the Super Six by blowing out no-hoper Shelby Pudwill in the third round of a tune-up bout on Sept. 12. Ward will have the hometown advantage for his title shot, as Denmark's Kessler has agreed to fight him in Oakland, Calif. Should be a terrific fight. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Kessler. | ||||||
1. Kelly Pavlik (35-1) Although Pavlik withdrew from a scheduled Dec. 5 title defense against dangerous Paul Williams on HBO because of his bad left hand, he went ahead and signed to defend against far inferior opponent Miguel Espino (20-2-1) two weeks later on a Top Rank pay-per-view card. Even if his hand is healing well and he's ready to fight two weeks later than he was supposed to, it sure doesn't look good. Next: Dec. 19 vs. Espino. 2. Felix Sturm (33-2-1) Sturm was lucky to retain his belt in a decision win against Khoren Gevor on July 11, and it could be the last time we see him in the ring for a while. Sturm says he will never again fight for promoter Universum. But he could find himself in a legal dispute, because while Sturm claims he's a free agent, Universum says it still has a three-year option on his contract. Next: TBA. 3. Khoren Gevor (30-4) The first time Gevor fought for a title, Abraham knocked him out cold in the 11th round in 2007. Gevor acquitted himself much better in his second shot, a July 11 match with Sturm, but was robbed of the decision. Next: TBA. 4. Anthony Mundine (37-3) The former super middleweight titleholder pitched a 10-round shutout against Argentine journeyman Alejandro Gustavo Falliga on Oct. 21 on the same card that Australian countryman Daniel Geale notched an easy victory. It could be a prelude to a rematch of Mundine's rousing split decision against Geale in May. Next: TBA. 5. Sebastian Sylvester (32-3) Germany's Sylvester outpointed Giovanni Lorenzo on Sept. 19 in Germany to claim the belt that Arthur Abraham vacated when he joined Showtime's super middleweight tournament. Next: TBA. 6. Roman Karmazin (39-3-1) The former junior middleweight titleholder likely will face Dionisio Miranda (20-4-2) in a title eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger for Sylvester. A purse bid is scheduled for Oct. 27. Next: TBA. 7. Winky Wright (51-5-1) With no big fight on the horizon, Wright plans to stay busy by headlining a small pay-per-view card from Puerto Rico against Grady Brewer (26-11), a former winner of "The Contender." Next: Dec. 11 vs. Brewer. 8. Marco Antonio Rubio (44-5-1) In his first fight since being outclassed by Pavlik in a February title shot, Rubio blew out Jose Miguel Berrio in a second-round knockout win on Oct. 31. Next: TBA. 9. Daniel Geale (22-1) Australia's Geale scored a shutout 12-round decision against C-level Brazilian opponent Samir Barbosa to set the stage for a potential rematch in 2010 with Mundine, who edged Geale in May. Next: TBA. 10. Matthew Macklin (25-2). England's Macklin impressively won the vacant European title on Sept. 25 with a surprising first-round knockout of Finland's Amin Asikainen. Next: TBA. | ||||||
1. Paul Williams (37-1) With middleweight Kelly Pavlik unfortunately out of their fight because of lingering left hand issues, Williams will instead face junior middleweight titlist and fellow southpaw Sergio Martinez, but in a nontitle match at middleweight. It would be better if it was at junior middleweight, but it's still a very solid fight. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Martinez. 2. Sergei Dzindziruk (36-0) Dzindziruk, mired in promotional problems with Universum, would have liked to defend his title against Williams on Dec. 5, but it was always a long shot. Next: TBA. 3. Sergio Martinez (44-1-2) With Pavlik out of the fight with Williams, titleholder Martinez will step into the HBO main event. However, the fight will be a 160-pound nontitle bout because Martinez isn't making enough money to want to put his title at stake, nor is Williams all that interested in making 154. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Williams. 4. Cory Spinks (37-5) Promoter Don King had planned for Spinks to defend his belt on Oct. 31, but plans change and he didn't appear on the Joseph Agbeko-Yonnhy Perez undercard. Next: TBA. 5. Kermit Cintron (32-2-1) The former welterweight titlist was born in Puerto Rico but grew up in Reading, Pa. One of his dreams was to fight in his homeland. Mission accomplished, as he knocked out Juliano Ramos in the fifth round Oct. 24. Next: TBA. 6. Alfredo "Perro" Angulo (17-1) The always-entertaining Angulo blew away Harry Joe Yorgey with a crushing third-round knockout on Nov. 7 on HBO. It was Angulo's second win in a row since dropping a competitive decision to Cintron in May. Can't wait to see him again. Next: TBA. 7. Yuri Foreman (28-0) Foreman, who is studying to become a rabbi, dropped Daniel Santos (who was coming off a 16-month layoff) twice and cruised to a lopsided decision win to claim a title on the Nov. 14 Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard. Mazel tov. Next: TBA. 8. Joachim Alcine (31-1) Canada's Alcine, who lost his title via sixth-round knockout to Daniel Santos in July 2008, returned after a 13-month layoff to outpoint American Eric Mitchell on Aug. 28. Next: TBA. 9. Deandre Latimore (20-2) One fight after losing a split decision to St. Louis rival Spinks in April, Latimore returned and struggled to a 10-round decision against journeyman Sammy Sparkman on Aug. 22. That's not a good sign. Next: TBA. 10. Ryan Rhodes (43-4) Rhodes pulled a major upset, won the European title and set himself up for a mandatory shot against Martinez with a hard-fought seventh-round knockout of English countryman Jamie Moore on Oct. 23. It was a sensational action fight and a candidate for fight of the year. Next: TBA. | ||||||
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1. Sugar Shane Mosley (46-5) Unable to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto or Floyd Mayweather, a frustrated Mosley has accepted the situation and signed for a tough unification fight with young and fast titleholder Andre Berto that will kick off the new year of HBO's "World Championship Boxing." That's a pretty sweet way to start the season. Next: Jan. 30 vs. Berto. 2. Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2) The Filipino icon made boxing history on Nov. 14 by knocking out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round of an excellent fight to claim a welterweight title. Pacquiao became the first fighter to win titles in seven weight divisions, a most impressive accomplishment even in an era of title proliferation. Now comes the hard part -- making the fight the world wants to see, a mega-super-duper showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Next: TBA. 3. Floyd Mayweather (40-0) The former champ ended a 21-month layoff by whitewashing lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19. The fight sold more than 1 million pay-per-view buys. Just imagine what the expected showdown with Pacquiao will generate, assuming Mayweather will step up to the plate and take the fight. Next: TBA. 4. Miguel Cotto (34-2) Cotto showed all the heart and grit you could ask for, but after about five rounds, his fight with Pacquiao turned into a one-sided beating, one that ultimately ended in the 12th round with Cotto a bloody mess. Can he recover? We sure hope so. Next: TBA. 5. Joshua Clottey (35-3) Talk about the short end of the stick. Clottey agreed to fight Mosley on Dec. 26, but HBO reneged and changed its mind about doing a boxing broadcast the day after Christmas. Then Clottey agreed to face fellow former titlist Carlos Quintana on the Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams undercard Dec. 5. However, when that fight was canceled, Clottey-Quintana was swept away with it. Next: TBA. 6. Andre Berto (25-0) More or less coddled throughout his career, Berto will take a quantum leap up in competition when he faces Mosley in a unification fight. This one will be Berto's youth and speed against Mosley's experience and speed. Should be an excellent fight. Next: Jan. 30 vs. Mosley. 7. Luis Collazo (30-4) Collazo is in a mandatory position for a rematch with Berto, but with Berto set to fight Mosley, Collazo could end up facing Selcuk Aydin for an interim or vacant belt. Next: TBA. 8. Zab Judah (38-6) In a woeful pay-per-view main event mismatch, Judah blew out journeyman Ubaldo Hernandez (now 22-20-2) in two miserable rounds on Nov. 6. Judah says he'd like to move down to junior welterweight to challenge titlist Juan Urango. That would be an intriguing fight and certainly way more interesting than the garbage against Hernandez. Next: TBA. 9. Isaac Hlatshwayo (29-1-1) Hlatshwayo claimed a vacant belt by outpointing Delvin Rodriguez in an Aug. 1 rematch of a draw. There had been talk about his first defense coming against Berto, but that was before Berto's fight with Mosley was finalized. Next: TBA. 10. Carlos Quintana (26-2) With his HBO undercard fight against Clottey being called off when the Pavlik-Williams fight was canceled, Quintana, who has been sparring with Williams, has been relegated to an untelevised match against Jesse Feliciano (15-7-3) on the restructured Williams-Sergio Martinez card. Next: Dec. 5 vs. Feliciano. | ||||||
1. Timothy Bradley Jr. (24-0) Bradley's mandatory defense against Lamont Peterson, which will be on Showtime, should be a highly competitive fight between two outstanding young Americans with speed and skills. Don't expect a brawl. Just expect a quality boxing match. Next: Dec. 12 vs. Peterson. 2. Ricky Hatton (45-2) Hatton has been idle since being wiped out by Manny Pacquiao in two rounds in May, and there is some discussion that he will make his comeback in 2010 against former lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez. Winner goes on, loser goes home. Next: TBA. 3. Kendall Holt (25-3) There was talk of the former titlist facing Canada's Herman Ngoudjo in an eliminator, but it went by the wayside almost as soon as it came up. Next: TBA. 4. Amir Khan (21-1) In a brilliant boxing display, the 2004 British Olympic silver medalist and 2007 ESPN.com prospect of the year, moved up in weight and thoroughly dominated Andreas Kotelnik to claim a world title via unanimous decision July 18. His first title defense will come at home in England against mandatory challenger Dmitriy Salita (30-0-1). Next: Dec. 5 vs. Salita. 5. Devon Alexander (19-0) The 22-year-old titleholder, with no fight on the horizon thanks to promoter Don King, was ready, willing and able to serve as a sparring partner for Miguel Cotto in his preparation for Manny Pacquiao. It made perfect sense for Cotto when you consider that Alexander is fast, left-handed and similar in size to Pacquiao. However, Team Cotto turned it down in order to stick with its less-than-impressive roster of sparring partners. Next: TBA. 6. Juan Urango (22-2-1) Urango survived a brutal knockdown to rally for three knockdowns of his own en route to a title-retaining 11th-round TKO of mandatory challenger Randall Bailey in a terrific fight on Aug. 28. Next: TBA. 7. Marco Maidana (26-1) As a follow-up to his sensational interim title-winning TKO of Victor Ortiz in June, Maidana will make the first defense in his native Argentina against William Gonzalez (22-5-1). Next: Nov. 21 vs. Gonzalez. 8. Paulie Malignaggi (26-3) After Malignaggi lost a controversial decision to Juan Diaz on Aug. 22, the sides came to an agreement for a rematch (again on HBO) after a very difficult negotiation. Instead of in Diaz's hometown of Houston, they'll fight the rematch in neutral territory in Chicago. Next: Dec. 12 vs. Diaz. 9. Andreas Kotelnik (31-3-1) Ukraine's Kotelnik was outclassed in losing his belt to Khan in a one-sided decision on July 18. He simply could not deal with Khan's speed and movement. Next: TBA. 10. Lamont Peterson (27-0) Peterson claimed an interim belt with a seventh-round TKO of Willy Blain in April to set up a pretty interesting mandatory shot against full titleholder Bradley on Showtime. Next: Dec. 12 vs. Bradley. | ||||||
1. Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1) The champ's try at welterweight didn't work, as he was destroyed by the returning Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Sept. 19. Marquez was simply outgunned by the much bigger man. So will Marquez defend his title against interim beltholder Michael Katsidis or go to junior welterweight for a proposed fight with former champ Ricky Hatton? Best guess is a Hatton fight, which would be worth way more cash than one with Katsidis. Next: TBA. 2. Juan Diaz (35-2) The former unified titlist will meet former junior welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi at 139 pounds in a rematch of Diaz's controversial decision win on Aug. 22. This time the fight will be in Chicago instead of Diaz's hometown of Houston, which means Diaz won't have the benefit of Texas judge Gale Van Hoy filling in his scorecard before the fight starts. Next: Dec. 12 vs. Malignaggi. 3. Joan Guzman (29-0) Golden Boy, Guzman's new promoter, won the purse bid for Guzman's fight with Ali Funeka for a vacant belt and plans to put the fight on the Lucian Bute-Librado Andrade II HBO undercard. Next: Nov. 28 vs. Funeka. 4. Joel Casamayor (37-4-1) The 38-year-old former two-division champ ended a 14-month layoff by outpointing journeyman Jason Davis in eight rounds on Nov. 6 on the undercard of a worthless pay-per-view show. Casamayor was a career-heavy 146 pounds and looked very rusty despite winning a lopsided decision. Next: TBA. 5. Michael Katsidis (26-2) In an excellent performance, Katsidis outboxed and outslugged 2004 U.S. Olympian Vicente Escobedo to claim an interim belt on the Sept. 19 Mayweather-Marquez undercard. The victory put the Australian brawler in position for a possible fight with Marquez. Next: TBA. 6. Edwin Valero (25-0) Unable to get a visa to fight in the United States because of legal problems and still not licensed anywhere other than Texas, Valero likely will defend his title in his native Venezuela. He could face fringe contender Hector Velazquez (51-13-2) on Dec. 19 in Caracas. Next: TBA. 7. Ali Funeka (30-2-2) Funeka, who gave Nate Campbell everything he could handle in a close loss, will get a second opportunity at a title when he faces Guzman for the belt stripped from the overweight Campbell. They'll fight on HBO on the Bute-Andrade II undercard. Next: Nov. 28 vs. Guzman. 8. Antonio DeMarco (23-1-1) DeMarco looked terrific stopping former beltholder Jose Alfaro in the 10th round of a dominant performance on Showtime to pick for an interim belt on Oct. 31. DeMarco now is in position to face Valero next, assuming Valero can get his legal issues in order. Next: TBA. 9. Rolando Reyes (31-4-2) Reyes was mentioned as a possible opponent for junior welterweight Victor Ortiz's comeback fight on HBO on Dec. 12, but was quickly rejected because he's a smaller guy and because Reyes' non-entertaining style makes for horrible television. Next: TBA. 10. Paulus Moses (25-0) Although Moses holds a highly suspect alphabet belt, the native of Namibia is a quality boxer, who easily retained his title July 25 via lopsided decision against Japan's Takehiro Shimada. Next: TBA. | ||||||
1. Humberto Soto (49-7-2) Although Soto holds a title, he plans to move up to lightweight to face faded former titleholder Jesus Chavez (44-6) in Cancun, Mexico, as part of Top Rank's split-site pay-per-view card that will be headlined by middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik defending against Miguel Espino in Youngstown, Ohio. Next: Dec. 19 vs. Chavez. 2. Robert Guerrero (25-1-1) Guerrero, who impressively outpointed South Africa's Malcolm Klassen on HBO on Aug. 22 to claim a belt at 130 pounds, was the prize in a brutal tug-of-war between promoters Golden Boy and Dan Goossen. Fortunately, the sides have reached a settlement. Guerrero will remain with Golden Boy. Next: TBA. 3. Roman Martinez (23-0-1) In his first title defense, Puerto Rico's Martinez knocked out Colombia's Feider Viloria (a late replacement for Vicente Martin Rodriguez) in the ninth-round on the Ivan Calderon-Rodel Mayol II pay-per-view undercard Sept. 12. Next: TBA. 4. Juan Carlos Salgado (22-0-1) In a stunning upset, Mexico's Salgado blew away heralded Jorge Linares in the first round to take his title in violent fashion Oct. 10 in Japan, Linares' home base. They might fight an immediate rematch. Next: TBA. 5. Mzonke Fana (29-4) The former titleholder stopped South African countryman Jasper Seroka in the sixth round of a July 31 title eliminator, meaning Fana is due a mandatory shot at Guerrero. Next: TBA. 6. Nicky Cook (29-2) Cook's title reign was brief. After winning a belt from Alex Arthur in September, Cook was knocked out in the fourth round by Martinez on March 14. Easy come, easy go. Next: TBA. 7. Jorge Linares (27-1) In one of the upsets of the year, Linares, heralded as one of the best young fighters in the sport, was relieved of his title Oct. 10, when Salgado knocked him out in the first round. It came just a couple of weeks after Golden Boy trumpeted signing him to a big co-promotional deal to come to the U.S. for major fights. That was, of course, assuming he beat Salgado. Next: TBA. 8. Malcolm Klassen (24-5-2) Klassen talked a big game about how he would knock out Guerrero and retain his title in their Aug. 22 fight. Then the fight happened, and South Africa's Klassen couldn't come close to backing up his words, as he was soundly outpointed and lost his belt in his first fight in the United States. Next: TBA. 9. Cassius Baloyi (37-4-1) The former titleholder from South Africa shut out Argentina's Roberto Arrieta in a decision win Oct. 30 to become Guerrero's mandatory challenger. Next: TBA. 10. Humberto Mauro Gutierrez (26-1-1) Mexico's Gutierrez, who is only 20, claimed an interim belt Aug. 22 by outpointing Belarus' Sergey Gulyakevich in a physically grueling battle. He'll have a quick turnaround when he heads to Germany to defend the belt against Vitali Tajbert (18-1). For comparison's sake, Tajbert lost a 12-round decision to Gulyakevich in December 2008. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Tajbert. | ||||||
1. Chris John (43-0-2) John came down with a case of dengue fever in his native Indonesia and needed to be hospitalized for several days, though he is expected to be fine and make his 13th defense in the spring. Next: TBA. 2. Steven Luevano (37-1-1) Luevano won via seventh-round disqualification when Bernabe Concepcion flattened him with a cheap shot after the bell ended the round on Aug. 15. A rematch was discussed, but instead Luevano will defend his title against junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez on HBO. Next: Jan. 23 vs. Lopez. 3. Cristobal Cruz (39-11-1) For his third defense, Cruz will face Mexican countryman Ricardo Castillo (38-7), brother of former lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo. However, the bout, which was scheduled for Oct. 24, has been postponed until December because Cruz came down with the flu. Next: Dec. 19 vs. Ricardo Castillo. 4. Jorge Solis (37-2-2) In a mandatory shot at Cruz's title on July 11, Solis fought like he was trained by Andrew Golota. Solis lost four points for two brutal shots below the belt, perhaps costing him the fight against a man he had easily outpointed in 2003. Next: TBA. 5. Elio Rojas (21-1) First, Rojas was mentioned briefly as a possible opponent for junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez in January. Now, the titleholder is being mentioned as a possible opponent for Israel Vazquez in the event a fourth fight with Rafael Marquez can't be finalized. Next: TBA. 6. Yuriorkis Gamboa (16-0) Gamboa destroyed Whyber Garcia in four rounds in his first title defense Oct. 10 in the first step toward an anticipated showdown with Lopez. Before meeting, Gamboa and Lopez will box in separate bouts on the same HBO card with Gamboa facing Rogers Mtagwa (26-13-2), who gave Lopez fits when they met in October and is a lot better than his record looks. Next: Jan. 23 vs. Mtagwa. 7. Rocky Juarez (28-5-1) In this day and age of a million titles, it's amazing Juarez hasn't won one yet, but the stats do not lie. After losing a clear decision to John in their Sept. 19 rematch, Juarez dropped to 0-5-1 in world title bouts. He is 0-2-1 in featherweight title matches and 0-3 in junior lightweight title shots. Where the heck does he go now? Next: TBA. 8. Mario Santiago (21-1-1) Puerto Rico's Santiago claimed an eight-round split decision against Kenya's Morris Chule (now 7-7-1) on Oct. 17, his second victory in a row following a year layoff that came after a draw against Luevano in a title bout. Next: TBA. 9. Orlando Salido (32-10-2) Salido's on-and-off eliminator against Fernando Beltran Jr. could be rescheduled for Dec. 19 in Cancun on the Mexican portion of Top Rank's split-site pay-per-view card. Next: TBA. 10. Rafael Marquez (38-5) The sides have renewed talks for a possible fourth fight between Marquez and fellow former junior featherweight champ Israel Vazquez, who already have waged three of the greatest fights in boxing history. Next: TBA. | ||||||
1. Celestino Caballero (33-2) After seeing Juan Manuel Lopez struggle with Rogers Mtagwa, he must be licking his chops to get Lopez into the ring. Caballero, a unified titleholder, has been relentlessly calling Lopez out for months but is unlikely to get him with Lopez headed for featherweight. Next: TBA. 2. Juan Manuel Lopez (27-0) In a life-and-death battle, Puerto Rico's Lopez survived to win a deserved unanimous decision against the ultratough Mtagwa in a fight of the year candidate Oct. 10. Now, Lopez is headed up to featherweight to challenge titlist Steven Luevano on HBO's "Boxing After Dark." Next: Jan. 23 vs. Luevano. 3. Toshiaki Nishioka (35-4-3). Japan's Nishioka made his third defense a relatively easy one on Oct. 10, forcing former junior bantamweight titlist Ivan Hernandez to retire on his stool after the third round because of a broken jaw. Next: TBA. 4. Steve Molitor (30-1) "The Canadian Kid" powered past overmatched Dario Azuaga for a fifth-round knockout Sept. 4. The former titleholder returns to fight again at his home base at Casino Rama in Ontario against Jose Saez (17-8-4) in a stay-busy bout in anticipation of a mandatory title shot in early 2010. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Saez. 5. Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym (39-1) The Thailander, who held an interim title, went to Ireland and scored three knockdowns in a definitive third-round knockout of Bernard Dunne to claim a belt. Well done. Next: TBA. Other contenders: Rendall Munroe, Jeffrey Mathebula, Antonio Escalante, Bernard Dunne, Ricardo Cordoba. | ||||||
1. Hozumi Hasegawa (27-2) Japan's Hasegawa will make his 10th defense against Nicaragua's Alvaro Perez (18-1-1), who replaces former flyweight titlist Eric Morel in the fight. Morel fell out because his past criminal history would not allow him to enter Japan. Next: Dec. 18 vs. Perez. In a tremendous action fight, Colombia's Perez did just a little bit more than Joseph Agbeko to claim the unanimous decision and take a title on Oct. 31. It's not like either guy has a huge fight to look forward to next, so a rematch makes a lot of sense. Next: TBA. 3. Joseph King Kong Agbeko (27-2) Although Agbeko lost the fight and his title to Perez in their terrific slugfest on Oct. 31, he has nothing to be ashamed of. It was a great fight, but somebody had to lose. Next: TBA. 4. Anselmo Moreno (27-1-1) Panama's Moreno was scheduled to defend his title in France against former European champion Frederic Patrac (26-7-1) on Nov. 7. However, Moreno suffered a rib injury training for the fight, and has been delayed for a month. Next: Dec. 4 vs. Patrac. 5. Fernando Montiel (39-2-2) In a Sept. 12 junior featherweight bout, Alejandro Valdez punished Montiel for three brutal rounds only to get robbed of a TKO victory because the inept referee ruled that the cut over Montiel's left eye was caused by a head-butt instead of the clean right jab that really did the damage. Montiel's bantamweight title was not at stake, but he looked terrible. Next: TBA. Other contenders: Nehomar Cermeño, Gerry Penalosa, Alejandro Valdez, Eric Morel, Abner Mares. | ||||||
1. Vic Darchinyan (32-2-1) The junior bantamweight champ stumbled in his step up to bantamweight as he was clearly outpointed by titleholder Joseph Agbeko in a brutal fight on July 11. But Darchinyan, who vacated one of his alphabet belts, will return to junior bantamweight to defend his others on Showtime against interim titlist Tomas Rojas (31-11-1). Next: Dec. 12. vs. Rojas. 2. Nonito Donaire (22-1) Donaire, who claimed an interim belt with a decision win against Rafael Concepcion on Aug. 15, has recovered from a bout of dengue fever. He'll probably make his ring return on Feb. 13 on a "Pinoy Power" pay-per-view card that Top Rank has in the works. Next: TBA. 3. Nobuo Nashiro (13-1-1) Nashiro came on very strong in the final four rounds to salvage a draw and retain his title against former junior flyweight champ Hugo Cazares in an excellent fight in Japan on Sept. 30. Next: TBA. 4. Alexander Munoz (34-3) The former two-time titlist pounded out a unanimous decision against former titlist and Venezuelan countryman Felix Machado on Nov. 7. It was Munoz's second win in a row since losing a split decision to Cristian Mijares in their May 2008 unification bout. Next: TBA. 5. Marvin Sonsona (14-0) The 19-year-old Filipino claimed a belt with an exciting decision victory against Jose "Carita" Lopez on Sept. 4. Sonsona will return in quick fashion for his first defense against former flyweight title challenger Alejandro Hernandez (22-7-1). Next: Nov. 21 vs. Hernandez. Other contenders: Jose "Carita" Lopez, Simphiwe Nongqayi, Hugo Cazares, Tomas Rojas, Drian Francisco. | ||||||
1. Daisuke Naito (35-2-3) In what will be one of the biggest fights in Japanese history, Naito will defend his title against popular bad boy Koki Kameda (20-0), a former junior flyweight titlist with immense popularity in his home country. Naito already owns a 2007 victory against Kameda's brother, Daiki Kameda. Next: Nov. 29 vs. Kameda. 2. Omar Narvaez (30-0-2) Argentina's Narvaez keeps rolling along, having made an astonishing 16 title defenses since claiming his belt in 2002. Next: TBA. 3. Denkaosan Kaowichit (48-1-1) One year to the day after Thailand's Kaowichit knocked out Japan's Takefumi Sakata in the second round to win a world title, they'll hook up in a rematch. One of them will ring in 2010 with a smile on his face. Next: Dec. 31 vs. Sakata. 4. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (73-3-1) The Thai legend was running a fever during training, which forced him to withdraw from a defense of his interim title that had been scheduled for Oct. 22. Next: TBA. 5. Takefumi Sakata (35-5-2) Since being drilled in two rounds and losing his title to Kaowichit on New Year's Eve last year, Sakata has won two in a row to set up a rematch with him on the same day this year. Next: Dec. 31 vs. Kaowichit. Other contenders: Koki Kameda, Luis Concepcion, Moruti Mthalane, Julio Cesar Miranda, Rayonta Whitfield. | ||||||
(108 AND 105 POUNDS) | ||||||
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1. Ivan "Iron Boy" Calderon (33-0-1) It was déjà vu all over again as Puerto Rico's Calderon and Rodel Mayol of the Philippines engaged in another bad style fight that ended because Calderon was cut by an accidental head butt and unable to continue. Their June fight ended in a six-round technical draw. The Sept. 12 rematch ended in the seventh round with Calderon winning a tight split technical decision. Let's pray there isn't a third fight. Next: TBA. 2. Edgar Sosa (36-5) Mexico's Sosa celebrated his country's Independence Day in style on Sept. 15, rolling to his 10th successful title defense by knocking out Puerto Rico's Omar Soto in the sixth round in Mexico City. His 11th defense -- and likely final one before moving up to flyweight -- will come against Mayol. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Mayol. 3. Brian Viloria (26-2) The "Hawaiian Punch" thought he'd get a chance for revenge against Omar Nino, whom he had lost to and drawn with. However, Nino pulled out and has been replaced by former flyweight title challenger Carlos Tamara (20-4) for the bout in the Philippines, which had been slated for Dec. 5 but was pushed into next year. Next: Jan. 23 vs. Tamara. 4. Giovani Segura (21-1-1) Segura was supposed to defend his belt against Sonny Boy Jaro (30-7-5) on July 25, but Jaro fell out three days before the fight because of a visa issue, and Segura instead knocked out late substitute Juanito Rubillar. Now the fight with Jaro has been rescheduled. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Jaro. 5. Ulises "Archie" Solis (29-2-2) Solis, who was knocked out in the 11th round and lost his belt to Viloria in April, returned to win an eight-round shutout decision against Dirceu Cabarca on Sept. 15. He's making a quick return against Gilberto Keb Baas (28-20-3) on the Segura-Jaro undercard. Next: Nov. 21 vs. Keb Baas. Other contenders: Roman Gonzalez, Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Raul Garcia, Donnie Nietes, Manuel Vargas. | ||||||
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