Rankings: Brian Norman takes top spot at 147, more
Brian Norman Jr takes over the No. 1 spot at 147 with Jaron Ennis’ exit, plus Fabio Wardley, Zurdo Ramirez, and more!
- Titles: WBC - Oleksandr Usyk, WBA - Oleksandr Usyk, IBF - Daniel Dubois, WBO - Oleksandr Usyk
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (1) Oleksandr Usyk vs (2) Daniel Dubois, 7/19 ... Lawrence Okolie vs Kevin Lerena, 7/19 ... Bakhodir Jalolov vs Gianmarco Cardillo, 7/26 ... (8) Filip Hrgovic vs David Adeleye, 8/16 ... Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte, 8/16
Notes: Fabio Wardley showed a lot of flaws in his win over Justis Huni, but he also showed why he’s ranked here. Forget the “white collar” beginnings at this point, Wardley is a true fighter in his soul, a guy who just cannot be counted out no matter how poorly things are going. Struggling that much with Huni does not speak well to his chances right this second against someone like, say, Joseph Parker or Agit Kabayel, let alone an Usyk, but his power is the real deal, and his toughness is real, too. He’s a sincere contender, even granting he’d be an underdog against the top four and quite a big one.
The August 16 fight between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte will more likely than not put the winner in the top 10, particularly if it is Itauma, and that’s no gimme. Those last few spots are there for the taking at the moment.
- Titles: WBC - Badou Jack, WBA - Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, IBF - Jai Opetaia, WBO - Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez
- Upcoming Notable Fights: TBA
Notes: Zurdo Ramirez retained his two titles with a win over Yuniel Dorticos, who doesn’t drop much by losing to a higher-ranked and favored fighter, plus Dorticos still looked capable out there. He just lost to a younger, fresher, more active, better opponent.
Zurdo and Badou Jack are now both, ostensibly, in Jake Paul’s sights. Hey, if Jake fights either of them, more power to him, but I already see the way he’s circle-talking his way around doing so. Now, he reckons, he understands that people just want to see him lose. And many do, of course, but personally I just think if you’re going to talk the big game he has, your “best win” to qualify you for a cruiserweight world title fight should not be over a 40-year-old middleweight who’s a decade removed from being “good.”
Speaking of wins over shot opponents, Michal Cieslak went to Quebec and bashed a 42-year-old Jean Pascal in a fight that was ridiculously for an interim WBC title. That should really be Pascal’s last fight, but I doubt it will be. If Paul predictably does not fight Jack — though I think of all the legit options, Badou is the most likely for Jake to take the crack at — then Jack vs Cieslak is a good fight to add to some card, somewhere.
On the Paul note, the WBA have officially lived up to their word and ranked him at No. 14, which puts him within the sphere of getting a world title fight. Badou can fight him and the WBA would sanction it as a world title fight, it just has to be someone in their top 15. It’s a political/business move, obviously, and no, Jake was not considered for the top 10 here, but I will also say that Jake Paul being ranked No. 14 is, by scale, not much worse than a lot of people for whom I’ve seen sanctioning bodies order mandatory title fights. Remember when Naoya Inoue had to fight Michael Dasmarinas? That’s one of dozens of examples you can come up with from recent memory alone. Sanctioning body rankings are a joke, up and down the divisions for all four of them.
- Titles: WBC - David Benavidez, WBA - Dmitry Bivol, IBF - Dmitry Bivol, WBO - Dmitry Bivol
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Denis Savitsky vs Saveliy Sadoma, 7/5 ... Vasily Voytsekhovsky vs Braian Suarez, 7/5 ... (6) David Morrell vs Imam Khataev, 7/12 ... Lewis Edmondson vs Daniel Lapin, 7/19
Notes: “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic is on the brink of going inactive once the August rankings roll around.
- Titles: WBC - Canelo Alvarez, WBA - Canelo Alvarez, IBF - Canelo Alvarez, WBO - Canelo Alvarez
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (9) Sergiy Derevyanchenko vs Jeremy Ramos, 7/1 ... Pavel Silyagin vs Pablo Corzo, 7/5 ... (10) Edgar Berlanga vs Hamzah Sheeraz, 7/12 ... (4) Diego Pacheco vs Trevor McCumby, 7/19 ... (1) Canelo Alvarez vs Terence “Bud” Crawford, 9/13 ... Jacob Bank vs Tyron Zeuge, 9/13
Notes: Mbilli won an easy one, blasting Maciej Sulecki in one. It’s impressive-ish that he did it that quickly, but it was another matchup where he was a clear favorite. As much as he does stand as the best contender to Canelo right now, he still hasn’t really done much of major note. Looks the part, but what’s been proven? Still, he stays at No. 2. Just saying a potential Canelo fight in 2026 would be a big step up as stands right now. Big.
Jaime Munguia is out because he failed his B-sample, too, which isn’t a real surprise given how that process usually turns out. I know Edgar Berlanga isn’t any diehard fan’s favorite, but his recent record’s about as credible as anyone else’s you can put in that slot right now. He faces Hamzah Sheeraz on July 12, and if Sheeraz is on his game and feels better at 168, that could be bad news for Berlanga. Or he might prove a little something. We’ll see.
- Titles: WBC - Carlos Adames, WBA - Erislandy Lara, IBF - Janibek Alimkhanuly, WBO - Janibek Alimkhanuly
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Vadim Tukov vs Patrick Teixeira, 7/5 ... (6) Austin Williams vs (7) Etinosa Oliha, 7/19
Notes: Troy Isley, who ranked No. 9 last month, is out after just not looking impressive in his June 7 fight. He won, but that’s been a theme with him. He might be a guy who always just finds a way to win, but I was way more impressed by Yoenli Hernandez’s May 31 win over Kyrone Davis, which was against a better and more experienced opponent than Isley faced.
- Titles: WBC - Sebastian Fundora, WBA - Terence “Bud” Crawford, IBF - Bakhram Murtazaliev, WBO - Vacant
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Pavel Sosulin vs Magomed Kurbanov, 7/5 ... (8) Xander Zayas vs (10) Jorge Perez, 7/26 ... (3) Sebastian Fundora vs (6) Tim Tszyu, 7/19
Note: Jaron “Boots” Ennis will be joining these ranks by the end of the summer, it sounds like, as he’s officially got the move up to 154 in his sights, and will be a welcome addition to an already fun, competitive division. Today’s 154 isn’t the 147 of yore, but it certainly is better than the 147 of today, and with Turki Alalshikh wanting to get to Boots vs Vergil Ortiz Jr sooner than later, that’s good news. Certainly better than sticking around at welterweight until you get a mandatory order to fight Karen Chukhadzhian again.
- Titles: WBC - Mario Barrios, WBA - Jaron “Boots” Ennis, IBF - Jaron “Boots” Ennis, WBO - Brian Norman Jr
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank, 7/5 ... (4) Mario Barrios vs Manny Pacquiao, 7/19 ... Rohan Polanco vs Quinton Randall, 7/26
Notes: Boots Ennis is out, because he’s not going to fight in this division again. Brian Norman Jr takes the No. 1 spot following his destructive wipeout against Jin Sasaki in Japan, and it looks as though maybe, maybe not, Norman will fight Devin Haney later this year, now that Garcia vs Haney 2 doesn’t seem very profitable for anyone.
Haney does come in at No. 10 to replace the exited Boots, because there’s really no better option, at least to my eye. That win over Jose Ramirez was one of the worst non-fights I’ve ever seen, but he won it clear. Also considered were Raul Curiel, Alexis Rocha, Karen Chukhadzhian, and Souleymane Cissokho. It’s not exactly an inspiring group. This isn’t an inspiring group, period. 46-year-old Manny Pacquiao might wind up in the top three next month.
- Titles: WBC - Alberto Puello, WBA - Gary Antuanne Russell, IBF - Richardson Hitchins, WBO - Teofimo Lopez
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Hovhannes Bachkov vs Xolisani Ndongeni, 7/2 ... Khariton Agrba vs Ruben Munoz, 7/5 ... Kuntae Lee vs Rimar Metuda, 7/5 ... (2) Alberto Puello vs (6) Subriel Matias, 7/19 ... Pitbull Cruz vs Angel Fierro, 7/19 ... Jamaine Ortiz vs Steve Claggett, 8/23 ... Cain Sandoval vs TBA, 10/3
Notes: We do have a big fight for the division this month in Puello vs Matias, which is a fascinating matchup to consider. Matias at his best gets to everyone, but Puello is the type of guy who can keep Matias from being his best, too.
Richardson Hitchins took care of business in a big way against George Kambosos Jr to retain his IBF title. Teofimo Lopez may or may not stay at this weight much longer. Gary Antuanne Russell may or may not fight again sometime soon; I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on the Tank vs Roach 2 undercard, whenever that fight actually happens.
- Titles: WBC - Shakur Stevenson, WBA - Gervonta “Tank” Davis, IBF - Raymond Muratalla, WBO - Vacant
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (1) Shakur Stevenson vs (7) William Zepeda, 7/12 ... Tsendbaatar Erdenebat vs Humberto Galindo, 7/12 ... Zelfa Barrett vs Rajesh Kumar, 7/12 ... Alan Chaves vs TBA, 7/19 ... Albert Bell vs TBA, 8/30 ... (9) Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes, TBA
Notes: I’m not dropping Keyshawn Davis from the rankings for missing weight and thus missing his fight planned for June 7. Missing weight does happen, it’s not always the most sinister or disgusting thing in the history of the world. But Keyshawn does drop down the rankings.
Floyd Schofield rockets into the rankings after his obliteration of Tevin Farmer. I’m not trying to say Farmer is some elite fighter, and styles make fights and all that, but man, Zepeda had 24 rounds and didn’t come close to doing to Farmer with Schofield did in 78 seconds.
Absolutely love the matchup in the WBO’s Abdullah Mason vs Sam Noakes vacant title order. Really, really looking forward to that fight when we get it.
- Titles: WBC - O’Shaquie Foster, WBA - Lamont Roach, IBF - Eduardo Nunez, WBO - Emanuel Navarrete
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (8) Albert Batyrgaziev vs Jazza Dickens, 7/2 ... Miguel Esparza vs Tshifhiwa Munyai, 7/4 ... Khurshidbek Rasuljonov vs Mark Urvanov, 7/5 ... Ryan Garner vs Reece Bellotti, 7/26 ... Kai Watanabe vs Reo Saito, 7/31 ... Yamato Hata vs Shigetoshi Kotari, 8/2 ... Xu Can vs Jaouad Belmehdi, 8/15 ... (4) Anthony Cacace vs (10) Raymond Ford, 8/16 ... Hayato Tsutsumi vs Qais Ashfaq, 8/16
Notes: A lot of guys in a holding pattern at the moment.
- Titles: WBC - Stephen Fulton, WBA - Nick Ball, IBF - Angelo Leo, WBO - Rafael Espinoza
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Cristobal Lorente vs Ruben Gil, 7/5 ... (5) Brandon Figueroa vs (10) Joet Gonzalez, 7/19 ... Bruce Carrington vs Mateus Heita, 7/26 ... Omar Cande Trinidad vs TBA, 8/15 ... (3) Nick Ball vs Sam Goodman, 8/16
- Titles: WBC - Naoya Inoue, WBA - Naoya Inoue, IBF - Naoya Inoue, WBO - Naoya Inoue
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Mukhammad Shekhov vs Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz, 7/5 ... (8) Elijah Pierce vs Michael Dasmarinas, 7/25 ... Toshiya Ishii vs Ryuya Tsugawa, 8/21 ... (1) Naoya Inoue vs (3) Murodjon Akhmadaliev, 9/14
Notes: Sam Goodman is out with his move up to 126 to face Nick Ball in August. That opens a spot and Sebastian Hernandez is in. Shabaz Masoud bumps up a slot despite having to withdraw from his fight with Peter McGrail. Injuries happen. I did think McGrail looked good against Ionut Baluta, who is a pain in the hindquarters for just about anyone.
- Titles: WBC - Junto Nakatani, WBA - Antonio Vargas, IBF - Junto Nakatani, WBO - Yoshiki Takei
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Katsuma Akitsugi vs Jonas Sultan, 7/12 ... Arturo Popoca vs Dominique Crowder, 7/19 ...(7) Antonio Vargas vs (8) Daigo Higa, 7/30
Notes: Junto Nakatani did what was expected against Ryosuke Nishida on June 8, unifying the WBC and IBF belts. I’m not dropping Nishida any for that loss; he fought pretty well and got stopped against one of the best boxers on the planet.
Tenshin Nasukawa also won on that card, and is just going about his business.
- Titles: WBC - Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, WBA - Fernando Martinez, IBF - Willibaldo Garcia, WBO - Phumelela Cafu
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (1) Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs (3) Phumelela Cafu, 7/19 ... Ryusei Kawaura vs Joe Shiraishi, 8/12
Notes: Juan Francisco Estrada returned in June, fairly quietly, for a 10-round win as a bantamweight. Actually, a hair north of the bantam limit. Keeping him ranked here for the moment just because if he takes a more serious or challenging fight, 115 might still be the move depending on the offers. But I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see him angling for another belt at 118 for real.
- Titles: WBC - Kenshiro Teraji, WBA - Kenshiro Teraji, IBF - Masamichi Yabuki, WBO - Anthony Olascuaga
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Albert Francisco vs Angilou Dalogdog, 7/27 ... (1) Kenshiro Teraji vs (7) Ricardo Sandoval, 7/30 ... Yankiel Rivera vs Angelino Cordova, 8/23 ... Mark Vicelles vs Kosuke Tomioka, 9/7
Notes: Francisco Rodriguez Jr has made a career of taking tough fights, being a willing road warrior, and bouncing around weight classes. He got the call to face Galal Yafai, and he made that count. Rodriguez was always dangerous to Yafai on paper, style-wise, and then he went over to the UK and gave Yafai a beating, reality-checking the 32-year-old in the process. Yafai’s not going to change his style or his DNA as a fighter, he’s way too advanced into being who he is to do that, this is a finished product. So what does Yafai do now? Because that wasn’t even all that competitive a fight, which is not to say Galal didn’t fight his heart out to compete.
But a big win for Rodriguez, and a hard loss to Yafai, who plummets down to the No. 10 spot with the Mexican veteran — who is a “just” 32 compared to Yafai’s “already” 32 — shooting in at No. 6.
- Titles: WBC - Panya Pradabsri, WBA - Erick Rosa, IBF - Thanongsak Simsri, WBO - Rene Santiago
- Upcoming Notable Fights: (7) Erick Badillo vs Gerardo Zapata, 7/12 ... (4) Erick Rosa vs Kyosuke Takami, 7/30 ... Masataka Taniguchi vs Takeru Inoue, 8/3
Notes: Some movement with Simsri going up to No. 8 and Araneta dropping to No. 10. Their fight was close and competitive, but I think the winner was the right guy, and now Simsri has the IBF belt.
The Rosa vs Takami fight at the end of July is one to have a real eye on. I have a tough time ranking someone who’s had all of one 10-round fight, which is the case with Takami, but the BoxRec computers see him as the No. 1 guy in this division, which is partially because, I mean, who has really earned that right now? Pradabsri is a very questionable No. 1 for me, and BoxRec doesn’t like Canizales as much as I do.
- Titles: WBC - Melvin Jerusalem, WBA - Oscar Collazo, IBF - Pedro Taduran, WBO - Oscar Collazo
- Upcoming Notable Fights: Takeshi Ishii vs Jake Amparo, 9/9