The Ring’s Women’s Ratings reviewed 2023, part one: Super middleweight to featherweight

The Ring started its divisional ratings in 1925. And about a century later, after establishing those ratings as the standard of the industry due to their independence of criteria, The Ring gave birth to the female version of those ratings, honoring the trailblazing work of thousands of women who fought inside and outside the ring for equal rights to participate in this sport.

For this purpose, The Ring assembled a Woman’s Ratings Panel is made up of a dozen experts from around the world. Opinions are shared, debate takes place, and the final decision on who should be rated where is decided democratically every week. It sounds easy, but this can be an arduous and time-consuming process.

Periodically, we will take the time to delve deep into the reasons behind each of our choices, as a guide to those who want to learn more about women’s boxing but also as an explanation to those who wonder about the criteria that we use in rating these fighters.

One of such explanations has to do with the reason why we only rate the top five fighters in each division. The answer is simple: there are many divisions that are simply not deep enough to compile a viable Top 10 that includes fighters with winning records. And yet, we still believe that creating a Top 5 will serve as encouragement for younger generations of female fighters and give them something to aim for.

Here is a quick breakdown of the divisional ratings between super middleweight and featherweight. Please enjoy the debate and respect other people’s opinions when reviewing these ratings.

Super middleweight to featherweight: As of Dec. 28, 2023

Super middleweight – 168 pounds  

This is by far the least populated division in all of boxing, regardless of gender.

Only a couple of dozen active fighter campaign in this division worldwide, and it’s even worse or nonexistent at higher weights (for this reason, The Ring ranks fighters only below 168 pounds). In that scenario, and even with the lack of viable opponents, the extremely talented Savannah Marshall reigns supreme as Ring champion and is currently flanked by two very capable contenders in Franchon Crews-Dezurn and Shadasia Green. But other than generating a trilogy with each one of them, I’d say it’s difficult to envision a day in the near future in which this division will thrive and flourish.

It could take many years to develop enough fighters to keep the division interesting – or even alive. Raquel Miller is more focused on social media than in fighting foes with a pulse, and both Melinda Watpool and Lani Daniels are still a few fights away from becoming serious challengers to Marshall’s reign.  

The Ring Champion: Savannah Marshall

1 – Franchon Crews-Dezurn

2 – Shadasia Green

3 – Raquel Miller

4 – Melinda Watpool

5 – Lani Daniels

 

Middleweight – 160 pounds

See “super middleweight”, but almost worse.

There are 32 active fighters at 168 according to BoxRec, and only 37 at 160, but the quality of opposition precipitates quite rapidly after the first ten positions, with a couple of dozen fighter with single-digit records – many of them without any wins at all.

All the concerns raised at 168 are very much the same for the middleweight division, in which Claressa Shields is the current undisputed queen. The fact that 168-pound champ Savannah Marshall and 168-pound contender Raquel Miller are even rated here speaks volumes of the lack of viable active candidates for a worldwide Top 5. The rest of the bunch is there on the strength of having fought at least one fight at 160-pounds in the past year, but there is no guarantee that they will continue fighting at this weight in the future.

Save a return to 160 by Marshall to challenge Shields in a grudge rematch, this division is as close to dead as it could be. Only time will tell if there’s a reservoir of new blood waiting to put their talents to the test. Right now, there’s barely enough talent to keep the division alive.

The Ring Champion: Claressa Shields

1 – Savannah Marshall

2 – Raquel Miller

3 – Maricela Cornejo

4 – Olivia Curry

5 – Mapule Ngubane

Junior middleweight – 154 pounds

This is where world-class talent begins to appear in abundance in women’s boxing.

Champion Natasha Jonas will be fighting at 147 soon and may stay there, but she will be stripped (if ever) whenever she violates one or more of the provisions contained in The Ring’s Championship Policy (see below). For now, she sits atop a division that includes talented and tough fighters from all over Europe mostly, including former pound-for-pound queen and all-time great Cecilia Braekhus.

About 70 fighters worldwide are active in this division, including talents such as Mary McGee, Oshae Jones and Mary Spencer, who can help make this the most interesting division in boxing going forward.

The Ring Champion: Natasha Jonas

1 –  Terri Harper

2 –  Patricia Berghult

3 –  Femke Hermans

4 – Ema Kozin

5 – Cecilia Braekhus

 

Welterweight – 147 pounds  

Another interesting division, with membership numbers closing in on triple digits.

Jessica McCaskill held on to her Ring belt with an unpopular draw against Sandy Ryan, the heir apparent to the throne as it is, but the party will soon be crashed by Mikaela Mayer and Natasha Jonas, and the Top 5 may look radically different after that fight (yes, The Ring waits until the fights actually happen before rating or moving fighters around). Once they clash, they will be rated accordingly.

For now, a strong line-up of great future champs like Ryan and Lauren Price is completed by a mixed bag of veterans and contenders, with many more waiting in the wings. But for the time being, the prospect of seeing McCaskill, Mayer, Ryan, Jonas and even Prince engaging in a free-for-all battle royale for all the marbles in the near future is mouth-watering enough to declare this one of women’s boxing’s most-likely-to-succeed divisions out there.

The Ring Champion: Jessica McCaskill

1 – Sandy Ryan

2 – Lauren Price

3 – Ivana Habazin

4 –  Marie Pier Houle

5 –  Hedda Wolmarans

 

Junior welterweight – 140 pounds

A division undergoing a transitional period, indeed.

Taylor may or may not remain in this division, choosing instead to return to 135 to continue her reign of terror there. If she does, she will leave behind a division with great possible matchups.

Cameron is one of the most talented fighters in the world, and she seems to be quite comfortable in this division. A trilogy with Taylor is expected, and it will hopefully materialize. Ryan should exit the division in the next revision due to inactivity at the weight, and Mayer is there simply as a placeholder while she waits to make her welterweight debut. The unbeaten Derieuw is as talented as she is untested, unlike Linardatou, who is as proven as she can be.

Below them, there’s a group of interesting young contenders who could one day take charge and become the next big thing, but they will have to bring their A-game and then some if they truly want to match the amazing talents that sit at the very top of the division.

The Ring Champion: Katie Taylor

1 – Chantelle Cameron

2 – Sandy Ryan

3 – Oshin Derieuw

4 – Mikaela Mayer

5 –  Christina Linardatou

Lightweight – 135 pounds

With one of the all-time greats holding the inaugural Ring belt, this is definitely an elite division.

Right now, there’s a generational change happening in this division. Top amateur talents such as Dubois and Mossely are the future here, and Moneo will be right there to put their chins to the test with her swarming, brawling style. Dixon and a host of other rising young talents will definitely be looking for opportunities to grow, and the prospect of the winner of the sweepstakes facing a legend for a career-high payday will make things interesting in the long run as well. Provided, obviously, that Taylor remains at 135 to keep them focused on the prize. Veterans like Erica Farias, Magali Rodriguez and Jessica Camara will probably be around to test the young contender’s will and skills for a while too.

The Ring Champion: Katie Taylor

1 – Caroline Dubois

2 – Maira Moneo

3 – Estelle Mossely

4 – Rhiannon Dixon

5 – Elhem Mekhaled

 

Junior lightweight – 130 pounds  

The lingering controversy over Baumgardner’s alleged use of PEDs still casts a shadow over the entire division, but this is the least of its problems.

Baumgardner famously tested positive for a banned substance after her title defense against Christina Linardatou, but no definitive action has been taken by any sanctioning body or commission so far. And The Ring cannot act without solid grounds in this regard. Stripping Baumgardner will take a firm ruling, and for now we have no choice but to wait.

Should Baumgardner exit, another all-time great in Belgium’s Persoon could easily take her place at the top as soon as she fights someone with a pulse. Lack of viable opponents or unwillingness to test herself have led Persoon to face subpar opposition recently, but Brazilian rising star Beatriz Ferreira is on a mission to clean up the division, and she probably will if given time. Choi, at this point, is an embarrassment to the division, but she remains an unbeaten champion in a weight class that is not exactly overflowing with talent. In all, this is the one division what will probably see the most influx of young rising talent in 2024. This Top 5 will definitely look a lot different by June.

The Ring Champion: Alycia Baumgardner

1 – Delfine Persoon

2 – Beatriz Ferreira

3 – Hyun Mi Choi

4 – Bo Mi Re Shin

5 – Leila Beaudoin

 

Featherweight – 126 pounds  

Of course, one of the best fighters in the world and a credit to the sport reigns supreme in this elite division. And should she remain at 126 there is no reason to think that she will ever relinquish that position.

Serrano is a trailblazer, a pioneer, and also a leader among her peers. Her campaign to have women fight three-minute rounds and to dispute titles in 12-round bouts is already the stuff of legends. But so is her unlimited talent in the ring and her second-to-none dedication to her craft.

She is fortunate to have plenty of talented young women vying for her position, and they will all get their chance. Bermudez already did, and it was one of those rare occasions in which a fight between two pound-for-pound entrants ended in a stoppage. Meinke will be next, taking on Serrano in Puerto Rico early in 2024. A group of very talented unbeaten young guns are waiting for her chance beyond the Top 5, including future champ Karriss Artingstall, and many battle-hardened veterans as well. For now, the 126-pound is Serrano’s world, and all the others just live in it.

The Ring Champion:  Amanda Serrano

1 – Sarah Mahfoud

2 –  Nina Meinke

3 – Daniela Bermudez

4 – Raven Chapman

4 – Skye Nicholson

 

The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel:

Diego Morilla (moderator), Mark Jones, Malissa Smith, Thomas Gerbasi, Irene Deserti, Yesica Palmetta, Yuriko Miyata, Christopher Benedict, Lupi Gutierrez-Beagle, Wildalys Figueras-Snow, Cynthia Conte, Jeandra LeBeauf

 

RATING PANEL / CHAMPIONSHIP POLICY

Championship vacancies can be filled in the following two ways:

THE RING’s Nos. 1 and 2 contenders fight one another.If a fight between the Nos. 1 and 2 contenders can not be made and  No. 1 fights No. 3, the winner may be awarded THE RING belt if the Editorial Board deems the No. 3 contender worthy. Here are the seven situations in which a champion can lose his belt:The Champion loses a fight in the weight class in which he is champion.The Champion moves to another weight class (for more than one fight).The Champion does not schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months.The Champion does not schedule a fight at his championship weight for 18 months (even if he fights at another weight).The Champion does not schedule a fight with a Top-5 contender from any weight class for two years.The Champion retires.The Champion tests positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is fined, suspended or otherwise penalized by the proper authority (athletic commission or sanctioning body).

RATINGS POLICY

Results. This is the most objective criterion and takes precedence over all others.Performance. How a fighter performs in a victory or defeat can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings.Track record: A fighter’s accomplishments in the recent past can be a factor to determine his place in the ratings. That includes quality of opposition.

THE RING Ratings are compiled by the magazine’s Editorial Board, with the participation of THE RING Ratings Panel of boxing journalists from around the world.

 

Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.

Follow @MorillaBoxing