Álvarez retained his Ring/WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO 168-pound titles with a UD over his arch-rival. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom
The Ring first introduced its divisional rankings in 1925. Nearly a century later, it is no exaggeration to say that these independent rankings are the most respected and accurate in world boxing.
The ratings panel is made up of a dozen experts from around the world. Opinions are shared, debated and the final decision on who should qualify where is decided democratically each week. It sounds easy, but this can be a time-consuming and arduous process.
A couple of years ago, during the pandemic, we reviewed and broke down each division in its entirety. In a two-pronged approach, we looked at the respective achievements of the world’s greatest fighters and looked at what was to come.
Now, with enough time having elapsed and with a busy final quarter through 2022 ahead of us, we have decided to compile another divisional breakdown.
Next up is super middleweight. As always, enjoy the discussion and respect the opinions of others.
CANELO ALVAREZ CHAMPION
RECORD: (58-2-2, 39 KO)
THE PAST: Canelo boasts the best resume in boxing today: Shane Mosley (UD 12), Austin Trout (UD 12), Erislandy Lara (SD 12), Miguel Cotto (UD 12), Gennadiy Golovkin (MD 12/ D 12/ UD 12), Daniel Jacobs (UD 12), Sergey Kovalev (KO 11), Callum Smith (UD 12), Billy Joe Saunders (RTD 8) and Caleb Plant (TKO 11). The 32-year-old is a current great who has captured world titles at junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight. He bounced back from a loss to Dmitry Bivol (UD 12) to complete the trilogy against Golovkin. However, the victory may have come at a cost, it appears that Canelo may require surgery on his hand and not fight until next May.
THE FUTURE: You have spoken openly of seeking revenge against Bivol. As a boxing earner, he gets to choose what he wants to do after completing his two-fight deal with Matchroom and DAZN.
No. 1 DAVID BENAVIDEZ
RECORD: 26-0 (23 KOs)
THE PAST: Benavidez is an offensive beast; physically imposing with impressive power. He became the youngest fighter to win a super middleweight world title when he outpointed Ronald Gavril (SD 12) to win the WBC title. He beats Gavril (UD 12) much more completely in a rematch. The Arizona native was arrested for cocaine use and stripped of the title. Benavidez impressively recovered the belt from Anthony Dirrell (TKO 9). However, he missed the weight on his first defense and lost the belt on the scale. The 25-year-old has fought three times since then, most notably demolishing former middleweight champion David Lemieux (TKO 3).
THE FUTURE: He has been asking for a fight with Canelo for a while, but he will have to settle for returning on December 3.
N° 2 CALEB PLANT
RECORD: 21-1 (12 KOs)
THE PAST: Plant was a solid amateur and backup to the 2012 US Olympic team. As a pro, he quietly went about his business until his big moment came against IBF champion José Uzcátegui (UD 12). “Sweethhands” made three defenses, easily outpointing Mike Lee (TKO 3), thrilled hometown fans by giving a clinic against Vincent Feigenbutz (TKO 10) and shutting out former champion Caleb Truax (UD 12). He lost the title to himself when he faced Canelo Alvarez (TKO 11) when they met to decide the undisputed champion.
THE FUTURE: He faces Andre Dirrell in a WBC eliminator on October 15.
#3 ANTHONY DIRRELL
RECORD: 35-2-2 (25 KOs)
THE PAST: Inspirational cancer survivor defeated Sakio Bika (UD 12) to claim the WBC title, but lost it to Badou Jack (MD 12) in his first defense. He remained in the title hunt with five wins before outpointing Avni Yildirim (TD 10) for the vacant WBC title that had been taken from Benavidez. When Benavidez returned to action, he regained the title at Dirrell’s expense. The 37-year-old showed signs of slipping only drawing with Kyrone Davis (UD 12), but then found some form by knocking out Marcos Hernandez (TKO 4).
THE FUTURE: He will face Plant in a crossroads match on October 15.
In his most recent fight, David Benavidez (left) knocked out David Lemieux in three rounds. (Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime)
No. 4 JOHN RYDER
RECORD: 31-5 (17 KOs)
THE PAST: Ryder lost three British title attempts before defeating Patrick Nielsen (KO 5), Jamie Cox (KO 2) and Bilal Akkawy (TKO 3) to earn a shot at the Ring Magazine champion and WBA titleholder Callum Smith. Although he lost a controversial decision, his performance did more for him than any of his wins. The 34-year-old Brit stayed active with two fights to keep himself busy before outpointing former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs (SD 12).
THE FUTURE: Apparently in talks to face Jaime Munguía. If the deal is consummated, the couple will meet on October 29.
No. 5 CHRISTIAN MBILLI
RECORD: 22-0 (20 KOs)
THE PAST: Mbilli represented France at the 2016 Olympics, losing to eventual gold medalist Arlen Lopez at the quarter-final stage. He moved to Canada and, after taking the usual steps, began to climb the rankings impressively dominating Ronald Ellis (UD 10), scoring a flashy knockout of former world title contender Nadjib Mohammedi (KO 5) and, most recently, bombing DeAndre Ware (KO 2). The all-action fighter has turned heads and is part of the new generation in the division.
THE FUTURE: He could look to keep his momentum going by returning in December before seeking a world title shot in 2023.
#6 ZACH PARKER
RECORD: 22-0 (16 KOs)
THE PAST: Parker burst onto the UK small saloon scene. He narrowly edged out Daryll Williams (SD 12) to claim the British title. He dislocated his left shoulder and tore his rotator cuff in the Williams fight, forcing him to vacate his title before defending it. Since then, the heavy-handed 28-year-old has come back better than ever and worked his way up the WBO rankings. He was due to face Demetrius Andrade before a shoulder injury caused his May date to be postponed.
THE FUTURE: An offer for the Andrade fight was due to be submitted Tuesday, but was postponed due to the lingering effects of a hurricane in Puerto Rico, where the WBO offices are located. If all goes according to plan, the rescheduled portfolio auction will take place on Zoom later today.
No. 7 DAVID MORRELL
RECORD: 7-0 (6 KOs)
THE PAST: Won Cuban national titles at various levels before turning pro in 2019. His amateur pedigree has helped him move quickly as a pro and he has already beaten some very solid fighters including Mike Gavronski (KO 3), Alantez Fox ( TKO 4) and Kalvin Henderson (TKO 4). Though none of them are elite, the way the 24-year-old southpaw has dominated them suggests he might as well be.
THE FUTURE: There has been talk of facing David Benavidez for some time. Whether he’s next or not, he’s likely to fight before the end of the year.
David Morrell – Photo by Sean Michael Ham/TGB Promotions
No. 8 ERIK BAZINYAN
RECORD: 28-0 (21 KOs)
THE PAST: An excellent amateur in Armenia before immigrating to Canada and turning pro at 18. He learned the trade from him away from the pressures that often follow highly regarded prospects. He has been slow, but seems to have matured into a complete pro over the last year. He disarmed seasoned club fighter Scott Sigmon (TKO 2), used some clever boxing brains to beat the much heavier Reinaldo Paniagua (TKO 9), and most recently scored a career-best win over the former world title challenger. Marcelo Coceres (UD 10).
THE FUTURE: It will most likely return in early 2023.
#9 LERRONE RICHARDS
RECORD: 16-0 (3 KOs)
THE PAST: Richards claimed the Commonwealth title by beating Tommy Langford (UD 12) before adding the British title by beating Lennox Clarke (SD 12). Traditional route completed by winning the European title against Giovanni De Carolis (UD 12). He successfully jumped onto the world stage by defeating Carlos Góngora (SD 12).
THE FUTURE: No one knows about him since he defeated Góngora. He has lost that momentum and needs to come back soon.
No. 10 VLADIMIR SHISHKIN
RECORD: 13-0 (8 KOs)
THE PAST: The Russian turned pro in 2016. Since then, he has managed to show his class by stopping Mohammedi (TKO 10), Ware (TKO 8) and the undefeated Ulises Sierra (UD 10). He dominated the once defeated Sena Agbeko (UD 10) on ShoBox.
THE FUTURE: He hasn’t been active, fighting just once in 2021 and once this year. Hopefully I can get a fight before the end of the year.
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
The Ring Ratings Reviewed in 2022: Pound for Pound – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Strawweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Magazine Revised Ratings: Junior Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2022: Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Junior Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Junior Featherweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Featherweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Junior Lightweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Lightweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Magazine Ratings Revised: Junior Welterweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Welterweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised: Junior Middleweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
The Ring Ratings Revised in 2022: Middleweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected] and you can follow him on [email protected]
