By George Elsasser

http://www.braggingrightscorner.com/Ring_Logo.gif

Ring Magazine was founded by the late Nat Fleischer in 1922 - and today still carries the logo "The Bible of Boxing." When last peeked it is Nigel Collins at the helm.

On that note, "We report, you decide."

Happened by chance to stumble onto the November 23 Ring rankings … the "real" ones as the today self anointed "experts" like to call it - and a few of the listed top-10 placements quickly had me more ready to clinch than fight.
Read on:

Heavyweights

Champ: Vitali Klitschko 34-2 (33)
1. Chris Byrd 38-2-1 (20)
2. John Ruiz 41-5-1 (28)
3. Hasim Rahman 40-5-1 (33)
4. James Toney 68-4-2 (43)
5. Monte Barrett 30-3 (6)

GEL ~ don’t touch that dial … my "BW" could do as well with heavyweights.

Light Heavyweights

Champ: Antonio Tarver 22-2 (18)
1. Glen Johnson 41-9-2 (28)
2. Zsolt Erdei 21-0 (13)
3. Roy Jones 49-3 (38)

GEL ~ No need to dig any deeper … Tarver-Johnson a coin flip - but Hungarian goulash with 21 trips to the bank and 13 scalps while feasting on home cooking, and ahead of Jones Jr.? Maybe a seance with founder Fleischer would help.

Super Middleweights

Champ: Vacant

GEL ~ Forget the ranking order. I fail to see a Jeff "Left-hook" Lacy at #8 beneath Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler, Anthony Mundine, Antwun Echols, Danny Green, Mads Larsen, Robin Reid - you find the best spot from one to three.

Middleweights

Champ: Bernard Hopkins 45-2-1 (32)
1. Howard Eastman 40-1 (35)
2. Oscar De La Hoya 37-4 (29)
3. Felix Sturm 21-1 (9)
4. Felix Trinidad 42-1 (35)

GEL ~ Good grief - is there a doctor in the house? Lesse now, Tito stops Hoya who is gifted with Sturm decision, and both rank above Trinidad? Any takers we invite them to a winner take all with Tito? Think not!

Middleweights

Champ: Winky Wright 48-3 (25)
1. Kassim Ouma 20-1-1 (13)
2. Shane Mosley 39-4 (35)

GEL ~ Any division with a Fraudulent Fernando Vargas in #5 slot is in need of plasma. Switch Ouma with Mosley and you got it right. If Wright is short on TNT, like him or not, Kassim baby fires nothing bigger than pellets.

Welterweights

Champ: Cory Spinks 34-2 (11)
1. Antonio Margarito 30-4 (21)
2. Zab Judah 32-2 (23)

GEL ~ At present Spinks, Margarito, Judah is the entire division … could use a merge with Jr. Welters.

Jr. Welterweights

Champ: Kostya Tszyu 31-1 (25)
1. Arturo Gatti 38-6 (29)
2. Vivian Harris 25-1-1 (17)
3. Floyd Mayweather 32-0 (21)
4. Sharmba Mitchell 55-4 (31)
5. Miguel Cotto 21-0 (17)
6. Ricky Hatton 37-0 (27)
7. DeMarcus Corley 28-3-1 (16)
8. Lovemore Ndou 39-7-1 (25)

GEL ~ Nigel, no time for humor … this is Ring Ranking not USA Today. Get serious. OK with Tszyu as champ since he’s whacked both Judah, and Sharmba twice. But Gatti numero uno? Biggest blood donor among jr. welters doesn’t translate to top spot. Mayweather third, and Cotto, Hatton beneath Sharmba in fourth and Harris in second is troubling to the senses.

Lightweights

Champ: Jose Luis Castillo 50-6-1 (45)
1. Diego Corrales 39-2 (32)
2. Juan Lazcano 33-3-1 (25)
3. Julio Diaz 30-2 (22)
4. Juan Diaz 26-0 (12)

GEL ~ I’ll give you Castillo as champ - the resumé supports - tough call numbers one through four. My coin flip sees Juan Diaz in second and readying to pass Corrales in run to the wire.

Featherweights

Champ: Manny Pacquiao 38-2-2 (29)
1. Juan Manuel Marquez 43-2-1 (33)
2. Marco Antonio Barrera 58-4 (41)
3. Scott Harrison 23-2-1 (13)

GEL ~ Tell you wot … you can go with the shotgun starting wild winging southpaw power puncher … I’ll go with the more complete Marquez … return sees Juan via KO. And does anybody in the joint see a Rocky Juarez at #6 and Zahir Raheem #7 … I didn’t think so.

Closing Comments ~ Fleischer remained with Ring from 1922 thru 1972 … magazine held the line under the reign as "Bible of Boxing." But then the changes and mediocrity with competitive fite magazines set in. Some that followed Nat as editor over the last 25 years or so and listed in no special order; Bert Randolph Sugar, Nat Loubet, Randy Gordon, Eric Raskin, Steven Farhood, Joseph Santoliquito.

PS. Before shooting the messenger I suggest catching ShoBox "New Generation" with Nick Charles doing blow by blow and Farhood with the color commentary. End of story.

GEL

11-27-04

The Ring's rankings have been sucking.

at lightweight i would put.

Castillo
Corrales
Julio Diaz
Juan Diaz
Juan Lazcano.

except for Lacy, those rankings don't seem too bad. The Ring ranks fighter, I don't know by which criteria, but obviously by a different one than the writer.

*****ing about Trinidad only being ranked #4 and he didn't fight for 2 years? Wanting to place a Roy Jones Jr. who has been KO'd twice this year ahead of an undefeated fighter? Ummm...The Ring sounds right.

It's not a popularity contest and it's not the BCS. The BCS would have a 4-loss Mosley over Ouma. Rankings have to include who you've fought, when, and what you've done currently. If you've fought better opposition but you still keep losing, you may be looking up at a "lesser" fighter with a better record. But your bank account's fatter...

By George Elsasser

http://www.braggingrightscorner.com/Ring_Logo.gif

Ring Magazine was founded by the late Nat Fleischer in 1922 - and today still carries the logo "The Bible of Boxing." When last peeked it is Nigel Collins at the helm.

On that note, "We report, you decide."

Happened by chance to stumble onto the November 23 Ring rankings … the "real" ones as the today self anointed "experts" like to call it - and a few of the listed top-10 placements quickly had me more ready to clinch than fight.
Read on:

Heavyweights

Champ: Vitali Klitschko 34-2 (33)
1. Chris Byrd 38-2-1 (20)
2. John Ruiz 41-5-1 (28)
3. Hasim Rahman 40-5-1 (33)
4. James Toney 68-4-2 (43)
5. Monte Barrett 30-3 (6)

GEL ~ don’t touch that dial … my "BW" could do as well with heavyweights.

Light Heavyweights

Champ: Antonio Tarver 22-2 (18)
1. Glen Johnson 41-9-2 (28)
2. Zsolt Erdei 21-0 (13)
3. Roy Jones 49-3 (38)

GEL ~ No need to dig any deeper … Tarver-Johnson a coin flip - but Hungarian goulash with 21 trips to the bank and 13 scalps while feasting on home cooking, and ahead of Jones Jr.? Maybe a seance with founder Fleischer would help.

Super Middleweights

Champ: Vacant

GEL ~ Forget the ranking order. I fail to see a Jeff "Left-hook" Lacy at #8 beneath Calzaghe, Mikkel Kessler, Anthony Mundine, Antwun Echols, Danny Green, Mads Larsen, Robin Reid - you find the best spot from one to three.

Middleweights

Champ: Bernard Hopkins 45-2-1 (32)
1. Howard Eastman 40-1 (35)
2. Oscar De La Hoya 37-4 (29)
3. Felix Sturm 21-1 (9)
4. Felix Trinidad 42-1 (35)

GEL ~ Good grief - is there a doctor in the house? Lesse now, Tito stops Hoya who is gifted with Sturm decision, and both rank above Trinidad? Any takers we invite them to a winner take all with Tito? Think not!

Middleweights

Champ: Winky Wright 48-3 (25)
1. Kassim Ouma 20-1-1 (13)
2. Shane Mosley 39-4 (35)

GEL ~ Any division with a Fraudulent Fernando Vargas in #5 slot is in need of plasma. Switch Ouma with Mosley and you got it right. If Wright is short on TNT, like him or not, Kassim baby fires nothing bigger than pellets.

Welterweights

Champ: Cory Spinks 34-2 (11)
1. Antonio Margarito 30-4 (21)
2. Zab Judah 32-2 (23)

GEL ~ At present Spinks, Margarito, Judah is the entire division … could use a merge with Jr. Welters.

Jr. Welterweights

Champ: Kostya Tszyu 31-1 (25)
1. Arturo Gatti 38-6 (29)
2. Vivian Harris 25-1-1 (17)
3. Floyd Mayweather 32-0 (21)
4. Sharmba Mitchell 55-4 (31)
5. Miguel Cotto 21-0 (17)
6. Ricky Hatton 37-0 (27)
7. DeMarcus Corley 28-3-1 (16)
8. Lovemore Ndou 39-7-1 (25)

GEL ~ Nigel, no time for humor … this is Ring Ranking not USA Today. Get serious. OK with Tszyu as champ since he’s whacked both Judah, and Sharmba twice. But Gatti numero uno? Biggest blood donor among jr. welters doesn’t translate to top spot. Mayweather third, and Cotto, Hatton beneath Sharmba in fourth and Harris in second is troubling to the senses.

Lightweights

Champ: Jose Luis Castillo 50-6-1 (45)
1. Diego Corrales 39-2 (32)
2. Juan Lazcano 33-3-1 (25)
3. Julio Diaz 30-2 (22)
4. Juan Diaz 26-0 (12)

GEL ~ I’ll give you Castillo as champ - the resumé supports - tough call numbers one through four. My coin flip sees Juan Diaz in second and readying to pass Corrales in run to the wire.

Featherweights

Champ: Manny Pacquiao 38-2-2 (29)
1. Juan Manuel Marquez 43-2-1 (33)
2. Marco Antonio Barrera 58-4 (41)
3. Scott Harrison 23-2-1 (13)

GEL ~ Tell you wot … you can go with the shotgun starting wild winging southpaw power puncher … I’ll go with the more complete Marquez … return sees Juan via KO. And does anybody in the joint see a Rocky Juarez at #6 and Zahir Raheem #7 … I didn’t think so.

Closing Comments ~ Fleischer remained with Ring from 1922 thru 1972 … magazine held the line under the reign as "Bible of Boxing." But then the changes and mediocrity with competitive fite magazines set in. Some that followed Nat as editor over the last 25 years or so and listed in no special order; Bert Randolph Sugar, Nat Loubet, Randy Gordon, Eric Raskin, Steven Farhood, Joseph Santoliquito.

PS. Before shooting the messenger I suggest catching ShoBox "New Generation" with Nick Charles doing blow by blow and Farhood with the color commentary. End of story.

GEL

11-27-04

Why are whining about RJJ ranking? He shouldn't be ranked at all. Erdei should be ahead of Johnson as well.

i dont see a huge problem with the rankings. the ring is the most respected boxing publication in the world and remember the rankings are just opinion but i hold them in higher regard than any sanctioning body

i don;t think the Ring magazine is that far off the mark this time, sure, i'd flip a few names around but it looks pretty close to me