Tweet
Dan Rafael
ESPN Boxing
Feb 9, 2011
I don't know why I do it, but month after month I subject myself to reading the new batch of divisional rankings put out by the WBC.
As I have written many times before, the rankings have very little to do with reality in boxing, only the fantasy world of El Presidente for life Jose Sulaiman and his puppet board of governors.
Last fall, I wrote a blog outlining only the most glaring lunacy in the rankings. Months have passed, so it's time to shine a light on the newest absurdity in the rankings, which infected my inbox Tuesday.
About the only good thing I have to say about them is that, thankfully, Evander Holyfield is not ranked in the heavyweight division. Beyond that? It's bad. Let's take a look at the most rancid aspects:
• At heavyweight, Cristobal Arreola is ranked No. 3, one spot ahead of Tomasz Adamek. The problem? Adamek beat Arreola head-to-head without controversy less than a year ago, and they've both won two fights against similar caliber competition since then. Apparently, beating a guy has no actual bearing on where you rank in relation to the man you've beaten.
• Also at heavyweight, Ray Austin has lingered near the top of the rankings seemingly forever without ever actually beating a legitimate top opponent (and after getting knocked out in two rounds in a blowout by Wladimir Klitschko, who was defending another organization's belt). Austin had been fraudulently ranked No. 1 before a clear loss to Odlanier Solis in a December title eliminator. I figured at last we'd be done with him threatening the top spot. Alas, he still ranks fifth. Maybe he has pictures of someone at the WBC? Realistically, he probably doesn't belong in the top 20.
• Super middleweight is a toxic disaster. Kelly Pavlik, the former middleweight champion who hasn't fought since losing his title last April (and recently spending two months as an in-patient at an alcohol rehabilitation facility) is suddenly the No. 1 contender at 168 pounds. So he is coming off a loss and has yet to fight as a bona fide super middleweight, but he is the No. 1 contender? Sure, whatever El Presidente says.
• If Pavlik's No. 1 status doesn't make you sick enough, just look over the rest of the 168-pound rankings. One of the more incredible rankings is Arthur Abraham at No. 3. That is mind-blowing. Abraham, who was a fine middleweight titlist in another organization, moved up to super middleweight and knocked out another blown-up middleweight, former champ Jermain Taylor, in October 2009 in the Super Six tournament. Since then, Abraham has suffered two one-sided losses in the tournament, to Andre Dirrell and Carl Froch. Yet, miraculously, he ranks ahead of Glen Johnson, who is fifth and coming off a big knockout of Allan Green in the Super Six?
• At middleweight, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is the No. 1 contender. Simply put, it's one of the most laughable rankings in boxing history. Just peruse Chavez's padded and protected record for 10 seconds and you get the idea. Meanwhile, Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champ, was stripped by the odious WBC and named "champion emeritus," which makes no sense whatsoever because he is active and will fight March 12.
• At junior welterweight, a child plucking names out of a hat could probably come up with a better set of ratings than the outlandish WBC has. For starters, Erik Morales, the long-faded three-division champion (122 pounds, 126 and 130) is somehow, some way the No. 1 contender. This is more horrible than just about anything else in the entire set of rankings (even worse than Chavez's ranking, in fact). It's not credible in any way, shape or form. Of course, Morales' long-standing relationship with El Presidente, and the fact that the Mexico City-based WBC has always favored Mexican fighters, can't be overlooked. For perspective, keep in mind that Morales, who has won three lesser fights since ending a 2½-year retirement (and only one in the 140-pound division), ranks ahead of recently deposed titleholder Devon Alexander (No. 2), Victor Ortiz (No. 8) and Lamont Peterson (No. 21, who fought to a draw with Ortiz in December).
• You want more lunacy? At bantamweight, Vic Darchinyan has a 1-2 record. He is coming off a loss to Abner Mares and also lost to Joseph Agbeko for another organization's belt in July 2009. His lone win at 118 pounds was against journeyman Eric Barcelona (he of 17 losses). For that undistinguished record, the WBC ranks Darchinyan third. Ranked fourth? Nonito Donaire, who owns a pulverizing knockout of Darchinyan (granted, at flyweight) and is coming off a sensational knockout of well-respected former titleholder Wladimir Sidorenko. It simply makes no sense.
• At junior middleweight, Antonio Margarito, who had his face broken in a shutout loss to Manny Pacquiao in a November title fight he never remotely deserved in the first place, ranks fifth. This is despite the fact he was tortured by Pacquiao and still has never scored a win of note in the division. Pacquiao has notified the WBC that he has no plans to defend his 154-pound trinket, so the WBC had no real choice but to vacate the belt on Tuesday. All I can say is that it warms my heart to know that El Presidente and his puppet board of governors won't be involved in Pacquiao's May 7 fight with Shane Mosley and, therefore, will not receive a sanctioning fee.
Month after month, the WBC's rankings are a joke, which is sad because they significantly impact the fights we see. I guess I'd feel a little better if maybe the WBC would just send silver belts, interim titles and emeritus trinkets to Fight Freaks everywhere -- for a small sanctioning fee, of course.
Comment