Clearing the Deck for the New Year: BScene Ratings Update
by Cliff Rold
Cruiserweight: Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, previously fifth, has been inactive well over a year and has no fight scheduled. He exits the ratings. Entering the top ten is outstanding former Olympic champion Oleksandr Usyk. Yoan Pablo Hernandez has not fought since August 2014 but remains in the champion’s spot as he has not officially retired as yet. Were he just a rated contender he would already be gone. Were a fight between the top contenders to emerge in the near future, and his inactivity continue, his position could be reevaluated. As his inactivity continues in general, an eye will be kept on how much longer to leave him in the top spot.
Light Heavyweight: Future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins continues talking about taking one more fight but he’s been inactive for over a year and nothing is scheduled. He exits the top ten. Into the top ten if former US Olympian Marcus Browne.
Welterweight/Lightweight: Barring a change in the ratings, both of these divisions will soon have the top two rated fighters in these ratings facing off. The winners of Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley III and Dejan Zleticanin-Jorge Linares will be recognized as the proper world champions of their classes. Zleticanin-Linares is agreed to but no date is finalized.
Bantamweight: Marlon Tapales whacked previous number ten Shohei Omori in December and enters the top ten.
Flyweight: Kazuto Ioka handed Juan Carlos Reveco the first stoppage loss of his career in an excellent performance. He remains rated as was because there is just no room to move up given what’s in front of him. Reveco slips a couple slots. Moises Fuentes is again competing at 108 lbs. and is removed from the top ten here. Into the top ten is undefeated Nawaphon Por Chockchai, the WBC mandatory for Roman Gonzalez.
Jr. Flyweight: Akira Yaegashi enters the top ten and wins a title in his third weight class with a dominant performance against Javier Mendoza. Yaegashi’s win reconfigures the ratings a hair with Pedro Guevara, who stopped Yaegashi last year, moving up just ahead of Yaegashi despite his upset loss to Yu Kimura. Fuentes returns to the top ten and is in line as a mandatory to Donnie Nietes. Nietes drew against and then stopped Fuentes in two previous encounters. Francisco Rodriguez and Ganigan Lopez exit the top ten.
Strawweight: Jose Argumedo enters the top ten after an upset of division stalwart Katsunari Takayama. Simphiwe Khonco exits the top ten.
Last ratings update: December 22, 2015
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
