The Ring 100 - top 100 fighters today

[Eric Holder]

For 14 years we’ve ranked the best 100 fighters in the world. The latest rankings appeared in the January 2010 issue of THE RING magazine. In this special feature at RingTV.com, we’re posting an updated version of those rankings that take into account anything that occurred between the last week of October and the third week of December.

The analysis will be broken into four parts, starting today, with the fighters ranked 76-100. Subsequent editions will take you all the way to No. 1.

In the main, the rankings are unchanged from those that appeared in the magazine. Most of those in the top half at the end of October are there again now, and likewise for the lower half. But there has been movement based on recent fights and, in a few cases, inactivity.

Read on for the most comprehensive ranking of the top 100 fighters in the world. By the time all the dust has settled, it will be time to do it again.


76. TAKEFUMI SAKATA
Flyweight 35-5-2 (16)
Last Year’s Ranking: 44
Status Report: Sakata drops a long way after getting ousted in two rounds in his rematch with Denkaosan Kaovichit. Is this the same guy who beat Lorenzo Parra and Roberto Vasquez a couple years ago? To make matters worse he’s been mostly irrelevant since, beating a pair of no-hopers in Jin-Man Jeon (W 12) and Decky Putra (KO 2).
Future: Sakata’s 0-1-1 against Kaovichit. A third meeting would seem a reasonable direction to go in. A big-money match against Koki Komeda wouldn’t hurt either.

77. RODEL MAYOL
WBC Light Flyweight Titleholder 26-4-1 (20)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: After two frustrating nights against Ivan Calderon (technical draw 6 and loss by technical decision 7), and his amazing reappearing blowhole, Mayol finally broke through with a surprising win over established belt holder Edgar Sosa (KO 2) in November. Not bad for a guy who’s 3-3-1 in his last seven fights.
Future: The WBC has told him he must face former titleholder Omar Nino. But you know how that goes.

78. MICHAEL KATSIDIS
Lightweight 26-2 (21)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Everyone’s favorite Gatti-lite du jour rebounded superbly from back-to-back losses to Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz in ’08 to beat Angel Ramirez (W 10), former titleholder Jesus Chavez (KO 8), and the Nacho Beristain-trained Vicente Escobedo (W 12). Against Escobedo especially, Katsidis showed off a much-improved defense, which means he only walked into every third punch.
Future: Katsidis is everything the cable networks want in a puncher (determined, strong) and everything skilled, top-level guys want in an opponent (easy to hit, a bleeder). He will never go hungry or want for work.

79. STEVEN LUEVANO
Featherweight 37-1-1 (15)
Last Year’s Ranking: 77
Status Report: After a very busy ’08, Lueveno fought just once in ’09, that a disappointing disqualification win over the apparently hearing-impaired Bernabe Concepcion (DQ 7), who dropped Luevano about a week and a half after the bell. This enraged Freddie Roach to no end, but Lueveno got the win, as he should have. Luevano’s a good, skilled fighter who stands and punches more than he has to and doesn’t really have the chin to get away with it. That’s why he’s fun.
Future: Scheduled to face rising star Juan Manuel Lopez on Jan. 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Unless we’re missing something, it won’t be a good night for Lueveno.

80. YURIORKIS GAMBOA
WBA Featherweight Titleholder 16-0 (14)
Last year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Fans of the mercurial Cuban will grouse about his low placement, especially in view of his win over, ahem, Whyber Garcia (KO 4) in October for one version or another of one of the WBA’s ubiquitous trinkets and straps. Oh well. Yes, placement here is largely about potential and talent, but we should have the guy beat someone before we anoint him the next Willie Pep, shouldn’t we? Criminy.
Future: Scheduled to face tough-as-all-get-out Rogers Mtagwa in New York on Jan. 23. Our advice to Gamboa: Don’t try for the knockout.

81. GIOVANNI SEGURA
WBA Light Flyweight Titleholder 22-1-1 (17)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: He wasn’t the busiest guy on the block, but Segura, who stopped the splendidly named Sonny Boy Jaro (KO 1) in November, had by most standards a very good year. First came revenge in the form of a rematch win over Cesar Canchila (KO 4), followed by a stoppage of Juanito Rubillar (KO 6). That‘s a trifecta and these days, three good KO wins against three good opponents is, well, pretty darn good.
Future: Wouldn’t a fight between Segura, the division’s best hitter, and Ulises Solis, a pretty good ****er in his own right, be tons of fun?

82. FELIX STURM
WBA Middleweight Titleholder 33-2-1 (14)
Last Year’s Ranking: 71
Status Report: Why does it seem like Sturm is never doing anything worthwhile and then you look and find out he’s been beating some of his division’s highest-rated contenders? Say what you want about him ducking a fight with, well, everyone, since last year’s analysis Sturm has beaten Khoren Gevor (W 12), at this writing THE RING’s No. 4-ranked middleweight, and Sebastian Sylvester, our No. 2 guy (W 12). What more could you ask for? Well, a lot really, but let’s not get crazy. This is Felix Sturm we’re talking about.
Future: Who knows, maybe a fight with Anthony Mundine, which could be interesting.

83. CRISTOBAL CRUZ
IBF Featherweight Titleholder 39-11-2 (23)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Don’t be thrown by the Mexican’s double-digit losses. Cruz can fight, as he showed against Orlando Salido (W 12), Cyril Thomas (W 12), and Jorge Solis (W 12). And don’t sweat his cut-induced technical draw against Ricardo Castillo in December; to a guy with 11 losses, a technical draw (or even a loss) isn’t the end of the world. You just get back in line.
Future: A rematch with Castillo, scheduled for February.

[Eric Holder]

84. LIBRADO ANDRADE
Super Middleweight 28-3 (21)
Last Year’s Ranking: 94
Status Report: It wasn’t Andrade’s loss to Lucian Bute in November that was so shocking; it was that his near legendary chin betrayed him, as did his apparently glass stomach. Still, until proved otherwise, Andrade remains one of the toughest hombres in the super middleweight division’s upper-mid-lower echelon, if one of its less-skilled inhabitants. We’ll see whether the loss to Bute was an aberration.
Future: A loss doesn’t send Andrade packing. He’s too stubborn. Remember, this guy used to work at a Jack in the Box. Those guys don’t just walk away.

85. KERMIT CINTRON
Junior Middleweight 32-2-1 (27)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Give Cintron credit. His trouble with Sergio Martinez (D 12) looks a lot less damning given what Martinez did against Paul Williams, and after that Cintron came back to beat likable prospect Alfredo Angulo (W 10) and then Juliano Ramos (KO 5) in a keep-busy fight in Puerto Rico. Also, Cintron gets kudos for the likely possibility that Antonio Margarito’s wraps were loaded when he twice beat Cintron senseless.
Future: Cintron’s team is pushing for an all-Puerto Rican showdown with Miguel Cotto. Maybe they’ll get it.

86. SAKIO BIKA
Super Middleweight 28-3-2 (19)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Unless Bika has been stricken with typhoid fever or gigantism or some similar malady, it is nearly unconscionable that he has fought just three times since winning The Contender reality series competition in 2007. So much for momentum. Two wins in the last year, over Contender alum Peter Manfredo (KO 3) and Nestor Casanova (KO 1) would be fine if nothing else were happening (hence his appearance here). But a golden opportunity has been carelessly squandered.
Future: Nothing is scheduled as of this writing, despite the quality of the many good fighters in the division in which Bika participates. Terrible.

87. SEBASTIAN SYLVESTER
IBF Middleweight Titleholder 32-3 (15)
Last Year’s Ranking: 73
Status Report: Sylvester drops several notches mostly on the basis of his pitiable loss to Felix Sturm in November ’08. How bad is it when you lose to Felix Sturm by a combined 26 points? Pretty damned bad. Still, Sylvester hangs on by virtue of subsequent wins over Gaetano Nespro (KO 7), Lajuan Simon (W 12) and Giovanni Lorenzo (W 12). Hey, it’s something.
Future: Is scheduled to defend against one Pablo Navascues in Germany on Jan. 30.

88. EDDIE CHAMBERS
Heavyweight 25-1 (18)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Chambers put together three good wins in the last year, outpointing journeyman Cisse Salif (W 8), Sam Peter (W 10) and Alexander Dimitrenko (W 12). It is the latter two that have some optimists going gaga over him, especially the win over Dimitrenko, who, the thinking goes, is large and Eastern European and, therefore, the same as the Brothers Klitschko. Chambers has fast hands, good skills and, despite his puzzling loss to Alexander Povetkin in ’08 -- he won the early rounds then just stopped fighting -- the right attitude.
Future: Chambers is the mandatory challenger for Wladimir Klitschko. What’s that about being careful what you wish for?

[Eric Holder]

89. JUAN URANGO
IBF Junior Welterweight Titleholder 22-2-1 (17)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Urango has lost when he’s stepped up, but here’s no shame in losing to Ricky Hatton (L 12) and Andre Berto (L 12), especially when the Berto loss came at welterweight rather than at 140. And aside from the loss to Berto, Urango had an excellent year, beating tricky Herman Ngoudjo in Quebec (W 12) and then getting off the floor to beat hard-punching, soft-chinned Randall Bailey into sweet submission (KO 11).
Future: Nothing scheduled as we went to press, but an alphabet title defense against Kendall Holt or Zab Judah is a possibility.

90. WLADIMIR SIDORENKO
Bantamweight 21-2-2 (7)
Last Year’s Ranking: 87
Status Report: It was tempting to keep Sidorenko in the same position he occupied last year. After all, his only mistake since then was to lose a close fight -- again -- to Anselmo Moreno (L 12). The problem is that’s all he did. No other fights than that one, which took place in May and was for the WBA strap (what else?) that Moreno had taken from Sidorenko the previous May. Sidorenko had a ton of title defenses before he lost to Moreno, but Wlad: What have you done for us lately?
Future: How the hell does Sidorenko, from Ukraine but a German citizen, keep losing close decisions in Germany? Our advice: Go on the road.

91. CARLOS QUINTANA
Welterweight 26-2 (20)
Last Year’s Ranking: 55
Status Report: Stopped professional sponge Jesse Feliciano (KO 3) in Atlantic City, N.J., in December, but still drops a long way from last year due to inactivity. Since his stunning KO loss to Paul Williams in their rematch in June ‘08, he has fought just twice, against Feliciano and sub-.500 Joshua Onyango in Puerto Rico. Quintana is still one of the better stylists in the division but would appear to lack the stuff to take on the best of the lot at 147.
Future: An attractive fight against Joshua Clottey, which was scheduled to take place underneath the ill-fated Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams fight, could still happen.

92. OMAR NINO
Junior Flyweight 28-3-1 (11) with 1 no-contest
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Welcome back to the soap opera that is Omar Nino’s boxing career. To bring you up to speed, he upset Brian Viloria in 2006. Then, after the rematch, he failed a drug test (that’s where the no-contest comes from). He took off two years, came back and lost a close nod to Juanito Rubillar (L 12). He’s won three straight since, the most recent a revenge win over the very same Rubillar (Tech. Win 8)
Future: Looks like he will get a shot at new belt holder Rodel Mayol.

93. YURI FOREMAN
Junior Middleweight 28-0 (8)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Foreman was uncharacteristically aggressive and -- dare we say it? -- semi-exciting in dismantling Daniel Santos (W 12) on the Pacquiao-Cotto pay-per-view card in November. Unfortunately, his only other action of the year came during a head butt-induced no-contest against the forgettable Cornelius Bundrage of The Contender fame. What‘s a fine boxer like Foreman doing tangling with a novice like Bundrage?
Future: According to Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao if Pacman and Mayweather don‘t come to terms and Pacquiao decides not to fight Paulie Malignaggi. Yikes!

94. KRZYSZTOF WLODARCZYK
Cruiserweight 41-2-1 (31)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: It’s a good thing Wlodarczyk drew with WBC strap clinger Giacobbe Fragomeni in May or he wouldn’t have gotten within driving distance of this list (and no, his win over 27-11 Konstantin Semerdijev in November doesn’t help). As it is, consider the fact their fight took place in Italy, Fragomeni was down in the ninth and the verdict was a draw. What does that tell you about who really won? Wlodarczyk -- if that is his real name -- can’t be all bad.
Future: Wlodarczyk split a pair of bouts with Steve Cunningham a while back. How about a third meeting to settle things?

95. ROLANDO REYES
Lightweight 31-4-2 (20)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Up until recently, Reyes was more or less that guy who stepped up a little and got smacked back down to where he belonged. In losses to Jose Luis Castillo (L 12) and Miguel Huerta (L 10), he couldn’t handle it. But wins over the last couple of years against one-time lightweight titleholder Stevie Johnston (KO 10) and then, in April against Julio Diaz (KO 5), Reyes showed he could step up -- even if Johnston and Diaz had seen better days.
Future: Reyes has to be careful; he’s no Juan Manuel Marquez, but he can fight. How about a go with Michael Katsidis?

96. KENDALL HOLT
Junior Welterweight 25-3 (13)
Last Year’s Ranking: 97
Status Report: Holt moves up a couple notches from last year, and you can make a strong argument for rating him even higher. After all, he lost a very competitive fight (L 12) with Tim Bradley, who landed at No. 30. He also beat a surprisingly frozen Demetrius Hopkins (W 12), which surprised many. The catch is he hasn’t fought since losing to Bradley, and at this writing has nothing signed that we’re aware of.
Future: A natural is a third meeting with Colombian puncher Ricardo Torres, with whom Holt split a pair of shootouts. In the alternative, is tentatively slated to face WBA belt holder TBA in February.

97. JAN ZAVECK
IBF Welterweight Titleholder 28-1 (16)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Talk about ending the year on a high note. Zaveck stopped Isaac Hlatshwayo in Johannesburg (KO 3), South Africa. Hlatshwayo was quite a step up from Zaveck’s other victims in 2009: Jorge Daniel Miranda (KO 12) and 5-18-2 (4) Arek Malek. Can you imagine how Delvin Rodriguez feels right now?
Future: A rematch against Hlatshwayo is likely, but we wouldn’t mind seeing Zaveck against Rodriguez.

98. EDGAR SOSA
Junior Flyweight 37-6 (21)
Last Year’s Ranking: 41
Status Report: Up until his loss to Rodel Mayol in November (KO by 2), Sosa was having his typical solid year, beating ****sawan Porpramook (KO 4), Carlos Melo (KO 5) and Omar Soto (KO 6). By rights, Mayol should have bitten the dust in the sixth, just to keep things going. Sosa couldn‘t make it happen.
Future: At 30 years old, Sosa’s got a bit of time left. You’ll see him again. Or at least hear about him.

99. TAVORIS CLOUD
IBF Light Heavyweight Titleholder 20-0 (18)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Chad Dawson was harshly criticized when it appeared he was going to face Cloud in a mandatory. He shouldn’t have been; he almost certainly would have won. But as Cloud showed against Julio Cesar Gonzalez (KO 10) and Clinton Woods (W 12), he can fight. He throws every punch hard, he has reasonable technique and he is hungry with a capital H. If he can shore up his defense, he will be tough to beat.
Future: Nothing signed as of press time, but here’s the fight to make at 175: Cloud versus Adrian Diaconu. Who takes the first backward step?

100. JORGE SOLIS
Featherweight 37-2-2 (27)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: A year that started off promising for Solis with a win over Monty Meza Clay (KO 5) ended up something else when Solis was roughed up and decisioned by Cristobal Cruz in September in a meeting for an alphabet trinket. The good news is it was Solis’ first loss since Manny Pacquiao stopped him in Texas in 2007, after which Solis put together a nifty four-fight win streak.
Future: Solis shouldn’t want any part of Cruz again, but how about, say, Rocky Juarez?

http://www.ringtv.com/blog/1473/the_ring_top_100_76100/

[Anti~Jalandoni]

any link for the article...

[Ch@mpBox@PR]

WTF with Sturm 82? Quintana 91? Holt 96?

[Shadows]

The responses to this will be funny.

[gingeralbino]

WTF with Sturm 82? Quintana 91? Holt 96?

yeah some good fighters low down the ranks, andrade is a bit high for me.
when do the other parts come out?

[Eric Holder]

WTF with Sturm 82? Quintana 91? Holt 96?

it says Quintana's rated low because of inactivity

I don't know how they can explain why Strum's so low though

[Shadows]

yeah some good fighters low down the ranks, andrade is a bit high for me.
when do the other parts come out?

It'll probably be out within a few days. This part of the list was posted yesterday, so maybe it'll be finished by the end of the week.

I know some more recognizable names are near the end, but all seventeen weight classes are taken into consideration. So naturally some lesser known but good fighters will be ahead of the more recognizable names.

[Eric Holder]

51. CORY SPINKS
IBF Junior Middleweight Titleholder 37-5 (11)
Last Year’s Ranking: 42
Status Report: Just when you thought the market had completely dried up for fighters who are dull, can’t punch, and when they win a big fight cry like bipolar menopausal housewives, back comes our favorite subject case. Spinks didn’t do much in 2009, but he did manage a razor-thin win over Deandre Latimore (W 12) to claim an alphabet title. If Don King had juice anymore we’d credit him with keeping Spinks in the title picture, but DK runs boxing the days like Queen Elizabeth II runs the United Kingdom. The thing is, Spinks can fight.
Future: Every time we think it’s the last time we’ll read Spinks’ name before a “W,” he surprises us. So who the hell knows anymore?

52. DEVON ALEXANDER
WBC Junior Welterweight Titleholder 19-0 (12)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Alexander crashes the top 50 in his first appearance in this analysis, largely on the weight of his win over Junior Witter in August (KO 9). The kid can punch, he’s got good fundamental skills, and in Kevin Cunningham, a trainer who seems a constant threat to bust a cap in his ass if he doesn’t do as he’s told. Sounds to us like a recipe for a long, successful career. And brace yourself, fogies: Alexander is just 22 years old. He’s got all the time in the world.
Future: We anticipate Alexander will take things slowly, so look for a defense against some anonymous WBC mandatory.

53. DENKAOSAN KAOVICHIT
WBA Flyweight Titleholder 48-1-1 (20)
Last Year’s Ranking: 96
Status Report: Kaovichit finally fulfilled early promise with a trio of meaningful wins in ’09, including a rematch stoppage of Takefumi Sakata (KO 2). Close wins over Hiroyuki Hisataka (W 12) and Daiki Kameda (W 12) in Thailand and Japan, respectively, followed, bringing Kaovichit a significantly higher rating this year. See what a little gumption will do?
Future: A rematch with Kameda, scheduled for February 7 in Japan.

54. DAISUKE NAITO
WBC Flyweight Titleholder 35-3-3 (22)
Last Year’s Ranking: 32
Status Report: Naito drops a long way after getting his head handed to him by Koki Kameda in a huge event in Japan in November (L 12). Prior to that, it was another year, another couple alphabet title defenses. Wins over Shingo Yamaguchi (KO 11) and Xiong Zhao Zhong (W 12) got him up a couple notches from the previous year when he struggled a bit more than usual, but the loss to Kameda hurts.
Future: Naito is 35 years old and on the slide. You can see where things are headed and it’s not North.

55. NOBUO NASHIRO
Junior Bantamweight WBA Titleholder 13-1-1 (8)
Last Year’s Ranking: 52
Status Report: The curious case of Nashiro continues. Just when we thought everyone agreed he had been rushed, he was, well, rushed again and ended up doing pretty well, anyway. A win over Konosuke Tomiyama (KO 8) netted him a WBA title, and ordinarily that would be no big deal (you can get them at Walmart for $11.99 with a coupon). But then he went and held the established Hugo Cazares to a draw in Osaka (D 12). What the hell?
Future: Nashiro holds the coveted WBA “world” title, so he’s only got to beat six other WBA junior bantamweight champions to be recognized as the undisputed WBA champ. Go Nashiro!

56. YOHNNY PEREZ
IBF Bantamweight Titleholder 20-0 (14)
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Status Report: Perez’ thrilling win over Joseph Agbeko in October (W 12) was a candidate for Fight of the Year and put the icing on a year that produced a great deal of quality, if not quantity. In his only other ring appearance of the year, Perez stopped Silence Mabuza in May (KO 12). Still, we’ll take two big wins over five little ones any day.
Future: A rematch with Agbeko is a no-brainer.

57. JOSEPH AGBEKO
IBF Bantamweight Titleholder 27-2 (22)
Last Year’s Ranking: 92
Status Report: Agbeko’s loss to Perez is nothing to be embarrassed about and hurts his standing hardly a wit. Other meaningful wins during the year include his alphabet mandatory against William Gonzalez (W 12) and then the big one: a shellacking of the heretofore resurgent Vic Darchinyan (W 12), which sent Darchinyan scrambling right back down to 115.
Future: See above. We could watch Agbeko and Perez every week.

58. VIC DARCHINYAN
WBC/WBA Junior Bantamweight Titleholder 33-2-1 (27)
Last Year’s Ranking: 53
Status Report: You could make the argument that Darchinyan should have been promoted. His wins over Cristian Mijares (KO 9) and Jorge Arce (KO 11) were little short of masterful. But he got greedy against Joseph Agbeko and paid the price (L 12). That’s not a terrible thing; at least he took the shot. His win over journeyman Tomas Rojas (KO 2) prove little.
Future: Promoter Gary Shaw says he’s trying to get Nonito Donaire or Agbeko again. Don’t believe it.

59. LUIS COLLAZO
Welterweight 30-4 (15)
Last Year’s Ranking: 72
Status Report: Collazo got a chance to prove he’s not the Joshua Clottey of the welterweights (yeah, we know) when he faced Andre Berto in Mississippi. He couldn’t pull it off (L 12), but made some fans in the process, hurting Berto early and comporting himself well enough to convince a minority that the decision should have gone his way. Only other action of the year was a win over human speed bag David Gogichaishvili.
Future: Nothing scheduled when we went to press, which is a damn shame. Collazo is too good to be sitting on his couch getting fat.

60. ZSOLT ERDEI
WBC Cruiserweight Titleholder 31-0 (17)
Last Year’s Ranking: 45
Status Report: If Sven Ottke were reincarnated and came back as a pasty, 200-pound, slightly harder-hitting, Southside Johnny Lyon look-alike, he’d be Erdei. That’s not entirely bad. Erdei boxes well enough to still be undefeated against a collection of guys none of us has ever heard of, including Giacobbe Fragomeni, who he beat for the title (W 12) in Germany.
Future: Um, who cares?

61. JUAN DIAZ
Junior Welterweight 35-3 (17)
Last Year’s Ranking: 22
Status Report: Not the best year for “The Baby Bull,” hence his descent from last year. The loss to Juan Manuel Marquez (KO 9) was damaging enough, but not fatal, Marquez being Marquez. But when you add in Diaz’ highly controversial win over Paul Malignaggi (W 12) in Houston, and then the spanking Malignaggi gave him in the rematch, well, you have all the ingredients for a major demotion.
Future: A return to lightweight and a new trainer.