Comments Thread For: Clash Among Titans: Ranking Boxing’s 17 Divisions

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by Cliff Rold - What makes a great weight division?

Is it the perceived level of top talent? Is it depth? Is it the presence of fighters who have proven their success all over the scale?

Is it the internal competition within the division?

It is this last question initially fueling this look at each of boxing’s seventeen weight classes. The thinking was simple: if a weight class is good, it’s competitive. If the top fighters aren’t fighting each other much, how good can it be?

There are often assertions by fans, reporters, and pundits about what the best divisions in boxing are at any given time. Why not test that out with a set of standards that combine some of the various elements described above and see what shakes out?

Introducing the clash score.

The clash score seeks to measure each division, and it’s individual fighters, based entirely on their results against fighters ranked right now, both in and around their present divisions. The purpose here is not to be definitive but to provide a reasonable snapshot of boxing as it stands today.

Where are we seeing clash?

The most recent rankings of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), released August 12, 2014, were chosen as a baseline. The TBRB rankings were selected given the wide range of inputs available with members from around the world. [Click Here To Read More]

[teddycanyon]

I would have it, factoring in both class of fighters and quality of fights:
1. Welterweight
2. Flyweight
3. Featherweight
4. Middleweight
5. Junior Middleweight
6. Junior Welterweight
7. Lightweight
8. Junior Featherweight
9. Light Heavyweight
10. Super Middleweight
11. Heavyweight
12. Junior Lightweight
13. Bantamweight
14. Strawweight
15. Light Flyweight
16. Junior Bantamweight
17. Cruiserweight

[Daddy T]

just do it based on money generated in each division ... simplier

[BattlingNelson]

Good stuff. I love it when Cliff tries to make some quantifications in boxing which is very much a sport measured qualitatively and thereby subjectively.

One natural implication of this method, is that it does not produce a ranking in terms of which division produces the best fights, but of course that would Again introduce a subjective measure.

One thing about the SMW is that if one chose to rank Mikkel Kessler based on his comeback intentions, that division would be propelled to no. 2 and it would possibly knock-off WW. Cliff?

Furthermore about the SMW's it's notable, and perhaps somewhat sad in the eyes of old-timers, that a bastard division has been one of boxings best divisions for a very long time, while the much more heralded 160 lb class has been in a slump for years. Same thing for LHW.

[BattlingNelson]

just do it based on money generated in each division ... simplier

No. It's impossible to get the needed figures for such an analysis.

[Foreign Soil]

Lol @ jnr middle ranked 2.

This is a waste of time as most divisions barely have a real solid top 5, if you're going to be unbias about where your loyalties lie. It's all subjective and mostly perception.

[-PBP-]

Interesting statistic about Tim Bradley.

[crold1]

Lol @ jnr middle ranked 2.

This is a waste of time as most divisions barely have a real solid top 5, if you're going to be unbias about where your loyalties lie. It's all subjective and mostly perception.

In this case, the first metric is where are the top tens fighting each other. It's all based on results. Not disagreeing that a lot of divisions fall off after four or five but this points to those with depth like Welter or Fly as well.

[crold1]

Good stuff. I love it when Cliff tries to make some quantifications in boxing which is very much a sport measured qualitatively and thereby subjectively.

One natural implication of this method, is that it does not produce a ranking in terms of which division produces the best fights, but of course that would Again introduce a subjective measure.

One thing about the SMW is that if one chose to rank Mikkel Kessler based on his comeback intentions, that division would be propelled to no. 2 and it would possibly knock-off WW. Cliff?

Furthermore about the SMW's it's notable, and perhaps somewhat sad in the eyes of old-timers, that a bastard division has been one of boxings best divisions for a very long time, while the much more heralded 160 lb class has been in a slump for years. Same thing for LHW.

Even with Mikkel, it doesn't sniff Welter. Maybe gets to two. He was removed for a year inactivity and no fights scheduled at TBRB. I may keep tracking this so if/when he returns, we shall see how that moves things.

Thanks for the kind words.

[crold1]

Interesting statistic about Tim Bradley.

I thought so too. When I was looking through the data, I was like, 'Wow, really.' Interesting and that's why I included.