Where are our boys in the world rankings?
I am no fan of sanctioning bodies. But every now and again it’s worth casting one’s eyes over their idiosyncratic ratings in order to produce, if nothing else, a mild rise in blood pressure and cause an argument on the forums or, if you’re more lucky, down the boozer. New Year is a good a time as any, I suppose.
To put the governing bodies’ selflessness for the sport into context, one must remember that if a boxer is champion of one questionable vintage, he is immediately excluded from featuring in the ratings of the others, such is the shame he has brought on himself.
It has to be said that some inconsistencies are down to the dates when the rankings were produced. Some are because they are absolute bollocks. Without further ado, let the head shaking and bickering commence. Here are the Brits who feature in the Top 15s of the ‘Big Four’.
Heavyweight
WBA
Champion – David Haye
WBO
11 – Sam Sexton
Cruiserweight
WBC
3 – Herbie Hide (The Norwich Nightmare is also their International champion)
WBO
3 – Denis Lebedev (Inter-Continental champion)
4 – Herbie Hide
11 – Ola Afolabi
IBF
15 – Enzo Maccarinelli
Light-heavyweight
WBC
7 – Nathan Cleverly
WBA
13 – Nathan Cleverly
WBO
4 – Nathan Cleverly
7 – Dean Francis
IBF
3 – Nathan Cleverly (1 and 2 ‘Not Rated’)
Super-middleweight
WBC
Champion – Carl Froch
14 – Brian Magee
WBO
4 – Paul Smith
Middleweight
WBC
9 – Matthew Macklin
WBA
11 – Matthew Macklin
WBO
4 – Matthew Macklin
IBF
5 – Matthew Macklin
Light-middleweight
WBC
3 – Ryan Rhodes
8 – Jamie Moore
WBA
11 – Anthony Small
WBO
4 – Anthony Small
9 – Bradley Pryce
IBF
4 – Ryan Rhodes
Welterweight
WBC
8 – Junior Witter
WBA
13 – Matthew Hatton
WBO
7 – Kell Brook
11 – Michael Jennings
Light-welterweight
WBC
9 – Paul McCloskey
WBA
Champion – Amir Khan
11 – Richard Hatton
WBO
7 – Ricky Hatton
8 – Gavin Rees
15 – Paul McCloskey
Lightweight
WBC
8 – John Murray
WBO
1 – Kevin Mitchell (Inter-Continental champion)
7 – John Murray
IBF
13 – Nigel Wright
Super-featherweight
WBC
9 – Kevin Mitchell
WBO
1 – Ricky Burns
IBF
3 – Kevin Mitchell
10 – Ricky Burns
11 – Nicky Cook
Featherweight
None
Super-bantamweight
WBA
3 – Rendall Munroe
WBO
14 – Rendall Munroe
IBF
11 – Rendall Munroe
Bantamweight
WBC
10 – Ian Napa
WBO
4 – Jason Booth
Super-flyweight
WBA
15 – Don Broadhurst
WBO
11 – Don Broadhurst
Flyweight
None
Submitted by Ian McNeilly on 6 January, 2010 - 22:09
