vacant everyone was moved up one spot to make room for the return of Bakhram Murtazaliev at No. 10. But the Russian fighter would not stay there for long, riding his terrific win over Tim Tszyu on October 19 all the way to the No. 3 position while Tszyu (formerly No. 5) dropped to No. 7. JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT: Andy Hiraoka entered the top 10 at No. 9 after a stoppage win over Ismael Barroso, which crowded out No. 10-rated Gary Antuanne Russell. Hiraoka then gained another rank after Jack Catterall’s dominant win over Regis Prograis in their long-awaited matchup kicked New Orleans’ “Rougarou” out of the ratings from his No. 8 position. “El Gato” Catterall rose from No. 4 to No. 2 and Jose Valenzuela took the vacancy at No. 10. LIGHTWEIGHT: Mark Chamberlain (No. 9) exited the ratings following his loss to Josh Padley, but U.K. countryman Sam Noakes picked up the flag and planted it at No. 10 on the strength of a recent win over Gianluca Ceglia. The shift also gave former amateur standout Andy Cruz, still just 4-0, a further foothold in the division with a promotion to No. 9.
POUND-FOR-POUND: Finally it happened. The most anticipated light heavyweight showdown in years took place when Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev put
slipped from No. 9 to No. 10 as a result, while Buatsi stayed put at No. 4. Then the Beterbiev- Bivol clash happened. With No. 1-rated
Beterbiev claiming the vacant Ring belt and moving into the champion slot, everyone on the list moved up one spot, allowing room for Russia’s Ali Izmailov to enter at No. 10.
it all on the line for pride and country. And the vacant Ring Magazine belt. And depending on their performance, an
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT: Canelo Alvarez held on to his Ring championship in his traditional Mexican Independence Day weekend appearance by taking care of Edgar Berlanga in a one-sided affair. Berlanga would’ve held his position at No. 7, but then Caleb Plant re-entered the top 10 at No. 5 after beating Trevor McCumby, and everyone below him dropped down one spot. But that was just the beginning of a serious reshuffle in the division. Jaime Munguia’s stoppage win over Erik Bazinyan earned the Tijuana native a jump over Christian Mbilli into the No. 1 position, with Bazinyan slipping from No. 7 to No. 8. Later, Cuba’s William Scull defeated Vladimir Shishkin to crash into the party at No. 6, pushing Shishkin down to No. 7 and Bazinyan down another notch. Bektemir Melikuziev, sitting at No. 10, was pushed off the list entirely.
upgrade in their positions in the mythical pound-for- pound ratings.
The showdown was expected to be a 50-50 matchup, and that was reflected in the result. In the end, it was the 39-year-old Beterbiev who earned a majority decision and the undisputed championship. It was a great fight with an equally expected dose of controversy in the result. But it was more than enough to shake the rust off the dormant list of the best fighters in the world regardless of weight, with Beterbiev riding his victory to a career-best No. 4 position (rising from No. 6). After a terrific performance of his own, Bivol followed suit and climbed from No. 7 all the way up to No. 5, leapfrogging Canelo Alvarez and Jesse Rodriguez. HEAVYWEIGHT : A crossroads bout was promised, and the fighters delivered. Daniel Dubois was surely aiming to reignite his career, but he might’ve even surprised himself when he knocked out Anthony Joshua in the fifth round. Dubois rose from No. 6 to take Joshua’s No. 2 position in the ratings, while Joshua’s four visits to the canvas in a career-threatening performance were more than enough to send him tumbling to No. 7, below Martin Bakole. Later in the month, Fabio Wardley scored a one-round demolition of Frazer Clarke in a rematch to claim the No. 10 position.
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT: Anthony Cacace outpointed Josh Warrington in a
MIDDLEWEIGHT: One of boxing’s showcase divisions is currently undergoing a transition period, and several changes took place in mid- September. Hamzah Sheeraz’s win over Tyler Denny propelled
non-title bout, but the win was more than enough for the IBF beltholder from Northern Ireland to move up one spot
to No. 4, jumping over
Sheeraz to No. 2 and pushed Denny out of the top 10, and No. 7-rated Liam Smith also lost his position due to inactivity. Newcomers Troy Isley and Shane Mosley Jr. were brought in to replace him and Denny at the bottom of the list. Among the mainstays, Erislandy Lara held onto his No. 4 spot with a stoppage win over Danny Garcia, and Kazakh powerhouse Zhanibek Alimkhanuly secured his No. 1 position with a demolition of Andrei Mikhailovich. JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT: Erickson Lubin dropped out due to inactivity after 294 weeks in our ratings, and with his No. 7 position left
Lamont Roach.
FEATHERWEIGHT: Nick Ball landed at No. 3 after his 10-round demolition job on Ronny Rios in Liverpool, with former foe Rey Vargas moving down to No. 4 seven months after their fight that ended in a draw. Argentine Olympian and blue-chip prospect Mirco Cuello finally broke in at No. 10 after Warrington (the previous No. 10) moved up in weight. Everybody on the list then got a one-spot bump after No. 1-rated Leigh Wood was dropped for inactivity, elevating Angelo Leo to the top position and allowing Bruce Carrington to enter at No. 10.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Willy Hutchinson dropped a split decision to Joshua Buatsi and
Canelo Alvarez remained in the pound- for-pound rankings and retained the 168-pound championship with a unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga.
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