FEBRUARY 2026
The Ring Magazine - The Bible of Boxing, February 2026 • Volume 103, No. 2
62 MARIO’S WORLD BEING WRITTEN OFF IS NOTHING NEW, BUT MARIO BARRIOS AIMS TO SHOW RYAN GARCIA THAT HE IS NOBODY’S STEPPING STONE By Joseph Santoliquito 70 FIRST FIGHTER CECILIA BRAEKHUS LEAVES THE SPORT AS A TRAILBLAZING ICON, BUT HER GOAL WAS NEVER SO GRANDIOSE By Michael Rosenthal 78 THEYAWN FROM SAN JUAN THE NIGHT MUHAMMAD ALI DEFENDED THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST AN OBSCURE NO-HOPER NAMED JEAN-PIERRE COOPMAN By Don Stradley DEPARTMENTS 6 OPENING SHOTS 9 RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer 14 BERNSTEIN ON BOXING By Al Bernstein 17 STEVE’S SOAPBOX By Steve Kim 20 BY THE NUMBERS By Don Stradley 23 RING RATINGS 52 PROSPECT WATCH: PAT BROWN By Dom Farrell 74 HOW TO WATCH BOXING By Adam Abramowitz 84 FIGHT OF FANTASY By Anson Wainwright 86 COLLECTOR’S SHOWCASE By Dan Rafael 88 THE FIGHT DOCTOR By Dr. Margaret Goodman 90 A SLICE OF BOXING By Thomas Hauser 92 COMMISSIONER’S CORNER By Randy Gordon 94 FINISHING SHOTS 96 FIGHTLINE
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32 SUPERFIGHT SHUFFLE IN THE WAKE OF “RING V” IN RIYADH, ATTENTION IS SHIFTING TO A POTENTIAL MATCHUP BETWEEN NAOYA INOUE AND JESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZ By Tom Gray 38 EPIC STYLE RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER DAVID LACHAPELLE’S PORTRAITS OF MODERN BOXERS EXUDE A MONOMYTHIC GLOW By Brian Harty
46 A HEAVY HEART ICONIC BRITISH PROMOTER FRANK WARREN HAS ALWAYS LOVED THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION – AND THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE DELIGHTS HIM By Gareth A. Davies 56 SPECIAL BREW AT JUST 26, JESSE “BAM” RODRIGUEZ IS ALREADY A LOCK FOR THE HALL OF FAME, AND HIS GREATEST NIGHTS ARE POTENTIALLY YET TO COME By Corey Erdman
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OPENING SHOT DRAW THE LINE: For the second time in two fights, Lamont Roach came out on the wrong end of a 12-round majority decision. The former junior lightweight titleholder appeared to get the better of rampaging pressure fighter Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio in December. However, when the numbers were read for this junior welterweight bout, there was nothing to celebrate. In March, Roach was also deemed very unfortunate not to get the nod against unbeaten lightweight titleholder Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
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RINGSIDE By Doug Fischer CRAWFORD VS. THE WBC
February 2026 Volume 103, No. 2
Founder Nathaniel Fleischer (1888-1972) Owner His Excellency Turki Alalshikh
Editor-in-Chief Douglass Fischer Managing Editor Tom Gray Senior Editor Brian Harty Creative Director Lamar Clark Controller Deborah L. Harrison
Subscription Inquiries Back Issues Inquiries Digital Orders Inquiries The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept. PO Box 16027 North Hollywood, CA 91615-6027
T he four major sanctioning bodies hold annual conventions in various parts of the world where they put on workshops and seminars, honor their beltholders, hand out awards and make decisions on their rankings and mandatory title challenges. None, however, grab the kind of headlines – usually of the cringe- inducing variety – that the World Boxing Council’s gatherings seem to command each year. This year’s WBC convention – held in Bangkok during the first week of December – was no exception. The news out of Thailand that garnered the most attention was the Mexico-based organization’s decision to strip Terence Crawford of their super middleweight belt due to the unified Ring champ’s refusal to pay $300,000 in sanctioning fees following his unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez. Crawford’s raw retort and the reaction that it elicited from fans, boxers
Crawford was unwilling to pay $300k in WBC sanctioning fees.
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and industry players dominated boxing social media for several days. When interviewed about the decision, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman sounded hurt and offended. “He forgot how he got to make $50 million [vs. Alvarez],” Sulaiman said. “The WBC was instrumental in making that fight, the [championship] ring we made [for him] ... just to receive a slap in the face is sad. It is just terrible. Not even a thank you, or ‘I’m sorry.’ No response.” Crawford saved his response for his Instagram account, which he used to stream a 17-minute rant titled “Just had to get something off my chest.” It was epic but also laced with profanity – many F- and MF-bombs were dropped – so sensitive readers be warned about the highlights you’re about to read.
THE RING (ISSN: 0035-5410) February 2026, is published 12 times per year by The Ring Magazine FZ, LLC P.O. Box 90254 Brooklyn, NY 11209. Postmasters: Send change of address Notices to: The Ring Magazine Subscriber Service Dept., PO Box 16027, North Hollywood, CA 91615-6027, Phone: 818- 286-3101; rngcs@magserv.com. Single copy price $9.99 in U.S.A. ,10.99 Canada (£10.99 in the U.K.). Global Subscription price $60.00 for 12 issues plus S&H. Not responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited articles or photographs, which will not be returned unless accompanied by a self- addressed envelope bearing the proper amount of postage. The entire contents of this magazine are copyright ©2026 The Ring Magazine FZ-LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. Publisher is not responsible for the accuracy of the content of advertisements appearing in this magazine, nor the delivery or quality of merchandise or services offered. No endorsement of any such advertisement is intended or implied. Advertisers and agencies assume liability for claims arising from the content of their advertisements. FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES AND RATES: advertising@ringmagazine.com. U.S. / Canadian and International distribution by Comag Marketing Group LLC, 155 Village Blvd #200, Princeton, NJ 08540. UK distribution by Seymour Distribution Ltd., 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, England, EC1A 9PT. Printed In USA and the UK.
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RINGSIDE
truthful. You should be payin’ me! “It irks my nerves how this dude gets on a plane, gets a hotel suite, him and his buddies, they go out to dinner, five-star meals, all that, and guess who gotta pay for it? Us fighters! We payin’ for y’all to come out here, have the time of y’all life, stay in the best hotels of y’all life, and it’s all done on our dime. Do that sound
“I got a lot to say,” Crawford said while driving his truck to a burger spot in Omaha, R&B group Jagged Edge playing in the background. “I see Mauricio got a lot to say about me not paying him $300,000, plus another [$100,000] for sanctioning fees, right? Then he gonna tell me I need to apologize. Like who the fuck you think I am? “Boy, you better slap your fuckin’ self. I ain’t paying yo ass shit. Fuck you talkin’ about pay you $300,000? “What makes you so motherfuckin’ better than any of the other sanctioning bodies? Huh? Answer that question. What makes you better than the WBO, the IBF or the WBA? Everybody accepted what I was giving them but you. “But you, the WBC, think that you better than everybody. Don’t you? So, since you the WBC, and you got the fuckin’ green belt – which don’t mean fuckin’ shit! The fuckin’ real belt is the Ring belt, which is FREE, motherfucka – you want me to pay you more than the other sanctioning bodies because you feel like you better than them. “All the sanctioning bodies agreed to the same amount, but you sit yo motherfuckin’ ass up there and say I need to apologize to you. “The fuck? YOU CAN TAKE THE FUCKIN’ BELT! It’s a trophy anyway! The fuck am I paying you every time I step foot in the fuckin’ ring? It’s gonna wear down as the years pass. That don’t even make sense. “I’M the motherfucka putting my life on the line, not you. You ain’t steppin your mother- fuckin’ ass in the ring. You or nobody else.
the undisputed champion. I am still THE champion in the division because you know why? The only belt that’s recognizable as THE champion is the Ring belt, baby. That’s the No. 1 belt in the division. That trumps all belts. And guess what? IT’S FREE! IT’S FREEEEE!!! How you love that? $180,000 – FREE! “How much your belt cost? I wonder how much your belt cost? Huh? I don’t see no receipts on your belt. It’s crazy, but y’all be having so much taxes on these belts. You got some nerve. It’s crazy that you can sit up there and have all these belts. You got the WBC silver, the interim, whatever belts y’all got, and you taxin’ these fighters every time they fight and you claim that you for these fighters. You not for these fighters. You probably worse than the promoters. “But hey, I wish you the best, you and your company. Turki, I hope y’all get that done, man. So we can all see people like this guy go away from boxing, because they ruinin’ the sport with all
right to y’all? It’s crazy, ain’t it? “We the one out there getting
battered, knocked upside our head, and every time we step foot in the ring we gotta pay them a sanctioning fee like they the government. We gettin’ taxed. It’s crazy. “Listen, you shoulda took the money and you shoulda been thankful and grateful that I was rockin’ your belt around as your champion, the WBC champion, the undisputed champion at that. But you wanted to make it about you. You wanted to say you stripped me. I been stripped before. The IBF just stripped me when I was at 147. Doesn’t matter. I’m still considered
“So, why should I have to pay to carry your belt? You should be paying me, if you wanna be
A decade ago, Floyd Mayweather Jr. refused to pay WBO sanctioning fees.
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RINGSIDE
Miguel Cotto declined to pay fees in his final WBC world title fight.
the welterweight belt he won by outpointing Manny Pacquiao rather than pay $200,000 in sanctioning fees. (It should be noted that Mayweather held 154-pound belts at the time, which violated WBO rules and forced the organization to make an ultimatum. However, they didn’t strip Mayweather until he refused to pay the sanctioning fee.) Four months later, the WBC stripped Miguel Cotto of their middleweight title the week of his showdown with Alvarez due to the Puerto Rican star’s refusal to pay $300,000 in sanctioning fees. (It should be noted that part of Cotto’s refusal was due to his having to contribute, per WBC rules, to an $800,000 “step-aside” fee collected by Gennadiy Golovkin.) Final thoughts on the matter: Sulaiman and his fellow alphabet bosses need not worry too much about Crawford’s declaration. Mayweather and Cotto were future Hall of Famers making their final – or next to last – monster payday when they allowed themselves to be stripped 10 years prior to Crawford, who is at the same level and juncture, doing the same thing. Most boxers will not reach their elite stature or pay scales, and they rely on the sanctioning bodies to climb boxing’s status ladder. Having said that, it will be interesting to see how Zuffa Boxing, which launches on January 23, operates without the alphabet organizations and how their existence impacts the rest of the sport. CORRECTION: In some versions of the December 2025 issue, page 45 featured a photo of Yoshimitsu Kimura misidentified as Reito Tsutsumi. The Ring apologizes for the error.
these antics that they do.” Crawford vented about more – from the WBC’s arbitrary enforcement of their rules to what he views as favoritism for certain fighters, namely Alvarez – but that was the gist of his denunciation. That last bit about Turki Alalshikh “getting that done” alluded to the launch of Zuffa Boxing, which will not recognize the sanctioning bodies. It’s a reference I’m certain the alphabet groups and major promoters viewed as a veiled threat, likely triggering some of the backlash Crawford received. Eddie Hearn likened what Crawford did to going to a restaurant, ordering an expensive meal and skipping out on the bill. Oscar De La Hoya said Crawford had the sanctioning organizations to thank for his status and must have forgotten where he came from before adding that “the Monopoly money really got to your head.” Nakisa Bidarian, the CEO of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, stated if Crawford didn’t agree with the WBC’s rules, he shouldn’t have fought for their belt. Some boxers, including Ryan
Crawford’s Instagram post had 128,000 likes, 28,000 forwards and nearly 9,000 comments, mostly from fans who are in favor of his stance. While not an impartial observer – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stoked to hear Crawford praise the Ring belt – I’m ambivalent about his actions. I get why Sulaiman was wounded. The WBC is in the business of collecting sanctioning fees. Everybody in boxing – that includes Bud – knows this. And it’s true that some of that revenue goes to charitable causes. I’ve witnessed this firsthand. But I also understand where Crawford is coming from. He’s been paying the Big Four’s sanctioning fees for more than a decade, and now that his exemplary career is winding down he’s looking to keep as much of his ring earnings as he can (especially after the IRS, trainers, cornermen, conditioning coaches, nutritionists, management/advisers/ attorneys, etc. get their cut or payments from his score). Other great fighters have done the same. In July 2015, Floyd Mayweather Jr. allowed the WBO to strip him of
Garcia, echoed this sentiment. However, as we went to press,
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BERNSTEIN ON BOXING
Sanchez’s 2½-year run of huge success went from February 2, 1980, to July 21, 1982. Rodriguez’s 3½-year odyssey of wins has been from February 5, 2022, to November 22, 2025. Here is what each man accomplished in those periods:
Boxing weekly series on ESPN that day, and no one quite knew what to say or how to process it. This event shook the sport to its core. Though his death left his overall boxing journey unfulfilled, it did provide this remarkable 2½-year period where Sanchez left a brilliant partial legacy – one that equals more than most have in a decade of boxing. Now into the breach in this era comes Bam Rodriguez, who would author a streak of victories that awakens the memories of Sanchez’s glorious run. Rodriguez announced himself to the boxing world much as Sanchez did, by taking down a proven warrior. Sanchez surprised longtime champ Danny Lopez, and Rodriguez would do the same to former titleholder Carlos Cuadras. Cuadras was one of the four kings of the flyweight and junior bantamweight divisions. He, along with Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, Juan Francisco Estrada and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, created excitement with their rivalries and thrilling matches. The 22-year-old Rodriguez crashed the party by beating Cuadras for a vacant belt. He then had the temerity to defeat Sor Rungvisai and Estrada. Almost with ease, he tossed aside three very good titleholders in Sunny Edwards, Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez. When watching any streak of great wins unfold, the allure and fascination are in what the future might bring. In Sanchez’s case, rematches with Gomez and Laporte were in the making, and a superfight with Alexis Arguello was at least possible if Sanchez were to move up in weight at some point. His win over Nelson came when Nelson was 13-0 and very good, but not quite the amazing warrior he would become. Many boxing pundits relished a Sanchez-Nelson reunion in the ring down the road. Nelson was ahead on one of the scorecards when Sanchez stopped him in their spirited battle, and many thought this was a rematch with amazing possibilities. While all of that went unrealized due to Sanchez’s tragic death, today we can relish the blue sky ahead for
Rodriguez. There are superfights out there for him as he adds his name to the current pound-for-pound greats in the sport. In fact, one of those pound- for-pounders, Naoya Inoue, is at least a possible target. This is complicated by the fact that Inoue is already a couple of weight divisions above him and thinking of moving up to 126 after his superfight with Junto Nakatani. If Inoue keeps boxing for the next few years and Rodriguez can get high enough in weight, it could be a veteran superstar against a younger superstar still in his prime. More likely to happen is a battle with Nakatani, who is going to be at 122 for a while, whatever the outcome of his Inoue match. Perhaps before those matches, yet another talented Japanese boxer could step forward: 118-pound titleholder Takuma Inoue, Naoya’s brother. Imagine how a win would set up the fight with Naoya. All these possible matchups fire the imagination of boxing fans around the world. I held my powder a little more than others in declaring Rodriguez a generational talent in the sport. I knew he was terrific, of course, but wanted to see a little more. His last three fights, especially his dismantling of an excellent titleholder in Martinez, provided all the evidence necessary. His amazing 3½- year run as a champion at such a young age begs for historical perspective. Perhaps that is why the similar story of Salvador Sanchez rushed into my mind. It is a great joy for those of us who have observed and covered both of these amazing fighters. The feats of Sanchez came at a time when boxing had more impact on the broader sports world. That and his tragic death could be seen as reasons to elevate the perception of his achievements a bit. I assure you, though, that what he did is in no way mythology. It was all astonishingly real and thrilling. And so the mere fact that we can put Rodriguez’s journey in the same paragraph with that is the ultimate compliment. And the wonderful part is that Bam’s journey gets to continue and fully blossom. We can’t wait to see it.
SANCHEZ: •
Conquered 10 fighters (one twice) with a combined record of 337 wins and 17 losses. Beat three Hall of Famers in this run by stoppage – Danny “Little Red” Lopez (twice), Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson. Won against both Juan Laporte, who would become a renowned titleholder, and perennial top contender Ruben Castillo, who brought a 44-1 record into his fight with Sanchez. Beat five other good featherweight challengers. Won nine fights against opponents with a combined record of 267-21. Beat future Hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada and two fighters who will certainly be on the Hall of Fame ballot – Carlos Cuadras and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. Defeated world titleholders Sunny Edwards, Phumelela Cafu and Fernando Martinez by stoppage. Beat three very solid title challengers.
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•
•
RODRIGUEZ: •
•
•
A TALE OF TWO KINGS By Al Bernstein
Sanchez and Bam: both pound-for-pound stars in their early 20s.
•
In helping to kick off a decade that is thought of as perhaps the best ever in the sport, Sanchez was an electric performer in the ring. While he never lost in this period, he was always tested by great opponents and his bouts were thrilling, give-and-take affairs. All of us involved with the sport at the time saw this young phenom as the beacon of lower-weight boxers in this exhilarating era. His future, we thought, was unlimited. That was not to be. The sport received a body blow that took its breath away on August 12, 1982, when the 23-year-old Sanchez was killed in a car accident, only three weeks after he beat Azumah Nelson. I remember we were gathered to do the Top Rank
Boxing Hall of Fame. Even though the rush to anoint fighters as all-time greats these days is vexing to me, I am not immune to the joyous idea of showing “historical” love to current-day fighters. That is why I can state that the 26-year-old Rodriguez has created this comparison to Sanchez. They fought in different eras, in different divisions and in different styles, but what they each accomplished in a short period of time at a very young age binds them together. At some point it simply occurred to me that this comparison is so utterly appropriate. I hope you see the kinship as I do.
T his is the story of two remarkable boxers from different eras tied together over a period of more than 40 years by their youth, excellence and historical achievements. Before his untimely death at age 23, Salvador Sanchez had been on one of the most impressive runs in boxing history, made all the more sensational by the fact that he did it at such a young age.
The excellence of that run has seldom if ever been equaled. With changes in the activity level of fighters today and the difficulty of making major matches, it seems unlikely that anyone in this era could do what Sanchez did. Well, no one has. But it’s quite fair to say another great young fighter has given us a facsimile of it. That fact alone qualifies Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez as a superstar who is a cinch for the International
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STEVE’S SOAPBOX THE ULTIMATE QUESTION By Steve Kim
programming for HBO Sports from 1989 to 2000. “And then it became a little more sporadic, with the thought that a monthly series really wouldn’t work because you’re just going to the well too much. “Asking people to pay for the same product that they were otherwise getting from you without paying is sort of foolhardy. It’s bad marshaling.” Keep this in mind: In that era, HBO was the gold standard for the sport with a robust budget. Being on the network meant you had made it as a fighter, and being on one of its bigger pay-per-view shows usually meant it was a superfight. The kind that had crossover appeal. The reality was that not every fight – no matter how good the participants – was meant to be put behind a paywall. Case in point: At the end of 1991, TVKO aired the showdown between two future Hall of Famers – James Toney and Mike McCallum – from the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for Toney’s IBF middleweight title. They engaged in a classic bout that ended up as a draw. For as good as that contest was, it failed to move the needle in terms of buys. By the time they rematched in the summer of 1992, it was broadcast on regular HBO. DiBella explained: “When you were getting into the niche stuff and it turned out to be a great fight and did a rematch, we wanted the eyeballs of HBO, the mothership. We didn’t want people to have to pay for it.” What some people don’t understand about the utilization of pay-per-view is that it isn’t just about the big fights where the boxers’ purses go far beyond the license fee a network is willing to put up. It’s also used to create revenue for fights that were oftentimes rejected by the network or simply did not fit into its yearly budget. There was a time when promoters would actually produce independent pay-per-view cards on their own. Top Rank had their own “Latin Fury” and “Pinoy Power” series that kept their boxers active as they essentially
Fly Saudia to the world
I t was announced recently that DAZN would be offering an “Ultimate” – their word, not mine – subscription. It would be a package that would come at the tidy cost of $44.99 per month, or $449.99 annually, which would include a “minimum” – again, their words, not mine – of 12 pay-per-view events throughout the year. There’s been an abundance of outrage on social media over this new option. Much of it centers around the fact that when it first started in 2018, DAZN claimed that for the price of your subscription, you would be getting all of their boxing content. At that time, it included fights involving the likes of Anthony Joshua, Gennadiy Golovkin and, most notably, Canelo Alvarez (who could be considered the last true pay- per-view franchise in the game). You actually got more for less. But in recent years, not only has the price of the monthly and yearly subscription
Holyfield vs. Foreman was the inaugural TVKO pay-per-view event in April 1991.
risen, pay-per-view is now a regular facet of DAZN’s lineup. Now it seems that they will have at least one pay-per-view event per month. It reminds me a bit of TVKO. You remember them, right? Long ago, they were the pay-per-view arm of HBO Sports when it was the dominant force televising boxing in the States. Later, TVKO was rebranded as HBO Pay-Per-View. TVKO was actually meant to be a monthly series of pay-per-view fights as it began operations in April of 1991 with the heavyweight title bout between Evander Holyfield and George Foreman. They found out quickly that this just wasn’t sustainable. “It was a monthly pay-per-view show for a while,” recalled Lou DiBella, who was the senior vice president of
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STEVE’S SOAPBOX created their own dates outside of HBO or Showtime. Cedric Kushner had his “Heavyweight Explosion” franchise that was used to develop his stable of big men and put wins in them before they got called up for more lucrative assignments. “We did the smaller pay-per-views as a cost-saving mechanism, particularly when we had a long-term fighter contract, not long-term promoter contracts, and you owed particular fights,” explained DiBella. “Quite frankly, there were some fights that we didn’t want to put on HBO that we put on pay-per-view for a fairly low pay-per-view price to basically recoup as much money as we could. We abandoned the concept that people would continue to buy pay-per-view out of habit, because, guess what? “People don’t continually buy pay- per-view out of habit.” When it comes to pay-per-view, success isn’t just about the quality of the fight but just how familiar the names on the marquee are to the public at large. As Bob Arum once said to me about this: “You gotta have stars.” Holyfield-Foreman did boffo numbers, while Toney-McCallum I was something that only the diehard fans of the sport consumed. Again, names matter. You wonder, as we head into 2026 with Canelo in the sunset of his career, is there anyone out there who can carry the mantle as a pay-per-view franchise? Out of curiosity, I looked up just how many major pay-per-views were distributed by HBO from 2006 to 2008, a time when the network was still a force within the sport. In both 2006 and 2007, they had nine cards on pay- per-view, and seven in 2008. But that era had established stars like Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Roy Jones Jr., Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Fernando Vargas. Does the current landscape have this many boxers who are even nominally known to the casual fan?
Will DAZN provide Lopez vs. Stevenson- level PPV shows each month?
2006 HBO PPV Jan. 21 ������� Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales II Feb. 25������� Shane Mosley vs. Fernando Vargas April 8 �������� Floyd Mayweather vs. Zab Judah May 6 ��������� Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ricardo Mayorga June 10 ������ Antonio Tarver vs. Bernard Hopkins July 15 ������� Shane Mosley vs. Fernando Vargas II Aug. 12 ������ Hasim Rahman vs. Oleg Maskaev II Sept. 16������ Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Rocky Juarez II Nov. 18 ������� Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales III 2007 March 17���� Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Juan Manuel Marquez May 5��������� Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather June 9�������� Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah July 21 ������� Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright Oct. 6 ��������� Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera II Nov. 10 ������� Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley Dec. 8 �������� Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton 2008 Jan. 19 ������� Roy Jones vs. Felix Trinidad Feb. 16 ������� Kelly Pavlik vs. Jermain Taylor II March 15���� Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez II June 28������ Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz July 26 ������� Antonio Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto Sept. 13������ Joel Casamayor vs. Juan Manuel Marquez Oct. 18 ������� Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins Nov. 8��������� Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Dec. 6 �������� Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao
The official announcement for Teofimo Lopez-Shakur Stevenson was released in early December. The grudge match is scheduled for January 31 in New York. It’s safe to assume that this will be a DAZN pay-per-view. If that is the case, it’s a solid start to this plan. There is also the much talked-about showdown between Jaron Ennis and Vergil Ortiz, which could take place in the spring of 2026. The question is: Can DAZN sustain this level of quality? Are there 12 pay- per-view-worthy bouts a year in the current landscape? “I don’t think there’s six,” was DiBella’s retort. “I’m not kidding. I don’t think there’s six. You see, a pay-per-view should be capable of generating enough eyeballs to be substantial, right?” It’s a fair question. Are we going to get a regular dose of Lopez-Stevenson and Ennis-Ortiz, or will more fights like Moses Itauma-Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker-Fabio Wardley be foisted upon us and dressed up as pay-per-view cards? For better or worse, pay-per-view is alive and here to stay. “[DAZN] said they killed it – and became Dr. Frankenstein,” quipped DiBella. “What is going on? With all due respect, that’s just stupidity.”
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BY THE NUMBERS:
victories » Though Lyle may best be known for losing one of the most dramatic bouts of the decade to George Foreman, the rest of his resume is impressive. Starting his pro career in 1971, Lyle won 30 of his first 32 bouts, the only blemishes being a decision loss to perpetual contender Jerry Quarry and a draw with the always pesky Gregorio Peralta (whom Lyle had previously defeated). The wins were over a who’s who of the time, including such veterans as “Scrap Iron” Johnson, Manuel Ramos, Jack O’Halloran and Leroy Caldwell, plus bigger names such as Buster Mathis, the rugged Oscar Bonavena and former WBA titlist Jimmy Ellis. It was a promising start for Lyle, who had spent seven and a half years in prison for second-degree murder and didn’t begin his
memorable fight with George Foreman »
Lyle’s reward for beating Shavers was a bout with Foreman in Las Vegas. With both fighters suffering losses to Ali and hoping for rematches with him, each wanted to win in a big way. The result was five
losses to Jimmy Young »
Young was a counterpunching Philadelphia heavyweight who defeated Lyle on points in 1975 and again in 1976. By the second time he’d failed against Young, the press had begun to write Lyle off as a fading trial horse. Before a scant crowd of less than 2,000
rounds of thunderous action and multiple knockdowns, with Foreman taking a beating before coming back to stop Lyle at 2:28 of the fifth. Unlike the Lyle-Shavers bout, this one was on national TV with Howard Cosell screaming his head off. It went into the history books, and The Ring selected it as Fight of the Year. In the immediate aftermath, though, the Foreman- Lyle fight wasn’t embraced as a classic. Many writers dismissed Foreman as “slipshod,” “shoddy” and “lucky” to get the win. “Have you ever seen such ineptitude,” wrote the Chicago Tribune, “from heavyweights who are supposed to be ranked among the best in the world?” Some people are just hard to please. If nothing else, Lyle should’ve received a certificate of merit for facing Ali, Shavers and Foreman within a span of eight months.
professional boxing career until he was 30. He ended his career with a record of 43-7-1 (31 knockouts).
customers in San Francisco’s Civic Auditorium, Lyle simply couldn’t catch the lighter, quicker Young. “For aging Ron Lyle, losing may have been the last hurrah,” wrote the Associated Press. Lyle managed to defeat some good competitors in the next few years, including Joe Bugner and Scott LeDoux, but he was clearly on the way out.
rounds with Muhammad Ali » To the surprise of the boxing world and the fans in Las Vegas, Lyle gave Ali a difficult
time for the first 10 rounds of their 15-round championship bout in 1975. Not intimidated by the magnitude of the event or Ali’s reputation, Lyle not only gave the champion some tough moments, but he was ahead on two of the three scorecards. Yet any hopes for an upset were dashed in the 11th when Ali landed a right hand that sent Lyle staggering backward into the ropes. Sensing the big finish, Ali fired away with approximately 40 unanswered punches until referee Ferd Hernandez stopped the bout at the 1:08 mark. Lyle’s camp objected to the stoppage, but the challenger was just standing there taking blows to the head. Still, Lyle had done well in what would be his only title shot. “He’s a good fighter,” Ali said. “Much better than I thought he was.”
fights at age 54 » Lyle left boxing in 1980 after an embarrassing one-round KO loss to Gerry Cooney. But when Foreman regained the
RON LYLE by Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt The 1970s are rightfully considered a golden era of heavyweight boxing. Even beyond the triangle of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, there were too many fine fighters to be crammed into a top 10, with even fringe players earning devoted followers and regular television dates. Ron Lyle was a major part of this era, and any discussion of the period would have to include him. Filled to the brim with death and violence, here’s his story by the numbers.
years old when he died » Lyle (1941-2011) spent his later years working odd jobs and training fighters in Las Vegas. He
heavyweight title at age 45, Lyle embarked on his own comeback, minus Foreman’s circus-like atmosphere. In a venue known as Peel’s Palace in Erlanger, Kentucky, a club known for hosting punk rock concerts and pro wrestling, Lyle spent April, May and June of 1995 dusting off a trio of unspectacular opponents, their combined record being 13-52-2. One of them, Ed Strickland, was 0-20 at the time. In August, Lyle’s final fight brought him back home to Colorado, where he faced Dave Slaughter at the Regency Hotel in Denver. Slaughter, a 37-year-old whose record was 5-17-1, quit after two rounds. “Fans cheered as Lyle blew kisses,” reported the Scripps Howard News Service. “For a moment it was like it used to be – except that he’s 54.” Lyle talked about fighting Foreman or maybe Larry Holmes in a special old-timer match, but such bouts never materialized.
remained one of boxing’s great “What if?” stories, as in, “What if he hadn’t spent so much time in prison and had turned pro at 20 instead of 30?” It was an interesting thought, but it was the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City that made Lyle into a boxer. While serving his sentence – he allegedly shot a rival gang member – he fought on the prison boxing team and then, once paroled, had a brief amateur career. Lyle’s background became an easy hook for publicity, particularly an episode where he nearly died after being stabbed by a fellow inmate. Though Lyle appeared to be a thoughtful, soft-spoken man outside the ring, there were problems in his private life that were often violent in nature. Shortly before his bout with Ali, Lyle was in court for shooting at his wife, Nadine. On New Year’s Eve 1977, he shot and killed a man in his home. Lyle was acquitted, his attorney arguing that he’d acted in self-defense. Yet Lyle certainly seemed quick-tempered and not afraid to use a gun. “All my life has been hard,” he once said, “and I’ve had no one but myself to blame.” Lyle may not have been an all-time great, but in a decade overflowing with superb heavyweights, he made an indelible imprint. If we’re left to wonder, “What if?,” it’s only because what we got was so damned exciting.
rounds to stop Earnie Shavers » The 1970s were so flush with high-quality heavyweights that the Lyle-Shavers battle took place with minimal fanfare. Why these two hard-punching behemoths weren’t on a major network, or even the fledgling HBO, is unfathomable. Yet on Saturday, September 13, 1975, on Lyle’s home turf of Denver, Colorado, the two went at each other like a couple of street fighters armed with sledgehammers.
They didn’t stop swinging until Shavers was counted out at 0:47 of the sixth. Mike Hayes, vice president of the Denver Boxing Club, spoke for many when he called it “one of the most amazing nights in Colorado sports history.” What made it so memorable was that the mighty Shavers bombarded Lyle in the first round and then dropped him in the second. Down for the first time in his career, a badly hurt Lyle somehow got back on his feet just as the bell sounded. Shavers’ manager, Joe Gennaro, would claim Lyle was given a long count (not true), and even Shavers, known as a humble man, complained that the fight had been “stolen” from him. Regardless of Gennaro’s grousing, the fight was a masterpiece of its kind. Some of the exchanges were so brutal that if you saw these two fighting in an alley, you’d probably call the cops to break it up, lest one of them not come out alive.
20 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 21
Ring Ratings Through fights of December 13, 2025
Devin Haney looked every bit the superior fighter in his victory over Brian Norman Jr.
Recent Fight Results MEN 200: Jai Opetaia (C) KO 8 Huseyin Cinkara 200: Yamil Peralta (No. 7) removed for inactivity 200: Noel Mikaelian (No. 6,
118: Takuma Inoue (No. 4,
1) UD 12 Tenshin Nasukawa (No. 8,
2)
118: Riku Masuda (in at No. 8) TD 5 Jose Miguel Calderon 118: Jose Salas (in at No. 7) TKO 7 Landile Ngxeke 115: Jesse Rodriguez (C) KO 10 Fernando Martinez (No. 1) 115: Tomoya Tsuboi (in at No. 5) TKO 8 Carlos Cuadras (No. 3, retired) 105: Knockout CP Freshmart (No. 3) moved up in weight WOMEN 168: Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse (in at No. 5) UD 8 Sonya Dreiling 147: Stephanie Aquino (No. 4, 1) UD 10 Anahi Sanchez 135: Elif Nur Turhan (in at No. 2) TKO 5 Beatriz Ferreira (No. 2, 2) 126: Skye Nicolson (No. 3, 2) UD 10 Yulihan Avila
2) UD 12 Badou Jack (No. 5,
1)
175: David Benavidez (No. 2) TKO 7 Anthony Yarde (No. 4,
1)
160: Erislandy Lara (in at No. 4) UD 12 Johan Gonzalez 160: Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (No. 1) removed for positive PED test 147: Devin Haney (in at No. 1) UD 12 Brian Norman Jr. (No. 1, 1) 154: Jesus Ramos (No. 8) moved up in weight 135: Abdullah Mason (No. 9, 3) UD 12 Sam Noakes (No. 8, 1) 130: O’Shaquie Foster (No. 1) UD 12 Stephen Fulton (No. 4 at 126) 130: Lamont Roach (No. 4) moved up in weight
126: Ra’eese Aleem (in at No. 10) UD 12 Mikito Nakano 126: Robeisy Ramirez (No. 9) removed for inactivity
115: Jasmine Artiga (in at No. 5) UD 10 Stephanie Silva 105: Sol Baumstarh (in at No. 5) UD 10 Jazmin Villarino
RINGMAGAZINE.COM 23
MEN’S RING RATINGS Through Dec. 13, 2025 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 175 POUNDS
HEAVYWEIGHTS WEIGHT UNLIMITED
CRUISERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 200 POUNDS
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 168 POUNDS
THE GREATEST HAS ARRIVED.
C OLEKSANDR USYK
C JAI OPETAIA
C DMITRY BIVOL
C TERENCE CRAWFORD U.S. • 42-0-0 (31 KOs) 1 CANELO ALVAREZ
Ukraine • 24-0-0 (15 KOs)
Australia • 29-0-0 (23 KOs)
Russia • 24-1-0 (12 KOs)
1 TYSON FURY
1 GILBERTO RAMIREZ Mexico • 48-1-0 (30 KOs) 2 CHRIS BILLAM-SMITH U.K. • 21-2-0 (13 KOs) 3 MICHAL CIESLAK Poland • 28-2-0 (22 KOs) 4 +2 NOEL MIKAELIAN Armenia • 28-3-0 (12 KOs) 5 -1 RYAN ROZICKI Canada • 20-1-1 (19 KOs) 6 -1 BADOU JACK Sweden • 29-4-3 (17 KOs) 7 +1 LEONARDO MOSQUEA France • 17-0-0 (10 KOs) 8 +1 ROBIN SIRWAN SAFAR Sweden • 19-0-0 (13 KOs) 9 +1 VIDDAL RILEY U.K. • 13-0-0 (7 KOs) 10 H BRANDON GLANTON U.S. • 21-3-0 (18 KOs)
1 ARTUR BETERBIEV
U.K. • 34-2-1 (24 KOs)
Russia • 21-1-0 (20 KOs)
Mexico • 63-3-2 (39 KOs)
2 FABIO WARDLEY
2 DAVID BENAVIDEZ
2 OSLEYS IGLESIAS
U.K. • 20-0-1 (19 KOs)
U.S. • 31-0-0 (25 KOs)
Cuba • 14-0-0 (13 KOs)
3 AGIT KABAYEL
3 CALLUM SMITH
3 CHRISTIAN MBILLI
Germany • 26-0-0 (18 KOs)
U.K. • 31-2-0 (22 KOs)
France • 29-0-1 (24 KOs)
4 JOSEPH PARKER
4
4 LESTER MARTINEZ
+1 ALBERT RAMIREZ Venezuela • 22-0-0 (19 KOs) -1 ANTHONY YARDE U.K. • 27-4-0 (24 KOs)
New Zealand • 36-4-0 (24 KOs)
Guatemala • 19-0-1 (16 KOs)
5 DANIEL DUBOIS
5
5 DIEGO PACHECO
U.K. • 22-3-0 (21 KOs)
U.S. • 25-0-0 (18 KOs) 6 JOSE ARMANDO RESENDIZ Mexico • 16-2-0 (11 KOs) 7 CALEB PLANT U.S. • 23-3-0 (14 KOs) 8 HAMZAH SHEERAZ U.K. • 22-0-1 (18 KOs) 9 BRUNO SURACE France • 26-1-2 (5 KOs) 10 WILLIAM SCULL Cuba • 23-1-0 (9 KOs)
6 FILIP HRGOVIC
6 DAVID MORRELL
Croatia • 19-1-0 (14 KOs)
Cuba • 12-1-0 (9 KOs)
7 ZHILEI ZHANG
7 IMAM KHATAEV
China • 27-3-1 (22 KOs)
Australia • 11-1-0 (10 KOs)
8 MARTIN BAKOLE
8 JOSHUA BUATSI
Congo • 21-2-1 (16 KOs)
U.K. • 20-1-0 (13 KOs) 9 OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK Ukraine • 21-2-0 (17 KOs) 10 WILLY HUTCHINSON U.K. • 19-2-0 (14 KOs)
9 MOSES ITAUMA
U.K. • 13-0-0 (11 KOs)
10 EFE AJAGBA
Nigeria • 20-1-1 (14 KOs)
JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 154 POUNDS
C (VACANT) 1 H DEVIN HANEY WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 147 POUNDS
JR. WELTERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 140 POUNDS C TEOFIMO LOPEZ U.S. • 22-1-0 (13 KOs) 1 RICHARDSON HITCHINS U.S. • 20-0-0 (8 KOs) 2 SUBRIEL MATIAS
MIDDLEWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 160 POUNDS C (VACANT) 1 CARLOS ADAMES Cuba • 9-0-0 (8 KOs) 3 H ERISLANDY LARA U.S. • 32-3-3 (19 KOs) 4 CONOR BENN U.K. • 24-1-0 (14 KOs) 5 TROY ISLEY U.S. • 15-0-0 (5 KOs) 6 ETINOSA OLIHA Italy • 22-0-0 (10 KOs) 7 AARON MCKENNA Ireland • 20-0-0 (10 KOs) 8 AUSTIN WILLIAMS U.S. • 19-1-0 (13 KOs) 9 CHRIS EUBANK JR. U.K. • 35-4-0 (25 KOs) 10 H JESUS RAMOS JR. U.S. • 24-1-0 (19 KOs) 2
C (VACANT) 1 VERGIL ORTIZ
Dom. Rep. • 24-1-1 (18 KOs) +1 YOENLI HERNANDEZ
U.S. • 24-0-0 (22 KOs) 2 SEBASTIAN FUNDORA U.S. • 23-1-1 (15 KOs) 3 ISRAIL MADRIMOV Uzbekistan • 10-2-1 (7 KOs) 4 BAKHRAM MURTAZALIEV Russia • 23-0-0 (17 KOs) 5 XANDER ZAYAS Puerto Rico • 22-0-0 (13 KOs) 6 JARON ENNIS U.S. • 35-0-0 (31 KOs) 7 BRANDON ADAMS U.S. • 26-4-0 (16 KOs) 8 +1 ABASS BARAOU Germany • 17-1-0 (9 KOs) 9 +1 SERHII BOHACHUK Ukraine • 26-3-0 (24 KOs) 10 H BAKARY SAMAKE France • 19-0-0 (11 KOs)
U.S. • 33-0-0 (15 KOs)
2
-1 BRIAN NORMAN JR.
U.S. • 28-1-0 (22 KOs)
Puerto Rico • 23-2-0 (22 KOs)
3
-1 EIMANTAS STANIONIS Lithuania • 16-1-0 (9 KOs) -1 GIOVANI SANTILLAN U.S. • 34-1-0 (18 KOs) -1 ROHAN POLANCO Dom. Rep. • 17-0-0 (10 KOs) -1 SHAKHRAM GIYASOV Uzbekistan • 18-0-0 (11 KOs) -1 ALEXIS ROCHA U.S. • 25-2-1 (16 KOs) -1 RAUL CURIEL Mexico • 16-0-1 (14 KOs) -1 JACK CATTERALL U.K. • 32-2-0 (14 KOs) -1 MARIO BARRIOS U.S. • 29-2-2 (18 KOs)
3 ALBERTO PUELLO
Dom. Rep. • 24-1-0 (10 KOs)
4
4 ARNOLD BARBOZA U.S. • 32-1-0 (11 KOs) 5 GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL U.S. • 18-1-0 (17 KOs) 6 SANDOR MARTIN Spain • 42-4-0 (15 KOs) 7 DALTON SMITH U.K. • 18-0-0 (13 KOs) 8 ADAM AZIM U.K. • 14-0-0 (11 KOs) 9 LINDOLFO DELGADO Mexico • 24-0-0 (16 KOs) 10 ANDY HIRAOKA Japan • 24-0-0 (19 KOs)
5
6
7
8
9
10
Authorized by Insurance Authority.
24 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
MEN’S RING RATINGS Through Dec. 13, 2025 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS
J ACO. live
LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 135 POUNDS
JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 130 POUNDS
FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 126 POUNDS
JR. FEATHERWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 122 POUNDS
C (VACANT) 1 SHAKUR STEVENSON U.S. • 24-0-0 (11 KOs) 2 GERVONTA DAVIS U.S. • 30-0-1 (28 KOs) 3 RAYMOND MURATALLA U.S. • 23-0-0 (17 KOs) 4 WILLIAM ZEPEDA Mexico • 33-1-0 (27 KOs) 5 ANDY CRUZ Cuba • 6-0-0 (3 KOs) 6 +3 ABDULLAH MASON U.S. • 20-0-0 (17 KOs) 7 -1 FLOYD SCHOFIELD U.S. • 19-0-0 (13 KOs) 8 -1 DENYS BERINCHYK Ukraine • 19-1-0 (9 KOs) 9 -1 SAM NOAKES U.K. • 17-1-0 (15 KOs) 10 LUCAS BAHDI Canada • 20-0-0 (15 KOs)
C (VACANT) 1 O’SHAQUIE FOSTER U.S. • 24-3-0 (12 KOs) 2 EMANUEL NAVARRETE Mexico • 39-2-1 (32 KOs) 3 ANTHONY CACACE Ireland • 24-1-0 (9 KOs) 4 +1 EDUARDO NUNEZ Mexico • 29-1-0 (27 KOs) 5 +1 ROBSON CONCEICAO Brazil • 20-3-1 (10 KOs) 6 +1 EDUARDO HERNANDEZ Mexico • 37-2-0 (32 KOs) 7 +1 CHARLY SUAREZ Philippines • 18-0-0 (10 KOs) 8 +1 RAYMOND FORD U.S. • 18-1-1 (8 KOs) 9 +1 JAMES DICKENS U.K. • 36-5-0 (15 KOs) 10 H RYAN GARNER U.K. • 18-0-0 (9 KOs)
C (VACANT) 1 RAFAEL ESPINOZA
C NAOYA INOUE
Japan • 31-0-0 (27 KOs)
1 MARLON TAPALES
Mexico • 28-0-0 (24 KOs)
Philippines • 41-4-0 (22 KOs) 2 MURODJON AKHMADALIEV Uzbekistan • 14-2-0 (11 KOs) 3 SAM GOODMAN Australia • 20-1-0 (8 KOs) 4 ALAN PICASSO Mexico • 32-0-1 (17 KOs) 5 SHABAZ MASOUD U.K. • 15-0-0 (4 KOs) 6 TJ DOHENY Ireland • 26-6-0 (20 KOs) 7 RAMON CARDENAS U.S. • 26-2-0 (14 KOs) 8 SEBASTIAN HERNANDEZ Mexico • 20-0-0 (18 KOs) 9 SUBARU MURATA Japan • 10-0-0 (10 KOs) 10 BRYAN MERCADO Mexico • 32-1-0 (26 KOs)
2 ANGELO LEO
U.S. • 26-1-0 (12 KOs)
3 NICK BALL
U.K. • 23-0-1 (13 KOs)
4 STEPHEN FULTON U.S. • 23-2-0 (8 KOs) 5 LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ 6 BRUCE CARRINGTON U.S. • 16-0-0 (9 KOs) 7 BRANDON FIGUEROA U.S. • 26-2-1 (19 KOs) 8 MIRCO CUELLO 9 H RA’EESE ALEEM U.S. • 23-1-0 (12 KOs) 10 H DAYAN GONZALEZ Cuba • 18-0-0 (16 KOs)
All in one app.
Mexico • 31-3-0 (18 KOs)
Argentina • 16-0-0 (13 KOs)
BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 118 POUNDS
JR. BANTAMWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 115 POUNDS
FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 112 POUNDS
JR. FLYWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 108 POUNDS C (VACANT) 1 CARLOS CANIZALES
C (VACANT) 1 SEIYA TSUTSUMI
C JESSE RODRIGUEZ U.S. • 23-0-0 (16 KOs) 1 FERNANDO MARTINEZ
C ( VACANT) 1 RICARDO SANDOVAL U.S. • 27-2-0 (18 KOs) 2 KENSHIRO TERAJI Japan • 25-2-0 (16 KOs) 3 SEIGO YURI AKUI Japan • 21-3-1 (11 KOs) 4 MASAMICHI YABUKI Japan • 18-4-0 (17 KOs) 5 GALAL YAFAI U.K. • 9-1-0 (7 KOs) 6 ANTHONY OLASCUAGA U.S. • 10-1-0 (7 KOs) 7 ANGEL AYALA Mexico • 18-1-0 (8 KOs) 8 FELIX ALVARADO
Japan • 12-0-3 (8 KOs) 2 CHRISTIAN MEDINA Mexico • 26-4-0 (19 KOs) 3 +1 TAKUMA INOUE Japan • 21-2-0 (5 KOs) 4 -1 RYOSUKE NISHIDA Japan • 10-1-0 (2 KOs) 5 DAIGO HIGA Japan • 21-3-3 (19 KOs) 6 ANTONIO VARGAS U.S. • 19-1-1 (11 KOs) 7 H JOSE SALAS Mexico • 17-0-0 (11 KOs) 8 -1 YOSHIKI TAKEI Japan • 11-1-0 (9 KOs) 9 H RIKU MASUDA Japan • 9-1-0 (8 KOs) 10 -2 TENSHIN NASUKAWA Japan • 7-1-0 (2 KOs)
Venezuela • 28-3-1 (20 KOs)
Argentina • 18-1-0 (9 KOs)
2 KYOSUKE TAKAMI
2 KAZUTO IOKA
Japan • 10-0-0 (8 KOs)
Japan • 31-4-1 (16 KOs) +1 DAVID JIMENEZ Costa Rica • 18-1-0 (12 KOs) +1 PHUMELELA CAFU S. Africa • 11-1-3 (8 KOs)
3 RENE SANTIAGO
JACO IS WHERE CREATORS AND FANS COME TOGETHER
3
Puerto Rico • 14-4-0 (9 KOs)
4 THANONGSAK SIMSRI
4
Thailand • 39-1-0 (34 KOs)
5 SHOKICHI IWATA
5 H TOMOYA TSUBOI Japan • 3-0-0 (2 KOs) 6 ANDREW MOLONEY
Japan • 15-2-0 (2 KOs)
6 REGIE SUGANOB
Philippines • 17-1-0 (6 KOs)
Australia • 28-4-0 (18 KOs)
7 CRISTIAN ARANETA
7 RICARDO MALAJIKA
Philippines • 25-3-0 (20 KOs)
S. Africa • 17-2-0 (12 KOs)
8 ERIK BADILLO
8 WILLIBALDO GARCIA Mexico • 23-6-2 (13 KOs) 9 RENE CALIXTO BIBIANO Mexico • 24-1-1 (10 KOs) 10 JAYR RAQUINEL
Nicaragua • 42-4-0 (35 KOs)
Mexico • 19-0-0 (8 KOs) 9 MASATAKA TANIGUCHI Japan • 21-5-0 (15 KOs) 10 SIVENATHI NONTSHINGA S. Africa • 14-2-0 (11 KOs)
9 TOBIAS REYES
Argentina • 18-1-1 (16 KOs)
10 JUKIYA IIMURA
Japan • 9-1-0 (2 KOs)
Philippines • 18-2-1 (14 KOs)
26 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
MEN’S RING RATINGS Through Dec. 13, 2025 CHAMPIONSHIPBELTS: RING IBF WBA WBC WBO | H NEW TO RATINGS
C OSCAR COLLAZO U.S. • 13-0-0 (10 KOs) 1 MELVIN JERUSALEM STRAWWEIGHTS WEIGHT LIMIT: 105 POUNDS
HOW OUR RATINGS ARE COMPILED RECORDS PROVIDED BY BOXREC.COM
Championship vacancies can be filled in the following two ways: 1. The Ring’s Nos. 1 and 2 contenders fight one another. 2. If the Nos. 1 and 2 contenders choose not to fight one another and No. 1 fights No. 3, that matchup could be for the Ring title if the Editorial Board deems No. 3 worthy. A champion can lose their belt in six sit- uations: 1. The Champion loses a fight in the weight class in which they are cham- pion; 2. The Champion moves to another weight class; 3. The Champion does not schedule a fight in any weight class for 18 months, although injuries and certain other
unforeseen circumstances could be taken into consideration; 4. The Champion does not schedule a fight at their championship weight for 18 months (even if they fight at another weight); 5. The Champion does not schedule a fight with a Top-5 contender from any weight class for two years; 6. The Champion retires. The Ring Editorial Board considers input from the Ratings Panel of boxing jour- nalists from around the world and then decides collectively what changes will be made. That applies to both the pound-for- pound and divisional ratings.
Philippines • 25-3-0 (12 KOs)
2 PEDRO TADURAN
Philippines • 19-4-1 (13 KOs) +1 RYUSEI MATSUMOTO
3
Japan • 7-0-0 (4 KOs)
4
+1 SIYAKHOLWA KUSE
S. Africa • 9-3-1 (4 KOs)
5
+1 JOEY CANOY Philippines • 24-5-2 (15 KOs)
6
+1 TAKESHI ISHII Japan • 11-1-0 (8 KOs) +1 YUNI TAKADA Japan • 16-9-3 (6 KOs)
7
8
+1 VIC SALUDAR Philippines • 27-6-0 (17 KOs)
9
+1 BEAVEN SIBANDA Zimbabwe • 9-1-0 (3 KOs) 10 H JOSEPH SUMABONG Philippines • 9-1-0 (4 KOs)
POUND FOR POUND LIST
WOMEN
MEN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
KATIE TAYLOR Ireland • 25-1-0 (6 KOs) CLARESSA SHIELDS U.S. • 17-0-0 (3 KOs) MIKAELA MAYER U.S. • 22-2-0 (5 KOs) CHANTELLE CAMERON U.K. • 21-1-0 (8 KOs) AMANDA SERRANO Puerto Rico • 47-4-1 (31 KOs)
TERENCE CRAWFORD U.S. • 42-0-0 (31 KOs) OLEKSANDR USYK Ukraine • 24-0-0 (15 KOs) NAOYA INOUE Japan • 31-0-0 (27 KOs) JESSE RODRIGUEZ U.S. • 23-0-0 (16 KOs) DMITRY BIVOL Russia • 24-1-0 (12 KOs) ARTUR BETERBIEV Russia • 21-1-0 (20 KOs) JUNTO NAKATANI Japan • 31-0-0 (24 KOs) SHAKUR STEVENSON U.S. • 24-0-0 (11 KOs) DAVID BENAVIDEZ U.S. • 31-0-0 (25 KOs)
UPCOMING 2026 SCHEDULE
Rocha vs. Curiel 2
Itauma vs. Franklin
Muratalla vs. Cruz
GABRIELA FUNDORA U.S. • 17-0-0 (9 KOs)
January 24
January 16
January 24
DINA THORSLUND Denmark • 23-0-0 (9 KOs)
LAUREN PRICE U.K. • 9-0-0 (2 KOs)
Murtazaliev vs. Kelly
Wood vs. Warrington 2
Nunez vs. Navarette
Shields vs. Crews-Dezurn 2
YOKASTA VALLE Costa Rica • 33-3-0 (10 KOs)
January 31
February 21
February 22
February 28
10 DEVIN HANEY
10 ELLIE SCOTNEY
“Bam” Rodriguez strode into the top 5 with his win over Fernando Martinez.
U.S. • 33-0-0 (15 KOs)
U.K. • 11-0-0 (0 KOs)
28 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
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