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World Rankings as of Dec. 13, 2000
by Phrank Da Slugger
I use three criteria to rate fighters: Quality of Opposition, Performance and Activity. I rank the best from 1 to 10; this is to see who deserves a title shot. I rate all 18 divisions, a time-consuming activity to say the least. Therefore, commentary only appears every third month.

Some mistakingly think that the Champion in each division is the guy who I think is the best. This is not the case. There are two criteria by which I determine Champions: the 1st is lineage (e.g., Dariusz Michalczewski beat Virgil Hill who beat Henry Maske); and the 2nd is defeating another fighter also ranked in the top 3 in the division. There is the exception: Bernard Hopkins is one of those rare titlists who has reigned a long time and defeated many contenders. He is the dominant fighter in his weight class and has won, mostly via KO, against a number of different contenders. You could say I rewarded him for long and meritorious service.

[Editor's note: bracket indications as to CBZ Lineal champions were added by me for convenience of readers who are interested. So, don't blame Phrank. -- Mike DeLisa]


Heavyweights (over 195 lbs)
Champion: Lennox Lewis (WBC, IBF, IBO)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Evander Holyfield (WBA)
2. Wladimir Klitschko (WBO)
3. Kirk Johnson
4. Mike Tyson
5. David Tua
6. Michael Grant
7. Oleg Maskaev
8. Chris Byrd
9. Clifford Etienne
10. Hasim Rahman

active: none (out: Donald-drew with a journeyman)

Crusierweights (195 lbs)
Champion: Virgil Hill (WBA)
1. Vassili Jirov (IBF)
2. Juan Carlos Gomez (WBC)
3. Johnny Nelson (WBO)
4. Carl Thompson
5. Fabrice Tiozzo
6. Louis Azille
7. James Toney
8. Marcelo Dominguez
9. Wayne Braithwaite
10. Arthur Williams

active: Tiozzo, Hill (out: Sellers-displaced)

Lt. Heavyweights (175 lbs)
Champion: Dariusz Michalczewski (WBO)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Roy Jones (WBC, WBA, IBF, NBA, IBO)
2. Clinton Woods
3. Derrick Harmon
4. Graciano Rocchigiani
5. Eric Harding
6. Chris Johnson
7. Greg Wright
8. Glenn Kelly
9. Montell Griffin (IBC)
10. Antonio Tarver

active: Johnson
(Inactive list: Harmon, Griffin, Tarver)

Super Middleweights (168 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Sven Ottke (IBF)
2. Joe Calzaghe (WBO)
3. Mads Larsen (WBF)
4. Thomas Tate
5. Bruno Girard (WBA)[CBZ Lineal]
6. Charles Brewer
7. Dingaan Thobela (WBC)
8. Andrei Shkalikov
9. Glenn Catley
10. Richie Woodhall

active: Larsen, Brewer, Shkalikov
(Inactive list: Tate)

Middleweights (160 lbs)
Champion: Bernard Hopkins (IBF, IBC)
1. William Joppy (WBA)
2. Armand Krajnc (WBO)
3. Keith Holmes (WBC)
4. Antonio Perugino (WBU)
5. Raymond Joval
6. Ali Ennebati
7. Antwun Echols
8. Howard Eastman
9. Carl Daniels
10. Robert Allen

active: Hopkins, Echols, Joppy
(Inactive list: Holmes)

***PLEASE NOTE: It freakin¹ KILLS me not to have Trinidad as the 154-lb
Champion. But if you believe in linear Championships, then you must agree
with me < Castillejo beat Mullings who beat Norris. Obviously, Trinidad
would beat Castillejo (I¹d give it no more than 2 rounds), and I think any
of the top 8 would as well, but here we are. This reminds me of the
situation for a couple years at Feather when Hamed was far and away the best
fighter there, but was not the true Champion. Emails about how stupid I am
to have to have Trinidad rated ³second² will be ignored.

Jr. Middleweights (154 lbs)
Champion: Javier Castillejo (WBC)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Felix Trinidad (WBA & IBF)
2. Fernando Vargas
3. Harry Simon (WBO)
4. Winky Wright (IBA)
5. Bronco McKart (IBA)
6. Ike Quartey
7. Tito Mendoza
8. Tony Marshall
9. Rhoshii Wells
10. Luis Ramon "Yori-Boy" Campas

active: Trinidad, Vargas, Mendoza, Wells, Campas (out: Reid-moved up in
weight, Linton-lost)
(Inactive list: Quartey)

Welterweights (147 lbs)
Champion: Shane Mosley (WBC, IBA)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Oscar de la Hoya
2. Oba Carr
3. Vernon Forrest
4. Shannon Taylor
5. Michele Piccirillo (WBU)
6. Kofi Jantuah
7. Thomas Damgaard (IBC)
8. Daniel Santos-Pena (WBO)
9. Corey Spinks
10. Antonio Margarito

active: Spinks, Margarito

Jr. Welterweights (140 lbs)
Champion: Kostya Tszyu (WBC)
1. Zab Judah (IBF)
2. Ener Julio (WBO)
3. Hector Camacho, Jr.
4. Antonio Diaz (IBA)
5. Sharmba Mitchell (WBA)
6. Randall Bailey
7. John-John Molina
8. Micky Ward
9. Diobelys Hurtado
10. Ben Tackie

active: Bailey

Lightweights (135 lbs)
Champion: Jose Luis Castillo(WBC)
1. Steve Johnston
2. Paul Spadafora (IBF)
3. Cesar Bazan
4. Julien Lorcy
5. Takanori Hatakeyama (WBA)
6. Colin Dunne
7. Fred Neal
9. Artur Grigorijan (WBO)
9. Jean-Baptiste Mendy
10. Jesse James Leija

active: Grigorijan

Jr. Lightweights (130 lbs)
Champion: Floyd Mayweather (WBC)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Diego Corrales (IBA)
2. Acelino Freitas (WBO)
3. Joel Casamayor (WBA)
4. Steve Forbes (IBF)
5. Dennis Holbaek Pedersen
6. Robert Garcia
7. Jesus Chavez
8. Jong Kwon Baek
9. John Brown
10. Anatoly Alexandrov

active: Forbes, Brown, Pedersen (out: Gonzalez-displaced)
(Inactive list: Baek)

Featherweights (126 lbs)
Champion: Naseem Hamed (WBO)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Derrick Gainer (WBA)
2. Guty Espadas (WBC)
3. Paul Ingle (IBF, IBO)
4. Erik Morales
5. Victor Polo
6. Juan Manuel Marquez
7. Luisito Espinosa
8. Cassius Baloyi (WBU)
9. Johnny Tapia
10. Fred Norwood

active: Morales

Jr. Featherweights (122 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Marco Antonio Barrera (WBO)
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Bones Adams (WBA)
4. Danny Romero
5. Lehlo Ledwaba (IBF)
6. Oscar Larios
7. Willie Jorrin (WBC)
8. Michael Brodie
9. Yorber Ortega
10. Carlos Contreras (WBU)

active: Barrera, Romero, Contreras, Ortega (out: Garza-inactive)
(Inactive list: ?)

Bantamweights (118 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Paul Ayala (WBA)
2. Veeraphol Sahaprom (WBC)
3. Johnny Bredahl (IBC)
4. Adan Vargas
5. Jorge Lacierva (IBA)
6. Mauricio Pastrana
7. Tim Austin (IBF)
8. Mauricio Martinez (WBO)
9. Ricardo Barajas
10. Johnny Armour (WBU)

active: Sahaprom, Bredahl, Vargas, Pastrana (out: Nago-moved down in weight,
lost; Julio-inactive)
(Inactive list: ?)

Jr. Bantamweights (115 lbs)
Champion: Masamori Tokuyama (WBC)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Samson Toyota-Thailand (WBF)
2. In-Joo Cho
3. Gerry Penalosa
4. Felix Machado (IBF)
5. Adonis Rivas (WBO)
6. Leo Gamez (WBA)
7. Hideki Todaka
8. Luigi Castiglione (IBC)
9. Martin Castillo
10. Diego Morales

active: Penalosa, Tokuyama (out: Pastrana-moved up in weight)

Flyweights (112 lbs)
Champion: Malcolm Tuñacao (WBC)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Alejandro Montiel
2. Eric Morel (WBA)
3. Medgoen Kratingdaeng Gym
4. Isidro Garcia (WBO)
5. Irene Pacheco (IBF)
6. Jose Lopez
7. Sornpichai Kratingdaeng Gym
8. Damaen Kelly
9. Alexandre Mahmutov
10. David Guerault
10. Peter Culshaw (WBU)

active: Montiel, Mahmutov, Guerault (out: Culshaw-displaced)
(Inactive list: Kelly, Medgoen)

Jr. Flyweights (108 lbs)
Champion: Yeosam Choi (WBC)[CBZ Lineal]
1. Ricardo Lopez (IBF)
2. Hawk Makepula (WBU)
3. Pichit Chor Siriwat
4. Saman Sorjaturong
5. Bebis Mendoza (WBA)
6. Rosendo Alvarez
7. Jorge Arce
8. Jake Matlala
9. Will Grigsby
10. Chana Porpaoin

active: Lopez, Siriwat, Alvarez
(Inactive list: Matlala)

Strawweights (105 lbs)
Champion: TITLE VACANT
1. Jose Aguirre (WBC)
2. Keitaro Hoshino (WBA)
3. Joma Gamboa
3. Zolani Petelo (IBF)
4. Nohel Arambulet
5. Hiroshi Nakajima
6. Wandee Chor Chareon
7. Wolf Tokimitsu
8. Andy Tabanas
9. Hiroshi Matsumoto
10. Rocky Palma

active: Hoshino, Gamboa, Chor Chareon, Palma (out: Suzuki-displaced)
(Inactive list: Petelo, Tabanas)

World Champions:  12 (of 17)


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