Sunny Edwards (left) vs. Felix Alvarado. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Ring first introduced its phase measurements in 1925. Almost a century later, it is no exaggeration to say that these independent ratings are the most respected and talked about in world boxing.
The Ring Ratings Panel is made up of twelve experts from around the world. Opinions are shared, debate takes place, and the final decision of who gets to vote where is decided democratically every week. It sounds simple, but this can be a difficult and time-consuming process.
I'll be going through each division backwards and moving up from strawweight to heavyweight to look at each fighter's relative success and look into my crystal ball to see what might be next.
Next up is flyweight (112-pounds), which has seen IBF/WBO king Jesse Rodriguez vacate titles and move up in weight, opening up opportunities for others. As always, please enjoy the debate and respect other people's opinions.
No. 1 – SUNNY EDWARDS
RECORD: 21-1 (4 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Edwards was a top player, winning titles at home in the UK before being drafted in 2016. He followed his older brother, Charlie, who won the flyweight world title, when he used his expert footwork and quick hands to shock IBF champion Moruti Mthalane (UD). 12). Edwards made four title defenses, most notably defeating Felix Alvarado (UD 12). The 28-year-old bravely headed to America and ended up losing to WBO-ranked Jesse Rodriguez (RTD 9) in a unification bout, but has bounced back with a win over former flyweight champion Adrian Curiel (TD 9).
FUTURE: The Englishman's fight with Galal Yafai is looking up, but if that doesn't happen he could be looking for a second world title.
No. 2 – ANGEL COMMANDS
RECORD: 18-0 (8 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: The 24-year-old Mexican came into the world with a stunning victory over former title holder Cristofer Rosales (UD 12). This fight is currently unknown to be the first man to stop 32 fight veteran Miguel Angel Herrera (TKO 1). He had to go down to Felix Alvarado (SD 12) but he came close to stopping Dave Apolinario (KO 6) to win the IBF title.
FUTURE: He is now in contention for his world title, although we may see him defend his title in the fall.
No. 3 – SEIGO YURI AKUI
RECORD: 20-2-1 (11 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: The Japanese fighter started his career with 11 wins in 12 fights, including a draw, before losing his unbeaten streak to two-weight title holder Junto Nakatani (TKO 6). He bounced back in impressive fashion, stopping future junior flyweight title contender Masamichi Yabuki (TKO 1). However, he then faced another brutality, this time against Jaysever Abcede (TKO 8). The 28-year-old continued his quest for a national title and holds wins over Taku Kuwahara (TKO 10), Takuya Kogawa (TKO 10) and a stoppage over Jayson Vayson (UD 10). Defeated Artem Dalakian (UD 12) to win the WBA title, and also defeated Kuwahara (UD 12).
FUTURE: He will probably make his second defense at one of the biggest shows in Japan in the latter half of this year.
Dalakian's punch-on-the-fly counter style earned Akui (left) a draw but no points with the official judges. Photo by Naoki Fukuda
No. 4 – ARTEM DALAKIAN
RECORD: 22-1 (15 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Dalakian quietly plied his trade in Ukraine before coming to the US and surprisingly beat Brian Viloria (UD 12) for the vacant WBA title in February 2018. The 36-year-old has defended six times, all but one. in Ukraine, especially against middle-class opposition. His work has been badly affected by the Covid epidemic and the war in his country. Dalakian returned to England and beat Ring-rated David Jimenez (UD 12) but lost the title in his last bout in a controversial exit to Yuri Akui (UD 12).
FUTURE: She has moved to Los Angeles and is currently exploring her options.
No. 5 – DAVID JIMENEZ
RECORD: 16-1 (11 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Jimenez made his international debut for Costa Rica as a rookie before turning professional in early 2019. The 32-year-old was able to move relatively quickly. However, his victory over Ricardo Sandoval (MD 12) in the elimination of the WBA title, where he scored the 11th round that made the difference, made him famous. He lost to Dalakian (UD 12) but returned to winning ways with four wins, most notably over the usually tough Rosendo Hugo Guaneros (RTD 7), and, most recently, he jumped up to 115 pounds where he defeated John Ramirez (UD 12) .
FUTURE: However, to decide if his future is at 112 or 115, he may fight in Costa Rica in December.
No. 6 – RICARDO SANDOVAL
RECORD: 25-2 (18 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: The 25-year-old Californian turned pro and crossed the border into Mexico in 2016. He bounced back from an early loss and earned wins over veteran Oscar Vasquez (UD 8) and a stoppage over veteran Raymond Tabugon (KO 7). He traveled to the UK and defeated former world champion Jay Harris (KO 8) in the IBF Championship. He took a gamble that didn't pay off against the undrafted David Jimenez (MD 12). “El Niño” is back with five wins, including wins over former world champion Carlos Buitrago (RTD 8) and reigning junior flyweight champion Angel Acosta (KO 10).
FUTURE: Sandoval is ranked in the top 15 by all four majors, and will soon be eyeing a world title.
No. 7 – FELIX ALVARADO
RECORD: 41-4 (35 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Alvarado lost world title attempts to Kazuto Ioka (UD 12) and Juan Carlos Reveco (UD 12) early in his career. “El Gemelo” rebounded with 15 victories to earn a shot at the vacant IBF 108-pound belt. He stopped Randy Petalcorin (TKO 7) in October 2018 and made two successful title defenses. The 35-year-old vacated his title to move up in weight, losing an IBF title fight against Edwards (UD 12). He headed to Mexico and was unlucky against Ayala (L UD 12) but he has scored two goals on his return to Nicaragua.
FUTURE: A tough puncher for anyone, he may have to work his way up to a mandatory position for a world title shot.
Galal Yafai (left) and Miguel Cartagena during their clash at Madison Square Garden. – Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
No. 8 – ANTHONY OLASCUAGA
RECORD: 7-1 (5 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Olascuaga turned professional in 2019 and went fast, defeating former world title contenders Saul Juarez (UD 8) and Gilberto Pedroza (UD 8) in his second and third fights respectively. The Los Angeles native received a late notice call just five fights into his world title fight against Ring champion and WBA/WBC title holder Kenshiro Teraji, and despite being stopped in nine rounds he held his own. He returned with a win over Giemel Magramo (TKO 7) and recently, he knocked out Riku Kano (KO 3) to win the vacant WBO belt.
FUTURE: It looks like he could face mandatory challenger Jonathan Gonzalez in October.
No. 9 – CHRISTOPHER ROSALES
RECORD: 37-6 (22 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: The Nicaraguan warhorse earned his stripes fighting at home and gained international experience losing to the efforts of future world title holder Kal Yafai (PTS 8) and former champion Andrew Selby (UD 12). He bounced back in style to stun the highly regarded but lightweight Haigo Higa (TKO 9) to win the WBC title. He made one defense before dropping the title to Charlie Edwards (UD 12). He was stopped by Julio Cesar Martinez (TKO 9) when the two contested the vacant WBC title. He then lost to Ayala (UD 12) in a WBC title match but is on a five-fight winning streak, including taking Joselito Velazquez's (UD 10) unbeaten record.
FUTURE: He is set to meet Kenshiro Teraji for the vacant WBC belt later this year.
Number 10 – GALAL YAFAI
RECORD: 7-0 (5 KOs)
PREVIOUSLY: Yafai missed out on a medal at the 2016 Olympics but returned in 2020 (delayed to 2021) and picked up gold. The youngest of three fighting brothers, he became the champion in a 10-round contest and went fast. The 31-year-old southpaw holds victories over Rocco Santomauro (UD 10) and veteran Agustin Gauto (TKO 8).
FUTURE: A possible all-English fight with Edwards could happen in the fall, otherwise he will continue to work for a world title fight.
On the Cusp: Dave Apolinario, Angelino Cordova, Vince Paras, Tobias Reyes and Francisco Rodriguez Jr.
YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Ring Ratings Updated 2024: Pound For Pound – The Ring (ringtv.com)
Updated Ring Ratings 2024: Strawweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
Ring Ratings Updated 2024: Junior flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].
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