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The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2024: Lightweight

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The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2024: Lightweight

Gervonta Davis (left) lands an uppercut on Hector Garcia – Photo: Showtime/Amanda Wescott

The Ring first implemented divisional ratings in 1925. Nearly a century later, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that these independent ratings are the most respected and talked about in world boxing.

The Ring Ratings Panel is comprised of a dozen experts from around the world. Opinions are shared, discussions are held, and the final decision on who is ranked where is made democratically each week. It sounds easy, but it can be a challenging and time-consuming process.

I will go through each division in reverse order, moving from strawweight to heavyweight. I will then look at each ranked fighter’s relative accomplishments and look into my crystal ball to see what might lie ahead.

Next up is lightweight (135 pounds), one of the strongest divisions in boxing, with a star-studded and excellent supporting cast. As always, please enjoy the discussion and respect other people’s opinions.

Number 1 – GERVONTA DAVIS

RECORD: 30-0 (28 KOs)

PAST: Davis dominated his opponents before impressively capturing the IBF 130-pound title from Jose Pedraza (TKO 7). Since then, his star has blossomed and he has become one of America’s most popular attractions, regularly filling arenas across the country. The 29-year-old powerhouse left-handed puncher scored a major knockout over Leo Santa Cruz (KO 6) and showed that his vaunted power has increased in weight, coming on strong at 140 pounds to stop the much larger future WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios (TKO 11). “Tank” has also won when he wasn’t at his best against Isaac Cruz (UD 12), defeated Rolando Romero (TKO 6), WBA 130-pound champion Hector Luis Garcia (TKO 9), shone against Ryan Garcia (KO 7) and most recently stopped Frank Martin (KO 8).

FUTURE: He is likely to return in November, but it is not yet known who will be in the opposite corner.

No. 2 – VASILIY LOMACHENKO

RECORD: 18-3 (12 KOs)

PAST: The highly talented Ukrainian southpaw was one of the most decorated amateurs ever, winning Olympic gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016. An early setback to Orlando Salido (SD 12) in his second professional debut was followed by a rapid rise. Loma won the vacant WBO featherweight title at the expense of Gary Russell Jr. (MD 12) and won further titles at 130 and 135. He had solid victories over Roman Martinez (KO 5), Nicholas Walters (RTD 7), Guillermo Rigondeaux (RTD 6) and Jorge Linares (TKO 10). He lost to Teofimo Lopez (UD 12) but bounced back with comprehensive victories over Masayoshi Nakatani (TKO 9) and Richard Commey (UD 12). He did enough to beat Devin Haney (UD 12) in the eyes of most, but the three most important people saw the American as the winner. The 36-year-old bounced back and won the vacant IBF title with a dominant performance against George Kambosos Jr. (TKO 11) in Australia.

FUTURE: There were talks to face Davis, but he later backed out and will miss the rest of the year.

No. 3 – WILLIAM ZEPEDA

RECORD: 31-0 (27 KOs)

PAST: The hard-hitting, left-handed punching machine from Mexico won his first 20 fights in Mexico before signing with Golden Boy Promotions. Since then, the 28-year-old has continued to impress, most notably defeating previously unbeaten Hector Tanajara (RTD 6). He has since won quality rounds against seasoned veteran Rene Alvarado (UD 10), legitimized himself further with dominant wins over former 130-pound champion Joseph Diaz (UD 12) and Mercito Gesta (KO 6), Maxi Hughes (RTD 4) and most recently Giovanni Cabrera (KO 3).

FUTURE: If the talented American player beats Joe Cordina, he will face Stevenson.

Shakur Stevenson (left) and Shuichiro Yoshino (right) exchange blows during their lightweight fight at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on April 08, 2023 – Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

No. 4 – SHAKUR STEVENSON

RECORD: 22-0 (10 KOs)

PAST: The 2016 Olympic silver medalist adapted to the professional game and quickly rose to prominence. Stevenson silenced previously unbeaten Joet Gonzalez (UD 12) to capture the vacant WBO featherweight title. He quickly moved up to 130 pounds and was awarded Ring Performer of the Year for dominating and stopping WBO champion Jamel Herring (TKO 10). He added the Ring title and WBC title by defeating previously unbeaten Oscar Valdez (UD 12). He missed weight against Robson Conceicao (UD 12) and lost his titles at the weigh-in. The 27-year-old southpaw opted to move to 135 pounds, where he was excellent with his punches against Shuichiro Yoshino (TKO 6). However, he failed to impress when he won the WBC title against Edwin De Los Santos (UD 12) and defended it against Artem Harutyunyan (UD 12).

FUTURE: He will begin the next chapter of his career under the Matchroom umbrella by defending his WBC belt against former IBF lightweight champion Joe Cordina in Riyadh on October 12.

No. 5 – DENYS BERINCHYK

RECORD: 19-0 (9 KOs)

PAST: Berinchyk was part of the 2012 Ukrainian boxing dream team that also featured Oleksandr Usyk, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko. Berinchyk won a silver medal and then turned professional. However, while his distinguished compatriots were rapidly gaining acclaim, he was forced to take a slower path. He won the European title on the undercard of Usyk-Joshua by defeating Yvan Mendy (UD 12) and successfully defended it against Anthony Yigit (UD 12). Actively competing for Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia, the 36-year-old finally got his big chance and headed to San Diego in May where he defeated Emanuel Navarrete (UD 12) for the vacant WBO title.

FUTURE: He is currently on the front lines helping his country. Whether he will fight again this year is up in the air.

No. 6 – RAYMOND MURATALLA

RECORD: 21-0 (16 KOs)

PAST: Muratalla turned professional in September 2016. After winning his first three fights in Mexico, the Californian has risen through the ranks. He has victories over Jeremy Hill (KO 3), Jair Valtierra (UD 8) and Humberto Galindo (KO 9). He stepped up against Jeremiah Nakathila, stopping the Namibian in two rounds to show he was ready for the opportunity. He took Diego Torres’ unbeaten record with an eighth-round knockout and has since won against Xolisani Ndongeni (UD 10) and the formidable former lightweight champion Tevin Farmer (UD 10).

FUTURE: He said his next opponent could be Berinchyk.

Keyshawn Davis (right) passes a cross to Jose Pedraza – Photo: Mikey Williams-Top Rank

No. 7 – KEYED ACTION

RECORD: 11-0 (7 KOs)

PAST: Davis was a decorated amateur who won silver medals at the 2019 Pan-Am games, the World Championships and the 2020 Olympics, losing to Andy Cruz in each of the finals. He turned pro in February 2021. He has moved quickly since then, notable for victories over Anthony Yigit (TKO 9), former two-weight champion Jose Pedraza (TKO 6) and most recently Miguel Madueño (UD 10).

FUTURE: He will face Gustavo Lemos, who he previously defeated, at home on November 8.

No. 8 – FRANK MARTIN

RECORD: 18-1 (12 KOs)

PAST: He won his first 11 fights and began working with then-Unified Cruiserweight Champion Errol Spence Jr. and his trainer Derrick James. That support benefited Martin, who went from strength to strength, taking on Jerry Perez (KO 7) and stopping one-time contenders Romero Duno (KO 4) and Jackson Marinez (KO 10). He made a big impact against Michel Rivera (KO 12) in a matchup of undefeated contenders. The 29-year-old southpaw had a tougher time than expected, having to come in late to hold off Artem Harutyunyan (KO 12). He had a WBC mandatory but eventually pulled out of a fight with Stevenson and faced WBA reigning champion Davis (KO 8) in an intra-house PBC fight in June.

FUTURE: Davis is still recovering from his defeat but could consider a return later this year or early next year.

No. 9 – MARK CHAMBERLAIN

RECORD: 16-0 (12 KOs)

PAST: Chamberlain turned pro with Frank Warren’s Queensberry in 2018 and has risen through the ranks. He has particularly impressed Turki Alalshikh, who says Chamberlain is his favourite fighter. He has made the most of his opportunities this year, scoring early stoppage wins over power-puncher Gavin Gwynne (TKO 4) and Joshua Wahab (TKO 1).

FUTURE: The Briton will feature in the Riyadh Season show against Josh Padley at Wembley on September 21.

No. 10 – ANDY CRUZ

RECORD: 4-0 (2 KOs)

PAST: The Cuban was one of the best amateurs in recent history. He won gold at the 2020 Olympics, won gold at the 2017, 2019 and 2021 World Championships, and has also won a number of gold medals at various tournaments. He has a 4-0 record against Davis since he was in the freestyle ranks. The 29-year-old has decided to make the transition and is set to turn professional in July 2023. He has been on a roll since then, most recently making a splash by stopping the experienced Antonio Moran (TKO 7) in his most recent outing.

FUTURE: He may return in December.

On the verge of: Zaur Abdullaev, Edwin De Los Santos, George Kambosos Jr., Gustavo Lemos and Sam Noakes.

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:

The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2024: Pound for Pound – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Reviewed 2024: Strawweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Junior Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Revisited 2024: Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Junior Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Junior Featherweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Featherweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring Ratings Review 2024: Lightweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson. (email protected).