Upon browsing today’s latest boxing headlines and articles, it’s clear there are several stories that focus on the new rankings that the WBC has put out. Fans may have already read how Manny Pacquiao, who is coming off a draw with WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios and has not won a fight since way back in 2019, is the new No. 1 ranked contender at 147 pounds.
Pacquiao Ranked No. 1 Welterweight Contender
Sure, Pacquiao gave a good, even surprisingly good, account of himself in holding Barrios to a draw, but as much as we all love Manny, does he deserve to be ranked as the No. 1 welterweight contender in the world?
At heavyweight, Daniel Dubois, who was previously unranked by the WBC, as he held the title of a rival organisation, the IBF belt, has been placed at NO2; this despite the fact that Dubois is coming off a KO loss to unified heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk. You might wonder why the folks at the Mauricio Sulaiman-headed team believe Dubois should be ranked so highly, above fighters like Efe Ajagba, Moses Itauma, and Deontay Wilder, or perhaps not.
Sheeraz Tops Super Middleweight Division Rankings
At super middleweight, Hamzah Sheeraz, undoubtedly due to his big KO win over Edgar Berlanga, now sits at the top of the WBC rankings, which means, interim champ Christian Mbilli aside, Sheeraz is the most deserving next challenger for unified 168-pound champ Canelo Alvarez. Sheeraz, after just one fight at 168 pounds, is now the No. 1 challenger. Also raising some eyebrows here is the fact that Jaime Munguia, who of course recently failed a drugs test and was removed from the WBC rankings in July as a result, is now back in at NO2. Why, you may well ask.
Speaking again about Pacquiao, he and his supporters will now be able to bang the drum even louder for that rematch with Barrios, and Pac-Man would once again receive full blessing by the WBC. Rankings are tough to compile at times, sure, but have the powers that be at the WBC fouled up a few times with regards to their latest world rankings?