Rankings, Belts, Weight Classes and Mandatory Challengers: A Guide for the Casual Boxing Fan

WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF leave casual fight fans referring to the sweet science as “Alphabet Soup.” Add to these the dozens more obscure sanctioning bodies and multiply that by the number of weight classes – 17 total – and the number of belts, champions and challengers can be dizzying. Fans are left confused as to who is really the champion, why so often the two best fighters are never mandatory challengers for one another, and how all the various weight classes come into play.

A basic understanding boxing’s framework with regards to champions, weight classes, and mandatory challengers will assure any fight fan a more fulfilling (and less frustrating) experience following the sport.

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Danny Garcia – Not A Swift Route To Mayweather

The date was September 14th, 2013. On the undercard of the megafight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Saul Canelo Alvarez, a kingpin at Super Lightweight was decided. The contest pitted WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine Champion, Danny Garcia against the relentless, argentine power puncher, Lucas Matthysse. When the final bell rang, Danny Garcia stood atop at the 140 pound division after scoring a close but clear unanimous decision over Lucas Matthysse.

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Robert Guerrero is Not Better, Just Tougher

Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero was understandably happy after his victory over Yoshihiro Kamegai at the StubHub Center in Carson. CA, but it was a tough fight. He took a lot of unnecessary punishment, and might need another year off to recuperate!

In Robert’s pre-fight hype, he explained the need for the lengthy time off to take care of things and heal his body. He gushed over his new training program that included lifting weights. He said it was helping him to hit harder, and to be quicker.

So what did he do against Yoshihiro Kamegai? He stood in front of him and trades power shots? What ever happened to “The Ghost”? Where is the guy who boxed Michael Katsidis’ socks off in Apr. of 2011? Robert also did a pretty good job with Selcuk Aydin. when he moved up to welterweight.

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Mike Tyson vs. The Early Heavyweight Legends

When many consider a fighter like Mike Tyson against the early heavyweight greats they either dismiss the ability of the old-timers and consider them “too small” or go the other way and canonize them above modern fighters. The critic will weigh the likes of Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey in their day versus Tyson under modern rules. The first misconception that the old timers couldn’t fight is simply not true and while size does matter it can be trumped by ability. The latter point of comparing fighters under different rules is just not a level playing field. Let us consider then that we had a time machine and propelled Mike Tyson back in time to fight these men during their heyday. There are two important considerations besides the ability of the fighters themselves and those are: 1) the rules of the period and how the referees handled the fights and b) the gear that the fighters used.

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Cory Spinks Finds New Career in Retirement

Sitting ringside at Strike Gym’s “Boxing at the Creek” amateur fights, Cory Spinks reflects on his illustrious boxing career and discusses his new career training amateur boxers.

As an amateur boxer, Cory Spinks won championships in both the Police Athletic League and Golden Gloves. After making the leap into professional fighting, he became a World Champion at both Welterweight and Junior Middleweight.

With a fight resume that includes battles against Ricardo Mayorga, Zab Judah and Jermaine Taylor, Spinks has an ocean of work to reflect on.

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Showtime Tripleheader Recap & Video Highlights

The StubHub Center in Carson, California has become one of the favorite venues for west coast fight fans. Tonight thousands came out for another stacked card from Golden Boy Promotions, with the three signature bouts featured on a Showtime Championship Boxing triple header. Let’s get into the fights.

Devon Alexander UD Jesus Soto Karass

Both of these welterweights entered the ring coming off loses and in desperate need of a win. Saint Louis native Alexander lost his IBF title via decision last December to Shawn Porter, while Soto Karass was stopped by power punching Keith Thurman later that same month.

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Vasyl Lomachenko is back on track with a championship performance against Gary Russel Jr.

Vasyl Lomachenko delivered handsomely on Saturday night as he dismantled a capable and game but hopelessly over-matched Gary Russell Jr. The fight lived up to the expectations to some extent as boxing logic triumphed but Russell was swamped by a superior force from the start and could not bring drama and glamor to the encounter. Vasyl Lomachenko is the new WBO featherweight champion and he is only the second boxer to win a title in his third prize fight.

Loma is making some progress with the judges’ attitude, they grudgingly gave him the nod (116:112, 116:112, 114:114-?!?). The even score produced by one of them would have been hilarious rather than mysterious….if it hadn’t been grotesque. The punch stats indicate Lomachenko out landed his opponent 183:83 overall. He also landed the harder shots and held the initiative although Garry Russell Jr. threw more and missed much more. Missing so much is the definition of punching yourself out – it tires you more than landing.

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Guerrero, Lomachenko, Alexander Win SHOWTIME Slugfests

CARSON, Calif. (June 22, 2014) – Former four-division world champion Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs), of Gilroy, Calif., capped a spectacularly exciting night of ferocious non-stop action where each fight was better than the last with a Fight Of The Year candidate 12-round unanimous decision over Yoshihiro Kamegai (24-2-1, 21 KOs), of Sapporo, Japan, Saturday on SHOWTIME®.

In a collision of two highly-skilled, exciting southpaw featherweights in the co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, international amateur standout Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO), of Ukraine, won a hard-fought 12-round majority decision over previously undefeated yet untested Gary Russell Jr. (24-1, 14 KOs), of Capitol Heights, Md., to capture the vacant WBO world 126-pound crown.

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Guerrero decisions Kamegai; Lomachenko defeats Russell Jr; Alexander and Dawson both win

Former two division world champ Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KO’s) may have misjudged the talent of his opponent Yoshihiro Kamegai (24-2-1, 21 KO’s) tonight because he took a real beating from the Japanese fighter in winning a 12 round unanimous decision on Golden Boy Promotions’ card at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Guerrero was hit with a great deal of very, very hard head shots in the fight by the fringe contender Kamegai. As a result of all the punches to the head that Guerrero took, he ended up with a badly swollen eye that was closed from the 9th round on.

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Martin Murray beats Bursak; Kalenga outworks Masternak

In a gritty performance, former two-time world title challenger Martin Murray (28-1-1, 12 KO’s) grinded out a 12 round unanimous decision tonight over the tough but limited Max Bursak (29-3-1, 12 KO’s) to win the vacant WBC Silver middleweight title at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

The victory moves the 31-year-old Murray a little closer to another world title shot, which he hopes will be against WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in the near future. Murray won on the judges’ cards by the scores 117-112, 119-109, and 119-109.

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