The ranking rules I established in August 2011 are as follows:

1) Ideally, only a weight class's leading champion, based on a broad consensus in the boxing community, is suitable for inclusion as a championship standard bearer. If a division has no such clear ruler-by-consensus, then the clear contenders for the throne count instead. I will mark such fighters with an asterisk.

2) A fighter must have defended said title at least once to count as a standard bearer for a sanctioning body, since the point of this exercise is to determine who attracts and retains the best. There are many instances of a boxer winning a belt in a unification bout only to be stripped or to vacate one or more titles shortly thereafter, and I don't think having a real champion win a belt only to lose it or dump it shortly thereafter adds much to a sanctioning body's credit.

3) Only the core world championship of a sanctioning body counts in this exercise. Interim titles, diamond titles, championships in recess, and all the other ridiculous dilutions of boxing's world championships do not count.

4) Unified champions count for all organizations in question, assuming all the other guidelines above have been met.

The Results

Credit: Public Address / Stefan Hoyer

IBF, Total of Top Champions - 3: Wladimir Klitschko; Abner Mares; Nikosinathi Joyi

WBA, Total of Top Champions - 5: W. Klitschko; Andre Ward; Miguel Cotto*; Chris John; Takashi Uchiyama

WBC, Total of Top Champions - 6: Bernard Hopkins; Andre Ward; Floyd Mayweather*; Toshiaki Nishioka; Nonito Donaire; Pongsaklek Wonnongkam

WBO, Total of Top Champions - 4: W. Klitschko; Marco Huck; Manny Pacquiao*; Timothy Bradley

The WBC surged from dead last to 1st place. The IBF and WBA held a stable overall count of top champions, but in the IBF's count that resulted in sinking from 3rd place to last place. The WBO's count dropped from seven top champs to a mere four, placing them in 3rd.

Compiling the list this time around reminded me of everything that has changed in boxing's world title picture since August, such as the successive defeats of Britain's best in the forms of Carl Froch, Amir Khan and David Haye. It also filled me with disgust at the continuing folly of the WBA in making a habit of having as many as three men all claiming to be "WBA Champion" at the same time.

Yet despite its demeaning antics, thus far the WBA is the most stable and durable of the sanctioning bodies, having held onto a 2nd place position in both ranking rounds. As volatile as the other organizations are, the WBA is (so far anyway) attracting and retaining worthy champions. Of course, that may be easy when you potentially declare the top 3-5 guys in a division as having some claim to a "champion" status within your organization.

In back to back announcements, the WBC declared that Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. had to defend his (fake) middleweight title against (rightful champion) Sergio Martinez sometime in 2012 and that Chavez, Jr. had not formally notified the WBC of his bout with Marco Antonio Rubio, scheduled for February 4. The latter announcement implied that the WBC might not sanction the fight with Rubio, despite Rubio being the WBC's #1 contender, a sure sign of disapproval on the part of the WBC.

Credit: DBE

The WBC could have ordered Chavez to fight Martinez instead of Rubio, scheduling and Rubio's #1 contender's status be damned. The organization did far worse in stripping the belt off Martinez in the first place, and that action is the least of the organization's sins.

Instead, the WBC has directed the winner of Chavez, Jr. vs. Rubio to meet the winner of Martinez's St. Patrick's Day clash with Matthew Macklin. This new announcement is not quite the same thing as the WBC's original declaration that Chavez must fight Martinez next year, nor does it confirm Sergio Martinez's supposed right as "Diamond Champion" to make a mandatory challenge to Chavez, Jr. whenever he wants to.

However, this move by the WBC is the best practical solution give the current schedules of Chavez, Jr. and Martinez.

JCC, Jr's fight with Rubio is less than a month away, and Marvilla has a fight scheduled to follow six weeks later. Chavez and Martinez are both the favorites in their respective match-ups (Martinez heavily so), so the odds are both men get to collect one more payday in an HBO televised fight before meeting later this year.

For his part, the champion is widely derided as only having gone right to the WBC's green strap because of his famous name, pointedly avoiding top opposition along the way. Marco Antonio Rubio was not well-regarded until April 2011, when he shocked the sport by upsetting and stopping undefeated David Lemieux. Now ranked #6 and #5 respectively, Chavez and Rubio are finally getting their due, and whoever wins February 4th can surely expect to be taken much seriously in the future.

Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KOs)
5'10", 70" reach, 31 years old
Mexican
Former Mexican Light Middleweight and Middleweight Champion

Rubio is a rugged Mexican boxer-puncher who can crack with both hands. Against the highly-touted Lemieux (Rubio was an 8-1 underdog in that fight), "El Veneo" used good defense and a stiff jab to keep the Canadian banger at bay and look for opportunities to safely retaliate. In addition to good power and good skills, Rubio also has a solid chin. He slugged with Kelly Pavlik, and while his corner threw in the towel in the 9th, Rubio was still on his feet at the end of the night. Rubio absorbed Lemieux's onslaught as well.

Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs)
6'0", 73" reach, 25 years old
Mexican
Current (fake)* WBC Middleweight Champion

Credit: Rafael Soto/Top Rank

Chavez proved himself as a well-rounded, solid boxer-puncher last year. He has gone from feasting on John Duddy to knocking out Peter Manfredo, Jr. and eeking out a decision over Sebastian Zbik. He has a busy, come-forward style aimed at maximizing his strength and hitting power, and marked by good footwork.

Although his defense isn't the best, Chavez has shown a durable chin thus far. He gets hit, but not with anything that has shaken him to the ankles yet. The Zbik fight in particular proved that good boxers won't stall him (at least not from the stand-up Continental school).

Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio Preview & Analysis

Chavez is the younger, quicker man in this match-up, and I think he is also the more confident and even slightly more experienced than Rubio. After all, while El Veneo is riding a wave right now, JCC, Jr. is undefeated and solidifying his place in the division. Although Rubio has fought more names, he has lost to all of them except Lemieux, while Chavez remains undefeated. Rubio and Chavez are about equal in the power department.

The only area where Rubio has a clear cut advantage over Chavez is durability and chin. Chavez hasn't been phased by anything thrown at him so far, but the hardest banger he has fought was John Duddy, who frankly isn't a big puncher. Rubio has eaten punches from Kelly Pavlik and David Lemieux, and both of those men hit harder than Chavez (in Pavlik's case, much harder). I therefore doubt Chavez has anything that will phase Rubio.

Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio Prediction

In a battle between two boxers, you pick the slicker guy. In a battle between two punchers, you pick the best catcher. What about a battle between two boxer-punchers?

The smart play for Chavez is to use his superior movement to stay away from Rubio, and pot shot from a distance. Despite his defensive deficits, Chavez has the speed and mobility to outbox Rubio, who can't simply bowl in there due to Chavez's power. However, Chavez doesn't have macht to stop Rubio from following him around, and the older Mexican has a good jab of his own and solid point defense. I expect Rubio to start catching Chavez and opening up on him after a couple of rounds, and sooner or later one of two things will happen: either Chavez will go from sticking and moving to getting on his bicycle and running, or a brawl will break out.

Who wins this fight depends entirely on when that brawl starts and how long it lasts. If the two Mexicans go to war in the center-ring early, or if Chavez isn't able to take control of the fight back, Rubio will exploit Chavez's porous defense to win rounds and possibly even win by knockout. If Chavez can stymie Rubio for most of the fight, or can take back control of the action after losing it, he can box his way into winning most of the rounds.

It's a close fight to call, but I favor Chavez by a nose.

Prediction: Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. SD12 Marco Antonio Rubio

* Chavez, Jr.'s reign as WBC Middleweight Champion will remain open to question until he meets and defeats the man his title was stolen from, Sergio Martinez.

Credit: Sport Express

Fans of "The Russian Giant," Nikolai Valuev, who have been wondering when the big guy will return to the ring can stop wondering. The answer is at least five years, and possibly never, as Valuev has been elected to and sworn in as a deputy in the Russian Duma (the lower house of the national legislature). The Russian heavyweight has been inactive since 2009.

Valuev ran for office under the United Russia party, the leading political party in Russia whose standard bearer is de facto Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Valuev was quoted by RIA-Novosti as saying "While I’m in parliament I should forget about appearing in the ring. It’s impossible to combine such a responsible job and serious preparations for the bouts." It seems serving in the Duma is Valuev's golden parachute from his boxing career. Valuev is 38 years old.

Valuev won notoriety mostly because of his enormous size: he stands 7'2" tall, weighs in routinely above 315 lbs, and wields a rangy 85" reach. Valuev wasn't much of a fighter or an athlete, but his size and strength led him to two reigns as WBA Heavyweight Champion. The Russian giant did well enough against fringe contenders such as an aged Larry Donald and limited brutes like Clifford Etienne or Jameel McCline, but his best wins were a narrow Majority Decision to win the WBA strap for the first time against John Ruiz and a more decisive victories over Siarhei Liakhovich and Ruiz in the rematch. Against this, his first title reign was ended by Ruslan Chagaev, Valuev needed a scorecard robbery to "win" against Evander Holyfield in 2008, and he was defeated by David Haye in his last fight.

Credit: DBE

In a surprise move, WBC honcho Jose Sulaiman announced that Sergio Gabriel Martinez has been made a mandatory challenger for WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. for 2012. In another shocker, the WBC also stated that as of December 29, the organization had not received formal notice of Chavez, Jr.'s title defense against Marco Antonio Rubio, currently slated for February 4.

In the wake of this news, one can only speculate if the Chavez clan hasn't done something to upset Sulaiman. Perhaps Chavez, Sr. forgot to send his longtime buddy Sulaiman a Christmas present? It was roughly one year ago that the WBC stripped Sergio Martinez of the title on the flimsiest of pretexts, and then tried to cover up the misdeed by naming him "Diamond Champion." The title was then given to Sebastian Zbik (who was the "interim" champion at the time), who in turn was fed to Chavez, Jr. The whole charade was obviously orchestrated to clear the way for Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., whose famous father is a longtime crony of WBC President-for-Life Jose Sulaiman.

Ostensibly, the sold practical advantage of being a Diamond titleholder is the right to challenge for the main WBC title at any time. This pair of WBC announcements are a clear indication that the WBC means business about enforcing that right. Not only have they ordered Chavez, Jr. to fight Martinez next year, but they have also put him on notice that the organization might not sanction his clash with Rubio as a title defense. In the press release, Sulaiman was stated:

“Julio César Chavez Jr. is like my godson, I care for him, also for Sergio who has always received my support and the care of the WBC; nevertheless this organization has rules and the Board of the WBC has taken a decision, Julio will have to face Sergio and show everybody why he’s the world champion."

Despite this move by the WBC, a showdown between Martinez and Chavez, Jr. still might not come to pass. "JC Jr." may decide his undefeated record is worth more to him than the WBC strap, and choose to be stripped of or vacate his title rather than fight "Maravilla." If the Chavez clan can arrange for Chavez, Jr. to jump into another title, that looks likely. WBO titleholder Dmitry Pirog, IBF beltholder Danny Geale, and either of the WBA's ugly hydra of Felix Strum and Gennady Golovkin are all easier marks than the pound-for-pound contender Martinez.

Even so, one thing looks as certain as anything can be in boxing: Sergio Martinez will once again be the main WBC middleweight champ by the end of 2012.

In original press release, Morales was quoted as saying "“I asked not to cancel the fight, just to re scheduled it and now they’re trying to do it, I hope that can be fixed this week," and there was some speculation as to whether the fight would be merely rescheduled to mid-February or early March. The word is now official - the fight is back on and for March 24. Morales will be fit to resume training in early January.

Click here to read our preview and prediction for the Erik Morales vs. Danny Garcia bout.

The WBC Supelightweight Champion Erik “Terrible” Morales won’t fight with Dany Garcia next January 28 in the Reliant Arena in Houston due to medical care after the surgery he had last Wednesday.

This bout can be re scheduled; it might be moved to February 18 or early in March.

“It is decided, the fight won’t take place, the doctors said I have to get more rest after the surgery, and for a great bout like the one I was going to fight against Danny Garcia it is better not to rush things and train with calm” said the World Champion.

The fight between Morales and Garcia, was going to be the main card of the boxing show where James Kirkland will fight Carlos Molina in a ten round bout in Superwelterweight, this card is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and it will be broadcasted by HBO Boxing After Dark.

Despite it was a successful surgery where the doctors removed 160 gallbladder stones and also said that after 10 days he could return to his trainings, they then decided that the best choice would be not to fight that date.

“I asked not to cancel the fight, just to re scheduled it and now they’re trying to do it, I hope that can be fixed this week” Morales said.

Credit: Miika Forsstrom

Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9 KOs)
6'1 1/2" tall, 74" reach, 244 lbs, 27 years old
British
Former British and Commonwealth Champion

Dereck Chisora was once a hot, rising prospect in the British heavyweight boxing picture, but I think he can be safely categorized as a fringe contender for the time being. If you count his close, Split Decision loss to Robert Helenius as a win (and many do), he is 1-1 in fights with other prospects, due to his clean loss to Tyson Fury. "Del Boy" is a busy, capable fighter, but not top tier contender material.

Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KOs)
6'7 1/2" tall, 80" reach, 247 lbs, 40 years old
Ukrainian
Two-time and current WBC Heavyweight Champion

Credit: www.k-mg.com

Dr. Ironfist needs little introduction. His second reign as WBC champ started in 2008, and Klitschko the Elder has dominated every opponent put in the ring with him since. He fights in the stand-up, linear Continental style, but brings an uncommon fluidity and savagery to it. It certainly helps that Klitschko is one of the biggest, strongest and hardest hitting boxers on the planet. Most of his fights boil down to watching big brother Klitschko sticking a punishing jab from a distance and firing an anti-tank missile of a straight right from way down-range, and then coming forward to put the hurt down the moment the opponent shows the slightest vulnerability.

Klitschko vs. Chisora Preview and Analysis

Chisora has one hope, and one hope alone. Vitali Klitschko has always been injury-prone, and he is now 40 years old. There is the very real possibility if Chisora can make Klitschko work hard enough in finding him and putting leather on him, Klitschko will hurt himself in the process. I don't have much expectation of that happening, however.

Chisora is a reasonably big guy, but not big enough to stand in with Dr. Ironfist. "Del Boy" also isn't anywhere near the skilled, gritty boxer that Tomasz Adamek is, so it's not like Klitschko will have a hard time finding the mark for his lance-like jab.

In the end, I expect Vitali Klitschko will do what he has been doing his whole career (sans the Lennox Lewis and Chris Byrd losses).

Klitschko vs. Chisora Prediction: Vitali Klitschko TKO10

Danny Garcia (22-0, 14 KOs)
5'9" tall, 69" reach, 23 years old
American

Danny "Swift" Garcia is a man to watch. Coming from the Philadelphia school and a solid amateur background, Garcia has 120 fights and a 2006 US national championship under his belt. He is quick and has good fundamentals, and unlike a lot of young fighters today, Garcia is comfortable fighting on his back heel. He's a legitimate top 10 junior welterweight fighter.

Credit: UStream Coverage

Erik Morales (52-7, 36 KOs)
5'8" tall, 72" reach, 35 years old
Mexican
Current (and dubious) WBC Light Welterweight Champion; former super bantamweight, featherweight and super featherweight champion

At this stage of his career, Erik Morales is reminiscent of the 175-pound and 190-pound version of Tommy Hearns. His opponents are too big to be phased by El Terrible's power now, so the Mexican gladiator must instead fall back on his considerable skill and talent as a boxer. Morales also remains as durable at 140 lbs as he was at 126 lbs, as evidenced by his fight with Marcos Maidana.

The main problem for Morales is that he has yet to win a big fight at light welterweight. His much-lauded fight with Maidana was a loss, and he captured his current crown over the body of a tomato can, and only after it had been stripped away from Timothy Bradley on the flimsiest of pretenses.

Morales vs. Garcia Preview

Morales is the favorite of conventional wisdom for two reasons in this fight: Danny Garcia isn't well-known outside of diehard fight fans and has yet to tackle anything beyond the gatekeeper level, and the natural presumption is that Morales wouldn't fight him if Garcia weren't there to be taken. When Garcia beat Holt, he became the WBC's #2 contender, not their #1 and mandatory challenger, so this fight is one of Morales's choosing.

However, the conventional wisdom is wrong, and Garcia has serious upset potential. Maidana vs. Morales was very close, but Morales got his eye smashed and swollen shut in Round 2, and it was only a minor miracle that the Mexican wasn't busted open like an overripe tomato. If Garcia isn't as powerful or experienced as Maidana, he has a better technical base and is much hungrier.

Credit: Team Garcia

If Garcia were a better body puncher, I would give him better than even odds of pulling out a win. As it is, he has the novice's tendency to headhunt too much, and that will hurt him in this match-up.

Morales vs. Garcia Prediction & Analysis

I expect Garcia will come on and force the action, but in a methodical rather than furious style. Morales will use his reach and skill to blunt that assault, sharpshooting and counter-punching from medium range. El Terrible is obviously no stranger to warfare, so having a young lion in his face won't fluster him in the slightest. He will ably sting Garcia and bag rounds with his cleaner, more accurate punching.

However, I don't expect Morales to seize and keep the momentum. If Garcia finds himself losing an exchange or badly stung, I expect him to back off. If Morales follows, he'll eat a stiff jab in the face, and too many of those will close an eye or open a cut. Basically, I see Morales putting the punctuation mark on most exchanges of the fight, but I don't see him capitalizing on them.

If Garcia were more of a combination puncher or had a better body attack, he could break down Morales over the long haul. Even a man of Morales's fortitude will falter in the face of a sustained body snatching mounted by an energetic 23 year old with the right stuff, good power and quick hands. However, Garcia hasn't shown us the right tools for that, so Morales ought to out-finesse him. If Garcia wins, it will be on cuts.

Prediction: Erik Morales SD12

By necessity, the boxing match that becomes Fight of the Year must stand as an event that was much talked of both before and after the fight. The fight must take place in an atmosphere of drama, produce plenty of action and suspense in the ring, and end with a clear result that has significant repercussions for the sport.

With those criteria in mind, one 2011 fight stands a full notch above all comers: Victor Ortiz vs. Andre Berto.

Fight of the Year: Victor Ortiz UD12 Andre Berto

Credit: Neil Abramson

Observant fight fans had plenty of questions going into this WBC Welterweight title contest. Berto was favored by a 3-1 margin (albeit not picked by me), but many thought he was at least semi-protected. He beat the likes of Carlos Quintana and Luis Collazo easily enough, but had yet to take on a Top 5 welterweight. For his part, Victor Ortiz was thought of as yesterday's news after his 2009 collapse to Marcos Maidana, and had everything to prove.

The fireworks started from the first seconds of the opening bell, as Ortiz relentlessly forced the action on Berto. Fighters started dropping from the start, with the defending champion down on a knee in the 1st Round. Berto came right back, almost knocking Ortiz over with a hard right in the 2nd.

The fight continued at a savage pace until the 6th Round (a runner-up for Round of the Year) when another Berto right sent Ortiz down hard. Ortiz got up hurt, but hung on doggedly and survived his window of vulnerability, despite Berto's best efforts. He then landed a savage double left hook to flatten Berto in turn. It was the round that stamped Ortiz's authority over the fight. Berto would prove unable to deflect and defuse Ortiz's aggression, and while every round was competitive, Ortiz's furious assault carried most of the fight. "Vicious" Victor won a Unanimous Decision, with even the closest scorecard showing a two point margin.

In addition to the title changing hands in an action-packed upset and Berto losing his "0," the fight's aftermath rippled through the sport. Victor Ortiz was finally vindicated, and the fight might prove to be his career-defining performance. Although embarrassed by Floyd Mayweather in his next outing, Ortiz's defeat of Berto cemented Ortiz as a top-tier welterweight.

Andre Berto showed plenty of heart and grit, answering many questions about him. His stock remained solid in defeat, and he bounced back to seize the IBF belt from Jan Zaveck.

Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto are scheduled for a rematch on February 11, 2012.

Second Place

Lamont Peterson vs. Amir Khan was a late entry, but a strong one, as it shared many points with Ortiz vs. Berto. This fight came up second because of two factors: point deductions and the fight venue. While I view the points deducted from Khan as legal and valid, that does not make them proper, and it is clear that Peterson got a little extra something from the electric support of his hometown crowd. If the fight had been in New York or Las Vegas or if a different referee had been on duty that night, the result would have been at least a Draw. Change both and Khan wins by a hair. Ultimately, Peterson vs. Khan wasn't as decisive as Ortiz vs. Berto, and therefore not Fight of the Year.

Honorable Mentions: Mike Alvarado vs. Breidis Prescott; Luis Concepcion vs. Hernan Marquez; James Kirkland vs. Alfredo Angulo; Marcos Maidana vs. Erik Morales; Pawel Wolak vs. Delvin Rodriquez I.

Notable Exclusion: I was dutifully forced to exclude Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez III from consideration. As previously mentioned, clarity is a factor for Fight of the Year. A proper candidate for Fight of the Year can have a close ending, even a Draw, but that result must be clear and uncontested. The Pacman vs. Dinamita rubber match's results were anything but clear and uncontested, and the decision stands as one of the most controversial of 2011.