The bantamweight division has enjoyed the influx of talent coming up from the flyweight ranks over the last year or two. The result is a talented mix of some of the most talented fighters in the game. Potential big matches lurk in the future for the bantamweights.

Bantamweight division rankings last updated May 23, 2010

1. Fernando Montiel – Montiel firmly implanted himself at the number 1 perch of this division by stopping longtime champion Hozumi Hasegawa in the fourth round. It can be easy to forget that Montiel has only lost twice in his career, once to the great Mark Johnson and once against the much larger Jhonny Gonzalez. He has all of the tools and a big punch to bring it all together. He spent most of his career at flyweight and super flyweight, but still holds a size advantage over many other bantamweight fighters.
2. Abner Mares – Mares rallied in the second half of his fight against Yonnhy Perez and according to most observers, did enough to win the bout. However, the official ruling as a Majority Draw. A rematch is fairly likely between these two undefeated fighters. Mares has great offensive skills and showed great heart during the encounter as well.
3. Yonnhy Perez – A late stoppage victory over contender Silence Mabuza raised the status of the hard hitting, undefeated Columbian. Then he won a wide decision over Joseph Agbeko, and next up was close friend Abner Mares. Perez put in great body work and threw tons of punches early, even staggering Mares on a few occasions, however slowed down in the late rounds and retained his title via a Majority Draw. Many thought Mares deserved the win, however.
4. Hozumi Hasegawa – Hozumi Hasegawa had 10 title defenses of his WBC bantamweight title, but was finally outdone when he met the raw power and artillery of Fernando Montiel. He would surely want a rematch of the bout, and considering his long reign in the division he doesn’t drop too far from the defeat.
5. Anselmo Moreno – Moreno has two victories over Wladimir Sidorenko and hasn’t lost in 8 years, since he lost a split decision in a 4 round fight against a fighter with 1 draw and no other fights to his credit. Moreno doesn’t have much power but has a complete skill set that makes him a formidable opponent for anyone. He now has 6 successful title defenses of his WBA strap after besting interim WBA champ and previously undefeated fighter Nehomar Cermeno, and a rematch of that bout is scheduled for August.
6. Joseph Agbeko – Agbeko gave Vic Darchinyan a rude welcoming to the bantamweight division, but then lost a decision to Perez. Agbeko is tough with good skills and good power and will be back in the mix before long.
7. Nehomar Cermeno – Cermeno lost for the first time in his career, falling to Anselmo Moreno by split decision. Still, the strong showing against an established fighter in the division actually marks his rise in the rankings a few spots. He had been the interim champion, and now will get another shot at the full title in August in a scheduled rematch.
8. Eric Morel – Morel is on a six fight winning streak since losing to Martin Castillo in the beginning of 2005 and now is the interim WBO titleholder. He holds a win over Gerry Penalosa and now gets a shot at a big name fighter when he faces Jorge Arce in June.
9. Wladimir Sidorenko – It’s not as if Sidorenko got dominated by Moreno. He lost twice, once in a close unanimous decision and once in an even closer split decision. Before that he was 5-0-2 in 7 title fights. He needs to get back in the ring and get some wins next to his name however, now having been inactive for a year.
10. Silence Mabuza – Consummate contender and challenger has lost his major step ups in competition, twice to Rafael Marquez and once to Perez, but can give anybody problems on any given night. Has now been inactive for a year.

More Boxing Weight Class Rankings

• 112-115 lbs – Boxing Super Flyweight Division Rankings
• 118-122 lbs – Boxing Super Bantamweight Division Rankings

Written by: Jake Emen