The cruiserweights have been seeing some great action in the last few years and there are a lot of big names are floating around boxing’s cruiserweight division. The best news is that all of them are willing to fight each other, and as a result fans have been treated to some fantastic and meaningful scraps. Here’s a look at the best cruiserweight fighters in boxing today.

Cruiserweight division rankings last updated July 2009.

1. Tomasz Adamek – Few thought he could carry his power up to cruiserweight with him, but he has done that and more. After beating Steve Cunningham and O’Neill Bell, and most recently knocking out fringe contenders Jonathon Banks and Bobby Gunn, Adamek is absolutely the king pin of the division. Now a rematch with Cunningham should be in order, since a fight with Bernard Hopkins has seemingly fallen through.
2. Steve Cunningham – Cunningham has great technical skills and it’s only a shame that he doesn’t have more power. His fight with Adamek was a memorable one, and Cunningham has shown the willingness to go anywhere and fight anybody. In a rematch with Adamek he just has to keep his cool and not get drawn into a slugging match. He finally got back into the ring and easily defeated former champion Wayne Braithwaite. A rematch with Adamek and Cunningham is the logical fight for both men to take.
3. Guillermo Jones – It’s amazing to think that this man used to fight at welterweight. But here he is, and since losing a close fight to Cunningham he has reeled off a string of victories. He currently holds a portion of the WBA title for whatever that’s worth after beating Firat Arslan. With his power he is capable of beating anybody.
4. Marco Huck – The only loss on Huck’s resume is a stoppage to Cunningham, who as mentioned, has basically taken on everybody in the division. Huck has good power and is back on a winning streak. With the cruisers being so big in Europe he doesn’t have much incentive to come to the states, but a fight with Adamek or a rematch with Cunningham would sell well anywhere.
5. Jean Marc Mormeck – He hasn’t fought in what’s closing in on two years, and the last time he did it was a knockout loss to David Haye. Haye has since moved to heavyweight, and Mormeck has on his resume wins over Wayne Braithwaite and O’Neill Bell. If he gets back into the ring anytime soon he’s a threat to any top cruiser, but that’s a big if at this point.

Rising Cruiserweight Prospects:

• Denis Lebedev – Lebedev had a four year layoff in his career between 2004 and 2008 but now has fought 5 times in the last 12 months. His most recent performance was an impressive knockout win over former titleholder Enzo Maccarinelli.
• B.J. Flores – The bottom line with B.J. Flores is that he has to get in the ring and fight a top level opponent. While spending time co-hosting Friday Night Fights might get your name out there a bit more, it’s doing nothing to prove your standing in the division.
• Ola Afolabi – Lebedev may have gotten the job done more impressively, but Afolabi beat him to the punch, literally, knocking out Enzo Maccarinelli in March. A potential showdown between the two would produce a strong candidate for a title shot.
• Matt Godfrey – Godfrey suffered a setback to his career a few fights ago but now is on a four fight winning streak, his last against an undefeated but overmatched opponent in Shawn Hawk. He holds a win over Shaun George while both were undefeated.

Other Cruiserweight contenders: Firat Arslan, Kryzstof Wlodarczyk, O’Neill Bell

More Boxing Weight Class Rankings:

• 168-175 pounds – Boxing Light Heavyweight Division Rankings
• 200+ pounds – Boxing Heavyweight Division Rankings

Written by: Jake Emen