Cruiserweight Division Rankings

Published by: Jake Emen

The cruiserweights have been seeing some great action in the last few years and there are a lot of big names that are floating around the 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. Still, some of the best fighters have moved up to heavyweight, so how do the top 10 cruiserweight division rankings play out? Here's a look at the best cruiserweight fighters in boxing today.

Cruiserweight division rankings last updated February 2012

Yoan Pablo Hernandez - Since suffering an early stoppage loss to Wayne "Big Truck" Braithwaite in 2008, Hernandez has been on a tear. He's put together 11 wins since that encounter, including his recent wins over Steve Herelius and Steve Cunningham. Hernandez got the job done clearly against Cunningham in the rematch, settling the score and ending any controversy.
Marco Huck – The only loss on Huck’s resume is a stoppage to Cunningham, who has basically taken on everybody in the division. Huck has good power and is back on a long winning streak which includes 8 title defenses, and noteworthy wins over two top-5 cruisers. Huck is moving up to challenge Alexander Povetkin at heavyewight, but one would think is future remains at cruiserweight after that fight. We'll see.
Denis Lebedev – Lebedev had a four year layoff in his career between 2004 and 2008 but put together a big 8 wins before meeting Marco Huck and losing a hard fought split decision. Lebedev is tough, aggressive and has both power and skill, but does he get a rematch with Huck? He recently added a brutal KO win over Roy Jones to his record and then defeated another washed up American, James Toney.
Ola Afolabi – Since losing to Huck, Afolabi has put together four more wins, not all against good competition, but he's ready for another title shot and he should land one shortly.
Steve Cunningham – Cunningham had established himself as the clear top dog at cruiserweight, with a long period of impressive performances. But his two losses to Hernandez now drop him down the ladder. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here, and how soon he gets another shot at a title.
Antonio Tarver - Tarver's first effort in the cruiserweight division was very impressive, stopping Danny Green. A rematch with Green could be next, but Tarver has lots of options in this division, and with his name could call his own shots. Who knows, maybe he could even inject some life into the scene in the USA?
Troy Ross - Troy Ross was giving Steve Cunningham a very difficult outing in their recent encounter until the fight had to be stopped because of a cut in the early stages. Cunningham therefore got the nod, and Ross was vying for the rematch, which means he might get Hernandez next.
Lateef Kayode - What a great name for boxing, especially for a power puncher, and a power puncher with the nickname "Power"! The Freddie Roach disciple is all over the Showtime airwaves and has 14 KOs in his 18 wins. After besting Matt Godfrey, it's probably title shot time, however he has lost some of his momentum as he has struggled at times against the likes of Felix Cora Jr and Nicholas Iannuzzi, and one envisions a lopsided 12 round decision loss against a top-flight boxer. Still, it's time to take that test.
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk - This guy seems to have a preordained capacity for picking up loose titles in fights you didn't see against fighters you don't know or with decisions he didn't deserve. Be that as it may, it's a 10 fight winning streak for the current WBC titleholder at cruiserweight, and he just dispatched of Danny Green.
Alexander Alekseev- Lost to Lebedev in a title eliminator via quick 2nd round KO in 2010. Has been busy since, with four straight wins, most recently notching a W over Enad Licina, a fighter who has been making the rounds in the Euro cruiserweight scene and at one point challenged Cunningham for his title.