Just a year or two ago the junior welterweight division in boxing seemed all but dead. All of the big stars had moved on to greener – literally – pastures in the welterweight division. This included the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Zab Judah, Miguel Cotto and Ricky Hatton. However, a young crop of stars is emerging in the division and some huge names from the smaller weight classes have jumped into the action.

All of the sudden junior welterweight is one of the hottest divisions in the sport, and big matches are being made. Here’s how the suddenly crowded junior welterweight division looks.

Junior welterweight division rankings last updated March, 2010.

1. Timothy Bradley – Bradley has been cruising atop of the 140 lbs weight division. With 4 title defenses and wins over Junior Witter, Nate Campbell, Lamont Peterson and Kendall Holt, Bradley is entrenched in the number 1 position. However there’s now a clear challenger to his throne, and Bradley would also love to get a high profile, big name fight against fighters like Marquez and Hatton.
2. Devon Alexander – Alexander continues to prove his doubters wrong and in two fights has now become a unified champion, holding the WBC and IBF titles. Beating Juan Urango is one thing, but stopping him in that brutal fashion was a very impressive feather in his cap, and his last 5 wins have all come by stoppage. Alexander and his camp would love to get Bradley into the ring, and feel that he may be avoiding Alexander the Great since he vacated the WBC strap Alexander now owns.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez – Marquez gets this high ranking in the division under the assumption that he will be campaigning at 140 lbs. His future is uncertain, but he has publicly alluded to at least a semi-permanent stay at junior welterweight, and he would love to cash in on a big name bout with fellow superstar Ricky Hatton.
4. Marcos Maidana – Nothing like knocking out the hottest prospect in the sport to make your bid as one of the division’s best. Both men were badly hurt in the contest, but it was Maidana who was able to pull through and survive the onslaught. Next up is a battle against undefeated Victor Cayo.
5. Amir Khan – With a win over Andriy Kotelnik and a quick knockout of challenger Dmitriy Salita, Amir Khan is beginning to make a case that his time is now. His perceived weakness is his chin, which means he should have no excuses for not giving it 110% against notoriously feather-fisted Paulie Malignaggi in May.
6. Paulie Malignaggi – Malignaggi avenged what he perceived to be a major ill in the boxing world by handily winning his rematch with Juan Diaz. Next up is a title bout against WBA champion Amir Khan.
7. Andriy Kotelnik – Kotelnik holds a win over Maidana, which looks all the more impressive after Maidana’s win over Ortiz. However, he is coming off of a loss to Amir Khan, which further clouds this packed junior welterweight division. He has been inactive since the loss to Khan, and needs to get back into the ring soon.
8. Juan Urango – The lopsided loss to Andre Berto wasn’t too damaging, considering Berto is a top 5 welterweight fighter and was recognized as clearly having superior speed and ability. But to be outclassed and knocked out against Devon Alexander, that of course puts a massive ding into the armor of Iron Twin. It will be very interesting to see when and who his next opponent is.
9. Ricky Hatton – Trying to rank Ricky Hatton at this point is a difficult chore. The loss to Manny Pacquiao was devastating, and perhaps only one or two more fights remain in his career. His body of work and pedigree would of course leave him near the top of the division despite the loss, but all signs point to Hatton being a shot fighter. One more fight should serve notice to whether he has a final run in the top 5 or it’s officially retirement time, and perhaps overdue at that.
10. Victor Ortiz – Victor Ortiz was the man everybody declared was the ruler of the division. Then he met the hard punching Maidana, and his world got turned upside down. In what was likely the Fight of the Year, both men hurt each other, but it was Ortiz who eventually wilted. More shockingly, he expressed interest in retiring after the bout, leaving insiders worried about his dedication to the craft, and whether or not he has the mental makeup to be a champion. However, he has since won two more bouts and is lined up to face Nate Campbell in May.

More Contenders

Nate Campbell, Ricardo Torres, Kaizer Mabuza, Kendall Holt

On top of all of these guys, you still have names like Demetrius Hopkins, Lamont Peterson, Mike Alvarado, Dmitriy Salita and Junior Witter floating about. This means that seemingly out of nowhere, junior welterweight has turned into the deepest division in all of boxing.

More Boxing Weight Division Rankings

• 130-135 lbs – Boxing Lightweight Division Rankings
• 140-147 lbs – Boxing Welterweight Division Rankings

Written by: Jake Emen