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The lightweight division had been in a state of flux for a while, with many of the best names either moving up in weight, or getting old and retiring. After some stability had returned, a whole new flock of fighters moved up in weight, leaving a few guys vying for the top spot, including an aging legend and a young star in the making. Take a look at our latest ProBoxing-Fans.com lightweight division rankings to see where everyone stands.

Lightweight division rankings last updated October 2011

1. Brandon Rios - After earning his title shot by defeating Anthony Peterson, Rios made the most of his chance by knocking out respected champion Miguel Acosta in the 10th round. Rios took the best that Acosta had to offer, but Acosta couldn't do the same. Rios has everything a fan would want from a fighter - tough as nails mentality, come-forward and attacking style, great power and a solid chin. He proved all of that and more in his thrilling KO win over Urbano Antillon. Make no mistake about it... Bam Bam is a Beast.
2. Juan Manuel Marquez - Marquez, though still technically The Man at 135 lbs, doesn't seem too intent on fighting in the division. He's moving up again to challenge Manny Pacquiao, and he doesn't get to keep the #1 spot indefinitely. He retains a high ranking in the interim, assuming that after the Pacquiao fight he would wrap up things here before calling it a career.
3. Miguel Vazquez - Vazquez is the IBF titleholder and is on a eight fight winning streak, including his championship win over Ji Hoon Kim, his first defense against Ricardo Dominguez, and a split decision win over then undefeated Breidis Prescott. Recently, he outclassed the tough Lenny Zappa to defend his title again, and now is looking for a fight against a big name opponent.
4. Miguel Acosta - A knockout win over the previously undefeated Urbano Antillon gave Acosta the interim WBA lightweight title. He then won the real deal by stopping Paulus Moses in six rounds in their bout this past May. But he ran into a wall when he met Rios. Rios just kept on coming, and Acosta eventually crumbled to the pressure. It will be interesting to see where he goes next after this tough defeat.
5. Antonio DeMarco - I'll be honest, I thought Jorge Linares would have surely have gotten the better of Antonio DeMarco. That wasn't the case. Tony cruised to an 11th round TKO win, and was up by wide margins on all cards at the time of the stoppage. He earned the vacant WBC title in the process and is now a real player at 135 lbs.
6. Michael Kastidis – Call Katsidis the guy who won't go away, and just like his style in the ring, will never stop coming. He's still in the thick of things at lightweight despite losing almost all of his step up bouts, thanks to wins over the likes of Kevin Mitchell and Vicente Escobedo. Next he gets Ricky Burns in an extremely interesting clash of styles.
7. Ali Funeka – After barely losing to Nate Campbell, Funeka got robbed out of a victory against Joan Guzman. The fight was ruled a draw, but it seemed clear that Funeka won at least eight of the rounds, if not more, and had dominated the entire evening. Then Guzman came into the rematch as a full fledged welterweight, and took home the decision. Can anything go this guy's way? I was ready to drop him from the top 10 due to inactivity, but he's finally slated back in November.
8. Sharif Bogere - Bogere just added an impressive third round KO win over an undefeated fighter to his resume, after an impressive, gritty and tough battle against veteran Raymundo Beltran. 2012 should be a big year for The Lion and it will be very interesting to see who he gets on his docket next.
9. Jorge Linares - Linares was looking to be in good form at 135 lbs before his fight with Antonio DeMarco. So no excuses there, as he simply got beat that night. After the second loss, and stoppage, of his career, is Linares ready to retool once again and make another title run?
10. John Molina - Molina has won five fights in a row since the lone setback of his career, and most notably, he stopped Hank Lundy in the 11th round of their fight in July 2010. The competition took a downward turn after that, so Molina needs to step things up in terms of opposition if he wants to stay in the top 10.

Also in the mix:

Kevin Mitchell, Hank Lundy, Urbano Antillon, Paulus Moses, John Murray, Lenny Zappa, Anthony Peterson, Vicente Escobedo, Gavin Rees

More Boxing Weight Division Rankings

• 126-130 lbs – Boxing Super Featherweight Rankings
• 135-140 lbs – Boxing Junior Welterweight Rankings

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