Welterweight Division Rankings
Published by: Jake Emen
Here’s a current breakdown of the best welterweights in the world. It’s one of the classic boxing divisions, and it’s also one of the most crowded today. A lot of the top fighters have met each other, but there are more great fights that need to be made. Can anybody say Pacquiao vs. Mayweather? In the meantime, here are the top 10 boxers in the welterweight division today.
Welterweight division rankings last updated Sept 2011.
- Floyd Mayweather – Welcome back to the number 1 spot in the welterweight division, Floyd Mayweather. You leap frog Pacquiao - who's still number 1 in the pound for pound rankings, BTW - due to the strength of your win over Ortiz and what it means for your welterweight credentials. The #2 guy in the division fought the #3 guy and was triumphant with a concussive KO victory. Meanwhile Pacquiao is facing Juan Manuel Marquez next, a match that means nothing for his status in the welterweight division.
- Manny Pacquiao - Pacquiao looked dominating against Shane Mosley, although to keep in context, that's certainly what we expected out of him. To begin the fight, he was using much less movement and throwing with less aggression than he normally does, but he picked it up and shut Shane down. Next is a third match against Juan Manuel Marquez, but of course what everyone wants to see is the number 1 and 2 guys in the welterweight division rankings to fight each other.
- Victor Ortiz - It's hard to knock Ortiz down at all after his loss to Mayweather. He was fighting pretty well through 4 rounds, and I'm not ready to put him behind the guy he just beat to begin with, Andre Berto. So he stays at the number 3 slot for the time, but unfortunately for him and his camp, the chances of a rematch with Mayweather will be very, very slim. A rematch with Berto though... now we're talking.
- Andre Berto – A lot of people had a lot of questions about Berto, and nearly all of them were answered against Ortiz, some for the better, and some for the worse. He showed great heart and will, but was taken out of his element and outdone by a fighter who had the heart, power and skill to really challenge him. He easily took care of Jan Zaveck, although some will find it alarming that he was being tagged by him even as he cruised to an early stoppage win.
- Viacheslav Senchenko - Senchenko is an undefeated champion with 21 knockouts in 32 wins. The competition has been less than stellar though, and he fights almost exclusively out of his home country, Ukraine. Already 33, it's hard to envision him branching out and seeking tougher challenges in the States.
- Kell Brook - Brook is one of the hottest names in the British and UK boxing scene. He currently sits at 24-0 with 16 KOs, and is looking to come to the states to start turning things up a notch. Next up he facesRafal Jackiewicz and a solid showing there should propel him into a major fight next.
- Shane Mosley– Will Mosley retire and step away from the sport after his poor showing against Pacquiao? Or will he stick around a while longer? It's tempting to banish him from the welterweight top 10, but does anyone really think that Salcuk Aydin beats him, even in 2011? I don't.
- Selcuk Aydin - Aydin has put together a pretty good run in his thus far undefeated pro career, turning back Said Ouali, Jackson Osei Bonsu and Jo Jo Dan in three straight outings. Next up is a rematch against Jo Jo Dan, as the first fight ended with a Split Decision verdict.
- Mike Jones - Jones is a talented Philly fighter who barely survived his first encounter against Jesus Soto Karass. He more handily took care of business in the second bout, sticking to the game plan more and utilizing his superior skills and tactics instead of simply brawling. There has been some heat behind a Jones vs. Brook match-up which would vault one into a title shot.
- Randall Bailey - The book has been written on Randall Bailey. Hellacious power, but if you can avoid getting tagged, you'll probably win. He looks strong and powerful at 147 lbs, and he's in line for a shot at Berto's IBF title next. Considering both are promoted by DiBella, that's a fight we'll likely see in short order, and it should be a fun one.
More Names to Watch
Jan Zaveck, Joshua Clottey, Luis Carlos Abregu, Carson Jones, Randall Bailey, Luis Collazo, Rafal Jackiewicz, Said Ouali, Matthew Hatton, Jackson Osei Bonsu, Jo Jo Dan, Brad Solomon, Jesus Soto Karass
More Boxing Weight Division Rankings:
- 135-140 lbs – Boxing Junior Welterweight Rankings
- 147-154 lbs – Boxing Junior Middleweight Rankings
Hands down, I think Mayweather ranks No. 1 and the greatest Boxer of all time…… Not in terms of performance inside the ring though.
I think Mayweather is the best cherry picker of all time. The greatest Ducker of all time. The biggest mouth of all time. The most number of pending crime cases of all time. The greastest Fraud boxer who ever lived.
There is reason to question whether Mayweather actually wants to fight Pacquiao. And you can hardly blame him.
Here is what happened to some of Pacquiao’s last seven opponents:
Antonio Margarito, pummeled repeatedly, broken orbital bone, sent to hospital. Miguel Cotto, pummeled repeatedly, TKO, sent to hospital. Ricky Hatton, knocked out cold, sent to hospital, hasn’t fought since. Oscar De La Hoya, pummeled repeatedly, TKO’d, hasn’t fought since. David Diaz, pummeled repeatedly, TKO’d, sent to hospital.
The other two (Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley) essentially refused to fight, covered up for 12 rounds and accepted lopsided losses by decision.
Pacquiao doesn’t just defeat opponents; he punishes them right into an ambulance. Mayweather, attempting to spin the argument, notes that he beat most of those guys before Pacquiao and claims he “softened them up.”
Perhaps. It’s also possible Mayweather sees the destruction Pacquiao can do to a man’s health, reputation and career, and wouldn’t mind avoiding him completely.
Only Floyd knows for sure. Mayweather and Pacquiao fight will never happen.
It will be the biggest regret in his life for not facing Pacquiao. How can he claim that he is the best fighter in the world if he will not face Pacman.
Jake Emen, how come FMJ ahead on Pacqiao on welterweight ranking?, is the cheap shot enough for FMJ to earn the number 1 spot?, It maybe a legal but that was an unsportsmanlike manner, believe me he could not do that to Ortiz if Ortiz was aware. He cannot not even finished Ortiz in a single shot thats why he folowed it up with his right. In terms of power Pacqiao has huge advantage, skill even – an offensive fighter vs defensive fighter but you can’t win a fight by defense alone.
mayweather deserves to be number one in the word today
mayweather deserves nothing but jail time,the little sissy,beat on women,but not MAN enough to fight Manny a real boxer and the only NO.1 P4P ,WHY because that would be his first loss and the END of his career after he gets out of the hospital
I’d Probably knocked em’ both,,,if i fight them,,,,i started doing boxing last month
At long last, an American got into as no.1 in this article. After all, Las Vegas is USA territory. But The Ring Magazine rating is still the most prestigious, all others are just unreliable copycats.
I’d probably be the #1 in ur’ list by now if i started boxing last month!!!!!
You can’t blame either guy for the fight not happening. The powers that be and the astronomical amount of money that the fight will generate is the problem. Neither of these guys are pussies, they are Pro-Boxers and would fight each other anytime, anywhere. If it was up to them? Hell I’m sure they can use an extra 60 million, then say I’m out! Win or Lose bring it on!