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Despite big nights for the sport like we had on Saturday night, we're constantly hearing that boxing is a dying sport. Two of the biggest reasons for that are that no one can keep the weight classes straight and no one can keep the champions straight.Ring Magazine deserves great credit for attempting to change that by establishing clear-cut criteria for determining its own champions, but I have two problems with the way Ring does things. The first is that the magazine ranks fighters in 17 different weight classes. That's too many. And the second is that the Ring ratings have so many vacancies at the top tthat only six fighters can be called Ring Magazine champions. That's too few.
So below is my attempt to list boxing's legitimate champions, using only the sport's eight traditional weight classes.
Heavyweight: Vitali Klitschko
Everyone agrees that a Klitschko is the best heavyweight in the world; the only question is whether it's Vitali or his brother Wladimir. For now I'm going with Vitali, who fights American Chris Arreola on Saturday.
Light heavyweight (175 pounds): Bernard Hopkins
As long as Joe Calzaghe still says he's retired and Hopkins still says he's planning to fight again, Hopkins holds the light heavyweight title. Of course, Hopkins will need to step in the ring soon or else the light heavyweight division will move on without him.
Middleweight (160 pounds): Kelly Pavlik
His December battle with Paul Williams should be a very good one.
Welterweight (147 pounds): Floyd Mayweather Jr.
This is, without a doubt, the marquee division in boxing today. You could make a case that the five best pound-for-pound boxers in the world are all fighting at welterweight right now, with Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez all fighting in the class. This division won't have a generally recognized champion unless Mayweather fights the Pacquiao-Cotto winner, but for now I think anyone who watched Mayweather destroy Marquez on Saturday night would have to consider Mayweather the one true welterweight champion.
Lightweight (135 pounds): Juan Manuel Marquez
Marquez will, I'm sure, move back down to lightweight for his next fight, and there he's still the best in the world, at least unless Pacquiao moves back down to lightweight as well.
Featherweight (126 pounds): Chris John
After a dubious draw the first time they fought, John beat Rocky Juarez on Saturday night and made clear that he's the world's best featherweight.
Bantamweight (118 pounds): Hozumi Hasegawa
The WBC bantamweight champ has two first-round TKOs and two second-round TKOs in his last four fights.
Flyweight (112 pounds): Ivan Calderon The 33-0-1 Calderon, like John, got revenge on an opponent who previously drew with him, beating Rodel Mayol on September 12.
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