_2020_08_23_070645.jpg)
Hyperbole is easy to fall into when writing about boxing.
It’s not hyperbole to say 2022 is the best year in the history of women’s boxing. Big fights? Check. Crowds? Check. Unifications all over the scale? Check?
Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano and last week’s doubleheader featuring Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall and Alycia Baumgardner-Mikaela Mayer have been the highest profile shows in 2022 but there has been rich activity that both delivered the goods and built towards more in the future.
It’s time to start taking a deeper look at the performance of the best women in the game.
Since the summer of 2020, an evaluation of performance against the rankings of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and Ring Magazine, a competition index, has taken a deeper look at the men’s side of the sport. It can resemble a pound-for-pound list but it’s meant to be something different.
Boxers can only compete with the best of their time, around the weight classes that mark that time. Sanctioning body rankings, which almost always fail to rank each other’s titlists, can be a highly unreliable gauge of quality wins. There are other bodies that take a more direct approach, ranking full fields against each other to try to give a snapshot of the state of the sport.
While the men’s competition index draws on TBRB and Ring, TBRB doesn’t have women’s rankings currently. Since April 2019, the website LinealBoxingChampion.com (LBC) has produced a regular top five in women’s weight classes from atomweight (102 lbs) to heavyweight. Ring Magazine introduced women’s ratings in late 2020 with top fives in every weight class from atomweight to super middleweight.
Applying those two sets of rankings, this introductory women’s competition index looked at forty-one fighters from atomweight to super middleweight, incorporating all current WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titlists and a select few former titlists who have been or still are on pound-for-pound lists over the last year. The same standards apply as found in the men’s index, with fighters’ last five fights and/or three years activity examined for the index.
Only LBC ratings are used from 2019 to late 2020. For fighters who have a fifth fight earlier than the birth of the LBC ratings, those results aren’t included in the scoring. In keeping with the standard at Ring and LBC, the top five are provided with full details as well as select details provided for the rest of the top twenty.
With the table set, let’s take a look at some of the premiere women in boxing with a little less than a quarter in a memorable 2022.
1) Katie Taylor (21-0, 6 KO)
Overall Points Rank: 1 (37.67 pts)
Unique Rated Wins Rank: 1 (6 unique wins)
Last Two Starts Rank: 6 (9.5 pts)
Age: 36
Current Lineal Titles: World Lightweight (2019-Present, 5 Defenses)
Current Alphabet Titles: WBA Lightweight (2017-Present, 13 Defenses); IBF Lightweight (2018-Present, 11 Defenses); WBO Lightweight (2019-Present, 7 Defenses); Ring Magazine/WBC Lightweight (2019-Present, 5 Defenses)
Additional Titles: Ring Magazine/WBC Lightweight (2019-Present, 5 Defenses); WBO Jr. Welterweight (2019)
Record in Title Fights: 15-0, 3 KO
Last Five: Amanda Serrano UD10 (#2/#1 – 135; #1 – 126); Firuza Sharipova UD10 (Unrated – 135); Jennifer Han UD10 (#5/Unrated – 135); Natasha Jonas (Unrated/#5 – 130[-]);
Three Year Activity Kicker: Yes – Christina Linardattou UD 10 (No Ring/#5 (130 [-]); Delfine Persoon UD10
Next Opponent: October 29, 2022 vs. Unrated Karen Carbajal (19-0, 2 KO)
The Take: Taylor finishes on top as the leader in two of three scoring categories. Her six unique wins against ranked opposition is two more than her closest peers in Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano. A five-time World Amateur champion and 2012 Olympic Gold medalist, Ireland’s Taylor won arguably the biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing when she weathered a violent mid-round assault to earn a decision over Serrano in April. Will she see Serrano again in 2023? Could Taylor venture up the scale to face the winner of Jessica McCaskill-Chantelle Cameron? There will be more big fights awaiting the lightweight queen in the year ahead.
2) Claressa Shields (13-0, 2 KO)
Overall Points Rank: 2 (36.5 pts)
Unique Rated Wins Rank: 2 (4 unique wins)
Last Two Starts Rank: 1 (18 pts)
Age: 27
Current Lineal Titles: World Middleweight (2019-Present, 2 Defenses); World Jr. Middleweight (2021-Present, 0 Defenses)
Current Alphabet Titles: WBA/IBF Middleweight (2018-20, 5 Defenses); WBC Middleweight (2018-Present, 4 Defenses); WBO Middleweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
Additional Titles: Ring Magazine Middleweight (2019-Present, 2 Defenses); WBC/IBF Super Middleweight (2017-18, 1 Defense); WBO Middleweight (2019-20); WBC/WBO Super Welterweight (2020-21, 1 Defense); IBF/WBA Jr. Middleweight (2021); Ring Magazine Jr. Middleweight (2021-22)
Record in Title Fights: 10-0, 1 KO
Last Five: Savannah Marshall UD10 (Ring #1/LBC #1 – 160); Ema Kozin UD10 (#3 – 160); Marie Eve Dicaire (#2/#1 – 154); Ivana Habazin (Unrated – 154); Christina Hammer (No Ring/#2 – 160)
Three Year Activity Kicker: No
Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: Along with Amanda Serrano, Shields has wins over four different (unique) contenders over the last three years. Shields wins the tiebreaker as all her ranked wins were in the top three of their division at the time. The two-time Olympic Gold Medalist has maintained a commendable level of competition since turning professional in 2016. Shields’ debut came against future-undisputed super middleweight champion Franchon Drews-Dezurn and she has fought almost nothing but leading contenders and current, former, or future titlists. Shields was both gritty and masterful in traveling overseas for her best professional win, reunifying the middleweight division versus Savannah Marshall to avenge her lone amateur defeat.
3) Amanda Serrano (43-2-1, 30 KO)
Overall Points Rank: 3 (31.83 pts)
Unique Rated Wins Rank: 2 (4 unique wins)
Last Two Starts Rank: 13 (7 pts)
Age: 34
Current Alphabet Titles: WBC/WBO featherweight (2019-Present, 2 Defenses); IBF Featherweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
Previous Titles: IBF super featherweight (2011-12); WBO lightweight (2014-15); WBO featherweight (2016, 1 Defense); WBO super bantamweight (2016-18, 2 Defenses); WBO bantamweight (2017); WBO super lightweight (2018); WBO super flyweight (2019)
Record in Title Fights: 14-2, 9 KO
Last Five Opponents: Sarah Mahfoud UD10 (#3 – 126); Katie Taylor L10 (Champion – 135); Miriam Gutierrez UD10 (#3/Unrated – 135); Yamileth Mercado UD10 (#3 – 122[-]); Daniela Bermudez KO9 (#3/#1 – 122[-])
Three Year Activity Kicker: No
Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: Manny Pacquiao received wide acclaim for a career that took him to belts from flyweight to Jr. middleweight. Pacquiao did it over time, continually rising through weight classes. Serrano has won titles from 115-140 pounds in a far different order, once winning belts at 140 and then 115, in consecutive bouts, in that order. Right now, Serrano is ranked at lightweight and reigns with three belts at featherweight. A competitive loss to lightweight champion Katie Taylor in their superfight cost Serrano only a little bit here. A rematch between the two would be one of the biggest fights in boxing, men or women. Serrano is one belt from undisputed at featherweight after a decision in her last bout over Sarah Mahfoud.
4) Chantelle Cameron (16-0, 8 KO)
Overall Points Rank: 5 (25 pts)
Unique Rated Wins Rank: 5 (3 unique wins)
Last Two Starts Rank: 2 (17 pts)
Age: 31
Current Lineal Titles: World Jr. Welterweight (2021-Present, 1 Defense)
Current Alphabet Titles: WBC Super Lightweight (2020-Present, 3 Defenses); IBF Jr. Welterweight (2021-Present, 1 Defense)
Additional Titles: Ring Magazine Jr. Welterweight (2021-Present, 1 Defense)
Record in Title Fights: 4-0, 1 KO
Last Five: Victoria Bustos UD10 (#3 – 140); Mary McGee UD10 (#2 – 140); Melissa Hernandez TKO5 (Unrated – 140); Adriana Dos Santos Araujo UD10 (Unrated – 140); Anahi Sanchez (No Ring/#3 – 140)
Three Year Activity Kicker: No
Next Opponent: November 5, 2022 vs. World Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill (12-2, 5 KO)
The Take: The UK’s Cameron enters the biggest fight of her career off two big wins over consensus top three Jr. welterweights Mary McGee and Victoria Bustos. While not as big a name as some of her peers on this list, Cameron has a chance to make a statement against McCaskill. If she does, there could be a foundation for something even bigger. A showdown with Katie Taylor would put plenty of butts in seats. McCaskill is coming down the scale as the challenger in a fight that right now is carrying about even odds. It’s another excellent piece of matchmaking in 2022.
5) Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7 KO)
Overall Points Rank: 6 (19.5 pts)
Unique Rated Wins Rank: 9 (2 unique wins)
Last Two Starts Rank: 4 (10.5 pts)
Age: 28
Current Lineal Titles: World Jr. Lightweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
Current Alphabet Titles: WBC Super Featherweight (2021-Present, 2 Defenses); IBF/WBO Jr. Lightweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
Additional Titles: Ring Magazine Jr. Lightweight (2022-Present, 0 Defenses)
Record in Title Fights: 3-0, 1 KO
Last Five: Mikaela Mayer SD10 (Champion/#1 – 130); Edith Matthysse UD10 (Unrated – 130); Terri Harper TKO4 (#2 – 130); Vanessa Bradford UD8 (Unrated – 130); Cristina Pacheco (Unrated – 130)
Three Year Activity Kicker: No
Next Opponent: TBA
The Take: Baumgardner has shown she is about making the most of opportunities. Unheralded heading into her first title opportunity, Baumgardner shocked unbeaten Terri Harper. Given a chance to unify titles at Jr. lightweight, Baumgardner displayed poise, focus, and timing in besting Mikaela Mayer as part of the anticipated doubleheader with Shields-Marshall. Baumgardner says she wants to finish unification of her division but it’s hard to ignore she sits right between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, the leaders from featherweight to lightweight. Mayer wants a rematch. If either of the other two call, Baumgardner will have won more than a fight.
The remainder of the top ten was:
6) Seneisa Estrada (22-0, 9 KO): Overall Points Rank: 8 (17.74 pts)/Unique Rated Wins Rank: 10 (2 unique wins)/Last Two Starts Rank: 11 (8.5 pts)
Last Five: Maria Santizo KO4 (Unrated – 105); Tenkai Tsunami UD10 (#3/#2 – 108); Anabel Ortiz UD10 (#2/#1 – 105 [-]); Miranda Adkins KO1 (Unrated – 108); Marlen Esparza Tech. Dec. 9 (Unrated – 112)
7) Savannah Marshall (12-1, 10 KO): Overall Points Rank: 7 (17.75 pts)/Unique Rated Wins Rank: 6 (3 unique wins)/Last Two Starts Rank: 15 (6 pts)
Last Five: Claressa Shields L10 – (Champion – 160); Femke Hermans KO3 (#4 – 160); Lolita Muzeya TKO2 (#5/#4 – 147 [–]); Maria Lindberg KO3 (Unrated – 160); Hannah Rankin TKO7 (No Ring/#5 – 154[–])
8) Marlen Esparza (13-1, 1 KO): Overall Points Rank: 9 (16.9 pts)/Unique Rated Wins Rank: 7 (3 unique win)/Last Two Starts Rank: 6 (9.5 pts)
Last Five: Eva Guzman UD10 (Unrated – 112); Naoko Fujioka UD10 (#2/#1 – 112); Anabel Ortiz UD10 (#4/#5 – 105 [–]); Ibeth Zamora Silva UD10 (#5/#4 – 112); Shelly Barnett UD6 (Unrated – 112)
9) Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KO): Overall Points Rank: 10 (15.67 pts)/Unique Rated Wins Rank: 11 (2 unique wins)/Last Two Starts Rank: 9 (9 pts)
Last Five: Elin Cederroos UD10 (#1/#3 – 168); Ashleigh Curry UD8 (Unrated – 168); Alejandra Jimenez NC10 (No Ring/#2 – 168); Maricela Cornejo UD10 (No Ring/#4 – 160 [-])
10) Natasha Jonas (12-2-1, 8 KO): Overall Points Rank: 11 (15.53 pts)/Unique Rated Wins Rank: 12 (2 unique wins)/Last Two Starts Rank: 3 (12.99 pts)
Last Five: Patricia Berghult UD10 (#2 – 154); Chris Namus TKO2 (#5/Unrated – 154 [+++]); Vaida Masiokaite (Unrated – 135); Katie Taylor L10 (Champion – 135); Terri Harper D10 (No Ring/
Rest of the Top Twenty: Jessica McCaskill (Ranked 3 on Overall Points/4 on Unique Wins/20 on Last Two Starts),Terri Harper (19/13/8), Dina Thorslund (16/17/9), Asley Gonzalez Macias (21/21/5), Erika Cruz Hernandez (13/14/17), Jessica Nery Plaza (17/18/15), Mikaela Mayer (12/8/24), Yokasta Valle (19/19/17), Ebanie Bridges (24/24/13), Yulihan Luhan Avila (14/15/24)
Most Recent Men’s Index
Here’s how it works.
Using the most recent ratings available in a print issue of Ring or the most recent archived LBC ratings prior to a fight:
- Every primary WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titlist, some select recent former titlists, and fighters who appeared in either the Ring or LBC pound for pound top ten in the last year or so were evaluated based on the official results against their last five opponents and/or last three years of activity and what those opponents were rated heading into the fight.
- Wins over rated opponents started at 11 points for a recognized LBC or Ring champion down to six points for defeating a number five contender. Draws got half credit. No points were given for a No Contest or No Decision but the result is noted.
- Fighters who have produced a higher activity level were given a kicker score for any wins over rated opposition in the last three years no later than October 15, 2019. Everyone evaluated was scored for their last five opponents even if that was past the three year mark.
- Losses to rated opponents were given an inverse score, beginning with -1 for a champion down to -6.
- Losses to unrated opponents received a universal score of -7.
- Wins over unrated opponents were worth nothing.
- If there is a difference between a fighter’s Ring and LBC rankings, the average of the two numbers was used (i.e. a win over a fighter rated second by one body and fifth by the other would be worth 7.5 pts).
- If a fighter was rated by only Ring or LBC, half credit was given for a win based on the single rating. A loss total would come from an average of -7 and the point loss that would apply to the rating that was in place.
- Moves between weight classes were adjusted for by taking into consideration the body weight shift between weight classes. In other words, if a rated Jr. welterweight jumped up to beat a rated welterweight, the math would work like this: 147/140 multiplied by the divisional rating score. It works in reverse for a win over a fighter rated lower (i.e. 160/168 multiplied by the smaller man’s rating in his class). In an over the weight class fight, the divisions the men were rated in were used.
- Fighters from a higher class are noted with a [+], from a lower [-], after the weight limit of their respective weight class.
- The totals generated result in a rating.
- Each fighter evaluated is given a score for how many unique wins they have against rated opponents; beating the same opponent twice counts for only one unique win. They are then rated based on unique wins with tiebreakers decided by whoever holds higher total points. The rating for total points and unique wins is averaged.
- That average score is then averaged against a rating for the score generated for each man’s last two wins. The top ten remaining after that is then reordered again by total overall score to identify the final top five. The remainder of the list is not resorted.
- All divisions were treated equally based on the idea fighters can only face the men in their division while they are there and all point totals were applied based on official results.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com