WBA’s new leading contenders: Dmitry Bivol at 175, Yoenli Hernandez at 160, plus more

The WBA’s latest ratings update, released November 1, includes three new fighters who have been named the No. 1 contenders in their respective divisions.

At bridgerweight: Leon Harth (22-6-1, 13 KOs) dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 following his decision loss last month to titleholder Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (7-0, 3 KOs, including two wins in pro bouts sanctioned by the IBA).

That allowed Julio Cesar La Cruz to move up from the second position to the top spot. La Cruz is 3-1 (2 KOs), including two fights in pro bouts sanctioned by the IBA. He lost a five-round decision to Gadzhimagomedov in August 2023 in one of those IBA bouts.

At light heavyweight: Dmitry Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) is now ranked No. 1 after losing the WBA title last month to Artur Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) in a fight for the undisputed championship. Bivol had been the primary WBA titleholder for about seven years.

The top slot at 175 had been vacant since June, when the previous No. 1 fighter, Joshua Buatsi, agreed to a fight for the WBO’s interim light heavyweight title.

At middleweight: Yoenli Hernandez has been upgraded to the No. 1 position after his eighth-round TKO of the unrated, 7-0 Bryce Henry. Hernandez had previously been rated No. 3. He is 7-0 (6 KOs), including one fight in a pro bout sanctioned by the IBA.

That pushed Shane Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 KOs) down from No. 1 to No. 2.

The WBA’s middleweight titleholder is Erislandy Lara.

A pair of rankings curiosities: At cruiserweight, 54-year-old Firat Arslan (56-9-3, 41 KOs) was installed at No. 5 after being previously unranked, solely on the “strength” of the two-round knockout he scored in October over the unranked, 13-5-1 Angel Gabriel Ledesma.

And at super middleweight, Jermall Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) arrived at No. 5 out of the blue, even though his sole fight in this division was in November 2023 over the unranked Jose Benavidez Jnr.

The WBA’s titleholders and No. 1 contenders in each weight class are:

Heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk has the world title; Mahmoud Charr has the secondary “regular” belt and is ostensibly the mandatory challenger for Usyk; Martin Bakole is the No. 1 contender. Usyk and Tyson Fury are scheduled to have a rematch on December 21.

Cruiserweight: Gilberto Ramirez has the world title; Yuniel Dorticos is his No. 1 contender. Ramirez is scheduled for a unification fight with WBO titleholder Chris Billam-Smith on November 16.

Light heavyweight: Artur Beterbiev has the world title; David Morrell is the secondary “regular” titleholder and is ostensibly the mandatory challenger for Beterbiev; Dmitry Bivol is the No. 1 contender.

Super middleweight: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has the world title; Caleb Plant is the interim titleholder and is ostensibly the mandatory challenger for Canelo. Christian Mbilli is the No. 1 contender.

Middleweight: Erislandy Lara has the world title; Yoenli Hernandez is his No. 1 contender.

Junior middleweight: Terence Crawford has the world title; Jermell Charlo is the “champion in recess” and would be in line for a title shot if and when he returns to the division; Abass Baraou is the No. 1 contender.

Welterweight: Eimantas Stanionis has the world title; Shakhram Giyasov is his No. 1 contender. The WBA has ordered a purse bid to be held on November 8.

Junior welterweight: Jose Valenzuela has the world title; Andy Hiraoka is his No. 1 contender. 

Lightweight: Gervonta Davis has the world title; William Zepeda is his No. 1 contender. Davis is expected to face Lamont Roach Jnr next, though that date has yet to be made official. Zepeda is scheduled to face Tevin Farmer on November 16.

Junior lightweight: Lamont Roach Jnr has the world title; Albert Batyrgaziev is the interim titleholder and is ostensibly the mandatory challenger for Roach; Otar Eranosyan is the No. 1 contender. Roach is expected to challenge lightweight titleholder Gervonta Davis sometime in the coming months.

Featherweight: Nick Ball has the world title; the No. 1 slot is currently vacant.

Junior featherweight: Naoya Inoue has the world title; Murodjon Akhmadaliev is his No. 1 contender. Inoue and Sam Goodman are scheduled to fight on December 24. Akhmadaliev is scheduled to fight Ricardo Espinoza Franco on December 14 for the WBA’s interim title.

Bantamweight: Seiya Tsutsumi has the world title; Antonio Vargas is his No. 1 contender.

Junior bantamweight: Fernando Martinez has the world title; David Jimenez is the interim titleholder and is ostensibly the mandatory challenger for Martinez; Roman Gonzalez is the No. 1 contender. Martinez is expected to face Kazuto Ioka next in a rematch on December 31.

Flyweight: Seigo Yuri Akui has the world title; the No. 1 slot is currently vacant.

Junior flyweight: The world title is currently vacant; Erick Rosa is the No. 1 contender and Arvin Jhon Paciones is No. 2.

Minimumweight: Knockout CP Freshmart has the world title; Hasanboy Dusmatov is his No. 1 contender. Freshmart is scheduled for a unification fight with WBO titleholder Oscar Collazo on November 16.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.