WBC ratings committee – news and notes from the convention

HAMBURG – On Wednesday morning, at the always-popular ratings committee, fighters, agents, managers and promoters all fought their corners, trying to move up the ladder with the WBC at the sanctioning body’s 62nd Annual Convention.

A rundown of some of the highlights follows. Some of the moves were immediately approved; some will be discussed further by the committee.

– Heavyweight – Lee Eaton, representing Queensberry Promotions, was speaking about Lawrence Okolie being pushed up from number five. He was also looking to get Moses Itauma ranked in the top 10, Fabio Wardley to keep his position ahead of “a massive fight” in April, and to push David Adeleye and Vladyslav Sirenko into the top 15.

Okolie was present. Sulaiman asked if Okolie could go above Martin Bakole, who is fourth, and because Bakole is set to fight Efe Ajagba in an IBF eliminator, the switch was approved.

Matchroom also petitioned for Johnny Fisher to move into the top 15.

– Bridgerweight – Sergey Radchenko, the lightly-regarded silver titlist, said he had dreamed of taking part in a WBC Convention and then said the WBC title was the main goal of his career. He asked to be raised from fifth, above Andrew Tabiti to second.

However, Tabiti had representation who argued he should move to first, and wanted to fight for a title. Ryad Merhy’s representatives said they were happy with his number-three spot.

– Cruiserweight – Roman Fress, ranked 14th, was on hand to request a top-10 position.

Manager Jake McGuigan and Chris Billam-Smith, fourth, called for a fight between Billam-Smith and Badou Jack, and hoped that would be considered.

Three Lions, for Ryan Rozicki, asked to be moved back from second to first, despite waiting for a fight with Noel Mikaelian. Rozicki had fought to a draw with the third-ranked Yamil Alberto Peralta, and Michal Cieslak jumped to first.

But Rozicki was moved to first, Peralta to second and Cieslak, who also had a representative present making his case to fight for a title, was moved

down to third. Peralta also had a representative arguing on his behalf.

Eaton argued for Alloys Junior to be moved into the top 15, and Matchroom requested Cheavon Clarke be moved from sixth to ahead of the fifth-rankedBrandon Glanton. Clarke fights before Christmas, so there was no movement.

Badou Jack, the WBC’s champion in recess, also pressed his claims to fight after being out of the ring for more than a year. “Noel Mikaelian, let’s get it on,” he said. He wants to go straight back into a title fight

The ninth-ranked Ilunga Makabu was represented, and said if he defeated Wagdy Attia on December 21 he should be rated in the top five.

– Light heavyweight – Chris Mayer, for Wasserman, petitioned for Lyndon Arthur to go into the top 15, but he is yet to enrol in the Clean Boxing Program.

Eaton asked for Liam Cameron to be brought into the top 15, which was denied.

A representative asked for former number five and now number nine Pawel Stepien to be moved back up, but that motion was denied, based on the fighters around him fighting better opposition.  

A Boxxer representative thanked the WBC for maintaining Ben Whittaker’s ranking following the bizarre ending to his October fight with Cameron.

– Super middleweight – Matchroom asked for Edgar Berlanga and Diego Pacheco to be moved up – Pacheco to second, and Berlanga to fourth. Berlanga is due to headline a card in March.

A representative of Sergiy Derevyanchenko asked for him to move up from 12, but that was dismissed.

Both Eye of the Tiger and Matchroom said talks for Diego Pacheco and Christian Mbilli had come to nothing. Pacheco will fight Steve Nelson, and Terence Crawford asked that the winner be rated in the top three.

Ahmet Oner, on behalf of Luka Plantic, asked for him to be moved up from fifth. He cited Plantic’s amateur win over Mbilli, the WBC number one, and pressed his case to rise.

Eye of the Tiger, for Osleys Iglesias, ranked fourth, argued that Plantic should stand firm.

– Middleweight – Shawn Porter approached the dais on behalf of Marquis Taylor and he asked for the No. 25 and NABF champion to be ranked in the top 10. 

A Boxxer representative asked for Chris Eubank Jnr to be moved up from third to second, above Meiirim Nursultanov. The WBC approved.

– Super welterweight – OTX asked for two fighters to get top-10 rankings – Andreas Katzourakis, following his win over Brandon Adams, and Brandon Adams himself. They asked for Adams to be 10th and Andreas to go in at nine. But the committee said they are 16th and 19th respectively.

A Wise Owl representative asked for Charles Conwell, ranked fifth, to move up ahead of his fight with Gerado Luis Vergara.

Matchroom asked for Ishmael Davis to be ranked ahead of his fight on December 21 with Serhii Bohachuk.

France’s Bakary Samake, the silver champion, was on hand to appreciate his number-nine ranking.

Wasserman questioned why Abass Baraou had dropped out of the top 10 from eighth, and was told that that was down to the boxers who had been below him scoring wins.

– Welterweight – Blair Cobbs asked for a title fight with the champion Mario Barrios off the back of wins over Maurice Hooker and Adrien Broner.

– Super lightweight – An Eye of the Tiger representative asked for Arthur Biyarslanov to move into the top 15. He was 20th, and they’ve moved him to 16th. He will fight on February 6 against Mohamed Mimoune.

Dalton Smith, third, said he appreciated Jack Catterall being second but said Catterall has shown his loyalty to the WBO by fighting in a final eliminator against Arnold Barboza in February. “The green and gold belt is the most prestigious and the one I’ve always dreamed of,” Smith told the committee.

Smith wants to be the mandatory challenger for the winner of Sandor Martin-Albert Puello.

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn asked for his fighters Catterall and Smith to change places, and that was granted.

– Lightweight – Eaton, for Queensberry, asked for Sam Noakes, seventh, to be moved into the top five after his win over Ryan Walsh. He also requested Jadier Herrera, 12th, move into the top 10. The ratings committee said that the Walsh fight showed improvement, but that was why they had moved Noakes up to seventh from 10th.

Matchroom petitioned for Cuba’s Andy Cruz, sixth, to move into the top three ahead of a bout on January 25, and asked for a top-14 ranking for Gary Cully ahead of his fight with Maxi Hughes in Monaco on Saturday.

A representative for Floyd Schofield asked for him to move into the top 15.

Schofield requested a move into the top 15 from 40th, and they couldn’t find a top-15 position, but found a spot for him at 17. Schofield has also been approved to fight for the championship.

An Eye of the Tiger representative asked for the 19th-ranked Dzmitry Asanau, who fought in August and November, and who will likely fight in March or April, to move into the top 15.

Roberto Diaz asked for Francisco Fonseca to take a top-15 spot, up from 27th.

– Super featherweight – Don Majeski said that Jordan White wanted to defend the NABF title.  

There was a motion from the floor for Michael Magnesi, the former silver champion, who was stopped in the 12th by Masanori Rikiishi in Italy in February but returned to defeat Kevin Trana to fight for the silver title in his next fight. The silver belt is to first be contested by Khalil El Hadri and William Vargas.

Eaton appealed for Ryan Garner, 14th but yet to be enrolled into the Clean Boxing Program, to be moved into the top 10, and hoped to have Garner out in March.

Matchroom petitioned for Zelfa Barrett, 20th, to move into the top 15, and said they would petition for Eduardo Hernandez to fight O’Shaquie Foster again.

They also asked for Henry Lebron, 22nd, to get a top-15 rating, and for the fifth-ranked Raymond Ford to be moved above the third-ranked Muhammadkhuja Yaquubov, but both suggestions were denied, and the ratings committee felt that their top five should also be unmoved.

– Featherweight – Eaton, representing Nathaniel Collins and Queensberry Promotions, asked for him to keep his position at third ahead of a big fight in February.

– Junior featherweight – Eaton, again for Queensberry, said he hoped that Dennis McCann, eighth, would move into the top five should he beat Peter McGrail on December 21.

Matchroom asked for McGrail, 34th, to be ranked in the top 15 ahead of his fight with McCann. They also asked for Shabaz Masoud, previously 40th, to move to the top five, from 15, but that request was denied – as was the motion for McGrail to move up. The ratings committee said they will act after McCann-McGrail.

Diaz, representing Jose Sanchez, asked for a chance for him to fight for a vacant belt. Sanchez had recently moved up from 28th to 22nd.

– Bantamweight – The champion Junto Nakatani was present.
Chris Mayer, representing Wasserman after an absence from the sport, and speaking on behalf of Charlie Edwards, said Edwards wants to focus on the WBC title and that they are ready to take whatever they order to make sure Edwards can fight for the WBC title.

Eaton, for Queensberry, said Andrew Cain has an unannounced fight with a top-five opponent, but the ratings committee said they can’t change ratings based on proposed fights. The top five includes Jason Moloney, Edwards, Nasukawa, Takuma Inoue and Juan Francisco Estrada.

– Junior bantamweight – The South African icon Brian Mitchell campaigned to get Ricardo Malajika to, possibly, third. Malajika was recently moved from seventh to fifth. 

Majeski, for Andrew Moloney, thanked the WBC for their rating of second. Moloney on Sunday. Majeski was then presented with a lifetime-achievement award by the WBC for his storied career in boxing.

There was a movement to move Suzumi Takayama up from ninth, and while the ratings committee felt ninth was fair based on the quality of his opposition, Sulaiman said he was happy to move Takayama to seventh.  

– Flyweight – Philippe Fondu asked for the former WBA champion Artem Dalakian to be raised from 15th. Fondu said Dalakian was injured while playing football, and he had an operation and potentially will be back in early February. The ratings committee said that Dalakian’s inactivity could mean him dropping from the rankings altogether if something is not scheduled soon. Dalakian was moved to 11th.
Eaton, representing the British and European champion Jay Harris and Let’s Go Management, asked for a top-10 rating. Harris is 14th. 

A Matchroom representative asked for Angelino Cordova-Yankiel Rivera to be made a final eliminator.

– Light flyweight – Diaz, representing Erik Badillo, said he wanted the opportunity to fight Carlos Canizales for the vacant title, which is being fought over in December, but said that the mandatory obligations of the champion would be discussed later.

– Strawweight – The champion Melvin Jerusalem was present.
Mitchell on behalf of Golden Gloves, campaigned for Beaven Sibunda to move up from 15th after his recent majority decision loss to Siyakholwa Kuse, who is third. Sibunda had dropped one position after the loss, from 14th to 15th, but after Mitchell’s argument it was recommended Sibunda, because of his efforts, was moved up to 13th, meaning Vic Saludar and Jake Amparo dropped to 14th and 15th respectively.