With big time boxing finally back in our lives, the weekly update to the S8C Top 25 divisional rankings returns as well. How does the fallout from Showtime and PBC’s card headlined by a dominate performance by rising star Errol Spence Jr impact them? Read on.
I did it. Errol Spence Jr has been moved up from third to #2 in the welterweight division. This means he passes Danny Garcia. While I must fully acknowledge that he has yet to build the type of resume that Garcia has, in this case I simply believe in his talent. Errol Spence Jr is a special fighter in a way that Danny Garcia just physically can’t be. As good as Garcia is, I don’t think a fight with Spence would end all that well for him. I didn’t penalize #8 Lamont Peterson. That blowout went as expected.
#10 light heavyweight Marcus Browne and #22 heavyweight Adam Kownacki also held their positions as well following their stoppage wins on the Youtube prelims portion of the Showtime card. Neither were in against good enough competition for the wins to really register. Plus, Kownacki struggled a bit early in his fight. Also of note at heavyweight, Andy Ruiz Jr has now been inactive for over a year. He would be removed from the rankings, however he has a fight scheduled against Devin Vargas in March so I granted him an exception.
Making decisions at lightweight was very difficult, much moreso than usual. Robert Easter Jr yet again did not look good, but yet again I chose to keep him at #3. The division is a large group of fighters vying for third place behind Mikey Garcia and Jorge Linares. I moved Javier Fortuna up from eighteenth to #11. Really, everyone from Easter at #3 to Fortuna at #11 now have an argument for the third slot. It is a strange division.
Finally, two more minor notes. European welterweight titleholder Mohamed Mimoune held at #20 at welterweight while rising Mexican prospect Emanuel Navarrete made his debut at super bantamweight at #23.
