IBF ratings: What a load of crap

[Mikkel_K]

Someone on another forum mentioned that Mikkel Kessler is not even rated in the top15 of IBF's new rankings, released January 10th 2008. Positively sure that this was a joke, I decided to take a look at the ratings on IBF's website myself (http://www.ibf-usba-boxing.com/index.php): What a load of crap!

Where to begin?

- Chris Byrd is rated at 10 at Cruiserweight. Probably a fair assessment, but the guy hasnt fought at the weight since 1994.
- They mention Arslan as the WBA cruiser champ, and Maccarinelli as the WBO champ. No mention of Haye...
- Mikkel Kessler is apparently not among the 15 best SMW's in the world. Oh, and no mention of Calzaghe, even if the other alphabet champs are mentioned in all the other weight classes.
- Oh, but no mention of Pavlik either. But hey, at least they tell me Sturm is the WBO champ...
- Joel Lulio is the number 5 at 154. Spell checks, anyone? Aren't you pretending to be a serious organization?
- James Kirkland is the number 6 at 154. And James Kirkland is the number 8 at 154 as well. As they used to say about Zab Judah - wonder which version shows up?
- No mention of Floyd, but mention of Cotto and Williams.
- Julio Diaz is listed as the IBF Lightweight champ of the world. Seriosly: They are even fu***** with their own champs! Also Julio Diaz is mentioned as WBA and WBO champ of the world! Juan Diaz, however, get the consolation prize as the WBC champ! Which, by the way, is the one alphabet belt he _does not have_ in real life.

(At this point I decided not to check any further)

Seriously: How bad can these organizations be?

[leftylee]

The WBO is shite too.

They have Gary Lockett as the mandatory challenger for Kelly Pavlik what a total joke.

[littlebif]

Gary Lockett will get ko'ed bad if that fight happens

[leftylee]

Gary Lockett will get ko'ed bad if that fight happens

I know it makes you laugh just thinking about what a total mismatch that is, for Kelly Pavlik, Gary Lockett is really just a journeyman

[El Gamo]

Absolutely ridiculous.Patheic.Those words sum up the IBF and their rankings nicely. Man,I feel so foolish,I've always been against the RING rankings until recently,when in fact those rankings are FAR FAR better than these paper,micky mouse nonsense title rankings.

[OumaFan]

I just can't seem to get outraged over alphabet rankings.

Not because they're not bad, obviously they are, but because they're so predictably bad.

I don't see how anyone could reasonably expect to look up some of the various rankings and think, hmm, that's well done. I mean they're a joke, they aren't going to change, its just the way they are.

[Mikkel_K]

I just can't seem to get outraged over alphabet rankings.

Not because they're not bad, obviously they are, but because they're so predictably bad.

I don't see how anyone could reasonably expect to look up some of the various rankings and think, hmm, that's well done. I mean they're a joke, they aren't going to change, its just the way they are.

I was actually not that surprised that they were bad. Not the rankings at least - I know that is somewhat to due with money, somewhat to do with the subjectiveness of rankings by definition.

I was more suprised that the official ratings posted on their own website are so filled with misstakes that you could probably point out 50 of them. I have no idea what the IBF-finances look like, but surely paying someone 10$ an hour to do a check-up of the ratings before posting them, would not be too much? I mean, it wouldn't take two hours for me to realize that listing two James Kirkland's might be a mistake or that writing "Anthony peterson" with no nationality listed might be the same. Hell it doesnt even take _any_ boxing knowledge to come up with those two.

With a bit boxing knowledge thrown in, you'd notice that many of the fighters' names are spelled wrong. You might question what Paul Briggs ever did that made him British, why Derry Matthews is from GBR, when Nick (sic!) Cook ranked right behind him is from ENG, or why Carl Froch possesses no nationality whatsoever. Why Enzo Maccarinelli is from WLF and Gavin Rees from WLS could also puzzle you.

My favorite is still listing Juan Diaz as the WBC champ and Julio Diaz as the champ of WBA, WBO and the friggin' IBF themselves. That's actually priceless.

Anyway - my rant was less concerned with the rankings, more with the question: How do they expect anyone to take them seriously, when they obviously care so little themselves? No way this should be happening in a major company/organization etc.

On a more serious note: I noticed that the IBF doesn't rank _any_ Japanese fighters. Does anyone know if there is a reason for this omission, or whether the IBF are just plain useles in this regard as well?