State of the Boxing Union Part I: The Welterweight Division

There are several divisions in boxing that are getting hot, and the welterweights are no exception. The division’s possible rise back to prominence was evident by the fact that two of the four ESPN pay-per-view televised fights this past Saturday featured three legitimate top ten welterweights in action, with the outcomes weighing significantly on the division’s rankings. With this in mind, it got me to thinking: who are the top ten welterweights right now? I decided to compile my list of the division’s elite fighters, with activity level, and quality of opposition being the main factors in my rankings. This division surely has some great potential match-ups, and here are, in my humble opinion, the top ten welterweights in the world.

1. Antonio Margarito (WBO Champion): The Tijuana, Mexico native has had an impressive run over the past five years and holds wins over Antonio Diaz, Andrew Lewis, Sebastian Lujan, Danny Perez, and Kermit Cintron. He has also been one of the most avoided welterweights in the division. Antonio’s deadly combination of boxing skills, heavy hands, experience, mental toughness, and a solid chin make him the man to beat in this division. Include his solid work ethic, clean lifestyle, and strong family support, and you have a complete fighter that is ready to break out and become a true superstar in boxing.

2. Zab “Super” Judah (Unified champion/Ring Magazine Welterweight champion): I’m never been one to rate someone high because of one victory over a top guy. But when you beat the man, who beat the man, who beat the man, and you have a solid resume which includes wins over Omar Weis, DeMarcus Corley, Junior Witter, and former unified champion Cory Spinks, and your only losses are to Kostya Tszyu, and Cory Spinks, then you belong at the top. Judah is the most naturally gifted fighter in the division right now. The only questions that remain are his commitment to training properly, his mental toughness, and his ability to take a punch. Love him or hate him, “Super” Judah is fun to watch.

3. Cory Spinks (former unified welterweight champion): Losing to the number two guy on the list is not a bad thing as Spinks is still a very formidable foe that, on his best night, can out-box, and outmaneuver any of the welterweights on this list. That is why, now that he does not have any belts, he will probably go back to being avoided by all of the top guys. His biggest deficiency is a lack of any real power to keep bigger fighters off him. Still, Cory has the pedigree and talent to rise to the top of the division if he ever receives that opportunity again.

4. Manuel “Shotgun” Gomez: If you are not one of the privileged that gets Telefutura as part of your network channels package, then you have been missing this exciting Mexican welterweight in action. Gomez, like Cosme Rivera, has a less than stellar record, which reads 27-10-1 with 19 KOs. The thing with “Shotgun” is that he has faced the likes of “Sugar” Shane Mosley (former three division world champion), Diobelys Hurtado (former WBA welterweight champion), Jesse James Leija (former lightweight champion), Rogelio Tuur (former lightweight champion), and has recently beaten the likes of Miguel Angel Gonzalez (former lightweight champion), Kofi Jantuah (challenged for the super welterweight title in 2004), Jeff Hill, and prospect Ian MacKillop of Canada. He is also undefeated in the past three years and is currently ranked by The Ring Magazine and the WBC. His deceiving record, solid boxing skills, very heavy hands, and a solid chin have lead to all of the top fighters avoiding this rugged Mexican warrior. Manuel is another fighter that learned on the job and took several of his first twenty-seven fights on short notice; contributing to his ten losses. Gomez hopes that 2005 is the year of the “Shotgun.”

5. Cosme Rivera: Within the past five years, this veteran has faced top competition and beaten the likes of Golden Johnson, Wilfredo Negron, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, James Hare, and Hercules Kyvelos to earn a shot at Zab “Super” Judah, scheduled for May 14, 2005 on the under-card of the Trinidad-Wright fight. His record may not be sparkling at 27-7-2 with 19 KOs, but that is because Rivera, in the true custom of Mexican fighters from the streets, has taken several fights on short notice, and learned his craft by fighting professionally. He has shown marked improvement with every fight, and is currently on a six-fight undefeated streak. He has his hands full with Judah, but has earned his shot the old fashion way: by fighting.

6. Kermit “The Killer” Cintron: Losing to the number one guy on the list does not make you a bum, but it’s the way Cintron lost that brings up serious questions about his actual ability to compete with the top welterweights. Throw in the fact that he had a mental meltdown, and his future as a competitive fighter is in serious jeopardy. Having said that, “The Killer” still has all the raw tools to make a solid comeback, and has faced decent fighters, although the top ones have been blown-up junior welterweights. If Cintron can rebuild himself mentally, and understand that he needs to be better tested before he takes on a guy like Margarito, he may be a force in the division.

7. Thomas Damgaard: The Dane is one of the true dark horses of the division. His level of opposition has been carefully selected, but he has shown a lot of potential and has taken care of business every time he has stepped into the ring, as he is the only undefeated fighter on this list. I would have rated Damgaard above Cintron, but his lack of facing a true world-class opponent, and long stretches of inactivity have cost “Lion Heart” a higher ranking in my humble opinion. There is a saying in the sport that goes, “show me an undefeated fighter, and I’ll show you a fighter that has not fought anyone yet.” In this case, that saying is true. Still, the Dane is not without skills, and seems to be one significant fight away from being a player in the division.

8. Jawaid Khaliq: This British contender is much in the same mold of Damgaard, as he is another guy that has compiled a respectable record against limited opposition. Khaliq has also shown the kind of skills that leads one to believe that he can compete at the highest level of the division, but, as with Damgaard, his ranking is hindered because of his lack of quality opposition, and inactivity.

9. Luis Collazo: The New York based pugilist shocked the boxing world by taking the fight on short notice, and defeating the respected Jose Antonio Rivera in convincing fashion for the WBA welterweight title. He showed a lot of skills and seems to be well on his way to competing with the higher echelon fighters on my list. Collazo still has a way to go though, and needs to notch another victory against a top fifteen type guy, like David Estrada, before stepping up to the top five. Only time will tell if Luis can continue to win and stake a claim as a top fighter in the division.

10. “Sugar” Shane Mosley: This one may make some of you scratch your heads, but just hear me out before you send me hate e-mails. When you always fight quality guys, you are bound to lose, and for the past three to four years, “Sugar” has been fighting nothing but quality as he has taken on the likes of Oscar de la Hoya, Ronald Wright, Raul Marquez, and Vernon Forrest. His first return bout at welterweight was no sure thing either as, though limited, David Estrada was a true recognized top-ten welterweight. Although Mosley failed to completely impress, he still showed some good speed and power as he won a deserved ten-round unanimous decision over the game Estrada. Only time will tell if having had a recent carousel of trainers, being in tough fights for literally years now, and having to remove muscle to make weight, will take it’s toll and reduce “Sugar” Shane to gatekeeper status for the division.

Well fight fanatics, there are my two-cents on the welterweight division and how the fighter’s ratings should stand. It is just my humble opinion, but I think I have made a solid case as to why each fighter stands where he does. If you don’t agree with me, then compile your own list and e-mail it to me. I would love to hear what the greatest fans in the world think of who the top guys should be.

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com