Thanks to the alphabet gang (boxing’s horrendous hodgepodge of sanctioning bodies), it’s hard for the everyman to tell who’s who in the world of boxing. Indeed, not having a singular universally recognized champion probably hurts the sport more than any other factor.
To that end, something new is taking the boxing world by storm. It’s called the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. Per the website:
The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board was formed in October 2012 as a not-for-profit initiative to provide boxing with authoritative top-ten rankings, identify the singular world champion of every division by strict reasoning and common sense, and to insist on the sport’s reform. Board membership includes thirty respected boxing journalists and record keepers from around the world who are uncompromised by so-called sanctioning bodies and promoters.
The TBRB rankings system, based in large part on common sense critiques of Ring Magazine’s ratings and championship policy (in fact, the three founders were former rankings panelists who resigned in protest of ever-changing criteria), has been embraced by much of the boxing community.
(Disclosure—I have been a member of the board since its inception.)
Endorsements to date include TheSweetScience.com, EastSideBoxing.com, Queensberry-Rules.com and a slew of other well-established media outlets. Moreover, the effort has been endorsed twice on ESPN airways by Teddy Atlas, most recently on last Friday’s season finale telecast.
From straw to heavy, here are the 16 best boxers in the world today according to the TBRBthe top man in each weight class.
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