Check out my rankings within each division by clicking on the links below. If there is a lineal champion in a weight class, he is ranked No. 1.
For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.
Note: Results through August 7. In an effort to provide the most up-to-date rankings, ESPN.com’s division-by-division boxing rankings will be updated every Tuesday.
More Divisional Rankings
Heavyweight – Cruiserweight – Light heavyweight – Super middleweight
Middleweight – Junior middleweight – Welterweight – Junior welterweight
Lightweight – Junior lightweight – Featherweight – Junior featherweight
Bantamweight – Junior bantamweight – Flyweight – Junior flyweight/Strawweight
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION (UP TO 130 POUNDS)
1. Vasyl Lomachenko (9-1)
Lomachenko, the brilliant two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, decimated Roman “Rocky” Martinez in a fifth-round knockout in June 2016, setting the record for fewest fights needed (7) to win titles in two weight classes. In November, Lomachenko, perhaps the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound, made his first defense and dominated and befuddled former featherweight titlist Nicholas Walters. Lomachenko was so utterly dominant that Walters simply quit after the seventh round. Lomachenko returned to HBO on April 8 and laid waste to former titlist Jason Sosa in nine massively one-sided rounds. It was supposed to set the stage for a rematch with Orlando Salido, who handed him his only loss by split decision in 2014, but Salido turned down $720,000. So Lomachenko instead faced Colombian puncher Miguel Marriaga, a two-time featherweight title challenger, on Aug. 5 on ESPN and dominated. Lomachenko dropped him twice and stopped him in the seventh round.
Next: TBA
2. Miguel Berchelt (32-1)
Mexico’s Berchelt dominated Francisco Vargas to win a world title on Jan. 28 in an HBO main event. Berchelt went past the sixth round for the first time as he badly busted up Vargas en route to an 11th-round knockout victory. On July 15, Berchelt made his first defense against mandatory challenger and former titlist Takashi Miura, of Japan, who earned the shot with a win on the Jan. 28 undercard, and won a near-shutout decision in a fight not nearly as competitive as most expected.
Next: TBA
3. Jezreel Corrales (22-1)
In a huge upset, then-interim titlist Corrales, a southpaw from Panama, traveled to Tokyo and scored three knockdowns against long-reigning titleholder Takashi Uchiyama in the second round to win the full title in April 2016. In the December rematch, also in Tokyo, Corrales came away with a split decision victory. Then he signed with Golden Boy Promotions and made his American debut on July 15 on HBO, retaining the belt by very close decision against Robinson Castellanos. Corrales got knocked down twice in the fourth round, dropped Castellanos in the seventh round and won by 10th-round technical decision when the fight was stopped after Castellanos suffered a horrible cut from an accidental head butt. They really need to have a rematch.
Next: TBA
4. Gervonta Davis (18-0)
Davis, a dynamic fighter from Baltimore and a Floyd Mayweather protégé, was very impressive on Jan. 14 when he stepped up in competition and stopped Jose Pedraza in the seventh round of an excellent fight to win a world title. He was equally as impressive in his first defense on May 20, when he was in England, with Mayweather at ringside, and destroyed mandatory challenger Liam Walsh in a third-round knockout victory. His next fight will be on the Mayweather-Conor McGregor Showtime PPV undercard. This kid could be around doing damage for the foreseeable future.
Next: Aug. 26 vs. TBA
5. Orlando Salido (44-13-4)
Mexico’s Salido, a former featherweight and junior lightweight titleholder, has been in numerous fight of the year candidates and become a fan favorite for good reason. In his latest incredible action fight, Salido battled to a draw challenging titleholder Francisco Vargas in June in the 2016 ESPN.com fight of the year. He returned from an 11-month layoff May 27 to knock out late replacement Aristides Perez, of Colombia, in the eighth round, but not before suffering a third-round knockdown. The win set up a possible August rematch with titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko, whom Salido outpointed in a close fight in fight in 2014, but Salido ultimately turned down the fight.
Next: TBA
6. Francisco Vargas (23-1-2)
Vargas — the Mexican Arturo Gatti — won the 2015 fight of the year in an epic comeback knockout of Japan’s Takashi Miura to win a world title and drew with former titlist Orlando Salido in the 2016 fight of the year in his first defense. But both fights were absolutely brutal and Vargas took tremendous punishment. He suffered bad cuts in both fights which came back to haunt him in his second defense on Jan. 28, when he faced countryman Miguel Berchelt in an HBO main event. It was, of course, another action-packed fight, but Berchelt took over in the later rounds after opening terrible cuts around both of Vargas’ eyes. His skin just cannot hold up under the assault and Berchelt won by 11th-round knockout. Vargas is likely going to be out of action for quite awhile.
Next: TBA
7. Robinson Castellanos (24-13)
Mexico’s Castellanos, an upset specialist, pulled a big one in May when he knocked out former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa in the seventh round of a one-sided fight. The win propelled him into a world title shot against Jezreel Corrales on July 15 on HBO. It was a highly competitive fight as Castellanos scored two fourth-round knockdowns and was also dropped in the seventh round. Ultimately, Castellanos lost a very tight 10th-round technical majority decision when it was stopped after Castellanos suffered a bad cut from an accidental head butt. A rematch would be ideal.
Next: TBA
8. Jason Sosa (20-2-4)
Although Sosa was awarded a draw against former featherweight titlist Nicholas Walters in December 2015, virtually everybody had Sosa losing a one-sided fight. However, he got the draw, and that set him up for a shot at secondary titleholder Javier Fortuna on June 24 in Beijing. Sosa, trailing on all three scorecards, rallied for a big upset as he drilled Fortuna in the 11th round. Sosa made his first defense on Nov. 12, traveling to Monte Carlo and outpointing England’s Stephen Smith in a fantastic slugfest. Sosa then gave up his belt to facilitate a fight nobody else seemed to want against outstanding titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko on April 8. However, Sosa, as most predicted, was completely outclassed in a ninth-round knockout loss.
Next: TBA
9. Jose Pedraza (22-1)
Nicknamed “Sniper,” Puerto Rico’s Pedraza rolled to a shutout decision against Russia’s Andrey Klimov to win a vacant belt in June 2015. He did not look nearly as good in his first defense, getting a gift split decision against battle-tested Edner Cherry, though looked much better in a unanimous decision against mandatory challenger Stephen Smith in defense No. 2. But then things went downhill again on Jan. 14 when Pedraza lost the belt to Gervonta Davis by punishing seventh-round knockout on Showtime.
Next: TBA
10. Tevin Farmer (25-4-1)
Philadelphia’s Farmer, a southpaw, has won 18 fights in a row, including victories against former titlist Gamaliel Diaz and Ivan Redkach, since an eight-round knockout loss to former world titlist Jose Pedraza in 2012. Farmer is sidelined while recovering from a gunshot to his hand.
Next: TBA
