My Boxing Rankings: Super Middleweights

[jnewt]

Super Middleweight

 

1. Canelo Alvarez
   • There’s not much to say about Canelo that hasn’t been said. I don’t think he’s the P4P king and do think that he’s benefited greatly from the judges a couple times, but he’s the clear #1 super middleweight in the world.
2. David Benavidez
   • Benavidez has been a monster through his career, destroying everyone in his path. Just last month he made David Lemieux look like a retiree. I can’t wait to see him challenge Canelo for his belts. But considering Canelo will be fighting GGG this fall, then most likely have the Bivol rematch in the first half of 2023, the best case scenario for a potential Canelo-Benavidez fight seems like late 2023, and even then Charlo, Andrade, and others are going to be looking to fight Canelo too.
3. Caleb Plant
   • Plant just lost his IBF belt to Canelo in his last fight, but with dominating wins against both Caleb Truax and Jose Uzcategui in the recent past, he’s still clearly one of the best fighters at 168.
4. Billy Joe Saunders
   • Saunders also lost his belt to Canelo in his last fight, but with a strong resume including a win over Martin Murray in his second to last fight, Saunders is still near the top of the super middleweight division.
5. Danny Jacobs
   • Jacobs last fight ended in a split decision loss to John Ryder - a fight that Jacobs probably deserved to win. He’s been a mainstay in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions for years, giving both Maciej Sulecki and Sergy Derevyanchenko their first losses. He also managed to make Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. quit on the stool and is one of five men to step into a boxing ring with Gennady Golovkin and not get knocked out. Jacobs has fought anyone willing to step into the ring with him and I’d love to see him fight Plant or Saunders if they’ll give him the chance.
6. Anthony Dirrell
   • Dirrell is another name that’s been a mainstay in boxing for years. He’s only lost once since his 2015 loss to Badou Jack, and it was to David Benavidez. He's not going to win another belt, but he can still give the younger guys a run for their money.
7. Edgar Berlanga
   • After his last fight, in which he tried to bite his opponent’s ear ala Mike Tyson, Berlanga is 20-0, with his first 16 fights ending by KO in the 1st round(!). Berlanga hasn’t fought any great fighters yet, but he has fought some quality competition and is definitely a name to watch.
8. Lerrone Richards
   • Richards is 16-0; interestingly though, he only has three KOs - a very low number for a super middleweight. He beat previously undefeated Carlos Gongora in his last fight, in a close split decision. Outside of Gongora, though, he hasn’t really fought any known names, and is yet to fight outside of the U.K.
9. David Lemieux
   • Lemieux has been one of the biggest names at 160 and 168 for years, but he looked like a shell of his former self against David Benavidez in his last fight. He’s only 33, but looks like he’s probably well past his prime.
10. Zach Parker
    • Rounding out the top 10 is Zach Parker. Parker is 22-0 with 16 KOs, but hasn’t fought many big names, hence his low ranking here. He just had his fight with Demetrius Andrade cancelled, but if it gets rescheduled, he’ll have a chance to add a big name to his resume.