Ring Ratings Update: Gervonta Davis advances to No. 1 at lightweight, No. 7 in the P4P

[Editor’s note: The NYSAC’s recent suspension of Ryan Garcia and ruling to change his majority decision victory over Devin Haney to a No Contest will be addressed in next week’s Ring Ratings Update. The Panel had already voted to re-instate Haney in the pound-for-pound top 10 upon a “NC-ND” commission ruling, where he lands will be determined.]

Gervonta Davis’ latest ring performance impressed the Ring Ratings Panel enough to move him from No. 2 to No. 1 in the lightweight rankings and from No. 8 to No. 7 in the pound-for-pound top 10.

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) knocked out Frank Martin, The Ring’s No. 5-rated lightweight, in the eighth round of their June 15 showdown in Las Vegas, handing the first defeat to his fellow southpaw. 

“Davis scored an impressive KO over the previously unbeaten Martin to retain his WBA title,” said Anson Wainwright. “I could see Davis taking over the No. 1 spot but am happy for him to stay at No. 2. Martin should drop to No. 7.”

Adam Abramowitz suggested Davis’ pound-for-pound advancement.

“I would move Davis up one place to No. 7,” he said. 

Photo by Esther Lin / PBC

Jake Donovan agreed with both suggestions.

“I get the temptation for no move, but Tank certainly looked to me like the best lightweight in the world,” noted Donovan. “I’d move him to No. 1. Agree on Martin to 7.

“(And I) agree with Adam on elevating Tank (in the P4P). 

Michael Montero didn’t agree with Tank’s lightweight promotion but was OK with the pound-for-pound advancement.

“I can’t really justify moving Tank to No. 1 (at lightweight) when he’s yet to face an elite opponent; he was a 7:1 favorite over Martin,” noted Montero. “I’d leave him at No. 2 for now. Martin should drop to No. 8. 

“(Regarding the P4P), for me it’s Usyk, Inoue, Crawford, and the field; 4-10 are pretty interchangeable at the moment. I have no issues switching Tank and Spence.  IMO, Spence shouldn’t even be on the list at all.”

Your favorite Editor-In-Chief had the opposite opinion, OKing the lightweight advancement, but not the pound-for-pound move.

“Yes, on Davis going to No. 1 at lightweight, no on Davis moving up a spot on the P4P. Knocking out Martin is the kind of victory that should advance Tank in his own weight class, not among the best in the sport. Martin is a very solid, top-five lightweight contender, but he’s not an elite-level boxer, or a world titleholder, or a decorated veteran.”

Wainwright added this reasoning for advancing Tank in the P4P rankings:

“Only reason I’d move Gervonta Davis up pound-for-pound is to drop (Errol) Spence back a place,” he said. 

Added Abramowitz: “Which I think is a very good reason in addition to Tank’s performance.”

Ye ole EIC didn’t agree with that reasoning:

“I don’t think that’s the right reason to advance a fighter in the P4P rankings. I know there’s a lot of public pressure for us to drop Spence out of the P4P, but we didn’t do that following his loss to (Terence) Crawford and nothing has changed since. It sucks that elite boxers are so inactive, and it sucks that fans become bored and impetuous and attack fighters like Spence before they can prove whether they still belong or not in the ring. If we really want Spence out, we’ll have the opportunity to drop him due to inactivity at the end of July. I know he’s supposed to return in October or November vs. Sebastian Fundora, but if there’s no specific date by then, I think Spence can exit.”

Abramowitz clarified his position:

“I didn’t say to remove him. But I’ll pick the guy one spot below him who looks absolutely in form, which is not how Spence looked last fight. A one-spot drop is not a removal.”

Tom Gray weighed in on pound-for-pound debate:

“This was Martin’s first time at the elite level, but what impressed me with Tank was his performance level. I used to think Tank lucked out in these late round stoppages, but there’s no luck involved. Over time, he’s able to tap into a fight’s flaws and then exploit them ruthlessly. In the lead up to doing this, he’s draining opponents of energy by applying pressure with his feet (similar to Usyk and Loma) and that’s a pound-for-pound quality. I know Tank took a few digs, but I was really impressed with the way he took out our No. 5-rated lightweight. I’d probably go with the one-spot jump.

“I’ve always supported Spence to remain (and he should, for now), but it’s natural for him to drop through attrition when he’s this inactive.”

Gervonta Davis catches Frank Martin with a right during their WBA 135-pound title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Added Abraham Gonzalez:

“Pound for pound, I wouldn’t be opposed to having Tank swap with Spence for that slot. Spence could end up getting swapped again in two weeks if Bam (Jess Rodriguez) comes out victorious.

“Tank should be No. 1 at lightweight and if he fights Loma at the end of the year, it can be for the (vacant) Ring title.”

Daisuke Sugiura had the final word:

“I’m good with Tank to be No.1 at the lightweight ranking and move up one spot in the P4P. 

“I’d like to keep Spence in the P4P until July, one year since his last fight, and just remove him if his next fight is not announced officially then.” 

In other ratings news, junior middleweight standout Xander Zayas and The Ring’s 2023 Prospect of the Year Bruce Carrington, who is quickly making his mark in the featherweight division, co-headlined a show in Madison Square Garden Theater on June 8. Zayas (19-0, 12 KOs) nearly shut-out former beltholder Patrick Teixeira over 10 rounds, while Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs) scored an eighth-round stoppage of late-sub Brayan De Gracia. The panel agreed that both are getting close to a Ring ranking, but are not quite there. 

Former cruiserweight titleholder Yuniel Dorticos ended an 18-month hiatus with a first-round TKO of Alan Campa, however that was not enough to get the veteran back in the 200-pound top 10.

And the heavyweight and junior welterweight divisions received major updates following the outcomes the Zhilei Zhang-Deontay Wilder, Daniel Dubois-Filip Hrgovic, Jack Catterall-Josh Taylor, Liam Paro-Subriel Matias, and Alberto Puello-Gary Antuanne Russell bouts.

Let’s find out where the pieces fell and get to all of the ratings updates that were made from May 25 to June15.

RING RATINGS UPDATE (as of June 15):

POUND FOR POUND – Davis advances to No. 7.

HEAVYWEIGHT – Zhilei Zhang advances to No. 4 after scoring a fifth-round stoppage of Deontay Wilder, who exits after nearly 10 years in the rankings. Daniel Dubois advances to No. 6 after scoring an eighth-round TKO of Filip Hrgovic, who drops to No. 9. Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs), coming off a hard-fought split decision over Guido Vianello in April, enters at No. 10.

CRUISERWEIGHT – Chris Billam-Smith remains at No. 1 after scoring a unanimous decision over Richard Riakporhe, who drops to No. 6. Alexsei Papin advances to No. 6 (and later pushed to No. 5 by Riakporhe’s demotion) following a second-round KO of Isaac Chilemba. Lawrence Okolie, now campaigning at heavyweight (or “Bridgerweight,” according to the WBC) exits. Yamil Peralta (17-1, 9 KOs), who scored a split decision over former beltholder Thabiso Mchunu in March, enters at No. 10.

“Alexsei Papin stopped Isaac Chilemba in two rounds,” noted Wainwright. “I think we keep him where he is for now…Lawrence Okolie is now at bridgerweight so can come out. I would go with Yamil Peralta, who scored a nice road win in South Africa earlier this year and was very unlucky not to beat Ryan Rosicki when they fought.”

Suggested Donovan:

“With Okolie coming out, I am good with Peralta at No. 10. 

“SUGGESTION (though I fully expect it to get rejected):

“I know that Isaac Chilemba is a super middleweight and shot to pieces, but I feel like Aleksei Papin should go in ahead of Goulamirian. I suggest this ONLY because Goulamirian will otherwise advance one spot, despite coming off a clear loss to Zurdo and having won just one fight in five years. With Okolie’s exit, a radical bump for Papin will allow Goulamirian (No. 7), Michal Cieslak (No. 8) and Ryan Rozicki (No. 9) to hold place and Peralta to come in at 10.”

The majority of the panel agreed with Donovan’s suggestion.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT – David Benavidez enters at No. 3 off of his unanimous decision over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who drops to No. 8. Dan Azeez drops to No. 10 after struggling to an eight-round draw against inexperienced Hrvoje Sep. Dmitry Bivol remains at No. 2 after scoring a sixth-round TKO of Malik Zinad, who exits the rankings. Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 KOs), fresh off a unanimous decision over Criag Richards, enters at No. 9.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT – Benavidez remains at No. 1. Christian Mbilli remains at No. 2 following a first-round KO of Mark Heffron. Osleys Iglesias advances to No. 5 after a first-round KO of Evgeny Shvedenko. Caleb Plant exits due to inactivity. Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) enters at No. 10.

“Caleb Plant has not fought since March 2023,” noted Donovan. “His name is merely attached to loose rumors but has nothing lined up and his team even rejected (without his knowledge) the chance to fight on the Diaz-Masvidal card. William Scull, Pavel Silyagin and Bektemir Melikuziev are potential replacements.”

Added Abramowitz: “I agree with removing Plant at 168. I would vote for Scull to come in.”

Gonzalez agreed with Scull entering the rankings. The EIC did not:

“I prefer Bektemir Melikuziev ahead of Scull, who hasn’t faced any recognizable names (unless you count Evgeny Shvedenko), hasn’t been terribly active (one bout in 2023), and for whatever reason has fought at the six- and eight-round level for his last three bouts. I get from Scull’s management’s POV that his No. 1 rating in the IBF has to be protected, but that’s not something I value as a member of the Ring Ratings Panel.”

Added Montero: “Remove Plant, bump our current 4-10 up one spot, add Melikuziev at No. 10.”

Added Donovan: “I’m good on Melikuziev going in at 10. I think Scull has the best singular win out of any potential candidates but also get the argument about ratings squatting (although it worked since Canelo was ordered to face him next).  

Wainwright, who was also good with Melikuziev entering, brought up Benavidez’s removal from the super middleweight rankings.

“Benavidez should come out (now that he’s fought at light heavyweight),” he said. “Kevin Lele Sadjo won a 12-round unanimous decision over Durvel Palacio. Sadjo could enter at No. 10. Or do we keep Benavidez for now?

Abramowitz suggested keeping Benavidez ranked in both divisions. 

Donovan agreed: “Keep Benavídez, one for weak choices to enter top 10; also, he specified he’d return to 168 for a Canelo fight. I’d wait until a second straight fight at 175 before we remove him.”

The majority of the panel agreed with ranking Benavidez at super middleweight and light heavyweight for now.

MIDDLEWEIGHT – Carlos Adames remains at No. 2 following his unanimous decision over Terrell Gausha. Hamzah Sheeraz advances to No. 3 after scoring an 11-round stoppage of Austin Williams, who exits the rankings. Elijah Garcia exits the rankings after being upset by Kyrone Davis, who enters at No. 10. 

“Elijah Garcia had weight issues and was surprisingly beaten by gatekeeper Kyrone Davis by 10-round split decision,” noted Wainwright. “Davis to enter at No. 9 and Garcia to drop to No. 10 (though you wonder if he’ll fight at middleweight again).”

Countered Abramowitz: “I’d bring in Davis at 10 and drop Garcia.”

Added Donovan: “I agree with Adam. Kyrone at 10; García OUT. Even if Garcia won, it was his second straight camp where he miserably failed to make 160.”

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT – Michel Soro remains at No. 9 after scoring a second-round KO of Oziel Santoyo.

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT – Liam Paro enters at No. 3 off his upset unanimous decision over Subriel Matias, who drops to No. 6. Alberto Puello re-enters at No. 5 after scoring a split decision over Gary Antuanne Russell, who drops to No. 10. Jack Catterall advances to No. 4 after scoring a rematch unanimous decision over Josh Taylor, who drops to No. 5.

Liam Paro takes it to Subriel Matias during their fight in Manati, Puerto Rico. Photo: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

“I’d take Paro to No. 2,” suggested Gray. “(Jose) Ramirez has had three fights in the three years since he lost to (Josh) Taylor and the only one he impressed me in was (Richard) Commey. Paro just knocked off the division bogeyman in Puerto Rico in front of Felix Trinidad. I think the kid deserves to take Matias’s place.”

There was some debate on whether Josh Taylor should drop below Jose Ramirez, who he outpointed in 2021.

Noted Donovan: “I’d normally honor a head-to-head matchup in keeping one fighter ranked above another. But Taylor has realistically lost three straight after beating Ramirez, who has won three in a row since then (even if versus faded opp).”

Retorted Abramowitz: “I just can’t put Ramirez over Taylor, at least not yet. Taylor decisively beat Ramirez. And yes, the American has won a few in a row while Taylor has arguably lost three in a row. But he’s fought much better opposition and all three fights were close.  I would go… C: Teo, 1: Haney, 2: Matias, 3: Catterall, 4: Taylor, 5: Ramirez.”

Replied Anson: “I’d prefer 3. Catterall, 4. Taylor, 5. Ramirez. I totally get what was said about Taylor’s form dropping off a cliff. However, Ramirez was off 13-months didn’t look great against Commeny before the hiatus and struggled with Barthelemy and looked to me like he’s ready for the taking.”

Added Sugiura: “I would go with Catterall (3), Ramirez (4) and Taylor (5).”

LIGHTWEIGHT – Davis advances to No. 1. Martin drops to No. 7.

FEATHERWEIGHT – Nick Ball remains at No. 4 after scoring a split-decision over Raymond Ford, who remains at No. 7. 

“Ball edged Ford by 12-round split decision in a cracking fight,” noted Wainwright. “I think we have each guy correctly ranked. Could also see Ball jumping up one place on the win. I think we keep Ford where he is, it was so close and he’s going to 130 by the sounds of it.”

Added Gray: “I actually thought Ford beat Ball, BUT there are enough people disagreeing with me. With that being the case, I like Anson’s ratings.”

Added Gonzalez: “No movement on Ball as the fight was close. It could have been a draw. Once Ford fights at 130, we can take him out. 

Added the EIC: “I would move Ball to No. 3. I thought he edged Vargas. He’s had tremendous back-to-back performances vs. top opposition.”

Added Wasim Mather: “I’m good with Ball remaining at No. 4. The fight was close, but don’t mind moving him to No. 3 and taking Rey Vargas’ spot.”

Bruce Carrington, here blasting Brayan De Gracia, is on the cusp of a featherweight ranking. (Photo by Mikey Williams-Top Rank)

“Carrington was very poised and impressively stopped DeGracia in eight rounds,” noted Wainwright. “I could definitely see Shu Shu getting a ranking but it’s a very strong division. Do we put him in at say No. 10 or hold for the time being? I’m on the fence.”

Suggested Abramowitz: “I don’t think Carrington breaks our top 10 yet. The talent is there but he needs the opponents.”

The EIC, Montero and Donovan agreed with Adam’s suggestions.

“At best, Carrington can enter top 10 when the next contender officially moves up to 130 (Wood, Ford and Warrington all likely to do so by next fight),” said Donovan. “Until then, time to step up the competition.”

BANTAMWEIGHT – David Cuellar re-enters at No. 10 after a 10-round decision over Jose Velasquez.

STRAWWEIGHT – Oscar Collazo remains at No. 2 after scoring a unanimous decision over Gerardo Zapata.

Email Fischer at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter and IG at @dougiefischer, and join him, Tom Loeffler, Coach Schwartz and friends via Tom’s or Doug’s IG Live most Sundays.

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