Boxing: Haney Welterweight King, Mason Debuts at 135 Pounds

The event “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last Saturday, was not just a fight card; it had significant repercussions in multiple weight categories.

New Champions and Promotions

Abdullah Mason, at 21 years old, won by unanimous decision against Sam Noakes, becoming the youngest current boxing world champion and obtaining the WBO lightweight title. Mason, despite having a skill advantage, had to fight all 12 rounds for the first time in his professional career, demonstrating excellent body work and endurance to overcome an opponent who never gave up. Mason’s victory places him in eighth place in the ranking of his division. Devin Haney climbed to the top of the welterweight rankings by defeating Brian Norman Jr., winning the WBO title with a masterful display of boxing. Haney sent Norman, known for his powerful punching, to the canvas in the second round and controlled the fight, using an effective jab to neutralize his opponent. Norman dropped three places in the rankings, placing fourth after this defeat. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez’s outstanding performance, who defeated Fernando Martinez unifying three super flyweight titles, keeps him firmly in first place, distancing himself from the rest of the competitors. Martinez remains in second place, considering his two victories over Kazuto Ioka, ranked number 3 in the category. David Benavidez’s resounding victory over Anthony Yarde secured his position as number 3 in the light heavyweight division, behind former champion Artur Beterbiev and unified champion Dmitry Bivol. However, Benavidez may not hold that position for long, as he announced his transition to cruiserweight for his next fight, challenging unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on Cinco de Mayo weekend. The main objective of these rankings is to highlight the best boxers in each division. The rankings are updated according to recent results and performances. Boxers who change weight classes will be included in the new division once they have fought in it. Boxers holding titles in two divisions may be ranked in both. Boxers who have not competed in the last 12 months, and who do not have a scheduled fight, will be removed from the rankings until they compete again. Likewise, any boxer who tests positive for performance-enhancing substances will be removed. The boxer may re-enter the rankings after their next fight.

Division Rankings

Here are the updated rankings in each weight category:HEAVYWEIGHT (NO LIMIT)

Oleksandr Usyk retained the heavyweight championship with another decision victory over Tyson Fury in the rematch.

• 1. Oleksandr Usyk
• 2. Tyson Fury
• 3. Daniel Dubois
• 4. Fabio Wardley
• 5. Joseph Parker
• 6. Agit Kabayel
• 7. Filip Hrgovic
• 8. Moses Itauma
• 9. Zhilei Zhang
• 10. Martin Bakole

CRUISERWEIGHT (UP TO 200 POUNDS)

• 1. Jai Opetaia
• 2. Gilberto Ramirez
• 3. Chris Billam-Smith
• 4. Badou Jack
• 5. Norair Mikaeljan
• 6. Aleksei Papin
• 7. Michal Cieslak
• 8. Ryan Rozicki
• 9. Yamil Peralta
• 10. Leonardo Mosquea

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (UP TO 175 POUNDS)

A look at the statistics of Dmitry Bivol’s victory over Artur Beterbiev.

• 1. Dmitry Bivol
• 2. Artur Beterbiev
• 3. David Benavidez
• 4. Callum Smith
• 5. David Morrell Jr.
• 6. Imam Khataev
• 7. Anthony Yarde
• 8. Oleksandr Gvozdyk
• 9. Albert Ramirez
• 10. Joshua Buatsi

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 168 POUNDS)

Teddy Atlas and Timothy Bradley Jr. analyze Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Álvarez.

• 1. Terence Crawford
• 2. Canelo Alvarez
• 3. Diego Pacheco
• 4. Hamzah Sheeraz
• 5. Christian Mbilli
• 6. Lester Martinez
• 7. Jermall Charlo
• 8. Edgar Berlanga
• 9. Jose Armando Resendiz
• 10. Caleb Plant

AVERAGE WEIGHT (UP TO 160 POUNDS)

Janibek Alimkhanuly wins with an impressive knockout of Anauel Ngamissengue in the fifth round.

• 1. Janibek Alimkhanuly
• 2. Carlos Adames
• 3. Conor Benn
• 4. Chris Eubank Jr.
• 5. Anauel Ngamissengue
• 6. Etinosa Oliha
• 7. Fiodor Czerkaszyn
• 8. Yoenli Hernandez
• 9. Troy Isley
• 10. Austin Williams

SUPER WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 154 POUNDS)

Xander Zayas becomes the youngest world champion at 22 years old.

• 1. Vergil Ortiz Jr.
• 2. Sebastian Fundora
• 3. Jaron Ennis
• 4. Xander Zayas
• 5. Israil Madrimov
• 6. Tim Tszyu
• 7. Keith Thurman
• 8. Jesus Ramos Jr.
• 9. Abass Baraou
• 10. Brandon Adams

WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 147 POUNDS)

• 1. Devin Haney
• 2. Mario Barrios
• 3. Brian Norman Jr.
• 4. Manny Pacquiao
• 5. Liam Paro
• 6. Shakhram Giyasov
• 7. Giovani Santillan
• 8. Rolando Romero
• 9. Souleymane Cissokho
• 10. Lewis Crocker

SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 140 POUNDS)

Teofimo López wins by unanimous decision against Steve Claggett in Miami.

• 1. Teofimo Lopez
• 2. Richardson Hitchins
• 3. Subriel Matias
• 4. Alberto Puello
• 5. Gary Antuanne Russell
• 6. Arnold Barboza Jr.
• 7. Sandor Martin
• 8. Andy Hiraoka
• 9. Dalton Smith
• 10. Adam Azim

LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 135 POUNDS)

• 1. Shakur Stevenson
• 2. Gervonta Davis
• 3. Keyshawn Davis
• 4. William Zepeda
• 5. Lamont Roach
• 6. Andy Cruz
• 7. Raymond Muratalla
• 8. Abdullah Mason
• 9. Frank Martin
• 10. Floyd Schofield

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 130 POUNDS)

Emanuel Navarrete wins by technical decision despite the injury.

• 1. Emanuel Navarrete
• 2. Anthony Cacace
• 3. O’Shaquie Foster
• 4. Ray Ford
• 5. Robson Conceicao
• 6. Eduardo Nunez
• 7. Andres Cortes
• 8. Charly Suarez
• 9. James Dickens
• 10. Joe Cordina

FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 126 POUNDS)

Angelo Leo knocks out Venado López.

• 1. Rafael Espinoza
• 2. Nick Ball
• 3. Stephen Fulton
• 4. Angelo Leo
• 5. Bruce Carrington
• 6. Luis Alberto Lopez
• 7. Brandon Figueroa
• 8. Tomoki Kameda
• 9. Robeisy Ramirez
• 10. Mirco Cuello

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT (UP TO 122 POUNDS)

Naoya Inoue, on the left, dominated Murodjon Akhmadaliev in a unanimous decision victory to retain his undisputed super bantamweight championship.