Boxing
Ring Rankings Update: Jaron Ennis Is Now No. 1 in the Welterweight Division, Ranking Cleanup Begins
Jaron Ennis is clearly the number one contender in the welterweight division, behind Ring champion Terence Crawford. Photo: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom
Jaron Ennis On Saturday, he returned to his hometown in triumph, stopping the challenger for the welterweight title David Avanesyan after five rounds played in front of over 14,000 fans at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The expected one-sided performance was more than enough to propel the undefeated 27-year-old ambidextrous fighter from second to first in The Ring magazine’s welterweight rankings, replacing the inactive former titleholder Errol Spence.
This decision was a no-brainer for the Ring Review Panel, but the decision of what to do with the future Hall of Fame inductee Roman Gonzalez led to some discussion. Gonzalez ended a 19-month absence from the ring with a 10th-round knockout of a tough but unannounced Robert Barrera during a huge homecoming celebration in Managua, Nicaragua, on Friday.
Anson Wainwright suggested Gonzalez be reinstated to the junior bantamweight rankings (he had been removed due to inactivity), but most of the panel disagreed with that move for various reasons.
“Gonzalez stopped Barrera in the 10th and final round,” he said Wainwright“The King is back! He could come back at 115, although he’s mentioned moving up to bantamweight. He only weighed 116¾, so should we keep him at 115 for now?”
Adam Abramowitz I didn’t think so.
““I think it’s inappropriate to reintroduce Roman Gonzalez at 115,” he said. “His fight this week was closer to 118 than 115.”
He suggested Michael Montero: “Technically, Chocolatito’s fight was at bantamweight, so we should probably put him in that category.
Added Daisuke Sugiura: “I heard the plan for Choco is to win (Kosei) Tanaka’s WBO title at 115 pounds, not 118, although (plans) are subject to change. So Choco is more of a 115-pound fighter who fought at bantamweight in the comeback fight, but I don’t know what we should do here. Just put him at 118 for now because that’s where he fought, and then change it later?”
Despite my admiration for the four-division champion, Tom Gray disagreed with Gonzalez’s classification in any weight class.
Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. Photo: Jairo Cajina/All Star Boxing
“We have to be careful,” he said. “With the exception of Doug, I’m Chocolatito’s biggest fan. But the kid he just fought is 4-4 in his last eight fights, hasn’t fought anyone in years and has been stopped three times.
“Barrera is also a registered super lightweight and Boxrec rated him 131, so why would we give Choc a bantamweight rating? It smacks of nostalgia for what Roman used to be.
“Let him beat Kosei – which I think he will – and give him a rating when he deserves it.”
Added Abramowitz: “That’s a good comment, Tom.
Added Wainwright“I can imagine Chocolatito coming back at 115 pounds, despite his opponent.”
He replied Gray: “From what I remember, if none of them make it to 115, we don’t rate them 115. Do we ever do that?
“That would be a nostalgic call, mate… Pacquiao-esque. And I get it; Chocolatito is a guy you’d want to wrap up in glory. It’s just not a win that’s going to get you a spot in the rankings.”
Your favorites added Editor in Chief: “As much as I love Chocolatito, I agree with Tom’s argument. Gonzalez is back at bantamweight and fighting a mid-major. That’s not going to make him a 115 or 118. He’s a future Hall of Fame candidate in the first round, but he has to earn his Ring ranking like everyone else.”
Added Abraham Gonzalez: “I agree with Tom and Adam. Let’s hold off on the Chocolatito move for now.”
Added Wasim Mather: “I’m also a fan of Chocolatito, but I support the decision to hold off on this move for now.”
Added Diego Morilla: “For the same reasons Tom and Doug have already expressed, I’d leave Chocolatito aside for now. I’m a huge fan too, but the scale doesn’t lend a hand.”
Completed Jake Donovan: “I agree with most that Chocolatito should not be in either 118 or 115. If Nonito Donaire was #10 instead of #9, I MAYBE would suggest a swap. He’ll be down in two weeks anyway (no activity); then I might consider it, although I’m still not sure Chocolatito will qualify, even though we all love him. I don’t feel comfortable cutting Cuellar to make room for him based on that one win versus what was supposed to be a walkover.”
MANAGEMENT
Abramowitz recently noted that it’s been a LONG time since Jermell Charlo defended his Ring magazine 154-pound title.
““Someone reached out to me and asked me why Jermell Charlo is still our 154-weight champion when he hasn’t defended his title in that weight class in over 18 months,” he said. “What’s our take on that and is he overdue in terms of our championship policy?”
He replied Kind regards: “Hey Adam, time to do some cleaning.
“Jermell Charlo has not defended his Ring 154-pound title since May 2022, so he is in clear violation of our championship policy, which states that a champion will lose his belt if he “does not schedule a fight in his championship weight class for 18 months (even if he fights at a different weight class).”
“I think we should declare the Ring junior middleweight championship vacant. We can put it to a vote if we need to.
“Ra’eese Aleem has been out of action since losing a split decision to Sam Goodman last June, so he has to come down from the junior featherweight rankings. I think Alan Picasso could replace him at #10.
“Both Errol Spence and Nonito Donaire will reach the one-year inactivity threshold on July 29th. Once Spence is removed from P4P, I think we can get back to that Devin Haneyreinstatement to the rankings. I don’t know where he fits back into the top ten, but it’s something we can talk about.”
Jermell Charlo has not fought in the junior middleweight division since becoming the undisputed champion by defeating Brian Castano on May 14, 2022. Photo: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME
Added Gonzalez: “I’m all for the junior middleweight title becoming vacant now. It’s the right time to do it.”
Added Mother: “I fully support the decision to vacate the junior middleweight title. It’s been two years and it’s time to move on.”
Added Wainwright:”I also agree that the junior middleweight title should be vacant.
“A few of my guys have admitted to being inactive (thanks to Brian) and I’ll address that in our Sunday ratings.”
Added Morel: “Yes, the 154-pound title is becoming vacant, no problem.
Added Gray: “Iron Man is rusty. 154th title vacant.”
The Scot spoke.
Wainwright mentioned the names of four Ring category players (including Aleem), about whom the senior editor Brian Harty were identified as exceeding the one-year limit:
Cody Crowley (147) – “Bring Jin Sasaki to number 10.”
Ra’eese Aleem (122) – “Bring Alan Picasso to number 10.”
Israel Gonzalez (115) – Roman Gonzalez will return to the No. 3 position, and David Jimenez will return to the No. 10 position.
Freshmart Knockout (105) – “Signed up for the Alex Winwood fight in September. If that doesn’t work out, throw him out.”
RING RATINGS UPDATE (as of July 13):
JUNIOR AVERAGE – The Ring Championship is now vacant.
WELTERWEIGHT – Ennis moves up to No. 1. Avanesyan drops to No. 8. Cody Crowley exits due to inactivity. Jin Sasaki (17-1-1, 16 KOs) comes in at number 10.
LIGHT – Raymond Muratall remains at No. 6 after winning a unanimous decision over 10 rounds over Tevin Farmer.
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT – Albert Batyrgaziew comes in at number 9 after stopping Jono Carroll in nine rounds.
FEATHERWEIGHT – Ruben Villa is coming off a 10-round decision loss to Sulaiman Segawa. The former 122-pound titleholder Angel Leo (24-1, 11 KOs) comes in at number 10.
JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT – Sam Goodman remains in 4th position after a points victory over Chainoi Worawot in round 12. Ra’eese Aleem exits due to lack of activity. A newborn Mexican, promising Alan Picasso (28-0-1, 16 KOs) comes in at number 10.
JUNIOR BANNER WEIGHT – Israel Gonzalez exits due to inactivity. David Jimenezwho is ranked as a flyweight but who defeated undefeated junior bantamweight title contender John Ramirez by decision in April, enters the ring at number 10.
David Jimenez takes on John “Scrappy” Ramirez. Photo: Cris Esqueda-Golden Boy
“I have no objection to Jimenez competing, considering his win over Scrappy,” he noted Donovan“He seems like a feeble candidate for a double entry (he’s already ranked 6th at 112). I’d feel better if we had some clarity on his next fight (I’ll see what I can find out).
Added Wainwright: “I don’t like the double inclusion, I’m not a fan. However, Jimenez was our number 10, but he left to make room for (Juan Francisco) Estrada, who is coming back up the rankings after losing to Bam. I consulted with Jimenez’s team and they are still working on what’s next and they are open to fighting at 115 and 112.”
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