April 2024 Updates
Flyweight
Gabriela Alaniz defeated Marlen Esparza on April 27th via 10-round split-decision, to become The Woman who beat The Woman, taking the Lineal Championship crown. There was controversy at the weigh-in as Esparza failed to make the 112lb limit and instead tipped the scales at 114lb. Alaniz (111 1/4lb) agreed to still fight. The WBA/WBO/WBC/Ring belts became vacant due to Esparza missing weight and were only on the line for Alaniz.
Hypothetically, after Esparza had missed weight, if the fight had been rescheduled for the following month, with both fighters then successfully making weight for the new date, it may have made sense to keep recognising Esparza as the reigning Lineal Champion, and not strip her.
In the perfect world, both fighters should always weigh within their division’s official weight class range for a fight to be classed as a championship fight.
But this is boxing.
A notable flyweight weigh-in fiasco was on June 29, 1938, when flyweight king, Benny Lynch, lost his title on the scales when he failed to make the 112lb limit, meaning Lynch/Jurich was regarded as a non-title bout - there were no reports that Jurich would be champion if he beat the 118lb Lynch. As it happened, Lynch won by 12th-round KO and then in September 1938 Peter Kane beat Jurich to win the vacant crown (and vacant Ring belt).
Regarding whether a contender should be able to win the true divisional championship from a champion who has failed to make weight, boxing historian,Cliff Rold commented (April 27th, 2024, on X/social media):
“Historical precedent says answer should be yes on Ring and/or lineal. See Pacquiao-Singsurat, Casa-Corrales.”
Manny Pacquiao was one pound over the flyweight limit when he lost by third-round TKO to Boonsai Singsurat; a fight in which Pacquiao is widely accepted as having lost the lineal crown (including on Lineal Boxing Champion’s list of flyweight champions). His WBC belt had become vacant after missing weight; heading into the fight the agreement was that a victory for Singsurat would win him the WBC belt, but a victory for Pacquiao and the WBC belt would remain vacant.
More recently, Shakur Stevenson lost his sanctioning body titles and his Ring belt on the scales when he was unable to make 130lb in his championship fight against Robson Conceicao. Robson lost, but in the event he had been victorious, he would have won the vacant sanctioning body belts and vacant Ring belt, too.
Ultimately, an element of subjectivity is necessary when assessing issues of missed weight and lineal championship abdications; the circumstances of each individual case should be considered before making a decision.
Alaniz is now the 112lb Lineal Champion. Esparza drops to the position of #1 contender, meaning Kenia Enriquez falls to #2. Lourdes Juarez enters at #5.
Lightweight
Beatriz Ferreira moves to #1, after defeating Lescano by round-6 technical decision for the vacant IBF belt on April 27. Caroline Dubois - who turned down an ordered fight with Beatriz Ferreira for the vacant IBF lightweight title - is at #2. Erica Farias and Lescano exit the ratings. Dixon, after outpointing Karen Carabajal on April 13th to win the vacant WBO belt, moves to #4. Jessica Camara enters at #5, following her win over 21-0-1 Hyun Choi on April 27th.
P4P Ratings
Esparza exits, Gabriela enters at #10, Thorslund rises to #8 and Plata rises to #9.
Ratings Panel
David Avila: 2019 Inductee IWBHF. Journalist at The Sweet Science. California, USA. @AvilaBoxing
Daniel Yanofsky: Boxing journalist for The Sporting News. New York, USA. @DanYanofsky
Ireneusz Fryszkowski: Boxing Journalist. Poland. @RingBlogpl
Julian Haramoure: Boxing journalist, including articles for Argentina Amateur Deporte and ElRoundFinal.com. Argentina. @JulianFunky
Yuriko Miyata: Boxing journalist, including articles for The Ring and ThePrizeFighters.com. Japan. @Yuriyuri0803
GM Ross: Boxing journalist. Host of Pugilistically Inclined podcast. Canada. @CanadianBoxiana
Blanca Gutierrez: Creator of Beautiful Brawlers. 2019 Inductee IWBHF. 2018 Inductee WCBHOF. USA. @bbrawlersboxing
Inaky Arzate: Boxing journalist, including articles for TUDN. Mexico. @inaky_arzate
Benjamin Thomas Watt: BoxRec editor and boxing judge. New Zealand. @Bennyaha
Adam McMeeking: Member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and Editor of LinealBoxingChampion.com. United Kingdom. @TripleJabBoxing