LinealBoxingChampion.com: The Record Keeper of Boxing's Lineal Title

UPDATES

* The Lineal Boxing Champion monthly ratings are produced by an international panel of 10 boxing analysts. Boxers are ranked according to ability and accomplishments in their respective weight classes. Fighters may be removed if they have been inactive for over 18 months and still have no fights scheduled.

Strawweight

Valle moves to #2 following her 10-round shut-out victory over Thi Nguyen on September 8th. Rupprecht falls to #3. Nguyen flaas to #5, switching places with Gutierrez.

Junior Bantamweight

Asley Macias caused a shock in Mexico on October 1st, outpointing Lourdes Juarez. Macias enters our ratings at #2. Juarez falls to #3 and Lujan takes the #1 spot. Fernandez and Chavez each drop a place and Ozawa exits.

Gabriela Alaniz defeated Debora Rangifo by 9th round TKO on September 24th, moves from #5 to #4 in the ratings. Calvo falls to #5.

Junior Featherweight

Jackie Nava (ranked #1) announced her retirement from boxing after beating Gloria Yancaqueo on October 1st, therefore exits our ratings. Rivas, mercado, Lefebvre and Johnson each move up a place. Ellie Scotney enters at #5.

Lightweight

Terri Harper (#5) exits the Lightweight ratings following WBA title winning fight over Hannah Rankin, at 154lbs. Maira Moneo enters at #5.

Junior Middleweight

There has been a big shake-up at 154lbs after several significant fights took place over the last few weeks. Harper put on a dominating performance to outscore Rankin over 10 rounds and take her WBA belt. Jonas emphatically outpointed Berghult, taking her WBC belt and Spencer blitzed Cynthia Lozano in 1 round – the same Lozano, that last December, Dicaire stopped in 7 rounds to win the vacant IBF title. Jonas and Harper have moved to the top two spots, with Dicaire falling to #3 and Berghult falling to #5. Spencer climbs to #4. Rankin exits the ratings. On September 29th, Diego Morilla wrote an article for The Ring entitled, “Women’s Ratings Update: Serrano Lifts Ring Belt at 126lbs, Shields Vacates and Harper Breaks in at 154.” At 8:30pm on September 29th, Shields Tweeted: “I DIDN’T VACATE NOTHING! What the hell y’all talking about?” At 8:38pm, she added: “…after I beat Marshall I have no problem going back to 154 and giving the new champs smoke.” Quite simply, Shields has not vacated her Lineal Championship at 154lbs and she is happy to return to 154lbs to take on new challengers if she beats Marshall (in what is a defence of her Lineal Middleweight Championship). Shields is STILL the reigning Lineal Champion at 154lbs.

Heavyweight

Danielle Perkins exits due to over 18 months inactivity. Castillo and Daniels each move up a place. Sequita Hemingway, due to have a rematch with Daniels on November 25th, enters at #4.

Ratings Panel

David Avila: 2019 Inductee IWBHF. Journalist at The Sweet Science. California, USA. @AvilaBoxing

Anthony Cocks: Journalist for Max Boxing, and previous contributions for Boxing Monthly. Australia. @el_pollo_loco

Daniel Yanofsky: Boxing journalist, including articles for The Sporting News and The Scrap. New York/Florida, 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. @punchingprof

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

Adam McMeeking: Member of the International Boxing Research Organisation, and Editor of LinealBoxingChampion.com. United Kingdom. @LinealBoxChamp

UPDATES

* The Lineal Boxing Champion monthly ratings are produced by an international panel of 10 boxing analysts. Boxers are ranked according to ability and accomplishments in their respective weight classes.

Atomweight:

Mika Iwakawa won the IBF belt via a unanimous decision over Ayaka Miyao on September 1 – this, along with her solid 5-1 record over the last five years (splitting close fights with Suzuki and beating Ikeyama), means she rises to #2 In our ratings. Yuko Kuroki has been a little erratic in her performances over the last five years (going 3-3-1), but her impressive win over Nanae Suzuki on September 1, means she enters our ratings at #3. Eri Matsuda drops from #5, out of the ratings. Suzuki and Miyao fall to #4 and #5 respectively.

Flyweight:

#2 ranked Ibeth Silva exits due to inactivity. Mucino, Enrriquez and Clavo each move up a place, making way for 13-0, Gabriela Alaniz at #5.

Junior Welterweight:

Sandy Ryan’s unanimous decision victory over unranked Erica Farias on August 6th, 2022, moves her to #5 in the Junior Welterweight ratings – for Ryan, this avenged her March 2022 loss to the Argentinian. Veteran, Farias, has now won just one fight over the last four years, going 1-4 in this period. Diana Prazak’s, who hasn’t fought since her narrow loss to Kali Reis in August last year, exits the ratings.

Featherweight:

On September 24th, Amanda (WBC/WBO) takes on Sarah Mahfound (IBF) in a Featherweight unification fight. From when our monthly ratings began in April 2019, for the next two years, Jelena Mrdjenovich was in the top two of our Featherweight ratings. In September 2019, Amanda Serrano defeated #1 ranked Featherweight, Heather Hardy, and in April 2021, Erika Cruz Hernandez defeated #2 ranked Mrdjenovich. For the last 16 months Serrano and Hernandez have been the top two in this division. As of September 1st, 2022, The Ring Magazine and ESPN matched our ratings, also having Serrano and Hernandez ranked at #1 and #2 respectively.

At a recent conference call to promote her upcoming clash with Sarah Mahfoud, Serrano explained (as per Diego Morilla for Ring Magazine) that she was keeping a close eye on the upcoming rematch between Hernandez and Mrdjenovich:

“I hope (Erika and Jelena) put on a hell of a show and they come out healthy, and by the end of the year we could fight with the winner.”

On August 16th, 2022, Diego Morilla, wrote the following (THE INAUGURAL RING FEATHERWEIGHT BELT WILL BE ON THE LINE FOR AMANDA SERRANO VS. SARAH MAHFOUD) explaining the Ring Panel’s decision to put the inaugural vacant Ring belt at 126lbs on the line for Serrano/Mahfoud:

“Puerto Rico’s Serrano is rated No. 3 at pound-for-pound, and has been rated at No. 1 in the featherweight division for over a year. During that year, Mexico’s Erika Cruz-Hernandez rose to No. 2 after winning the WBA belt from Canada’s Jelena Mrdjenovich back in early 2021, defending it once. Since then, several (ultimately failed) efforts were made to have Serrano and Cruz come to terms for a unification bout with all the marbles at play – including the Ring belt.

“Enter Denmark’s Mahfoud, the unbeaten current IBF titleholder who owns a win over Brenda Carabajal (who was scheduled to face Serrano last month in the cancelled Jake Paul-Hasim Rahman Jr. undercard), who had no problem jumping in on short notice to take on one of the world’s most avoided opponents in a fight for pride and glory to be disputed in a venue located abroad for both combatants.

“If that’s not Ring-worthy, then it will have to do until the real thing comes along.”

So, according to Ring, Serrano/Mahfoud, “will have to do” for the vacant Ring belt.

For the vacant Lineal Championship, we will wait for the clear “#1 Vs #2” match-up so that the true World Champion can be crowned.