Underdogs continue to shock the boxing world with inspirational performances that have caused profound changes in THE RING?s rankings.
Two weekends ago a supposedly faded Erik Morales came very close to beating 7-to-1 odds favorite Marcos Maidana in a 12-round fight of the year candidate. The Mexican legend?s spirited effort earned him a spot in THE RING?s junior welterweight rankings.
On Saturday, 10-to-1 underdog Orlando Salido knocked out THE RING?s No. 1-rated featherweight Juan Manuel Lopez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and 4-to-1 underdog Victor Ortiz defeated previously unbeaten welterweight beltholder Andre Berto, the magazine?s No. 3-rated 147 pounder, in Mashantucket, Conn.
Nobody thought Salido (35-11-2, 24 knockouts) could unseat Lopez, an undefeated featherweight titleholder who was also ranked No. 9 in THE RING?s pound-for-pound ratings. Lopez (30-1, 27 KOs) was eyeing a move to the 130-pound division and an eventual mega-match with Yuriorkis Gamboa, which is now on an indefinite hold.
Most fans and media predicted that Ortiz (29-2-2, 22 KOs) would fold against Berto (27-1, 21 KOs) the moment their HBO-televised bout, his first at welterweight, became a tough fight. Instead, Ortiz out-hustled Berto in a blazing 12-round fight of the year candidate that featured four knockdowns.
One of the best things about boxing is that we can never know for sure exactly what will happen once the combatants climb into the ring, and every now and then we are treated to the kind of gems witnessed on Saturday.
So where do Ortiz, who was No. 9 at junior welterweight, and Salido, who was No. 4 at featherweight, rank following their explosive upsets? How far will Berto and Lopez drop? Will Lopez be replaced in the pound-for-pound rankings?
Read THE RING Ratings Update and find out:
Welterweights: Major shakeup: Both Timothy Bradley (No. 9 last week) and Joshua Clottey (No. 7 last week) exit for vastly different reasons. Clottey goes because he has been inactive for more than a year. Bradley, who entered the 147-pound rating following his win over Luis Carlos Abregu in July of 2010, has not fought at welterweight since and has refocused on the junior welterweight division, where he is currently the No. 1 contender. Entering at No. 3 is Ortiz, who won a thrilling decision over Berto (No. 3 last week). Berto slips to No. 5. The realignment also pushes down Jan Zaveck (No. 5 last week) to No. 6, while and helps Mike Jones (No. 10 last week) advance to No. 9 and makes room for Selcuk Aydin to debut at No. 10.
Junior welterweights: Juan Urango (No. 6 last week) and Paul McCloskey (No. 10 last week) depart. Urango has not fought in more than a year, while McCloskey lost a technical decision to Amir Khan. Urango and McCloskey?s exits allows all fighters ranked No. 7 and below last week climb one rung each, and makes room for Lucas Matthysse and Danny Garcia to enter at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
Featherweights: Orlando Salido?s upset TKO of Juan Manuel Lopez produces significant reshuffling at 126 pounds. Lopez tumbles from No. 1 to No. 4, and Salido jumps from No. 4 to No. 3. This allows Yuriorkis Gamboa (No. 2 last week) to assume the No. 1 position and Chris John to move from No. 3 to No. 2.
?There was some debate among Ring Ratings Panel members as to whether Orlando Salido or Chris John should be No. 2,? said Nigel Collins, Editor-in-Chief of THE RING magazine. ?While Salido?s victory over Lopez was very impressive, John had fallen in the rankings due to inactivity. But he returned to action with a solid victory over Duad Yordan and, due to his overall better resume, edged out Salido for the No. 2 spot.?
Junior bantamweights: Omar Narvaez (No. 4 last weeks) advances to No. 3 on the strength of his decision over previously undefeated Cesar Seda (No. 8 last week), who slips to No. 10, pushing up Kohei Kono (No. 9 last week) and Juan Alberto Rosas (No. 10 last week) one spot each, respectively. Nobuo Nashiro (No. 3 last week) falls to No. 4 in the realignment.
Pound-for-Pound: Lopez (No. 9 last week) exits following his TKO loss to Salido. ?JuanMa?s? departure boosts up Giovani Segura from No. 10 to No. 9, and makes room for Andre Ward to enter at No. 10.
?As subjective opinion plays a large role in the pound-for-pound ratings, there were many suggestions as to who should replace Juan Manuel Lopez,? said Collins. ?Among those nominated were Vitali Klitschko, Miguel Cotto, Lucian Bute, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Amir Khan, and Oralando Salido. But after reviewing each fighter?s body of work, THE RING decided to award the spot to Andre Ward.?
