The Importance of WBC Ratings

Boxing is a unique and fascinating sport;  one that has evolved the most in history. The rules have changed drastically, and an act of pure savagery has been transformed into an art form called “The Sweet Science.”

Many boxing fans and people don’t fully understand how rankings work, how they are compiled and what are the ratings criteria and process,  so we dedicate these few lines to explaining it.

Ratings are the method of qualitatively listing boxers, following the ratings criteria as published in the WBC Rules and Regulations https://wbcboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/Article-6-ratings.pdf

There are 18 divisions, from heavyweight to strawweight. World champions must fight against ranked boxers, and that’s where these lists become interesting, significant and saliant.

Ratings were created in 1924 as a publication of “The Ring” magazine. They used to print an annual summary of the best of the year, best fighter, etc. called The Ring Record book;  Finally, beginning in 1932, the publication’s owner, Nat Fleisher, took the initiative to publish, in his opinion, a list of the best fighters in each of the eight divisions that existed at the time.

Fleisher was inspired by the college football rankings created by Walter Camp, known as the “father of football.”

Don Jose Sulaimán instituted the WBC ratings in 1968 with the creation of the WBC Ratings Committee . Since then, they have been compiled monthly.

The WBC Ratings Committee is made up of honorable, upstanding individuals with extensive boxing knowledge. Its members span countries from around the world: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, China, England, Ireland,  Italy, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Venezuela and United States.

How does the Ratings Committee work?

The current month’s results of the ranked boxers and the significant results of unranked ones are listed and compiled.

Each analysis includes the boxers’ records, highlights from that fight, and often a list of their previous results.

Month by month, the results of an average of 150 to 200 fights are analyzed.

Rating petitions and requests are submitted to the committee by managers, agents and promoters; There  are also reports, comments and suggestions coming from WBC Board members, WBC representatives worldwide which are given serious consideration.

Ratings requests are discussed by email throughout the entire pre-ratings period.

Ratings boxers is a very complex task that requires meticulous boxing knowledge, common sense, analytical skills, impartiality, objectivity, complete honesty, and a sense of fairness. There is a very interesting procedure for analyzing each case; records are simply numbers, and these can be very misleading.

The committee Process is the following:

* Each week, the ratings committee members compile fight results and other information related to fighters in their region as well as activity from all over the world.

*The Ratings Committee Director prepares an agenda with possible rating actions, which is distributed to all committee members five days before the monthly virtual meeting.

* A monthly virtual meeting takes place the first Sunday of the each month which can last up to seven hours, a first draft is compiled and sent to committee members.

* Members make  comments to produce a second and sometimes third draft.

*The final draft is then approved by the Chairman of the organization, ready for publication.

What is studied and analyzed about a boxer to create their profile and classify them appropriately?

– Amateur experience and record, including Olympic Games participation and medals.

– Activity and record in different contact sports such as Muaythai, KickBoxing and  MMA

– Record – This gives you a numerical idea of ​​the fights, wins, losses, draws, and knockouts.

– Level and quality of their opponents – It is necessary to study who they have fought against.

– Venue of fights – An analysis is made of whether they are fighting at home, whether they are the favorite, or whether they are a visitor with factors against them. Whether they are fighting abroad, etc.

– Recent activity – An analysis is made of whether they are an active boxer, a rising prospect, an established boxer, or a veteran and the amount of fights held in a given period of time.

– Recent results – The results of their recent fights are analyzed considering result, opponent , performance, etc

– High-level fights – Having high-level opponents, championship fights, and experience is a very important factor.

Other considerations:

– The power and significance of their victories –

– Victories in important fights –

– Activity in WBC regional championship fights –

-An intangible criterion is the one that experts provide with their opinions of the boxers they see in their regions.

The WBC rates 40 fighters per division, and we have a unique requirement in world boxing. Any athlete ranked in the Top 15 must enroll in the “Clean Boxing Program,” a worldwide random anti-doping testing program administered by VADA. If the athlete refuses to enroll, they are removed from the rankings and are not allowed to compete in WBC fights.

Once a year, the committee meets in person for a three-day session before the start of the WBC’s annual Convention. Official rankings are discussed in an open forum where anyone can take the microphone and present their case to the committee. This process has brought great pride to the sport and the WBC, as it is transparent and open to the entire boxing family.

Every boxer’s dream is to one day win the WBC Green and Gold Belt, and the first step is to be ranked in the world.

The members of the Rankings Committee are:  

Mauricio Sulaiman WBC President

WBC Board of Governors

Dean Lohuis (USA) Chairman

Kevin Noone (Thailand) Vice-Chairman

Luis Medina (México) Executive Secretary

Aku Zhang (China)

Alberto Guerra (Panamá)

Anson Wainwright (UK)

Carlos Utrilla (Spain)

Daniel Van De Wiele (Belgium)

Frank Hadley (Australia)

Jose Landeros (México)

Juan Miguel Elorde (Philippines)

Marcos Arienti (Argentina)

Marina Milovanova (Russia)

Mauro Betti (Italy)

Miguel Angel De Pablos (Spain)

Nancy Rodriguez (US)

Nicolas Hidalgo (Venezuela)

Patrick Cusick (Thailand)

Peter Ngatane (South Africa)

Tommy Ashy (USA)

Victor cota (México)