The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings

This is a start. Getting these things more detailed and up to date would be a mighty plus. I like to create little resume capsules on fighters in chronological order.

Couple examples:

BOLD = Hall of Fame
Italics = Lineal/RING Champion

RAY LEONARD
09/78: Floyd Mayweather [15-1] (#5 WW) W-TKO10
10/78: Randy Shields [31-4] (#3 WW) W-UD10
01/79: Johnny Gant [44-11] (#4 WW) W-TKO8
06/79: Tony Chiaverini [30-4] (#4 SMW) W-RTD4
08/79: Pete Ranzany [45-3] (#6 WW) W-TKO4
09/79: Andy Price [28-5] (#10 WW) W-KO1
11/79: Wilfred Benitez [38-0] (WW Champ) W-TKO15
03/80: Dave Green [33-2] (#8 WW) W-KO4
06/80: Roberto Duran [71-1] (#3 WW) L-UD15
11/80: Roberto Duran [72-1] (WW Champ) W-TKO8
06/81: Ayub Kalule [36-0] (LMW Champ) W-TKO9
09/81: Thomas Hearns [32-0] (#1 WW, WBA) W-TKO14
02/82: Bruce Finch [28-3] (#6 WW) W-TKO3
04/87: Marvin Hagler [62-2] (MW Champ) W-SD12
11/88: Donny Lalonde [31-2] (#5 LHW, WBC) W-TKO9
06/89: Thomas Hearns [46-3] (#2 SMW, WBO) D-PTS12
12/89: Roberto Duran [85-7] (#3 MW) W-UD12

THOMAS HEARNS
01/79: Clyde Gray [65-6] (#2 WW) W-TKO10
05/79: Harold Weston [27-8] (#5 WW) W-RTD6
03/80: Angel Espada [43-10] (#7 WW) W-TKO4
08/80: Jose Cuevas [27-6] (#2 WW, WBA) W-TKO2
12/80: Luis Primera [15-0] (#8 WW) W-KO6
04/81: Randy Shields [38-6] (#5 WW) W-TKO12
09/81: Ray Leonard [30-1] (WW Champ, WBC) L-TKO14
12/82: Wilfred Benitez [44-1] (#1 JMW, WBC) W-MD15
06/84: Roberto Duran [77-5] (#2 JMW) W-TKO2
09/84: Fred Hutchings [27-1] (#5 JMW) W-TKO3
04/85: Marvin Hagler [60-2] (MW Champ) L-TKO3
03/86: James Shuler [22-0] (#2 MW) W-KO1
06/86: Mark Medal [24-2] (#5 JMW) W-TKO8
10/86: Doug DeWitt [27-3] (#7 MW) W-UD12
03/87: Dennis Andries [28-6] (#3 LHW, WBC) W-TKO10
10/87: Juan Roldan [65-3] (NR MW, V-WBC) W-KO4
06/88: Iran Barkley [24-4] (#8 MW, WBC) L-TKO3
11/88: James Kinchen [45-4] (#8 SMW, V-WBO) W-MD12
06/89: Ray Leonard [35-1] (#1 SMW, WBC) D-PTS12
06/91: Virgil Hill [30-0] (#1 LHW, WBA) W-UD12


How accurate are the ratings on those fighters up to the date? I'm not sure.

 

Any insight on where Berbick was rated heading into his fight with Tyson in November of '86? At the year end of '85, he was 7th. Pinklon Thomas was No. 1 under Champion Michael Spinks. Berbick beat Pinklon Thomas in March. If taking that rating as is, Berbick would've been listed as the #7 HW and that's obviously not plausible. Year end of '86, he was up to 5th. And that's after he got demolished. Bonecrusher Smith and Thomas were the No. 2 & 3, and the next two fighters Tyson beat.

 

Or how about Carlos Palomino prior to facing Duran? He came into the year as the Ring's Champion and wasn't even rated by the end of the year (retirement). He lost his title on a split decision in the PR to Benitez, but where was he prior to Duran (his next fight) ?

 

Tony Tucker the No. 8 heavyweight at the time Tyson beat him to unify the titles in August? Absolutely preposterous. Didn't 'Champion' Spinks refuse to fight Tucker, which lead to his fighting Douglas for the vacant IBF strap? He was No. 3, post-Tyson.

One of the few instances in which I call hogwash on the Ring's Champion, and that's Spinks 1986-87. It was Mike, they didn't have to wait until June of '88 to see this through. I could see his not wanting to participate in the unification tournament and taking the bigger payday with Cooney. That's nothing. But he wasn't the best heavyweight in the world, Tyson was.

If he was considered No. 1 p4p on their inaugural 1989 list, I find it difficult to accept anything less for '86-'88 when he was at his rampaging peak. It's no small feat for a HW to even make the top ten of an annual P4P list, and he was arguably No. 1 for four years. :hat

 

... Delete ...

 

Sounds like a plan, I will PM you my email address this afty :good Cheers mate.

 

Tac, I agree about spinks being a paper champ.

Also berbick will have been number 1 after beating thomas.

Tucker rose to number 2 after beating douglas.

Palomino, I have no idea but it's a safe bet he'll have been top 5.

When using the annuals I just look at the year before, the year during and the year after, if in any of those the opponent is rated top 5 then i'd class it a pretty good win.

I don't worry too much about the specific ranking though, I record any opponent who's ever been ranked, any opponent who's previously beaten them, italic any who was top 5 around the time of the fight or premiere fighter of the lower weight, underline any opponent who was a premiere fighter at any point and bold anyone who's in the hof.

Rankings are quite subjective and hard to nail down unless you have every monthly so I just quick to this grouping system.

 

:good

:good

:good

:good

Hell of a task.

 

TBH, I actually too believe top ten is top ten for the most part, especially when one only has an annual ratings list at their disposal. You've still got to take the time to watch the film and assess a fighter's general ability and skill level as well if possible. Unfortunately in some cases, it isn't.

Although I do consider it a very noteworthy accomplishment when a fighter flat out wipes the clear #1 or #2 that has that spot nailed down or is seemingly always in the mix of being there. That's sort of what inspired the idea of numerically listing them.

 

Tyson became the p4p consensus choice late 1987 if I remember correctly. KO and World Boxing were the first to do regular pfp rankings (from around late 1984 onwards). The only others to be ranked #1 were Hagler, Curry and Leonard.

 

That actually sounds about right. '87 was a big year for him with Smith (terrible fight), Thomas, Tucker and Biggs.

Who would you have given the nod to for '86 personally? Does Hagler keep it for staving off Mugabi, taking the best he had and stopping him when it became very apparent that he was slowing down - or does Tyson get the nod for his activity level, dominance and late year thrashing of Berbick? Or neither? :think

 

Curry was coming fresh off McCrory's destruction.
And he was a very dominant undisputed welter champ.
Rated by many very highly.

It's either between him or Hagler.

By the end of 86 everything changed, of course.

 

Well, Tyson has no real case in 1986, he only became champion towards the end of the year. Hagler is the obvious choice, the only choice, apart from per-Honeyghan Curry. Marv was regarded #1 for most of the period from 84-87, solidified by his win over Hearns which was, contrary to popular belief nowadays it seems, the fight between the #1 and #2 ranked pound-four-pound fighters at that time, as Curry didn't overtake Tommy until after that fight and held the top spot for a while in 1986. The following year with Hagler inactive and Leonard re-retiring, Tyson was awarded top slot.

 

If I'm not mistaken there were talks of Curry challenging Hagler - he should have done that immediately after McCrory fight not draining himself any further.

 

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