Transnational Boxing Rankings Board

The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) is an all-volunteer initiative formed in October 2012 with the intention of providing professional boxing with top-ten rankings, identifying the singular world champion of every division and to insist on the sport's reform. Board members are independent professional journalists, boxing historians and record keepers from around the world. Their rankings and titles are meant to be uninfluenced by promoters and the traditional sanctioning bodies.

TBRB championships

The TBRB awards championships when the top-ranked fighters in any division meet, and currently recognizes legitimate world champions or "true champions" in each weight class. It also presents the "successions" of these championship "thrones."

Three of its recognized champions were identified by The Ring magazine before the TBRB was founded. Thus, the TBRB was formed to continue where The Ring "left off" in the aftermath of the latter's purchase by Golden Boy Promotions in 2007, and the following dismissal of the editorial board headed by Nigel Collins. After the new editors announced a controversial new championship policy in May 2012, three members of the Ring Advisory Panel resigned. These three members (Springs Toledo, Cliff Rold and Tim Starks) became the founding members of the TBRB, which was formed over the summer of 2012 with the assistance of Stewart Howe of England.

ESPN boxing analyst and commentator Teddy Atlas praised the TBRB's efforts on-air in March 2013 and again during the season finale in August 2013.

British magazine Boxing News announced in 2021 that it would only recognize world champions as voted by the TBRB.

TBRB Voting Panel members

There are currently members representing 21 countries on five continents: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Successions

The following are the lineal champions recognized by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board:

Heavyweight

  • UkraineOleksandr Usyk W12 United KingdomAnthony Joshua (20 August 2022 – Usyk and Joshua were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout. Throne declared open as of 15 August 2022 when Fury finally confirmed repeated claims of retirement by vacating a belt.)  
  • United KingdomTyson Fury TKO7 United StatesDeontay Wilder (22 February 2020 – Fury and Wilder were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout).
  • United KingdomTyson Fury W12 Wladimir Klitschko (28 November 2015). (Fury officially abdicates throne 18 October 2016).
  • UkraineWladimir Klitschko W12 RussiaAlexander Povetkin (5 October 2013 – Klitschhko and Povetkin were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout).

Cruiserweight

  • AustraliaJai Opetaia W12 Mairis Briedis (2 July 2022)
  • LatviaMairis Briedis W12 CubaYuniel Dorticós (26 September 2020 – Briedis and Dorticós were the top two Transnational-Ranked cruiserweights at the time of this bout).
  • UkraineOleksandr Usyk W12 RussiaMurat Gassiev (21 July 2018 – Usyk and Gassiev were the top two Transnational-Ranked cruiserweights at the time of this bout). (Usyk officially abdicates throne 15 October 2019).

Light heavyweight

Super middleweight

  • MexicoSaul Alvarez W12 United StatesCaleb Plant (6 November 2021 – Alvarez and Plant were the top two Transnational-Ranked super middleweights at the time of this bout).
  • United StatesAndre Ward W12 United KingdomCarl Froch (17 December 2011 – Ward and Froch were the top-two RING-rated super middleweights at the time of this bout). (Ward officially abdicates throne 16 March 2016).

Middleweight

Super welterweight

  • United StatesJermell Charlo TKO10 ArgentinaBrian Castaño (14 May 2022 – Charlo and Castaño were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. middleweights at the time of this bout).
  • United StatesFloyd Mayweather Jr. W12 MexicoSaul Alvarez (14 September 2013 – Alvarez and Mayweather were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. middleweights at the time of this bout). (Mayweather officially abdicates throne 21 September 2015).

Welterweight

  • United StatesTerence Crawford TKO9 United StatesErrol Spence Jr. (29 July 2023 – Crawford and Spence were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout).
  • PhilippinesManny Pacquiao W12 United StatesTimothy Bradley (12 April 2016 – Pacquiao and Bradley were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout). (Pacquiao officially abdicates throne 19 April 2016).
  • United StatesFloyd Mayweather Jr. W12 Manny Pacquiao (2 May 2015 – Mayweather and Pacquiao were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout). (Mayweather officially abdicates throne 21 September 2015).

Super lightweight

  • United StatesTeófimo López W12 Josh Taylor (10 June 2023)
  • United KingdomJosh Taylor W12 United StatesJosé Ramírez (22 May 2021 – Taylor and Ramírez were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout).
  • United StatesMikey Garcia W12 RussiaSergey Lipinets (10 March 2018 – Garcia and Lipinets were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout). (Garcia officially abdicates throne 3 March 2020).
  • United StatesTerence Crawford W12 UkraineViktor Postol (23 July 2016 – Postol and Crawford were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout). (Crawford officially abdicates throne 6 March 2018).
  • United StatesDanny Garcia W12 ArgentinaLucas Matthysse (14 September 2013 – Matthysse and Garcia were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout). (Garcia officially abdicates throne August 2015).

Lightweight

  • United StatesDevin Haney W12 George Kambosos Jr. (4 June 2022)
  • AustraliaGeorge Kambosos Jr. W12 Teófimo López (27 November 2021)
  • United StatesTeófimo López W12 UkraineVasyl Lomachenko (17 October 2020 – López and Lomachenko were the top two Transnational-Ranked lightweights at the time of this bout).
  • United StatesTerence Crawford W12 MexicoRaymundo Beltran (29 November 2014 – Crawford and Beltran were the top two Transnational-Ranked lightweights at the time of this bout). (Crawford officially abdicates throne 18 April 2015).

Super featherweight

  • United StatesShakur Stevenson W12 MexicoÓscar Valdez (30 April 2022 – Stevenson and Valdez were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. lightweights at the time of this bout). (Stevenson officially stripped of the throne 23 September 2022 after missing weight).

Super bantamweight

  • JapanNaoya Inoue KO10 PhilippinesMarlon Tapales (26 December 2023 – Inoue and Tapales were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. featherweights at the time of this bout).
  • CubaGuillermo Rigondeaux W12 Nonito Donaire (13 April 2013) (Rigondeaux officially abdicates throne 11 June 2022 by TBRB).
  • PhilippinesNonito Donaire TKO9 JapanToshiaki Nishioka (13 October 2012 – Nishioka and Donaire were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. featherweights at the time of this bout).

Bantamweight

  • JapanNaoya Inoue TKO2 PhilippinesNonito Donaire (7 June 2022 – Inoue and Donaire were the top two Transnational-Ranked bantamweights at the time of this bout). (Inoue officially abdicates throne 13 January 2023).

Super flyweight

  • MexicoJuan Francisco Estrada W12 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (26 April 2019)
  • ThailandSrisaket Sor Rungvisai W12 Juan Francisco Estrada (24 February 2018 – Sor Rungvisai and Estrada were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. bantamweights at the time of this bout).

Flyweight

Current champions

As of 9 September 2024

Pound-for-pound

As of 09, Sept 2024

See also

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.