BoxRec

Now that there are “technically” thirteen British world champions, I was wondering if we could rate them on a pound-for-pound basis?

• Anthony Joshua (IBF World heavyweight champion)
• Tony Bellew (WBC World cruiserweight champion)
• Nathan Cleverly (WBA "Regular" World light heavyweight champion)
• James DeGale (IBF World super middleweight champion)
• Billy Joe Saunders (WBO World middleweight champion)
• Kell Brook (IBF World welterweight champion)
• Ricky Burns (WBA World super lightweight champion)
• Terry Flanagan (WBO World lightweight champion)
• Carl Frampton (WBA Super World featherweight champion)
• Lee Selby (IBF World featherweight champion)
• Jamie McDonnell (WBA "Regular" World bantamweight champion)
• Lee Haskins (IBF World bantamweight champion)
• Khalid Yafai (WBA World super flyweight champion)

Thoughts?

Frampton is No.1

I know you said technically, but Cleverly & Mcdonnell aren't world champions. It's like calling Callum Smith and Josh Warrington world champions

BitPlayer wrote:Frampton is No.1

Seconded

DannyMCR wrote:I know you said technically, but Cleverly & Mcdonnell aren't world champions. It's like calling Callum Smith and Josh Warrington world champions

Does that mean ten of Gennady Golovkin's world title defences should be ignored? Only joking.

I really don't mind either way, if you only recognise eleven British world champions, instead of the thirteen quoted by the media, then I understand your reasoning, as it's a fairly reasonable position to hold.

Brook and Frampton are definitely 1 & 2 for me, although not quite sure in which order.

Frampton is the man

I'd probably order them into these approximate tiers:

Tier 1: Carl Frampton (in my personal top 10 p4p. Inarguably not far off that at least)
Tier 2: James DeGale > Kell Brook (talented enough for tier 1, one or two questions about them keep them behind)
Tier 3: Lee Selby > Anthony Joshua > Terry Flanagan > Jamie McDonnell > Billie Joe Saunders (gifted, maybe a little less developed than Tier 2. No signature wins yet)
Tier 4: Ricky Burns > Tony Bellew > Nathan Cleverly > Lee Haskins (beltholders. Have done well to get this far. Demonstrably limited.)

Haven't seen even a second of a Khalid Yafai fight so I couldn't rate him, though it sounds like from the reports that he'd slip into the middle of Tier 3. If Fury's "linear" claim counts for anything he'd be the back end of Tier 2 FWIW.

Enlightened-One wrote:Now that there are “technically” thirteen British world champions, I was wondering if we could rate them on a pound-for-pound basis?

• Anthony Joshua (IBF World heavyweight champion)
• Tony Bellew (WBC World cruiserweight champion)
• Nathan Cleverly (WBA "Regular" World light heavyweight champion)
• James DeGale (IBF World super middleweight champion)
• Billy Joe Saunders (WBO World middleweight champion)
• Kell Brook (IBF World welterweight champion)
• Ricky Burns (WBA World super lightweight champion)
• Terry Flanagan (WBO World lightweight champion)
• Carl Frampton (WBA Super World featherweight champion)
• Lee Selby (IBF World featherweight champion)
• Jamie McDonnell (WBA "Regular" World bantamweight champion)
• Lee Haskins (IBF World bantamweight champion)
• Khalid Yafai (WBA World super flyweight champion)

Thoughts?

The regulars are not world champions sorry please keep it real they are really the number 1 contender.

Joshua

Frampton
Brook
Degale
Selby
McDonnell
Flanagan
Joshua
Billy Joe
Bellew
Yafai
Haskins
Cleverly
Burns

HyacinthusTurnipseed wrote:I'd probably order them into these approximate tiers:

Tier 1: Carl Frampton (in my personal top 10 p4p. Inarguably not far off that at least)
Tier 2: James DeGale > Kell Brook (talented enough for tier 1, one or two questions about them keep them behind)
Tier 3: Lee Selby > Anthony Joshua > Terry Flanagan > Jamie McDonnell > Billie Joe Saunders (gifted, maybe a little less developed than Tier 2. No signature wins yet)
Tier 4: Ricky Burns > Tony Bellew > Nathan Cleverly > Lee Haskins (beltholders. Have done well to get this far. Demonstrably limited.)

Haven't seen even a second of a Khalid Yafai fight so I couldn't rate him, though it sounds like from the reports that he'd slip into the middle of Tier 3. If Fury's "linear" claim counts for anything he'd be the back end of Tier 2 FWIW.

That's not far off the mark.
I'd juggle one or two, BJS down to tier 4, but you've pretty much nailed it

tigermoth87 wrote:Frampton
Brook
Degale
Selby
McDonnell
Flanagan
Joshua
Billy Joe
Bellew
Yafai
Haskins
Cleverly
Burns

Bit harsh on our only 3 weight world champion

ClivePatrickLyons wrote:

Enlightened-One wrote:Now that there are “technically” thirteen British world champions, I was wondering if we could rate them on a pound-for-pound basis?

• Anthony Joshua (IBF World heavyweight champion)
• Tony Bellew (WBC World cruiserweight champion)
• Nathan Cleverly (WBA "Regular" World light heavyweight champion)
• James DeGale (IBF World super middleweight champion)
• Billy Joe Saunders (WBO World middleweight champion)
• Kell Brook (IBF World welterweight champion)
• Ricky Burns (WBA World super lightweight champion)
• Terry Flanagan (WBO World lightweight champion)
• Carl Frampton (WBA Super World featherweight champion)
• Lee Selby (IBF World featherweight champion)
• Jamie McDonnell (WBA "Regular" World bantamweight champion)
• Lee Haskins (IBF World bantamweight champion)
• Khalid Yafai (WBA World super flyweight champion)

Thoughts?

The regulars are not world champions sorry please keep it real they are really the number 1 contender.

It's kind of interesting to read multiple responses to the WBA' "regular" world champions, as people don't regard them as "genuine" world titleholders, because I once received all sorts hatred and abuse from this forum when I contradicted the media's claims about GGG closing in on Bernard Hopkin's middleweight title defence record citing precisely the same reason.

So it seems that the forum generally considered Golovkin as a "genuine" world champion when he only held a WBA "regular" world championship, but this rule does not apply to other fighters.

I don't really mind either way, but I do find the application of "double standards" kind of amusing.

davie wrote:

tigermoth87 wrote:Frampton
Brook
Degale
Selby
McDonnell
Flanagan
Joshua
Billy Joe
Bellew
Yafai
Haskins
Cleverly
Burns

Bit harsh on our only 3 weight world champion

Maybe. If it was 3 or 4 years ago Burns would be pushing the top.

Now though he doesn't seem half the fighter he was. Don't mean any disrespect to the guy, he's had a cracking career and to win a world title still even though he's on the decline (I hesitate to say shot since he's still capable of easily beating Euro level fighters like Di Rocco) but I think he's finished at world level whilst the others above him can still beat world level opponents. I guess you could make a case for him to go above Cleverly but the others have proved they can beat world level fighters whereas Burns, the last few times has fallen short.

Frampton, Brook, DeGale, Joshua

The rest are eh.

HyacinthusTurnipseed wrote:I'd probably order them into these approximate tiers:

Tier 1: Carl Frampton (in my personal top 10 p4p. Inarguably not far off that at least)
Tier 2: James DeGale > Kell Brook (talented enough for tier 1, one or two questions about them keep them behind)
Tier 3: Lee Selby > Anthony Joshua > Terry Flanagan > Jamie McDonnell > Billie Joe Saunders (gifted, maybe a little less developed than Tier 2. No signature wins yet)
Tier 4: Ricky Burns > Tony Bellew > Nathan Cleverly > Lee Haskins (beltholders. Have done well to get this far. Demonstrably limited.)

Haven't seen even a second of a Khalid Yafai fight so I couldn't rate him, though it sounds like from the reports that he'd slip into the middle of Tier 3. If Fury's "linear" claim counts for anything he'd be the back end of Tier 2 FWIW.

I agree with all of this.

tigermoth87 wrote:

davie wrote:

tigermoth87 wrote:Frampton
Brook
Degale
Selby
McDonnell
Flanagan
Joshua
Billy Joe
Bellew
Yafai
Haskins
Cleverly
Burns

Bit harsh on our only 3 weight world champion

Maybe. If it was 3 or 4 years ago Burns would be pushing the top.

Now though he doesn't seem half the fighter he was. Don't mean any disrespect to the guy, he's had a cracking career and to win a world title still even though he's on the decline (I hesitate to say shot since he's still capable of easily beating Euro level fighters like Di Rocco) but I think he's finished at world level whilst the others above him can still beat world level opponents. I guess you could make a case for him to go above Cleverly but the others have proved they can beat world level fighters whereas Burns, the last few times has fallen short.

Don't worry mate, I was kidding. Burns is pretty much done. I'm a big fan but his best days are well behind him

Fantastic career for a solid but limited boxer but he's only a world champion in name now, like a few of the title holders

Enlightened-One wrote:Now that there are “technically” thirteen British world champions, I was wondering if we could rate them on a pound-for-pound basis?

• Anthony Joshua (IBF World heavyweight champion)
• Tony Bellew (WBC World cruiserweight champion)
• Nathan Cleverly (WBA "Regular" World light heavyweight champion)
• James DeGale (IBF World super middleweight champion)
• Billy Joe Saunders (WBO World middleweight champion)
• Kell Brook (IBF World welterweight champion)
• Ricky Burns (WBA World super lightweight champion)
• Terry Flanagan (WBO World lightweight champion)
• Carl Frampton (WBA Super World featherweight champion)
• Lee Selby (IBF World featherweight champion)
• Jamie McDonnell (WBA "Regular" World bantamweight champion)
• Lee Haskins (IBF World bantamweight champion)
• Khalid Yafai (WBA World super flyweight champion)

Thoughts?

Well what i would do is eliminate all the wba title holders cause they have too many world champions so really we have 8

Between frampton and joshua,i cant really see anyone living with the speed power and accuracy of the big man if he was 9st he would destroy any featherweight,frampton would be a good fight tho,if they were the same weight. if he was 12st there isnt a super middle who could live with him or frampton and so on

Enlightened-One wrote:
• Anthony Joshua (IBF World heavyweight champion)
• Tony Bellew (WBC World cruiserweight champion)
• Nathan Cleverly (WBA "Regular" World light heavyweight champion) Andre Ward
• James DeGale (IBF World super middleweight champion)
• Billy Joe Saunders (WBO World middleweight champion)
• Kell Brook (IBF World welterweight champion)
• Ricky Burns (WBA World super lightweight champion) There is no "Super" champion above him
• Terry Flanagan (WBO World lightweight champion)
• Carl Frampton (WBA Super World featherweight champion)
• Lee Selby (IBF World featherweight champion)
• Jamie McDonnell (WBA "Regular" World bantamweight champion) Rau-shee Warren
• Lee Haskins (IBF World bantamweight champion)
• Khalid Yafai (WBA World super flyweight champion) There is no "Super" champion above him

I think when you are discounting WBA champions, it's fair play when there are 2 champions at the weight and the regular champion sits below the super champion. That's a nonsense

But in the case of Yafai and Burns, they are the only WBA title holder at the weight so I don't care what the name of the belt is, they are the WBA champion

Nathan Cleverly, clearly isn't the WBA champ, when Ward has just fought Kovalev for the super title

I kind of feel for Jamie McDonnell, who has done as much as any, in terms of level of competition, to merit the title of world champion, yet he sit's behind Rau-shee Warren, as super champ.

So, I'd rate 11 of our world title holders as legit and I'd fancy McDonnell to beat Warren to claim his slot.

As of this moment I'd say Carl Frampton and Kell Brook are the most talented of the bunch. Khalid Yafai looked sharp in beating Concepcion the other day.

Ricky Burns, Lee Haskins and Terry Flanagan are definitely the most beatable, and McDonnell has been a bit fortunate with the judging in his bouts too in my opinion.

In reality, it's Fury. Hell of a lot of them, possibly all, are overrated. Even Frampton.

lillywhite14 wrote:In reality, it's Fury. Hell of a lot of them, possibly all, are overrated. Even Frampton.

Where's my drunken Frosty the Cokehead emoticon?