BoxRec Ratings Description
Introduction
BoxRec.com provides Active (Current) and Active and Inactive (All Time) boxer ratings, as calculated daily by its computer. These ratings are not influenced by subjective views or opinions but are wholly dependent upon the bouts contained in the BoxRec database.
The Active ratings include only those boxers who have fought a bout within the past 365 days. After a year of not fighting, a boxer is automatically designated "Inactive" by the BoxRec computer. A boxer is also designated "Inactive" if he has announced his retirement, even if he may have had a bout within the past 365 days. Every boxer in the database is rated--even those with an 0-1 record.
The BoxRec computer re-calculates the ratings instantly with every bout entered or changed. So a boxer may gain or lose ratings points with every of his bouts entered or changed in the database by a BoxRec Editor. A boxer may also gain or lose points if bouts are added to any of his opponents' records, or to their opponents' records--even if the boxer himself has not had a fight since the last BoxRec computer calculation.
There admittedly are inaccuracies and anomalies, especially in the All Time ratings, mostly because of incomplete records in the BoxRec database. Although a boxer’s own record may be complete, his opponents’ records may not be complete. Pre-World War II boxers in particular are at somewhat of a disadvantage, vis-à-vis modern boxers. Their opponents’ records often are quite incomplete--because of the scarcity of source material or Editors' time--while the records of opponents of more current boxers may be quite complete. So, for example, while Mike Tyson's own record, and those of his opponents, may be complete--thereby earning Tyson a certain number of points and thus giving him a high ranking among the All Time Heavyweights--the records of Young Stribling’s opponents may be extremely lacking, thereby giving Stribling fewer points and a much-lower All Time rating. And it may appear to the casual BoxRec visitor that Stribling had fought many boxers making their professional debuts or having had only a handful of career bouts, when the truth is that not all of his opponents’ total career bouts have been entered into the database. (Too many of those old-time bouts are forever lost in history because they were not reported by a newspaper or similar source, or the source was later destroyed.) However, as BoxRec Editors continue to research older resources and enter “new” historical bouts into the database, or correct bouts/boxers previously entered, the rating of an old-time boxer like Stribling may gradually move up or down, even if his own record is considered complete, if bouts are added to his opponents’ records, or to their opponents' records, and so on.
Finally, because of the very few women presently boxing professionally, with some weight divisions having only a handful of active female boxers, a woman with an 0-1 record will appear “world ranked” by BoxRec. This is simply an anomaly due to the few female entries in the database.
Ratings Structure
All these ratings evaluate every day all bouts in the database. A higher rated boxer should be expected to defeat a lower rated boxer with increasing probability by increasing rating ratio.
The ratings are build upon the Whole-History Rating algorithm described in this paper [1]
Current Ratings
- All ratings are re-calculated with every bout.
- After every bout, the ratings are changed depending on the bout's official result (KO, TKO, RTD, UD, PTS, NWS, MD, SD, DQ, TD, DRAW).
- KO, TKO, RTD are rewarded with full value.
- NWS is rewarded with full value for 12 rounds boxed and with lower value related to the number of rounds boxed.
- Decision on points, DQ, TD are rewarded with full value for 12 rounds boxed and with lower value related to the number of rounds boxed. If the score cards are available, it may be less.
- Titles at stake have no influence on the ratings' calculation.
- The rating points are in relation to a weight division. The rating points are converted with the cube of Heavyweight upper weight reference in relation to the upper weight reference of the Boxer's weight division.
- The winner is rated higher than the loser as a standard for professional boxing.
All-time Ratings
All-time Ratings are based on the career peak rating of a boxer and the top defeated opponents - at least.
(0.67 * average_5_top_defeated_opponents + 0.33 * career_top_rating) * division_factor * 10
For lower weight divisions the points are converted with the cube of Heavyweight upper weight reference in relation to the upper weight reference of the Boxer's weight division.
The best boxers can get a higher all-time rating, if
- their points for their best 10 wins against p4p top 1000 opponents
- their points for their best 10 annual rankings in the p4p top 1000
are higher.
Bout Star Ratings
All bouts are rated with 0 to 5 stars. The rating points are converted with the cube of Heavyweight upper weight reference in relation to the upper weight reference of the bout weight division.
Men
- 5 stars = both opponents have 45.4 rating points at least ~ best 100 boxers
- 4 stars = both opponents have 13.8 rating points at least ~ best 300 boxers
- 3 stars = both opponents have 4.17 rating points at least ~ best 900 boxers
- 2 stars = both opponents have 0.759 rating points at least ~ best 2700 boxers
- 1 stars = both opponents have 0.013 rating points at least = best 8100 boxers
- 0 stars = one opponents has not even 0.013 rating points at least = not rated boxers
Women
- 5 stars = both opponents have 38.2 rating points at least ~ best 10 boxers
- 4 stars = both opponents have 18.3 rating points at least ~ best 30 boxers
- 3 stars = both opponents have 6.45 rating points at least ~ best 90 boxers
- 2 stars = both opponents have 0.231 rating points at least ~ best 270 boxers
- 1 stars = both opponents have 0.005 rating points at least = best 810 boxer
- 0 stars = one opponents has not even 0.005 rating points at least = not rated boxers
Links
- BoxRec's Ratings: [2]
- BoxRec Forum Discussion of Ratings Formula: [3]
- BoxRec History & Description
- BoxRec's Annual Ratings Men, BoxRec's Annual Ratings Women