Ring Magazine came out with their new lightweight rankings, and they’ve got some questionable picks in their top 10 list that aren’t reality-based. The King of the lightweight division, Gervonta Davis, is #1, which makes perfect sense.
Keyshawn: Really #2?
The list goes haywire from that point with the old tomato can destroyer Keyshawn Davis at #2. Given that he’s never fought anyone and won’t face his four-time conqueror, Andy Cruz, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the top spot.
The Ring top 10 list has left out the talents of Lamont Roach and Abdullah Mason, which is bizarre. How can those two not be on the list? Also, a few fighters do NOT belong on the list: Sam Noakes and Frank Martin. Those are low-level fighters in my book.
IBF 135-lb champion Vasily Lomachenko has been kicked off the list due to a year of inactivity, and that’s a questionable move. In this climate, with fighters taking a year off and getting blessed with mega-money fights against Canelo Alvarez, it shouldn’t be a big deal that Lomachenko has been out of action for 12 months.
The Latest Ring Magazine Top 10 List
- Gervonta Davis
- Keyshawn Davis
- Shakur Stevenson
- William Zepeda
- Raymond Muratalla
- Andy Cruz
- Frank Martin
- Denys Berinchyk
- Tevin Farmer
- Sam Noakes
That list needs fixing. For starters, Keyshawn needs to be pushed way down on the list toward the bottom because he’s never fought anyone good, and he refuses to face the talented 2020 Olympic gold medalist, Andy Cruz. Instead of Keyshawn being at #2, he should be near the bottom at #9 based on his refusal to fight Cruz and his weak resume. Note: Keyshawn was almost knocked out by second-tier fighter Nahir Albright. He hasn’t fought a live body ever since.
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson shouldn’t be ranked at the #3 spot because he’s not fought anyone decent other than Edwin De Los Santos since moving up to the 135-lb division in 2023.
Shakur’s poor showing against De Los Santos, with him running for 12 rounds, is reason enough for him not to be at the #3 spot. Stevenson’s only other wins at lightweight have come against soft opposition, with wins over these three cans: Shuichiro Yoshino, Artem Harutyunyan, and Josh Padley, aka The Electrician.
Frank Martin doesn’t deserve to be on the top 10 list after the way he looked in his loss to Tank Davis and his struggle to beat Artem Harutyunyan. Martin too slow and musclebound to be on the top 10 list, period.
The Fixed Ranking: Better?
- Gervonta Davis
- Andy Cruz
- Abdullah Mason
- William Zepeda
- Raymond Muratalla
- Lamont Roach
- Tevin Farmer
- Floyd Schofield
- Keyshawn Davis
- Shakur Stevenson
Last Updated on 05/15/2025
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