RING MAGAZINE have released their latest lightweight rankings ahead of the mouthwatering fight taking place in the division this weekend.
All eyes will be on Las Vegas on Saturday night when surging superstars Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia collide in the biggest fight of the year at the T-Mobile Arena.
ALAMYRyan Garcia and Gervonta Davis clash in a mouthwatering lightweight showdown this weekend[/caption]
GETTYThe pair are both considered to be top-ten lightweights by Ring Magazine[/caption]
Ring Magazine’s top ten lightweights
And both men feature highly in Ring’s 135lb rankings ahead of what promises to be an iconic showdown.
Here, SunSport examines Ring Magazine’s latest top ten in full.
Champion – Devin Haney
Undisputed champion Devin Haney – who is set to make the second defence of his belts next month – sits atop the list.
Haney unified the division last June with a masterclass over George Kambosos Jr – a feat he repeated the following October.
Devin Haney is the undisputed king of the lightweightsGETTY
No.1 – Vasyl Lomachenko
Haney’s upcoming opponent Vasyl Lomachenko is the sanctioning body’s No.1-ranked lightweight.
The Ukranian was the man at 135lbs before he ran into Teofimo Lopez in 2020, losing his grip on the WBA (Super), WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to the American.
GETTYVasyl Lomachenko is the number-one ranked lightweight in the world[/caption]
No.2 – Gervonta Davis
Baltimore bruiser Davis is the current owner of the WBA (regular) lightweight title – which he’s defended four times since claiming it in 2019.
Davis has yet to taste defeat in his professional career, which he began a decade ago as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
Ring Magazine rank Gervonta Davis as the number-two lightweight in the worldGETTY
No.3 – Ryan Garcia
Like Davis, Garcia is also undefeated – although he has a slightly lower knockout percentage than ‘Tank’.
‘The Flash’ has won 23 of his professional fights via knockout – the last of which came against former two-time world champion Javier Fortuna last July.
APRyan Garcia comes in as the number-three ranked 135er in the world[/caption]
No.4 – Issac Cruz
Mexio’s Issac Cruz is ranked No.4 in The Ring rankings following consecutive wins over Yuriorkis Gamboa and Eduardo Ramirez, which saw him bounce back from a decision defeat to Davis in December 2021.
How to watch Gervonta Davis vs Ryan Garcia – live stream, TV channel, full card details
No.5 – Shakur Stevenson
Former super-featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson comes in at No.5 – despite having only competed in the weight class once.
Stevenson lost the WBC and WBO 130lbs on the scales last September after failing to make weight for his clash with Robson Conceicao.
And he made a successful 135lb bow earlier this month, stopping Japan’s Shuichiro Yoshino in six rounds.
GETTYShakur Stevenson was successful in his lightweight debut earlier this month[/caption]
No.6 – Frank Martin
Detroit destroyer Frank Martin sits at number six following 12 knockouts in his 17 professional outings.
No.7 – George Kambosos Jr
Former unified champion Kambosos Jr occupies seventh spot following back-to-back schooling by Haney last year.
The Aussie currently doesn’t have a fight booked but is likely to return action in the coming months.
EPAGeorges Kambosos Jr comes in at number seven[/caption]
No.8 – William Zepeda
Slick southpaw William Zepeda has earned his number eight spot due to his perfect 27-0 record, which is filled with a whopping 23 knockouts.
No.9 – Maxi Hughes
Despite being the owner of the IBO lightweight title, Brit Maxi Hughes only comes in at number nine on the stacked list.
Hughes claimed the belt in September 2021 and has made successful defences against Ryan Walsh and Kid Galahad.
Maxi Hughes is the No.9-ranked lightweight in the world, in the eyes of Ring MagazineGETTY
GETTYKeyshawn Davis rounds out the top ten list[/caption]
No.10 – Keyshawn Davis
Lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis, 24, rounds off the list at number ten – despite only having eight professional fights to his name.