Junior middleweights (154 pounds)

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JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS (154 POUNDS)

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0)

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Mayweather, a welterweight champion and the pound-for-pound king, moved up to junior middleweight and dethroned titlist Miguel Cotto via a competitive but clear decision on May 5 in the year's biggest fight. It was an outstanding battle during which Cotto forced Mayweather to engage, but "Money" came out on top. Mayweather reported to jail on June 1 and was released Aug. 3, but by this point the fall calendar is essentially filled, so Mayweather likely won't fight for the rest of the year. You have to figure if he doesn't face Manny Pacquiao next spring, he'll look to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Next: TBA.




2. Miguel Cotto (37-3)

Although Cotto lost his title to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision on May 5, he has no reason to hang his head. Despite the loss, Cotto fought a tremendous fight and gave Mayweather perhaps the toughest battle of his career. If anything, Cotto made himself bigger in defeat. Rather than take a deal for a rematch with Manny Pacquiao that wasn't to his liking, Cotto instead will return to New York's Madison Square Garden, where he is a huge draw, to challenge titlist Austin Trout (25-0).
Next: Dec. 1 vs. Trout.





3. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (41-0-1)

On Sept. 15, Alvarez made his fifth title defense, and it was every bit the massive mismatch everyone expected it to be against junior welterweight Josesito Lopez, who had pulled an upset against welterweight Victor Ortiz in June. But Lopez was simply no match for the bigger, stronger Alvarez, who bashed him around the ring, dropped him three times and then stopped him in the fifth round. Alvarez is outstanding, charismatic and a crowd pleaser, but it's time for him to fight an elite opponent.
Next: TBA.




4. Erislandy Lara (17-1-1)

Lara, who couldn't even get his own promoter, Golden Boy, to mention him in the discussion for a Saul "Canelo" Alvarez opponent on Sept. 15, will face Vanes Martirosyan in a title eliminator that is supposed to make the winner Alvarez's mandatory challenger. Lara and Martirosyan will meet on an HBO undercard at the Wynn Las Vegas in what ought to be an interesting fight.
Next: Nov. 10 vs. Martirosyan.




5. Cornelius "K9" Bundrage (32-4)

In August 2010, Bundrage destroyed Cory Spinks in five one-sided rounds to win a title. Making his second defense on June 30, Bundrage owned Spinks again, dropping him four times en route to a seventh-round knockout. There was talk that Bundrage's next fight could be Nov. 24 against former welterweight titlist Andre Berto on HBO, but it doesn't look like that will come off.
Next: TBA.




6. Carlos Molina (20-5-2)

In March, Molina was disqualified on a bad call by referee Jon Schorle in the 10th round against James Kirkland in a fight Molina was winning easily. Unable to find any top names to face him since, Molina returned to shut out Damian Frias on the Aug. 17 "Friday Night Fights" season finale.
Next: TBA.




7. Austin Trout (25-0)

Trout was handed the opportunity of a lifetime when Miguel Cotto came calling in need of an opponent for his next fight. Trout quickly accepted the assignment and will make his fourth title defense against the Puerto Rican star on enemy turf at New York's Madison Square Garden, which will rock with Cotto's fans.
Next: Dec. 1 vs. Cotto.




8. Vanes Martirosyan (32-0)

With an offer of $405,000, Top Rank (Martirosyan's promoter) won a purse bid for a title eliminator against Erislandy Lara. Top Rank plans to put it on an HBO card that will be headlined by the Orlando Salido-Mikey Garcia featherweight title bout.
Next: Nov. 10 vs. Lara.




9. Gabriel Rosado (21-5)

Philadelphia's Rosado won his seventh fight in a row on Sept. 21, a dominant, four-knockdown, 10th-round knockout of Charles Whittaker in the NBC Sports Net "Fight Night" main event. The victory in the title eliminator makes Rosado the mandatory challenger for the belt held by Cornelius "K9" Bundrage. The title fight is due by the end of March.
Next: TBA.




10. James Kirkland (31-1) During his highly controversial, 10th-round disqualification victory against Carlos Molina on March 24, Kirkland suffered two tears in his right shoulder. He had arthroscopic surgery April 2 but said he felt well enough to accept a Sept. 15 assignment against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The next day, however, he radically increased his purse demands while also admitting that his shoulder was giving him problems and dropped from the fight. Now Kirkland is suing promoter Golden Boy and his managers, who are countersuing. Let's all extend a warm welcome to Kirkland, the newest member of the Winky Wright School of Boxing Business.

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WELTERWEIGHTS (147 POUNDS)

1. Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2)

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Forget about the official split-decision "loss" Pacquiao was saddled with against Timothy Bradley Jr. on June 9. Other than pathetic judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, most of the rest of the planet had Pacquiao winning easily by several rounds. Now Pacquiao is set to return. He was rebuffed by Miguel Cotto for a rematch and turned down Bradley's pleas. The winner of the Pacquiao sweepstakes is his old rival, Juan Manuel Marquez. They will tee it up for a fourth time. This time, they ought to let them fight until somebody gets knocked out so that there is finally a conclusive result after three controversial decisions, two wins for Pacquiao and a draw.
Next: Dec. 8 vs. Marquez.




2. Timothy Bradley Jr. (29-0)

Bradley moved up to welterweight for a shot at titleholder and superstar Manny Pacquiao on June 9. Even though Bradley fought his rear end off and gave it everything he had, he was soundly beaten by Pacquiao -- at least that is what most everybody on Earth thought except for judges Duane Ford and C.J. Ross, whose horrific scorecards gave Bradley the win via split decision. It will go down as one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. Bradley hoped to face Pacquiao again but he was passed over, leaving Bradley to find some other dance partner for his return, which will come on HBO.
Next: Dec. 15 vs. TBA.




3. Andre Berto (28-1)

Although Berto tested positive for steroids and had his June 23 rematch with Victor Ortiz canceled, he has been granted a license in California and is planning to return this fall -- possibly against interim titlist Robert Guerrero on Nov. 24 on HBO.
Next: TBA.




4. Jan Zaveck (32-2)

Slovenia's Zaveck, who lost his belt to Andre Berto in 2011, was due to face Sherzodbek Alimjanov on the undercard of the Aug. 25 Robert Stieglitz-Arthur Abraham super middleweight title bout in Germany. But Zaveck suffered an elbow injury in training that will require surgery and said he won't be back until November or December.
Next: TBA.




5. Paulie Malignaggi (31-4)

Malignaggi, a former junior welterweight titlist, won a welterweight belt in impressive fashion by going to Ukraine and dismantling Vyacheslav Senchenko for a ninth-round TKO on April 29 in what might have been the best performance of his career. Malignaggi will make his first defense on Showtime, on the first card being held at the new Barclays Center in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y. He'll face former interim junior welterweight titlist Pablo Cesar Cano (25-1-1), who is moving up in weight for the opportunity.
Next: Oct. 20 vs. Cano.




6. Robert Guerrero (30-1-1)

Following a 15-month layoff because of shoulder surgery, Guerrero jumped up two weight classes from lightweight on July 28 and outpointed quality contender Selcuk Aydin in an exciting slugfest to claim an interim belt. There was talk that Guerrero might face Timothy Bradley Jr. on HBO on Dec. 15, but the Top Rank-Golden Boy war makes that very unlikely. Instead, it looks like Guerrero may wind up facing Andre Berto on Nov. 24.
Next: TBA.




7. Josesito Lopez (30-5)

Lopez, the unheralded underdog, moved up in weight from junior welterweight to face former titlist Victor Ortiz on June 23 as a late substitute for steroid-busted Andre Berto. Lopez broke Ortiz's jaw in two places and forced him to retire on his stool after the ninth round of a terrific fight. Ortiz said he will pick up his option for a rematch, although he is sidelined for the time being because of the jaw injury. That opened the door for Lopez to accept a fight with junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, so Lopez moved up yet another division and was blown out in five one-sided rounds on Sept. 15.
Next: TBA.




8. Victor Ortiz (29-4-2)

Ortiz was slated for a much-anticipated rematch against fellow former titleholder Andre Berto in a major Showtime fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles until Berto tested positive for steroids in a random urine test. With Berto out and a Sept. 15 junior middleweight title shot against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez dependent on a win or a draw, Ortiz instead got all he could handle from Josesito Lopez on June 23. Although Ortiz was ahead on all three scorecards, he resigned after the ninth round because his jaw was broken in two places and he had internal bleeding. He had jaw surgery and will be out of action for quite a while.
Next: TBA.




9. Kell Brook (28-0)

Fighting at home in Sheffield, England, Brook was taken to the limit in a tough fight with American Carson Jones on July 7. Brook persevered through a bloody and broken nose to hang on for a majority decision in the toughest fight of his career. Brook next will face Argentina's Hector Saldivia (41-2, 32 KOs) in Sheffield, with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger for titleholder Randall Bailey.
Next: Oct. 20 vs. Saldivia.




10. Devon Alexander (23-1) Alexander moved up to welterweight Feb. 25 and looked very impressive, rolling to a virtual shutout of junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana, who also had moved up. Alexander was due to headline a Showtime card by challenging titlist Randall Bailey (43-7) on Sept. 8. However, Bailey suffered a back injury, forcing the bout to be postponed until the debut boxing card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., giving Showtime four world title bouts on the same card.
Next: Oct. 20 vs. Bailey.

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MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)
1. Sergio Martinez (50-2-2)

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In their much-anticipated showdown on Sept. 15, Martinez took Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to school for 11-plus rounds. But the final 90 seconds of the fight were as memorable as anything in the history of boxing as Chavez badly hurt and dropped Martinez, who, instead of running or holding, fought back like the champion he is and made it to the bell to win a lopsided decision in one of the most dramatic endings of a fight. There is likely to be a rematch, but first Martinez is having knee surgery and Chavez must serve a likely suspension for his positive drug test.
Next: TBA.




2. Daniel Geale (28-1)

Australia's Geale went to Germany on Sept. 1 and did something very, very hard to do: He won a split decision against hometown hero Felix Sturm, who has been bulletproof at home. With the win, which came in a very good fight, Geale unified a pair of alphabet titles and put himself in a great position.
Next: TBA.




3. Gennady Golovkin (24-0)

On Sept. 1, Golovkin was absolutely sensational in a fifth-round knockout of European champ and quality opponent Grzegorz Proksa to retain his belt. Golovkin scored three knockdowns in the victory and did what he said he wanted to do, which was make a statement in his American and HBO debut. Golovkin might be the most dangerous fighter in the weight class, and hopefully we will see a lot more of him. Unified titlist Daniel Geale now owes him a mandatory fight, which will be a good one if it comes off.
Next: TBA.




4. Felix Sturm (37-3-2)

Sturm fought a good fight against Daniel Geale on Sept. 1 and it could have gone either way, but -- shockingly -- Geale got the split-decision win on Sturm's turf in Germany. And with it, Sturm's third title reign came to a screeching halt.
Next: TBA.




5. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1)

Chavez, whose training habits left a lot to be desired as he prepped for his Sept. 15 fight with Sergio Martinez, started way too slowly and was outclassed for 11-plus rounds by the real champ. But Chavez salvaged some credibility with a blazing final 90 seconds in which he badly hurt and dropped Martinez. A rematch figured to take place in early 2013, but Chavez tested positive for marijuana after the fight and faces a lengthy suspension because it was his second positive test for a banned substance in Nevada since 2009. He's in trouble.
Next: TBA.




6. Matthew Macklin (29-4)

In March, Macklin, an England-born Irishman, dropped Sergio Martinez in a shot at the lineal championship before eventually going down twice in the 11th round and getting stopped. In his first fight since, Macklin was on the Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard on Sept. 15 and looked sensational as he blitzed former junior middleweight titlist Joachim Alcine for two knockdowns in the first-round stoppage. Ideally, Macklin will get a shot at the belts held by Daniel Geale or Gennady Golovkin. Those are perfect HBO fights.
Next: TBA.




7. Dmitry Pirog (20-0)

Pirog, of Russia, was slated to fight in the United States and headline a Sept. 1 HBO card against titlist Gennady Golovkin. But Pirog ruptured a disc in his back and had to pull out of the fight. He will be out of commission for several months. To make matters worse, he was stripped of his alphabet belt for taking the Golovkin fight instead of taking a less lucrative mandatory defense.
Next: TBA.




8. "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin (27-0)

In a one-sided fight on June 2, the 28-year-old Quillin scored a fifth-round knockdown en route to a lopsided decision against Winky Wright, who was coming off a layoff of more than three years. Quillin won in such dominant fashion that Wright, a 40-year-old former undisputed junior middleweight champion, announced his retirement. Quillin will return on the Showtime card that will open the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- where Quillin lived for several years -- for boxing. Quillin will challenge paper titleholder Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam (27-0).
Next: Oct. 20 vs. N'Jikam.




9. Martin Murray (24-0-1)

England's Murray was supposed to challenge then-titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 16 on HBO. However, Murray's criminal past forced him to pull out because he would not be able to secure a visa to come to the United States in time. Instead, he outboxed France's Karim Achour for a 10-round decision on the same day in a much lesser fight in England. He'll return on the undercard of Ricky Hatton's comeback fight against Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Next: Nov. 24 vs. TBA.




10. Andy Lee (28-2) Lee started well against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in their June 16 title bout. Lee was busy, landing a lot of punches, and was ahead 58-56 on all three scorecards going into the seventh round. While Lee began to lose steam, Chavez never let up, and he finally caught and hurt Lee, stopping him in the seventh.

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JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS (140 POUNDS)
1. Danny Garcia (24-0)

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Although Garcia had a cut over his right eye and was getting tagged repeatedly with right hands through the first two-plus rounds of his title unification bout against Amir Khan on July 14, he stayed the course, displayed a great chin and never stopped swinging. Eventually, Garcia knocked Khan down three times to score the knockout victory in a blazing fight. For his first defense, Garcia will give a contractually stipulated rematch to Erik Morales (52-8) in the headliner of a Showtime card that will open the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., to boxing.
Next: Oct. 20 vs. Morales.




2. Lucas Matthysse (32-2)

The big puncher from Argentina walked through some heavy shots to deliver his own big bombs in a thrilling fifth-round knockout of respected former two-division titlist Humberto Soto on June 23. Matthysse followed it up with an even more impressive victory on Sept. 8, when he hammered Olusegun Ajose into a 10th-round knockout to win a vacant interim title. Matthysse is simply one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, along with one of its best punchers. When he's fighting, you must watch.
Next: TBA.




3. Lamont Peterson (30-1-1)

Peterson was supposed to defend his belts in a major rematch against Amir Khan on May 19, but he tested positive for the banned substance synthetic testosterone as part of a random testing regimen (which he asked for) and the fight was canceled. One organization stripped Peterson of its belt, but another allowed him to keep its title and ordered him to make a mandatory defense against former titlist Zab Judah. But just because an alphabet organization let Peterson keep a belt doesn't necessarily mean he'll be licensed after the positive drug test.
Next: TBA.




4. Amir Khan (26-3)

Looking to rebuild after an upset fourth-round knockout loss to Danny Garcia on July 14, Khan fired trainer Freddie Roach and replaced him with reigning trainer of the year Virgil Hunter, best known for his work with super middleweight champ Andre Ward. Khan's first fight with Hunter will come on Showtime -- he's defecting from HBO like most of Golden Boy's fighters -- against lightweight Carlos Molina (18-0-1), who is moving up for the opportunity.
Next: Dec. 15 vs. Molina.




5. Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1)

More than anything, Marquez has wanted a fourth crack at Manny Pacquiao, against whom he is 0-2-1 in three controversial decisions. Now he's got it. Marquez, a junior welterweight titlist, will once again move up to welterweight for the fourth helping of one of boxing's greatest rivalries. Please, please, please, somebody score a clean knockout so that there is no more controversy.
Next: Dec. 8 vs. Pacquiao.




6. Zab Judah (42-7)

In July 2011, Judah looked like an old, shot fighter when he was dominated and knocked out in the fifth round of a title unification bout against Amir Khan. But in Judah's return March 24, he looked like the Judah of old -- not an old Judah -- as he dominated Vernon Paris and stopped him in the ninth round of an elimination bout. Judah's next fight is supposed to be a mandatory title shot against Lamont Peterson before the end of the year.
Next: TBA.




7. Mike Alvarado (33-0)

In a sensational fight on Top Rank's April 14 pay-per-view card, Alvarado slugged it out with Mauricio Herrera in a fight of the year candidate and won a decision. Alvarado's next fight -- which will be on the Nonito Donaire-Toshiaki Nishioka HBO undercard -- very well could challenge the April bout for excitement because he is set to face former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios (30-0-1) in a fight that can't possibly be anything other than a barnburner.
Next: Oct. 13 vs. Rios.




8. Erik Morales (52-8)

The all-time great Mexican slugger and future Hall of Famer lost his belt because he failed to make weight for his first defense against Danny Garcia on March 24. Although Garcia dropped Morales and won a decision to claim the vacant belt, Morales gave the much younger, fresher Garcia a very tough fight. Morales has exercised his rematch clause and will face Garcia again.
Next: Oct. 20 vs. Garcia.




9. Olusegun Ajose (30-1)

Nigeria's Ajose put up a game and exciting effort against Lucas Matthysse in their Sept. 8 battle for a vacant interim belt, but Matthysse was too much. He battered Ajose, dropped him for the first time in his career and stopped him in the 10th round of an exciting fight.
Next: TBA.




10. Brandon Rios (30-0-1) The former lightweight titlist lost his belt because he missed weight and then missed it a second time when he was supposed to fight for the still-vacant title. But now he is at 140 pounds and set to face Mike Alvarado in an HBO undercard fight that, on paper at least, looks like a lock for a fight of the year candidate.
Next: Oct. 13 vs. Alvarado.