The ring pushes Anis to 7th place at the age of 154 – did you win or an eye test?

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis has been added to No. 7 in the updated ring rankings for the 154kg division following his first round knockout victory over challenger Ouizma Lima last Saturday.

Eye test on resume

It’s a ranking created by eye test, because Ennis (35-0, 31 KO) hasn’t beaten anyone close enough to move into the top 7. He would have gone higher if he had fought one of the top level contenders. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, came up empty trying to get a better fighter.

The updated rating of the ring is 154 kg

1. Vergil Ortiz Jr
2. Sebastian Fondora
3. Yisrael Madrimov
4. In the Mortzaliev vineyard
5. Erickson Lubin
6. Xander Zayas
7. Jaron Ennis
8. Brandon Adams
9. Jesus Ramos
10. Abbas Brau

Madarimov’s controversial 3rd place

The list is reasonable. Some of the fan resentment at X concerns recent WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, who was ranked third. Marimov (10-2-1, 7 KO) is 0-2 in his last two fights, and hasn’t won a fight in a year and a half.

Madrymov is still fighting better opposition than Ennis, and the fighters are ranked below him in the ring’s 154kg classification. He narrowly lost to Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Terence Crawford in his last two fights. He might have beaten Vergil if he hadn’t been sick, and a lot of boxing fans believe he deserves a win over Crawford. I won him, and I have years of experience.

Ortiz Jr.’s questionable #1 ranking

Place Vergil Ortiz Jr. No. 1 makes no sense at all, because he hasn’t looked good enough in his last two fights to be ranked that high. His 12-round majority victory over Serhii Bohchuk on August 10, 2024, was controversial, as he was knocked down twice in the fight.

His 12-round unanimous decision win over Medarimov on February 22nd earlier this year was very close. The judges gave it to Ortiz Jr. with scores of 115-113, 115-113 and 117-111. Madrimov was coming off a severe case of acute bronchitis going into the fight with Virgil, and had breathing problems during the fight.

Chris Williams has covered boxing since 2010, bringing fans reliable analysis and insight from the league’s headline events.