Manny Pacquiao removed from ratings after ‘mistake’

Pacquiao’s shock inclusion at number five in the WBC welterweight ratings has been undone by the sanctioning body a month later

Manny Pacquiao at a launch event for his fight with Mario Barrios (AP)

The World Boxing Council (WBC) has made a surprising U-turn with their latest ratings update, removing Manny Pacquiao a month after placing the eight-time world champion fifth in their welterweight rankings.

While Pacquiao has completely dropped out of the ratings, his fight with WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios will still go ahead.

Despite last fighting a competitive bout just under four years ago, Pacquiao had been added to the WBC’s welterweight ratings in May, partly to facilitate a bout with the sanctioning body’s champion at 147lb, Mario Barrios.

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The WBC’s rules allow a champion emeritus to challenge a title holder, explaining how the bout between Pacquiao has been made.

However, WBC chairman Mauricio Sulaiman has since admitted that re-introducing Pacquiao to the WBC’s rankings was both unnecessary and a mistake.

At the start of June, he told Fight Hub TV: “The World Boxing Council regulations allow legendary boxers who receive a license from a boxing commission and who pass all their exams to compete for the title. We made a mistake in ranking him number five, and that caused confusion among the media and fans, obviously saying, 'Why is he ranked if he hasn’t fought?'"

He added: "What happened is that permission was granted, the fight was authorised, and we’ll talk again on July 20 to see how it went. I think we’re going to remove him from the rankings with the clarification that he will fight based on the regulations.”

Other fighters have moved up and down the rankings, producing the following winners and losers.

Winners

Moses Itauma

Moses Itauma after his devastating KO of Demsey McKean, which saw him retain the WBO Intercontinental title (Getty)

Moses Itauma has matured from highly rated prospect into heavyweight contender overnight. The 20-year-old is now rated first with the WBO, third with the WBA, and seventh with the IBF. It appears the WBC are now in agreement with the other big sanctioning bodies, moving Itauma up nine spots, but they do not rate the Slovakian-born heavyweight as highly.

The WBC have moved Itauma from 20th to 11th, placing him into top 15 contention with the organisation. It now seems a case of when, rather than if, Itauma will get a title shot – and which sanctioning body will give it to him.

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Jermall Charlo

JERMALL CHARLO PIERDE TÍTULO (AP)

Previously WBC champion at middleweight before having his title stripped in 2024, Jermall Charlo’s made his debut at super middleweight on the undercard of Caleb Plant’s bout with Armando Resendiz.

Plant and Charlo were both expected to win, paving the way for a bout between the pair. However, while Charlo was victorious against Thomas LaManna, Plant was soundly beaten by Resendiz, nixing any potential fight.

It is decent consolation for Charlo that he has entered the WBC’s ratings at number two, with the organisation ranking just Christian M’Billi (number one and continental Americas title holder) and Canelo Álvarez (undisputed super middleweight champion) above him.

Loser

Callum Simpson

Barnsley boy Callum Simpson picked up the best belt of his boxing career at the weekend, securing the EBU super middleweight title in an enthralling contest against Ivan Zucco.

Despite extending his unbeaten record to 18-0 (13), Simpson has dropped from 11th to 14th in the WBC’s ratings. Despite losing, Caleb Plant has lost his WBA interim status and thus becomes eligible to be rated by the WBC, the American coming in at 13th to bump Simpson down a spot.

Charlo, meanwhile, has shot straight to second after previously being unranked, whilst Uzbekistani Bektemir Melikuziev has moved from 12th to 11th, leaping Simpson in the process.

Whilst the WBC have reacted to recent title movements, such as Keyshawn Davis being stripped off his WBO belt at lightweight, it appears they have not tracked Simpson’s status as EBU champion, listing the European title at super middleweight vacant.

As such, it seems likely that Simpson might rise back up the ratings once they are updated to reflect his EBU belt in July.

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