If you ever wondered how certain governing bodies make up their world boxing rankings (‘make up’ being quite literally how it’s done in the opinion of more than a few fans, so crazy are some of the fighter’s awarded rankings at times) – the new set of WBA heavyweight rankings may leave you scratching your head.
Deontay Wilder was dropped from the WBA heavyweight rankings after his upset loss to Joseph Parker in December, but now, hey presto, Wilder is back in the WBA top 10, this despite the fact that he has not won any fight since losing to Parker on December 23. And get this, Wilder, who now sits as the #9 ranked best heavyweight in the world according to the WBA, is there due to the governing body having made a “mistake” in taking Wilder out of their previous rankings!
On the WBA website, under the section headed WBA Ratings Committee – ‘based on results held from January O1st, 2024 to January 31st, 2024’ – it reads:
“Deontay Wilder enters at position No 9 due to activity, record, and calibre of opponents. Was taken out of the ratings by mistake.”
So, what do you make of this?
It seems a dead-cert the credibility of the WBA will take a hit with this one, and why not? Mistakes shouldn’t happen in the first place, not when there is ample time to compile a set of rankings (this isn’t as bad as the infamous ranking of a dead guy blunder the folks at the WBA were guilty of back in 2015, when deceased former fighter Ali Raymi was somehow ranked at #11 in the June 5th, 2015 junior flyweight rankings, this despite the fact that he had passed away in May of that year).
But the big question here is why is Wilder now back in the WBA top 10? To repeat, Wilder has done NOTHING since being almost shut out by Parker over those 12 odd rounds a little under seven weeks ago. Jarrell Miller, who was ranked at #11, has been shoved out to accommodate Wilder. But Miller and Wilder both lost on the same night and neither man has boxed since! Again, this is just crazy, and a fan could be forgiven if he or she believed the WBA, in fact, perhaps all the governing bodies, merely pluck their rankings from thin air.
As for Wilder, he has made some noise about wanting to fight again, with him saying he has rededicated himself, with Wilder going as far as to tell ESNews that he would step in to fight Oleksandr Usyk in May if the big one with Tyson Fury falls apart once again.
As for right now, Wilder has been given a boost in the WBA rankings for doing, well, nothing.
