The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board stands with those fans and purists who set the true divisional champions apart from the rest. What follows is how and when they got there as well as those recognized since our inception in October 2012. We decided against going all the way back through boxing history. Why? Because the odds don’t favor the Board’s historians agreeing on exhaustive successions nearly as much as they do a debate-gone-bad with flying fists and busted beaks. Collaboration has its limits. We want to stand pat on common ground.

HEAVYWEIGHT

  Oleksandr Usyk W12 Anthony Joshua (20 August 2022–Usyk and Joshua were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open as of 15 August 2022 when Fury confirmed repeated claims of retirement.  

• Tyson Fury TKO7 Deontay Wilder (22 February 2020 —Wilder and Fury were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open 18 October 2016 after Tyson Fury officially abdicates the previous Friday.

• Tyson Fury TKO7 W12 Wladimir Klitschko (28 November 2015)

• Wladimir Klitschko W12 Alexander Povetkin (5 October 2013—Klitschhko and Povetkin were the top two Transnational-Ranked heavyweights at the time of this bout.) 

CRUISERWEIGHT

  Jai Opetaia UD 12 Mairis Briedis (2 July 2022)

• Mairis BriedisMD 12 Yuniel Dorticos (26 September 2020 – Briedis and Dorticos were the top two Transnational-Ranked cruiserweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open 15 October 2019 after Oleksandr Usyk officially abdicates with his heavyweight debut.

• Oleksandr Usyk W12 Murat Gassiev (21 July 2018 —Usyk and Gassiev were the top two Transnational-Ranked cruiserweights at the time of this bout.) 

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

  Dmitry Bivol MD12 Artur Berteriev (22 February 2025)

• Artur Beterbiev TKO10 Oleksandr Gvozdyk (18 October 2019)     
• Oleksandr Gvozdyk KO11 Adonis Stevenson (1 December 2018)
• Adonis Stevenson KO1 Chad Dawson (8 June 2013)
• Chad Dawson W12 Bernard Hopkins (28 April 2012)
• Bernard Hopkins W12 Jean Pascal (21 May 2011)
• Jean Pascal TD11 Chad Dawson (14 August 2010 —Pascal and Dawson were rated #1 and #3 by the Ring on July 25, though before the next monthly ratings came out on August 25, #2-ranked Glen Johnson was defeated by Tavoris Cloud on August 7.) 

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT

Saul Alvarez TKO11 Caleb Plant (6 November 2021 -Alvarez and Plant were the top-two Transnational-ranked super middleweights at the time of this bout. ) 

Throne declared open 16 March 2016 when Andre Ward had his first official bout in the light heavyweight division.

• Andre Ward W12 Carl Froch  (17 December 2011 -Ward  and Froch were the top-two RING-rated super middleweights at the time of this bout. ) 

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Throne declared open as 0f 1 January 2021 when Saul Alvarez officially abdicated.

• Saul Alvarez W12 Gennady Golovkin (15 September 2018 —Golovkin was ranked #1 and Alvarez #2 until the latter was removed from his ranking, as per the charter, in April 2018 due to a banned substance and subsequent suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Due to the “mitigating circumstances” allowance in the operative clause of the charter, Alvarez was effectively reinstated and this bout recognized as a true championship contest.) 

Throne declared open 18 April 2017 after Saul Alvarez, in answer to a question posed by member Jake Donovan about his middleweight title status on 11 April, stated: “I am not a middleweight champion. I was at one point, but I am no longer the middleweight champ.” Alvarez has thus formerly abdicated, as per the charter, the middleweight throne. #1-ranked Gennady Golovkin faced #2-ranked Alvarez on 16 September 2017 and fought to a draw. 

• Saul Alvarez W12 Miguel Cotto (21 November 2015)
• Miguel Cotto RTD10 Sergio Martinez (7 June 2014)
• Sergio Martinez W12 Kelly Pavlik (17 April 2010)
• Kelly Pavlik TKO7 Jermain Taylor (29 September 2007)
• Jermain Taylor W12 Bernard Hopkins (16 July 2005)
• Bernard Hopkins TKO12 Felix Trinidad (29 September 2001—Hopkins and Trinidad were the top two RING-rated middleweights at the time of this bout.)

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT

Jermell Charlo KO10 Brian Castano (14 May 2022 -Charlo and Castano were the top-two Transnational-ranked jr. middleweights at the time of this bout. ) 

Throne declared open 21 September 2015 after Mayweather announced retirement 12 September 2015. 

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. W12 Saul Alvarez (14 September 2013 —Alvarez and Mayweather  were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. middleweights at the time of this bout.) 

WELTERWEIGHT

Throne declared open as of 21 October 2024 with Terence Crawford’s abdication.

Terence Crawford W12 Errol Spence Jr. (29 July 2023—Spence and Crawford were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open on 19 April 2016 after Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement 12 April 2016. 

• Manny Pacquiao W12 Timothy Bradley (9 April 2016 —Pacquiao and Bradley  were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open 21 September 2015 after Mayweather announced retirement 12 September 2015. 

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. W12 Manny Pacquiao (2 May 2015 —Mayweather  and Pacquiao were the top two Transnational-Ranked welterweights at the time of this bout.) 

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT

Teofimo Lopez W12 Josh Taylor (10 June 2023)

Josh Taylor W12 Jose Carlos Ramirez (22 May 2021 —Taylor and Ramirez were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout.) 

Throne declared open 3 March 2020 after Garcia made known his clear intention to campaign as a welterweight after defeating Jessie Vargas.

• Mikey Garcia W12 Sergey Lipinets (10 March 2018 —Garcia and Lipinets were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout.) 

Throne declared open 6 March 2018 after Crawford abdicated.

• Terence Crawford W12 Viktor Postol (23 July 2016 —Postol and Crawford were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open August 2015 after Danny Garcia announced his abdication to compete in the welterweight division.

• Danny Garcia  W12 Lucas Matthysee  (14 September 2013 —Matthysee and Garcia were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. welterweights at the time of this bout.) 

LIGHTWEIGHT

Throne declared open 11 December 2023 after Devin Haney’s debut in the jr. welterweight division.

• Devin Haney UD12 George Kambosos Jr. (5 June 2022)
• George Kambosos Jr. SD 12 Teofimo Lopez (27 November 2021)
• Teofimo Lopez W12 Vasiliy Lomachenko (17 October 2020—Lopez and Lomachenko were the top two Transnational-Ranked lightweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared open 18 April 2015 after Terence Crawford’s debut in the jr. welterweight division.

• Terence Crawford W12 Raymundo Beltran (29 November 2014 —Crawford and Beltran were the top two Transnational-Ranked lightweights at the time of this bout.)

 JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT

Throne declared OPEN after Shakur Stevenson abdicates via failing to make weight on 24 September 2022.

• Shakur Stevenson W12 Oscar Valdez (30 April 2022—Stevenson and Valdez were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. lightweights at the time of this bout.) 

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT

Naoya Inoue KO10 Marlon Tapales (26 December 2023 -Inoue and Tapales were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. featherweights at the time of this bout.)

Throne declared OPEN as of 11 July 2022 due to Guillermo Rigondeaux’s abdication via abandonment.

• Guillermo Rigondeaux W12 Nonito Donaire (13 April 2013)
• Nonito Donaire TKO9 Toshiaki Nishioka (13 October 2012—Nishioka and Donaire were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. featherweights at the time of this bout.) 

BANTAMWEIGHT 

Throne declared OPEN as of 16 January 2023 with Naoya Inoue’s abdication.

• Naoya Inoue TKO2 Nonito Donaire (7 June 2022–Inoue and Donaire were the top two Transnational-Ranked bantamweights at the time of this bout)

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT

  Jesse Rodriguez KO7 Juan Francisco Estrada (29 June 2024)

• Juan Francisco Estrada W12 Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (26 April 2019)
• Srisaket Sor Rungvisai W12 Juan Francisco Estrada (24 February 2018 –Sor Rungvisai and Estrada were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. bantamweights at the time of this bout)

FLYWEIGHT

Throne declared open 4 October 2016 after Roman Gonzalez abdicates and debuts in the jr. bantamweight division.

• Roman Gonzalez TKO9 Akira Yaegashi (5 September 2014)
• Akira Yaegashi W12 Toshiyuki Igarashi (8 April 2013)
• Toshiyuki Igarashi W12 Sonny Boy Jaro (16 July 2012)
• Sonny Boy Jaro TKO6 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (2 March 2012)
• Pongsaklek Wonjongkam W12 Koki Kameda (27 March 2010)
• Koki Kameda W12 Daisuke Naito (29 November 2009)
• Daisuke Naito W12 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (18 July 2007)
• Pongsaklek Wonjongkam TKO1 Malcolm Tunacao (2 March 2001)
• Malcolm Tunacao TKO7 Medgoen Singsurat (19 May 2000)
• Medgoen Singsurat TKO 3 Manny Pacquiao (17 September 1999)
• Manny Pacquiao KO8 Chatchai Sasakul (4 December 1998)
• Chatchai Sasakul W12 Yuri Arbachakov (12 November 1997)
• Yuri Arbachakov KO8 Muangchai Kittikasem (23 June 1992)
• Muangchai Kittikasem TKO6 Sot Chitalada (15 Februrary 1991)
• Sot Chitalada W12 Yong-Kang Kim (3 June 1989)
• Yong-Kang Kim W12 Sot Chitalada (24 July 1988)
• Sot Chitalada W12 Gabriel Bernal (8 October 1984)
• Gabriel Bernal KO2 Koji Kabayashi (9 April 1984)
• Koji Kabayashi TKO2 Frank Cedeno (18 January 1984)
• Frank Cedeno TKO6 Charlie Magri (27 September 1983)
• Charlie Magri TKO7 Eleoncio Mercedes (15 March 1983)
• Eleoncio Mercedes W15 Freddie Castillo (6 November 1982)
• Freddie Castillo W15 Prudencio Cardona (24 July 1982)
• Prudencio Cardona KO1 Antonio Avelar (20 March 1982)
• Antonio Avelar KO7 Shoji Oguma (12 May 1981)
• Shoji Oguma KO9 Chan-Hee Park (18 May 1980)
• Chan-Hee Park W15 Miguel Canto (18 March 1979)
• Miguel Canto W15 Shoji Oguma (8 January 1975—Canto and Oguma were the top two RING-rated flyweights at the time of this bout.)

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT

Throne declared open 14 October 2024 after Kenshiro Teraji abdicates and debuts at flyweight. 

Kenshiro Teraji TKO7 Hiroto Kyoguchi (1 November 2022 – Teraji and Kyoguchi  were the top two Transnational-Ranked jr. flyweights at the time of this bout.)