These are the top 10 British super-middleweights in the world rankings right now
The 168lbs weight category has such a mix of fighters right now, including current and former world rulers, world title contenders, mandatory challengers, plus prospects rising through the ranks, so it's an exciting division currently.
Find BBN's up-to-date list of the top 10 world-ranked super-middleweights from Britain below:
#1 Billy Joe Saunders
WBC #6 / WBO #10 / IBO #2 / TBRB #7 / Ring #3 / BoxRec #2
BJS lost his 'Cinco De Mayo' unification showdown with P4P No.1 Canelo earlier this year, but the two-weight world champ hasn't hung up his gloves yet, so the world is waiting to see what his next move will be. A long-awaited showdown with WBO middleweight king Demetrius Andrade possibly? Three British and Irish fighters, in a row, have fought and failed to dethrone 'Boo Boo', so perhaps he will give Saunders his turn in 2022, in a fight which has been a long time coming.
#2 Lerrone Richards
IBO Champion / WBC #20 / WBO #11 / TBRB #5 / BoxRec #8
Britain's newest world champion is the brilliant Lerrone Richards, crowned this month with a dominant win over undefeated Ecuadorian Carlos Gongora, who was nullified and outpointed one week before Christmas. Gongora was ranked in the top 10 with The Ring Magazine, so the southpaw from Surrey should skyrocket in next month's world rankings and, fingers crossed, there'll be some huge unification fights for the 29-year-old 'Sniper' next year.
#3 Zach Parker
WBC #12 / IBF #6 / WBO #1 / IBO #7 / Ring #10 / BoxRec #14
Zach Parker has been hoping for some time to use his WBO No.1 ranking to challenge either British rival Billy Joe or P4P superstar Canelo, but now the division is somewhat complicated with all the belts residing with the Mexican, who is momentarily moving up to cruiserweight in a bid to become a five-weight world champion, so who knows what will happen to his super-middlweight marbles in the meantime. Parker may have to fight for an interim title in the meantime, unless Alvarez vacates.
#4 John Ryder
WBC #14 / WBA #4 / WBO #13 / IBO #5 / Ring #5 / BoxRec #4
'The Gorilla' is temporarily torn between title tilts at 168lbs or 175lbs. Either way, he is one of the most likeliest of Brits to land a world title shot in the New Year. A rematch with Callum Smith for a vacant title or final eliminator would be most welcomed by UK fight fans.
#5 Lennox Clarke
WBC #26 / IBO #46 / BoxRec #25
Just one defeat to now-world champion Lerrone Richards shows just how good this 30-year-old Brummie really is. One judge scored the British and Commonwealth championship contest two rounds to Clarke in 2019, but he came back 16 months later to win both belts with a surprising upset over promising prospect Willy Hutchinson.
#6 Jack Cullen
WBC #30 / IBF #15 / IBO #27 / BoxRec #35
Exciting ex-England champ Jack Cullen got caught up in another firefight just last weekend with stand-in Frenchman Kevin Lele Sadjo and was stopped in round six by a well-placed liver shot, losing out on the chance to claim the vacant European title. The rangey fighter, still just 28, now has to rebuild back up to championship level again in the New Year.
#7 John Docherty
IBO #60 / BoxRec #49
Scottish southpaw lost to the aforementioned Cullen in November 2020, with just one to two rounds in it, but bounced back with a standard six-round win over journeyman Darryl Sharp exactly one year later. Aged 24, the man from Montrose will have a bright future ahead if he picks the right fights at the right time.
#8 Zak Chelli
IBO #66 / BoxRec #68
Another fighter to have shared the ring with Cullen, their split decision draw could see a rerun in 2022. Londoner Chelli won a shorterned version of Ultimate Boxxer in 2020,and clocked up another victory against a winning fighter in Ukraine in April this year.
#9 Padraig McCrory
WBC #31 / IBO #60 / BoxRec #51
The WBC International Silver champion has clawed his way into the top 40 with the World Boxing Council, winning the title in August, and a defence in November saw his stock rise further still. That's three KOs in a row for the Belfast boxer, known as 'The Hammer'.
#9 Mark Jeffers
WBO #14 / IBO #63 / BoxRec #138
Fast-rising prospect from Chorley, Mark Jeffers, is unbeaten in 14 with two titles in the bag – Central Area and WBO Global. Definitely one to watch in 2022!
#10 Germaine Brown
IBO #77 / BoxRec #82
The former Southern Area champion rose to prominence when he dropped tough Russian Dmitrii Chudinov in 2020, then followed up with a win over Jamal Le Doux in an English title eliminator, live on Sky Sports. He crammed another fight in last month to end the year at 11-0. 2022 should see him in with English titleholder Charlie Schofield, whose sole loss was to Mickey Ellison on points (although he avenged that in his next fight to win the English title).
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