The 10 Best Boxers Without a World Title

Even in this day and age where each of the seventeen weight classes feature multiple world champs, sometimes elite-level fighters find themselves without a belt.

Here are the ten best fighters who currently find themselves without a world title designation (Be aware that many of these fighters have upcoming world title bouts and their status as non-champs may change within weeks or months):

1. Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs)— Middleweight

At one point, the Argentine southpaw held three belts in two weight classes. Boxing politics saw fit to strip him of his titles, but he's still regarded as the true, consensus middleweight champ.

2. Juan Manuel Marquez (53-6-1, 39 KOs)— Junior Welterweight

Scheduled to fight for a vacant interim junior welterweight title in April, Marquez formerly held two world title belts at lightweight before being forced to vacate.

3. Yuriorkis Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs)— Featherweight/Super Featherweight

The Cuban talent, at one point, held two world featherweight titles. Now, he's been stripped of both and may be facing a legal battle over contractual disagreements with promoter, Top Rank.

4. Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KOs)— Junior Welterweight

The former two-belt world champion from the UK was upset by Lamont Peterson last December, but is scheduled for a chance at redemption in May.

5. Robert Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs)— Lightweight

The former featherweight and super featherweight titlist most recently held two interim lightweight titles. Guerrero is scheduled to make his welterweight debut against Selcuk Aydin in July.

6. Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KOs)— Super Middleweight

The two-time WBC super middleweight champ had his belt taken from him by Andre Ward last year. Froch will make another run at a title against IBF champ, Lucian Bute, in May.

7. Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs)— Lightweight

A former lightweight titlist who lost his belt on the scale, Rios is getting a chance to reclaim the same vacant belt against Richard Abril in April.

8. Jean Pascal (26-2-1, 16 KOs)— Light Heavyweight

The former WBC light heavyweight titlist lost his belt to Bernard Hopkins last year. Pascal has nothing planned at the moment, but the entertaining Haitian is just a half-step away from challenging for a title again.

9. Chad Dawson (30-1, 17 KOs)— Light Heavyweight

Dawson held two world title belts at light heavyweight as well as an interim strap before dropping a technical decision to Jean Pascal in 2010. He'll get a second chance at Bernard Hopkins' WBC title (after last year's disappointing no decision) this coming April.

10. James Kirkland (30-1, 27 KOs)— Junior Middleweight

The force of nature had been sidelined with a prison sentence and then a shocking TKO loss to light-hitting Nobuhiro Ishida last year. Since then, Kirkland stopped Alfredo Angulo to get back on track. If he scores a win over Carlos Molina on March 24th, a world title shot is all but guaranteed.

Honorable Mention: Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Paul Williams, Humberto Soto, Denis Lebedev

Paul Magno was a licensed official in the state of Michoacan, Mexico and a close follower of the sport for more than thirty years. He is also a contributor to Fox Sports. In the past, Paul has done work for Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules and Eastside Boxing.

Sources:

Boxrec, Boxing Records and Schedules

The Boxing Tribune, Unbiased World Rankings

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