The junior welterweight division is one of the deepest in boxing, with no fewer than nine elite champions or contenders.
Two of them – two-time titleholder Regis Prograis and 140-pound newcomer Devin Haney – are scheduled to face off on pay-per-view Saturday night from Chase Center in San Francisco, and more such matchups are on the horizon
Who’s the best of the bunch?
Boxing Junkie took a look at the top 140-pounders and selected the nine best for this special feature, ranking them in order of where they stand among their peers at the moment.
Note: This list is not based solely on accomplishments at 140 pounds. Victories at other weights and perceived ability also factored into our ranking.
Also, Gervonta Davis, who defeated two fighters on our list, is not included because he is campaigning at 135. And Josh Taylor, who also has taken down two men here, was not considered because he has moved up to 147.
Here’s the list.
- TEOFIMO LOPEZ (19-1, 13 KOs)
Key victories: Richard Commey TKO 2, Dec. 14, 2019 (135 pounds); Vasiliy Lomachenko UD Oct. 17, 2020 (135); and Josh Taylor UD June 10, 2023 (140).
Losses: George Kambosos Jr. SD Nov. 27, 2021 (135).
Plusses: Lopez is an exceptional all-around fighter when he’s at his best, as he demonstrated most recently in a convincing decision over Taylor to win a 140-pound title in June. He’s gifted (speed, explosiveness, power) and skillful, which was evident in his breakthrough win over Lomachenko.
Minuses: Inconsistency. He went down and generally struggled against less-talented Kambosos, losing a split decision and his 135-pouind titles. He fought with a dangerous condition in which air was present between his lungs. He also gave a so-so performance against Sandor Martin last December, winning a split decision.
- DEVIN HANEY (30-0, 15 KOs)
Key victories: Jorge Linares UD May 29, 2021 (135); Joseph Diaz Jr. UD Dec. 4, 2021 (135); George Kambosos Jr. I UD June 5, 2022 (135); Kambosos Jr. II UD Oct. 16, 2022 (135); Vasiliy Lomachenko UD May 20, 2023 (135).
Losses: None
Plusses: The former undisputed 135-pound champion is the best technician in the division, a product of his impressive natural gifts and extensive amateur career. He arguably has the strongest resume here, with a series of important victories (see above). And, at 25, he probably is just entering his prime.
Minuses: Haney is tall (5-foot-8) and has fought at 135 his entire career, which means he should have no trouble transitioning into a new division. However, the fact is that he’s making his 140-pound debut on Saturday. We’ll see how he looks. And he’s a light puncher. His last seven victories have come by decision.
- REGIS PROGRAIS (29-1, 24 KOs)
Key victories: Kiryl Relikh TKO 6 April 27, 2019 (140); Jose Zepeda KO 11 Nov. 26, 2022 (140).
Losses: Josh Taylor MD Oct. 26, 2019 (140).
Plusses: Prograis does everything well. He’s quick and athletic, he can box and he has power, as his knockout percentage (83%) indicates. He lost to a peak Taylor but essentially fought him on even terms in a close fight. He performed as well a ever in his title-winning KO of Zepeda.
Minuses: He did lose his biggest fight, against Taylor. His best victory (Zepeda) probably carries less weight than the biggest wins of others on this list. And Prograis, at 34, is the oldest member of this group. That means his meeting with Haney is particularly important for his career.
- GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL (17-0, 17 KOs)
Key victories: Viktor Postol KO 10 Feb. 26, 2022 (140); Rances Barthelemy TKO 6 July 30, 2022 (140)
Losses: None
Plusses: Russell could end up on the top of this list. He seems to have it all, boxing ability, one-punch knockout power and fighting spirit. The fact he has stopped all 17 of his opponents – including a few established contenders – is striking. He can be hit but that’s due in part to his appealing aggressiveness.
Minuses: His victories over a still-capable Postol and Barthelemy demonstrated that he can win at a high level but we still don’t know how he will do against top-level opposition. Thus, the jury is still out on Russell. His aggressiveness could lead to trouble against a big puncher.
- SUBRIEL MATIAS (20-1, 20 KOs)
Key victories: Jeremias Ponce KO 5 Feb. 25, 2023; Shohjahon Ergashev KO 6 Nov. 25, 2023 (140)
Losses: Petros Ananyan UD Feb. 22, 2020 (140)
Plusses: The 31-year-old Puerto Rican is a seek-and-destroy offensive machine. He walks down his opponents, beats them up and, as his knockout record demonstrates, he has the power to end fights early. His last five opponents have quit in their corners, a testament to his destructive ability.
Minuses: Matias slipped up in his first fight with Ananyan, which he lost by decision. Can he lose focus? He says it was a wake-up call. He can be hit. How would that go against someone like Ryan Garcia? And we should probably wait until he beats a top-tier opponent before we label him the next Felix Trinidad.
- JOSE RAMIREZ (28-1, 18 KOs)
Key victories: Amir Imam UD March 17, 2018 (140); Jose Zepeda MD Feb. 10, 2019 (140); Viktor Postol MD Aug. 29, 2020 (140); Jose Pedraza UD 12 March 4, 2022 (140); Richard Commey KO 11 March 25, 2020 (140)
Losses: Josh Taylor UD May 22, 2021 (140)
Plusses: Ramirez is sort of the forgotten man. The 2012 U.S. Olympian arguably has the deepest professional resume of anyone here. He’s solid across the board. He can box, he has power and he has durability. He went down twice against Taylor but otherwise fought the Scot on roughly even terms.
Minuses: Inconsistency. He looks good in some victories (Pedraza and Commey) and not-so-good in others (Zepeda and Postol). He’s a capable technician, the result of his amateur foundation. However, he’s not particularly quick or athletic.
- RYAN GARCIA (24-1, 20 KOs)
Key victories: Luke Campbell TKO 7 Jan. 2, 2021 (135); Javier Fortuna KO 6 July 16, 2022 (140)
Losses: Gervonta Davis KO 7 April 22, 2023 (136)
Plusses: Garcia has been blessed with elite natural tools, including his unusual hand speed and one-punch KO power. He’s also a well-schooled boxer, the product of an extensive and successful amateur career. He has two weighty victories. And he’s the most popular fighter here given his massive social media following.
Minuses: Garcia is a capable technician – he’s adept at landing his power punches, for example – but he isn’t a boxing wizard, which we saw in his comeback victory over Oscar Duarte on Dec. 2. And jumping from one trainer to another and ongoing problems with his handlers can be counterproductive.
- ROLANDO ROMERO (15-1, 13 KOs)
Key victories: Jackson Marinez UD Aug. 15, 2020 (135); Ismael Barroso TKO 9 May 13, 2023 (140)
Losses: Gervonta Davis TKO 6 May 28, 2022 (135)
Plusses: Romero is solid across the board. He’s a decent boxer given his lack of a substantive amateur background and only 16 professional fights, and he has heavy hands, which is evident in his knockout record. And the experience gleaned from his setback against Davis will have helped him going forward.
Minuses: Romero is raw in terms of his skill set compared to the others on this list. He also has one of the weakest resumes, including the loss to Davis. He has been good and powerful enough to get past second-tier opponents. We’ll see how he does in his next fight against an elite opponent.
- RICHARDSON HITCHINS (17-0, 7 KOs)
Key victories: Argenis Mendez SD Dec. 12, 2020 (140); Malik Hawkins UD Dec. 18, 2021 (147); Jose Zepeda UD Sept. 23, 2023 (140)
Losses: None
Plusses: Hitchins, a New Yorker who represented Haiti in the 2016 Olympics, is a terrific boxer with impressive natural gifts, including unusual quickness. His near-shutout victory over capable veteran Zepeda in his most recent fight was an eye-opener. The 26-year-old is on an upward trajectory.
Minuses: He’s still in the process of proving himself against top-level opposition, as is the case with several others here. He doesn’t have fight-changing punching power, although he has forced several opponents to retire the past several years.
