Pictured: Terence Crawford

2016 saw a lineal junior welterweight champion crowned and saw only one major organizational junior welterweight champion hold onto his title the entire year. Terence Crawford opened and closed the year as the WBO champion and added the lineal, Ring Magazine, and WBC titles to his collection in July.

Part eight of TTR's review of 2016 looks at Crawford and the twelve TTR-ranked contenders for his titles. The contenders are listed in the order of their TTR rankings based on fights through December 31.

World Champion: Terence Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs)
- 2/27- Hank Lundy.....W TKO 5
(retained WBO title)
- 7/23- Viktor Postol.....W UD 12
(retained WBO title; won WBC, vacant lineal, and vacant Ring Magazine titles)
- 12/10- John Molina, Jr......W TKO 8
(retained lineal, Ring Magazine, WBO, and WBC titles; note: Molina was ineligible to the titles because he weighed in 3 pounds over the divisional limit)

1. Viktor Postol (28-1, 12 KOs)
- 7/23- Terence Crawford.....L UD 12
(lost WBC Title; for WBO, vacant lineal, and vacant Ring Magazine titles)

2. Adrien Broner (32-2, 1 NC, 24 KOs)
- 4/1- Ashley Theophane.....W TKO 9
(lost WBA title on scales; weighed in 1/2 pound over divisional limit)

3. Julius Indongo (21-0, 11 KOs)
- 3/26- Allan Kamote.....W TKO 9
- 8/6- Fabian Lyimo.....W TKO 1
- 12/3- Eduard Troyanovsky.....W KO 1
(won IBO and IBF titles)

4. Antonio Orozco (25-0, 16 KOs)
- 3/25- Miguel Acosta.....W KO 1
- 7/30- Abner Lopez.....W UD 10

5. Adrian Granados (18-4-2, 12 KOs)
- 7/16- Ariel Vasquez.....W UD 8

6. Rances Barthelemy (25-0, 1 ND, 13 KOs)
- 6/3- Mickey Bey.....W SD 12
(retained IBF lightweight title)
- 6/6- vacated IBF lightweight title to campaign as a junior welterweight

7. Eduard Troyanovsky (25-1, 22 KOs)
- 4/8- Cesar Rene Cuenca.....W TKO 7
(retained IBO and IBF titles)
- 9/9- Keita Obara.....W TKO 2
(retained IBO and IBF titles)
- 12/3- Julius Indongo......L KO 1
(lost IBO and IBF titles)

8. Sergey Lipinets (11-0, 9 KOs)
- 3/15- Levan Ghvamichava.....W KO 5
- 7/15- Walter Castillo.....W TKO 7
- 12/10- Leonardo Zappavigna.....W KO 8

9. Humberto Soto (66-9-2, 1 NC, 36 KOs)
- 10/1- Daniel Ruiz.....W TKO 2

10. Ricky Burns (41-5-1, 14 KOs)
- 5/28- Michele Di Rocco.....W TKO 8
(won vacant WBA title)
- 10/7- Kiryl Relikh.....W UD 12
(retained WBA title)

11. Cesar Rene Cuenca (48-2, 2 NCs, 2 KOs)
- 4/8- Eduard Troyanovsky.....L TKO 7
(for IBO and IBF titles)

12. Darleys Perez (33-2-2, 21 KOs)
- 5/20- Ubadel Soto.....W KO 2
- 11/19- Maurice Hooker.....Draw 10