Pictured: the late Masatate Tsuji

The IBO issued their January 2010 rankings on January 5th. (TTR includes the IBO's top 15 for each weight class in the "BOXING ORGANIZATIONS RANKINGS" section.) They have changed their format. In the past, they included their champions and the champions of the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO in their computerized rankings. As of January 2010, that is no longer the case. The champions are listed separately above the top 100 (or top 75) of their respective divisions. The IBO ranks 75 fighters for each of the three lightest weight classes.

This created much movement. One of the moves was Masatate Tsuji being moved from #17 to #13 in the IBO's strawweight rankings. Sadly, Mr. Tsuji died March 24, 2009, three days after his ill-fated fight with Yuji Kanemitsu.

The WBO was derided in 2001 when they moved the late Darren Morris up in their super middleweight rankings twice after his death. In 2009, the WBC kept the late Ludomo Galada in their super featherweight ratings through April despite his tragic death in an automobile accident January 11. The WBC also had former flyweight title challenger Noriyuki Komatsu ranked as a super flyweight in May and June despite his tragic death in a fall April 13.

The IBF has continued, through their December 2009 rankings, to list the late Vernon Forrest as the WBC's super welterweight champion. Mr. Forrest was murdered July 25. He was not the WBC champion at the time of his death. He had been stripped of the title on May 21 and interim champion Sergio Martinez was upgraded to full champion.

Besides including the late Masatate Tsuji in their strawweight rankings, the IBO moved the previously mentioned Yuji Kanemitsu up from #14 to #10. Mr. Kanemitsu suffered a brain injury during his 10th round knockout win over Mr. Tsuji and was urged to retire by the Japanese Boxing Commission. He did on May 12. (Mr. Kanemitsu's JBC-urged retirement has been noted previously when the IBO's rankings were reviewed.)

Yuji Kanemitsu is not the only retired boxer the IBO includes in their computerized rankings- Clinton Woods (#3) and Thomas Ulrich (#15) at light heavyweight, Javier Castillejo (#3) at middleweight, Oscar Larios (#12) at featherweight, and Brahim Asloum, listed as the WBA champion at 108 pounds, are others. Mr. Asloum, when he announced his retirement this past September, was not the WBA champion. He had been designated as the WBA's "Champion in Recess" in July of 2008 and was listed as such until his retirement. Giovanni Segura is the WBA light flyweight champion.

The IBO now ranks Chris John as their #1 super featherweight contender and lists him as a former WBA champion. Mr. John is still the WBA featherweight super champion.

Fernando Montiel, the IBO's #2 bantamweight contender, is listed as the WBO interim champion. He did win that title in the ring but has since been upgraded to full champ.

It is unfortunate that the IBO, which bills itself as the "Champion of Integrity," has adopted the four major sanctioning bodies policy of ranking champions separately but it is even more unfortunate that the IBO has become careless and negligent. Masatate Tsuji died from injuries suffered trying to win the vacant Japanese title at 105 pounds. Nine-and-one half months later, the IBO moved him into a top 15 contender's position. What more needs to be said?