The Ring previously excluded Romero because of inactivity. He returned Saturday night, fought with little urgency, surrendered his WBA title to Teofimo Lopez and was rewarded with a ranking. The panel effectively treated losing as a promotional achievement because Romero remains a recognizable name.
If inactivity made him unworthy before the fight, a poor performance followed by a defeat should not have restored him. Romero threw only 352 punches across 12 rounds and allowed Lopez to take control without producing anything close to an elite performance.
Lopez belongs in the top 10 after collecting the WBA belt, but placing him fifth is another triumph of name recognition over what happened inside the ring. He landed 124 punches, was hurt more than once and received a 114-114 score from one judge. Scraping past a reluctant, limited opponent does not instantly make Lopez one of the five best welterweights.
The Ring’s treatment of Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. is just as difficult to defend. Catterall is ranked third, while Barboza is excluded despite defeating him directly. Head-to-head results should provide the foundation for credible ratings. Ignoring that result leaves the panel ranking reputation instead of performance.
Keyshawn Davis, Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins are also missing. Davis’s last two fights took place at light welterweight, but he operated at a higher level than virtually everyone on the published list. If divisional activity automatically disqualifies him, that rule should be applied consistently rather than abandoned whenever a famous fighter acquires a belt.
Paro owns the IBF championship, yet belt ownership did not protect him from removal. Hitchins entered at No. 9 after defeating Ricardo Salas in his welterweight debut, then vanished without losing. The Ring uses belts as hall passes for Haney and Lopez while ignoring one when it belongs to Paro.
Brian Norman Jr. remaining at No. 2 adds to the disorder. He looked terrible against Devin Haney, landing only 59 of 399 punches. Stopping little-known non-contender Josh Wagner afterward did not prove that Norman is the division’s second-best fighter.
Alexis Rocha, Raul Curiel, Rohan Polanco, Eimantas Stanionis and Romero should be removed. A list based on present ability would look closer to this:
- Keyshawn Davis
- Richardson Hitchins
- Liam Paro
- Devin Haney
- Brian Norman Jr.
- Jack Catterall
- Arnold Barboza Jr.
- Teofimo Lopez
- Ryan Garcia
The tenth position should remain vacant until somebody earns it. The Ring has filled its list, but it has not identified the best welterweights.
Image: The Ring/Crisequeda, Premier Boxing Champions.
