The WBC’s latest ratings meeting delivered a wave of adjustments across multiple divisions, but the most eye-catching change came at welterweight, where Conor Benn was elevated to the No. 1 position despite not fighting at 147 pounds since 2022. Benn, represented at the convention by Matchroom’s Kevin Rooney, rises to the top spot on the strength of his recent middleweight win over Chris Eubank Jr., positioning him for a shot at champion Mario Barrios.
The meeting, chaired by long-time ratings chief Dean Lohuis, saw detailed debates as the committee reviewed each division using an index-card system factoring in activity, competition level, fight location, and WBC loyalty. Heavyweight remained unchanged, leaving Oleksandr Usyk with options to face either former champion Deontay Wilder or interim titlist Agit Kabayel, should Kabayel defeat Damian Knyba on January 10.
There were notable shifts elsewhere. Ilunga Makabu moved from seventh to sixth after WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman emphasized his loyalty for participating in a WBC Africa event, while Brandon Glanton was pushed down to seventh. At light heavyweight, Rooney successfully argued for Ben Whittaker to rise to No. 3, passing David Morrell, who remains at No. 4 as he heads into a WBO interim title fight with Callum Smith.
Super middleweight saw further debate as Sulaiman petitioned to drop Osleys Iglesias from third to seventh due to IBF obligations. Jaime Munguia fell from third to fourth behind new No. 3 Lester Martinez, while Diego Pacheco rose to sixth. Luka Plantic held firm at No. 5 ahead of his December 13 fight with Kevin Lele Sadjo for the WBC silver belt.
Activity and clarity remained key themes. At junior middleweight, Brandon Adams moved above Keith Thurman into the No. 2 position, but attempts to remove Callum Walsh from the rankings, to elevate Charles Conwell, were rejected pending confirmation of Walsh’s potential move to super middleweight.
Tension briefly surfaced at lightweight when Joe Gallagher argued for Zelfa Barrett to leap from 30th into the top 15. The committee compromised, agreeing to raise Barrett to 22nd based on his win over Liam Dillon. Additional requests at junior lightweight, junior bantamweight, and lower divisions were denied.
The meeting closed with news that negotiations for a flyweight unification clash between champion Ricardo Sandoval and interim titlist Galal Yafai are nearing completion, with plans to stage the fight in early 2026.
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