ESPN's British Pound-For-Pound Top Ten Rankings
1. Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs), up from No.6
After shocking the world with his points win over Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles, Tyson Fury shoots up our list from sixth to top spot, replacing Kell Brook at the top of the tree. The Manchester traveller's opinions have been causing a stir since he beat Klitschko on November 28, with the champion lambasted for his comments on a range of subjects, including women, homosexuality, paedophilia, abortion, Armageddon, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Lennox Lewis. Praise for Fury's controlled and intelligent boxing performance, with his movement leaving Klitschko completely flummoxed, was either non-existent or short lived in some areas of the UK press. But there can be no denying the scale of Fury's achievement to end the nine-and-a-half year reign of Ukrainian Klitschko.
British boxing has 12 world champions, an unprecedented level of success, yet in Dan Rafael's latest ESPN divisional rankings Fury is the only Brit top of his weight class. True, Britain has had seven holders of the world heavyweight title, but only three were lineal champions: Fury, Lennox Lewis and Bob Fitzsimmons. Unlike everything else around Fury, who has seldom been out of the headlines since becoming world champion, there can be little debate as to where he stands in our our British P4P rankings after pulling off the upset in Dusseldorf. A rematch with Klitschko awaits in May or June, and Fury may have to return to Germany for it, before fights against WBC champion Deontay Wilder or fellow Briton Anthony Joshua become an option.
2. James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs), up one place
After defending his IBF world super-middleweight title against Canada's Lucian Bute, James DeGale is now one of the main players in his division. The Londoner wants a unification fight against Sweden's US-based WBC champion Badou Jack, who beat DeGale's British rival George Groves by split decision in September. A rematch against Groves currently seems dead in the water but a bout with Jack will help establish DeGale as world No.1 at 12 stone and, if he does that in 2016, he has a strong case for being British P4P No.1.
Becoming Britain's first Olympic gold medallist to win a world title was a fine achievement in itself, but to do it in America against home fighter Andre Dirrell was also mightily impressive in what has been a great year for the Londoner. A link-up with US boxing manager Al Haymon means DeGale is likely to be doing his business on the other side of the Atlantic in 2016.
3. Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs), down two places
The Sheffield welterweight has lost his place atop the ESPN British P4P rankings through no fault of his own, but because of the achievements of others. Brook was forced to pull out of facing Diego Chavez with a rib injury in defence of his IBF world welterweight title in October, but it has still been a successful year for him, registering two stoppage wins over Jo Jo Dan (4 TKO) and Frankie Gavin (6 TKO) in his home city. The talk now is that Brook will make a mandatory defence of his belt against Canadian Kevin Bizier before a summer showdown with British rival Amir Khan.
Brook and Khan are fourth and fifth in Dan Rafael's latest ESPN global welterweight rankings respectively and Brook deserves his place above his Bolton rival on his form this year. It will be damaging for both of their careers if they do not meet in 2016, so it seems likely they will finally fight each other -- possibly at Wembley Stadium on June 4 -- to end the arguing over who is Britain's top welterweight.
4. Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KOs), down two places
It has been a disappointing year for Amir Khan, with his only performance failing to excite and his attempts to land a megafight have so far been unsuccessful. Bolton's former world light-welterweight champion missed out on fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr yet again and then waited to see if would get the nod to be the last opponent in the career of Manny Pacquiao. But according to reports, Americans Tim Bradley and Terence Crawford have more chance of fighting Filipino Pacquiao than Khan.
In his only ring appearance this year, limited because he wanted to keep himself available for Mayweather or Pacquiao, Khan was far from sensational against Chris Algieri in May, which was disappointing considering how good he had looked against Devon Alexander a year ago. Khan does a lot of humanitarian and charity work that is admirable and it is hard not to feel some sympathy for him in how his career has stalled due to his so far fruitless strategy of trying to land fights against Mayweather and Pacquiao at the expense of keeping a busier schedule in the ring. If Khan, who does not hold a world welterweight title, does finally fight Brook in 2016, it will be the first time he has fought in the UK for three years.
5. Carl Frampton (21-0, 14 KOs) & Scott Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KOs), down one place
These two cannot be separated until they meet on February 27 in Scott Quigg's home city of Manchester in what will be a world super-bantamweight title unification clash. The winner of their fight will be unquestionably No.2 in the division behind the Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux and will rise in our ESPN British pound-for-pound rankings.
IBF champion Carl Frampton blasted away Chris Avalos in February and then looked the better bet over Quigg, but the Belfast boxer was twice decked in the first round by Alejandro Gonzalez Jr before triumphing on points in America in July. On the same night at the same time in Manchester, Quigg dispatched Spain's former champion Kiko Martinez in two rounds (Frampton was taken to points by Martinez in September 2014, and stopped him in nine rounds in 2013).
Frampton still remains above Quigg in most rankings as he has been world champion longer, but Quigg has now been elevated to full WBA champion because Rigondeaux has been inactive. Until Frampton and Quigg swap blows, a judgement on who stands higher in the P4P rankings is on hold.
6. Lee Selby (22-1, 8 KOs), down one place
The Welshman has had a terrific year, winning the IBF world featherweight title in London in May and then defending it in the US after signing for American boxing manager Al Haymon and his Premier Boxing Champions. Lee Selby is not among the elite of his division yet, he is fifth in Dan Rafael's global featherweight rankings, but he is moving in the right direction.
Selby's eighth round IBF title-winning display over Evgeny Gradovich showcased his silky skills while a documentary on his life and career on BBC3 has also helped raise his profile. The 28-year-old then out-pointed Mexican Fernando Montiel, a former three-division title-holder, on his US debut on ESPN. He has benefited from training in the States as well as back home in Newport and Bristol and still has some improving to do if he is to make a bigger impression on what is one of boxing's hottest divisions, featuring the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko, Nicholas Walters, Gary Russell Jr and Leo Santa Cruz, who has stepped up from super-bantam.
7. Jamie McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KOs), non-mover
Doncaster's WBA world bantamweight champion, like Lee Selby, is a few off the top spot in his division but what a year he has had with two world title wins abroad. Britain has a dozen world champions currently, but has any had to work as hard for their titles as Jamie McDonnell? He has twice beaten Japan's Tomoki Kameda, a former world champion, on American soil in wins that have gone slightly under the radar. McDonnell, who also earns a living as a plasterer, recovered from a third round knockdown to out-point Kameda in Texas last May. McDonnell won the rematch and it will be interesting to see what he does in 2016. There could be a unification fight with Bristol's new IBF champion Lee Haskins, who has beaten him on points, or there is the more lucrative option of stepping up to super-bantamweight to take on fellow Briton Scott Quigg.
8. Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs), up two places
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist beats other British boxers in possession of world titles into our top 10 British P4P rankings due to his startling progress, knockout ratio and exciting potential. Joshua is undoubtedly on his way to world title fights, possibly as soon as 2016. He talked down the prospect of facing Tyson Fury after stopping Dillian Whyte in stunning style with a right uppercut in the seventh round earlier this month.
The British heavyweight champion will likely fight for the European title or against former world title challenger Dereck Chisora before a possible clash with former WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye at Wembley Stadium on June 4. A shot at the IBF world title, stripped from Fury shortly after he out-pointed Wladimir Klitschko for choosing to face the Ukrainian in an immediate rematch, could also happen by the end of 2016. Joshua has KO'd all 15 professional opponents and the WBC governing body has even ranked 26-year-old Joshua as No.2 challenger for their world title, held by American Deontay Wilder. Despite his inexperience, Joshua is climbing up our top 10.
9. Billy Joe Saunders (23-0, 12 KOs), non-mover
The Hatfield middleweight was disciplined and boxed clever to defeat Ireland's Andy Lee on points for the WBO world title this month to announce himself on the big stage. In Lee, who Saunders floored twice in the third round, Saunders nullified one of the biggest punchers in the middleweight division although the big guns - Gennady Golovkin, Saul Alvarez, Miguel Cotto and Daniel Jacobs - remain above the Briton in the global rankings. Saunders defeated British rival Chris Eubank Jr just over a year ago but then endured a frustrating year with just one routine win over journeyman Yoann Bloyer in July.
The fight against Lee was called off twice and was never thrilling, apart from an exciting third round, but it was a great win for Saunders who has now lifted world, European, British and Commonwealth titles. Saunders remains above Eubank Jr, who has had also had a great year since losing to Saunders on points, and can expect to be elevated to No.5 in most independent global middleweight rankings after his win over fellow traveller Lee.
10. Anthony Crolla (30-4-3, 12 KOs), new in top 10
A rollercoaster year has ended on a high for the Manchester lightweight, with the WBA world title in his possession and the prospect of big fights next year. Twelve months ago, Crolla was worrying whether he would ever fight again after being forced to pull out of challenging for the same WBA belt. Crolla suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle in two places after burglars attacked him with a concrete slab. The boxer had chased off the burglars from a neighbour's house but his heroic act left his boxing career in doubt for a few months. He passed a brain scan but running was difficult, so he has instead turned to swimming to help get him fit in training. A WBA title shot saw Crolla denied by a controversial draw verdict against title-holder Darleys Perez in May, but in the rematch the Manchester hero knocked out Perez with a body shot in the fifth round. Next up for Crolla, 29, is a tricky defence against Ismael Barroso (19-0-2), the Venezuelan who looked dangerous as he destroyed Londoner Kevin Mitchell in five rounds earlier this month.
Closing in on top 10:
11. Terry Flanagan
12. Chris Eubank Jr
13. Lee Haskins
14. Liam Smith
15. Tony Bellew