Divisional rankings: Featherweight

Carl Frampton takes the WBA featherweight title via majority decision over Leo Santa Cruz. (0:37)

Dan Rafael
ESPN Senior Writer

Check out my rankings within each division by clicking on the links below.

Who is the best fighter regardless of weight class? See ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings.

For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here.

Note: Results through Aug. 1. In an effort to provide the most up-to-date rankings, ESPN.com’s division-by-division boxing rankings will be updated every Tuesday.

More divisional rankings

Heavyweight – Cruiserweight – Light heavyweight – Super middleweight

Middleweight – Junior middleweight – Welterweight – Junior welterweight

Lightweight – Junior lightweight – Featherweight – Junior featherweight

Bantamweight – Junior bantamweight – Flyweight – Junior flyweight/Strawweight

FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION (UP TO 126 POUNDS)
Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
1. Carl Frampton (23-0)
After Northern Ireland’s Frampton traveled to Scott Quigg’s turf in England and outpointed him to unify junior featherweight world titles in February, Frampton moved up in weight and challenged featherweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz on July 30. The fight more than lived up to the lofty expectations as they turned in a bona fide fight of the year candidate, which Frampton won by majority decision in a mild upset to become the first fighter from his country to win titles in two weight classes. A rematch is logical.
Next: TBA

2. Leo Santa Cruz (32-1-1)
Santa Cruz, a former bantamweight and junior featherweight titlist, claimed a vacant featherweight belt in August 2015 as he outpointed Los Angeles rival Abner Mares in a much-anticipated fight that lived up to its hype. In his first defense, on Feb. 27, Santa Cruz scored a dominant fifth-round knockout of Spain’s Kiko Martinez, a former junior featherweight titlist, in an action-packed but one-sided fight. But then Santa Cruz lost the belt by majority decision to former unified junior featherweight titleholder Carl Frampton in a clear-cut fight of the year contender on July 30.
Next: TBA

3. Gary Russell Jr. (27-1)
In June 2014, Vasyl Lomachenko dominated Russell in their fight for a vacant title. But after Russell rebounded with a tune-up victory, he challenged Jhonny Gonzalez for his belt in March 2015 and was brilliant. Russell, whose hands might be the fastest in boxing, crushed Gonzalez, dropping him three times en route to an overwhelming, fourth-round knockout victory to win the belt. After 13 months out of the ring, in part because of a cut, Russell returned for his first defense April 16 and smashed Patrick Hyland, whose presence in a world title bout was mystifying. Russell dropped him three times in a second-round knockout.
Next: TBA

4. Lee Selby (23-1)
Wales’ Selby, the former European, British and Commonwealth champion, made his first defense — and his American debut — in October by outpointing Mexico’s tough Fernando Montiel, a former three-division titleholder. He made a mandatory defense against Eric Hunter on April 8 and won a unanimous decision despite getting knocked down in the second round, the first time he’d been dropped in his career. He’d love a chance to unify titles against Northern Ireland’s Carl Frampton in what would be a huge fight in the United Kingdom.
Next: TBA

5. Abner Mares (29-2-1)
Mares, who won world titles in three weight classes in a 21-month span, lost his featherweight belt by first-round knockout in a major upset to Jhonny Gonzalez in August 2013. After almost a year out of the ring, Mares returned and went on a three-fight winning streak, albeit against soft opposition, before stepping up again to face Leo Santa Cruz for Los Angeles bragging rights and a vacant featherweight belt on Aug. 29. It was a terrific fight, but the taller, longer, better-jabbing Santa Cruz took a majority decision in a fight of the year candidate. His return was supposed to be a title shot against Jesus Cuellar (28-1) on June 25 on CBS in the Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter co-feature, but Mares failed a New York State Athletic Commission eye test and was not licensed, forcing the fight to be canceled.
Next: TBA
6. Jesus Cuellar (28-1)
Argentine slugger Cuellar made his second defense in December against Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Oquendo, whom Cuellar easily outpointed in a snoozer because Oquendo ran for most of the fight. His third defense was supposed to come against former titleholder Abner Mares on CBS in the Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter co-feature on June 25, but the fight was canceled because Mares failed an eye exam and was not licensed.
Next: TBA

7. Oscar Valdez (20-0)
Valdez, Mexico’s only two-time Olympic boxer, turned in a devastating performance on July 23 on the Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol HBO PPV undercard as he destroyed Argentina’s Matias Adrian Rueda, knocking him out with a body shot in the second round to win a vacant world title.
Next: TBA

8. Ronny Rios (26-1)
Rios suffered an upset fifth-round knockout loss to Robinson Castellanos in October 2014 but has rebounded with three victories in a row, including a hard-fought and well-deserved decision against former title challenger Jayson Velez in November on the Canelo Alvarez-Miguel Cotto undercard followed by a second-round knockout of Efrain Esquivias on June 3.
Next: TBA

9. Simpiwe Vetyeka (29-3)
South Africa’s Vetyeka lost his featherweight belt by fifth-round technical decision to Nonito Donaire in May 2014 and never got the rematch he was promised. He has won three fights since, including a 10-round decision win against Japan’s Tsuyoshi Tameda on April 22 in South Africa.
Next: TBA

10. Oscar Escandon (25-2)
Colombia’s Escandon was supposed to challenge titleholder Gary Russell Jr. in November, but when Russell got cut in training camp the fight was called off. With Russell out, Escandon was approved to face mandatory challenger Robinson Castellanos for an interim belt. They met March 5 and Escandon, who survived a flash knockdown in the second round, turned in excellent performance and knocked Castellanos out in the seventh round.
Next: TBA