British Pound-for-Pound Rankings After the 1st Half of 2015

With the month of June now over, it is time to revisit—and revise—our British boxing rankings at the halfway stage of the year.

Since publishing the top 10 for the first quarter of 2015, much has changed in the landscape of the sport.

Some Brits have enjoyed success on the world stage, while others have seen their dreams dashed.

The one thing that hasn’t altered, however, is the doubts surrounding the future of the man who held the top spot at the end of March: Carl Froch.

Before we tell you about those who didn't quite make the final cut, here's a brief reminder of the selection criteria.

A world champion deserves to be recognised for his achievements. That is not to say, though, that a fighter without a major belt is immediately at a disadvantage (I’m looking at you, Amir Khan).

This is also purely an opinion piece—there is no mathematical formula in place to work this out.

With that in mind, feel free to argue your case over the order of the top 10 or indeed make it clear why you feel a certain boxer should have been included.

Honourable Mentions/Former Top-10 Fighters

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Two boxers lost their places in the top 10, though it is through no fault of their own.

Kevin Mitchell was ranked ninth after the first quarter, but after his heartbreaking defeat to Jorge Linares, he fell off the list. 

The Londoner put in a superb performance in his bid to take the WBC lightweight title from Linares, only to be stopped in the 10th round because of the damage he had suffered to his face.

However, there is some potentially good news for Mitchell.

Per Sky Sports, Linares could be willing to give his last opponent a rematch—though the bout will have to take place in the champion's homeland of Venezuela.

Tony Bellew was No. 10 previously, but he too has had to make way for someone else.

Still, it was excellent to see the Liverpudlian back in the ring on June 26, following his spell in Hollywood while making the film Creed.

As for other notable absentees—George Groves is again squeezed out, while fierce rivals Billy Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr. are also overlooked.

Anthony Crolla and Martin Murray will have the chance to press their claims when they fight on the same bill (but obviously not against each other) in July.

Some rising stars are creeping closer, but Anthony Joshua, Rocky Fielding and Callum Smith have not quite done enough just yet.

10. Lee Haskins

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Previous position: Unranked

Record: 32-3 (14 KOs)

Next fight: TBA 

Lee Haskins is the first new face to appear in the top 10, which is a rich reward for becoming interim IBF bantamweight world champion in June.

The 31-year-old stopped Ryosuke Iwasa inside six rounds in front of a raucous crowd in his home city of Bristol.

Haskins had to be patient for his opportunity; he had won the British and European belts at the weight limit, having previously fought at super-flyweight.

Randy Caballero could be next up—he is the full IBF titleholder, but an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from a scheduled defence in February.

However, there are also domestic opponents out there. Jamie McDonnell would be top of the list, with the pair having previously fought each other back in 2008 (when McDonnell came out on top on points).

9. Tyson Fury

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Previous position: 8

Record: 24-0 (18 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

Tyson Fury drops a place, though he's done little wrong in the second quarter of the year.

In fact, he's done nothing in the ring since forcing Christian Hammer to retire after eight rounds back in February.

That win moved him to 24-0, and he is undoubtedly deserving of a place in the top 10.

The aim for the Manchester-born heavyweight is clear—he wants a shot at the main man in the division, Wladimir Klitschko.

Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail reported in June that promoter Frank Warren was still trying to get home advantage for Fury, with a date potentially pencilled in for the start of September. Let's cross our fingers for that deal to happen.

8. Scott Quigg

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Previous position: 5

Record: 30-0-2 (22 KOs)

Next fight: Kiko Martinez (July 18)

Scott Quigg slips back, though he has a chance to remind us all of his talents when he takes on Kiko Martinez in Manchester.

The WBA super bantamweight champion will be eager to get back in the ring—he has not fought since outpointing Hidenori Otake in November of last year.

The Bury boxer needed hand surgery after the fight with Otake, which means he has been forced to watch rival Carl Frampton take centre stage.

Quigg's promoter Eddie Hearn made a sizeable offer to Frampton's camp for a showdown between the pair, but that deal did not get made.

Instead, his next opponent is Martinez, an experienced Spaniard who has already lost twice to Frampton.

7. Lee Selby

Previous position: Unranked

Record: 21-1 (8 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

Lee Selby is a newcomer to the top 10, having just missed out on a place in the opening edition of the rankings.

The Welshman became a world champion at the end of May, ripping the IBF featherweight title from Evgeny Gradovich at the O2 Arena in London.

The Barry Boy Assassin had earned his shot at the big time by working his way through the levels, claiming the British, Commonwealth and European belts along the way.

He was given an open-top bus parade on his return to Barry, though he is not planning to waste too much time celebrating his success.

Per Sky Sports, Selby intends to defend his title twice before the end of the year, with Cardiff the most likely venue for his next outing.

6. James DeGale

Previous position: 7

Record: 21-1 (14 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

James DeGale moves up a spot—and it could easily be argued he should jump further—after winning the IBF super middleweight title on American soil.

The Londoner travelled to Boston to defeat Andre Dirrell on points, which means he returned to Britain with the belt that Carl Froch had previously held.

Since losing to bitter rival George Groves in 2011, Chunky has gone on an 11-fight winning streak that has carried him to the top of the division.

It remains to be seen who DeGale will face in his first defence, and at some stage down the line it seems he will face Groves again in the ring.

5. Jamie McDonnell

Previous position: 6

Record: 26-2-1 (12 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

Like DeGale, Jamie McDonnell jumps up a place following a career-best result.

The Doncaster bantamweight successfully defended his WBA title in May against Tomoki Kameda, handing his opponent his first professional loss in the process.

The 29-year-old's triumph on points in Texas was even more impressive considering he was dropped to the canvas in the third round.

McDonnell is a success story despite a sticky beginning to his career. Now, though, he is a national treasure for British boxing.

4. Carl Frampton

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Previous position: 4

Record: 20-0 (14 KOs)

Next fight: Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (July 18)

Carl Frampton will put his IBF super bantamweight title on the line in July when he faces Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. in El Paso, Texas.

The Jackal's last defence saw him dismantle Chris Avalos in Belfast, as he stopped the American inside five rounds at the Odyssey Arena.

A deal to face Scott Quigg has not been sorted, so the 28-year-old will be going on the road for his next fight.

Frampton has signed a deal with Al Haymon, though Barry McGuigan continues to be his manager. The link with Haymon does, though, give him the chance to gain exposure in the United States on CBS.

3. Amir Khan

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Previous position: 3

Record: 31-3 (19 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

Amir Khan remains at No. 3, even though he has added another victory to his record since the initial rankings at the end of March.

The Bolton fighter triumphed on points over Chris Algieri, who had previously lost to Manny Pacquiao.

Although the scorecards were lopsided, the performance from Khan was a little underwhelming. Even he admitted as much, per Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail: "I left too much in the gym."

It was a disappointing outing after he had impressed in beating Devon Alexander on points at the end of last year.

Still, Khan has made it clear who he wants to face next: Floyd Mayweather Jr.. It remains to be seen if he gets his wish to take on the unbeaten American in September.

2. Carl Froch

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Previous position: 1

Record: 33-2 (24 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

Carl Froch maintains his place in the top 10, though the period of grace given to him for his achievements is beginning to near an end.

The Cobra is still yet to make an announcement over his next move, if there is to be one in his career.

His promoter, Eddie Hearn, suggested to Sky Sports that, despite talks over a potential showdown with middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, it may be the end of the line: "I think now there's a strong possibility he will retire."

Froch turns 38 on July 2, though age is not an issue for a man who keeps himself in excellent shape. His decision over his future will be all about whether he still has the motivation to keep on fighting.

This could be his last appearance in the rankings, unless he confirms he is carrying on a little longer.

1. Kell Brook

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Previous position: 2

Record: 35-0 (24 KOs)

Next fight: TBA

The Special One is the new No. 1 after his victory over Frankie Gavin in May.

Kell Brook did not dazzle against his fellow Englishman, though that was mostly due to a clash of styles. He did, however, get the job done, extending his perfect record to 35-0 in the process.

Having also defended his IBF welterweight title against mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan earlier this year, the 29-year-old now has the chance to cash in on his success.

Brandon Rios has been strongly rumoured as his next opponent, with Boxing News (h/t the Star) carrying quotes from Eddie Hearn that September 12, at the O2 Arena in London, is a real possibility. 

For his part, Brook told Sky Sports News HQ that he would be happy to face Floyd Mayweather on the same date: "If he wants to compete at welterweight and unify the division, then it's a natural choice to fight me."