Boxing divisional rankings: Schofield, Mendoza climb into the ranks

Floyd Schofield won his first world title Saturday in Chicago, defeating Lucas Bahdi by unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBA lightweight belt.

Schofield used his movement and frequently switched stances throughout the fight to disrupt Bahdi's rhythm. Schofield hurt Bahdi in the third round, dropping him with a check left hook. Bahdi appeared to recover and landed a strong left hook late in the fourth round. He also had good moments in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Bahdi sent Schofield to the canvas with a right hand in the 11th round, but Schofield recovered and did enough to earn the victory with the judges, who scored the fight 116-110, 119-108 and 115-111.

Schofield reenters the 135-pound division rankings at No. 8 after being removed in June because of inactivity. In the co-main event, Sergio Mendoza scored a major upset with a fifth-round TKO victory against Ricardo Sandoval to become the WBA and WBC flyweight champion.

Mendoza, a late replacement for Oscar Collazo, held advantages in both power and size over Sandoval, who was returning from a 14-month layoff. Mendoza dropped Sandoval twice in the second round, first with a right hook to the top of the head then with a left uppercut against the ropes just before the round ended.

Sandoval had no answers for Mendoza, who scored a third knockdown with a well-placed short right hand to the chin in the fifth round. With Sandoval backed against the ropes, referee Mark Nelson stepped in to stop the fight with a little more than a minute left in the round. Mendoza enters the 112-pound division at No. 3. Sandoval, who previously held the top spot before inactivity forced his removal in July, doesn't re-enter the rankings with the loss.

Osleys Iglesias remains at No. 7 in the 168-pound division after he defended his IBF super middleweight title with a seventh-round TKO victory over Oliver Zaren on Thursday in Quebec City, Canada.

Iglesias started fast and used his power to control the fight. He opened a cut over Zaren's left eye in the sixth round then dropped him moments later with a left hand to the top of the head. Iglesias continued his assault in the seventh, prompting Zaren's corner to throw in the towel at 1 minute, 31 seconds.

Imam Khataev retains his No. 3 spot in the light heavyweight division with a first-round knockout of Pedraig McCrory on the same Quebec City card.

ESPN's divisional boxing rankings highlight the best in the sport in every weight class. Rankings will change based on recent results and performances. Fighters who have announced they are moving to a different weight class will be ranked in that new division, if warranted, only once they fight in that weight class. Fighters who currently own titles in two divisions can be ranked in both.

Fighters who haven't competed in the past 12 months -- and don't have a fight scheduled -- will be dropped from the rankings until they fight again. Any fighter who tests positive for a performance-enhancing substance will also be removed. That boxer will be eligible to reenter the rankings after his next bout.

For a list of the current champions in all weight classes, click here. For ESPN women's divisional rankings, click here.

Jump to this week's changes: Lightweight, flyweight

HEAVYWEIGHT (UNLIMITED)

CRUISERWEIGHT (UP TO 200 POUNDS)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (UP TO 175 POUNDS)

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 168 POUNDS)

MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 160 POUNDS)

JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT (UP TO 154 POUNDS)

WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 147 POUNDS)

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT (UP TO 140 POUNDS)

LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 135 POUNDS)

JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHT (UP TO 130 POUNDS)

FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 126 POUNDS)

JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT (UP TO 122 POUNDS)

BANTAMWEIGHT (UP TO 118 POUNDS)

JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT (UP TO 115 POUNDS)

FLYWEIGHT (UP TO 112 POUNDS)

JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT (UP TO 108 POUNDS)

STRAWWEIGHT (UP TO 105 POUNDS)