Archive for April, 2011
Posted in
Cruiserweight,
Rankings on April 25, 2011 by danboxing
#18 Alexander Alexeev and former light heavyweight contender Hugo Garay both got by their mediocre journeyman opponents this weekend. Alexeev disposed of DeAndrey Abron- a loser in his last 6- by knockout in round six of eight on Friday, while Garay apparently turned in a mediocre performance in outpointing the equally poor Martin Islas on Saturday. No changes to the rankings.
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:
Champ: None
1) Steve Cunningham
2) Marco Huck
3) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
4) Denis Lebedev
5) Troy Ross
6) Danny Green
7) Giacobbe Fragomeni
8) Ola Afolabi
9) Guillermo Jones
10) Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: None
1) Steve Cunningham (153*-356-356)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- UD12 #14 Enad Licina
Next Fight: Unknown
* Not actually sure how long he’s been rated #1, but it has been at least this number of weeks.
Cunningham defeated Licina, and will likely fight next in Sauerland’s Super Six.
2) Marco Huck (42-227-227)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Ran Nakash (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Next stop for Huck is probably the Sauerland Super Six.
3) Denis Lebedev (17-62-62)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- L(SD12*) vs. #2 Marco Huck
Next Fight: 5/22/2011- vs. Roy Jones, Jr. (UNR)
It’s now official. Denis Lebedev will attempt to retire the unretirable Roy Jones, Jr., who despite a good broadcasting gig insists on scrambling his washed-up brains by picking fights with guys bigger and better than him. Any yes man who told Jones he should take the fight should be ashamed of himself, and I kinda think Lebedev should be, too.
4) Ola Afolabi (17-109-109)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Afolabi is probably the best fighter not set to fight in the Super Six. His route to the top 5 was probably quieter than his peers, and he has the wrong promoter (Duva Boxing) for a division that’s now completely dominated by Sauerland. It might be hard for him to get good fights in the near future.
5) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (9-42-42)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- KO7 #12 Steve Herelius
Next Fight: Unknown
Reports suggest a clash with Guillermo Jones might be next. So much for his being already in the Super Six, I guess.
6) Guillermo Jones (2-28-28)
Last Fight: 10/2/2010- TKO11 Valery Brudov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reportedly considering fighting Yoan Pablo Hernandez in May.
7) Danny Green (2-71-71)
Last Fight: 11/17/2010- UD12 #12 B.J. Flores
Next Fight: 7/20/2011- vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)
It’s now official- Green will fight former light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver on July 20.
8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (2-303-303)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Barely escaped with a hometown decision in one of the worst fights in recent memory with Palacios. His stock has got to be way down among those who saw the fight, but his stoppage win over Fragomeni keeps him well within the top 10.
9) Giacobbe Fragomeni (21-126-126)
Last Fight: 11/5/2010- TKO6 Eduardo Ayala (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fragomeni sustained a cut in sparring and wasn’t able to meet Marco Huck as planned- an unfortunate setback for the aging Italian.
10) Alexander Frenkel (21-21-30)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- KO7 #12 Enzo Maccarinelli
Next Fight: Unknown
Has apparently overcome his hand injury enough to begin training for a possible bout with Silvio Branco, though that fight is not yet signed.
11) B.J. Flores (6-42)
Last Fight: 11/17/2010- L(UD12) vs. #9 Danny Green
Next Fight: Unknown
Began calling out Lateef Kayode after Kayode’s lackluster win over Nick Iannuzzi. It looks like Kayode doesn’t want that fight yet, and with good reason. Flores boxes with a similar style to Iannuzzi, but with much more class.
12) Francisco Palacios (2-2)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- L (SD12*) vs. #6 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
Next Fight: Unknown
In my opinion he did just enough to win one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen against Wlodarczyk, so I’m in no hurry to see him again. That being said, he performed well against a top 10 guy and deserved the win on that night, so I can’t exactly ignore that.
13) Troy Ross (2-111)
Last Fight: 10/30/2010- UD10 Carl Handy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I’m finally forced to give Ross more credit for his ill-fated impressive effort against Cunningham, since everyone immediately above him is losing.
14) Steve Herelius (2-41)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Next Fight: Unknown
It’s always hard to come back from a knockout loss. Herelius could become a go-to quality opponent for the guys locked out of the Super Six.
15) Enad Licina (2-42)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
16) Enzo Maccarinelli (2-42)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- L(KO7) vs. Alexander Frenkel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Enzo has decided to soldier on after his devastating knockout loss to Frenkel. He is now working with Joe Calzaghe and plans to fight at 175, possibly next against Nathan Cleverly. I’ll keep him rated here until it becomes logically impossible for him to compete above 175 within a year of his last fight.
17) Lateef Kayode (2-21)
Last Fight: 2/4/2011- UD10 Nicholas Iannuzzi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Seems to be slowing his pace of activity after barely escaping with a win against Nick Iannuzzi.
18) Alexander Alexeev (2-13)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- KO6 DeAndrey Abron (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Took care of journeyman Abron to get back on the winning track. No idea what’s next for him.
19) Matt Godfrey (2-118)
Last Fight: 8/21/2010- L(TKO5) vs. #2 Marco Huck
Next Fight: Unknown
Never the most active fighter, we don’t yet know what Godfrey’s up to next after Marco Huck destroyed him.
20) Mateusz Masternak (2-6)
Last Fight: 3/11/2011- TKO5 Ali Ismailov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
THE WEEK AHEAD: Nothing to mention this week.
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Posted in
Heavyweight,
Rankings on April 23, 2011 by danboxing
#7 Tomasz Adamek won a predictably wide decision over a predictably docile and hapless Kevin McBride on Saturday. From all I hear, it was not an entertaining fight. Big surprise. I honestly have no idea why any human being on the face of the Earth would have bought this PPV considering it featured no competitive or important fights whatsoever and was on the same night as the much more compelling “Action Heroes” card from Golden Boy and HBO. If you bought it, I invite you to please leave a comment below and tell me why on you did so, because I honestly can’t understand the reasoning that leads to that decision.
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Heavyweight Rankings:
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko
1) Vitali Klitschko
2) David Haye
3) Tomasz Adamek
4) Alexander Povetkin
5) Ruslan Chagaev
6) Eddie Chambers
7) Alexander Dimitrenko
8) Denis Boystov
9) Robert Helenius
10) Chris Arreola
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (94-307-307)
Last Fight: 9/11/2010- KO10 #6 Samuel Peter
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #2 David Haye
Wlad will evidently fight #2 Haye on either 6/25 or 7/2.
1) Vitali Klitschko (131-131-131)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- TKO1 #10 Odlanier Solis
Next Fight: 9/10/2011- vs. #7 Tomasz Adamek
Originally it appeared that Vitali would fight a no hoper in July and act as the understudy for his brother’s fight with Adamek in September, but somewhere along the line he decided to fight Adamek instead.
2) David Haye (54-108-108)
Last Fight: 11/13/2010- TKO3 Audley Harrison (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
With his mandatory with Ruslan Chagaev out of the way due to hepatitis and Wlad’s fight with Chisora apparently contingent on whether the Champ feels like it at any given moment, Haye has once again signed on to fight Wlad. With the contract signed, the odds of the fight actually happen have increased to about 50-50 in my estimation.
3) Eddie Chambers (9-106-106)
Last Fight: 2/11/2011- UD12 Derric Rossy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dropped and decisioned Derric Rossy, moving him ahead of Alexander Povetkin, who’s been slumming lately.
4) Robert Helenius (2-2-46)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- KO9 #6 Samuel Peter
Next Fight: Unknown
After a destructive knockout of Peter, Helenius promoter Sauerland apparently wants to match his fighter with #11 Alexander Dimitrenko in a fight that would almost certainly put the winner close to the front of the line for a Klitschko shot.
5) Alexander Povetkin (2-181-181)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- UD8 Nicolai Firtha (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teddy Atlas expects Povetkin to fight Mormeck for the WBA title being (sorta) vacated by Haye, who is likely being promoted to WBA Super Duper Extra Spectacular World Champion of the Whole Wide World, while promoter Sauerland admits Mormeck is on their short list, but says the fight is not made and that it’s not clear it would be for the nonsensical title. According to Atlas, the fight would be in early to mid June.
6) Ruslan Chagaev (2-230-230)
Last Fight: 11/19/2010- UD8 Travis Walker (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
To the extent the WBA rankings matter, Chagaev appears to be getting jobbed. He is supposed to be the mandatory challenger to Haye, but the likely biased British Board of Control nixed that fight for England, and the idea of fighting elsewhere seems not to have occurred to Haye. Now that Klitschko-Haye appears on, you would think Chagaev-Povetkin would be next, but Povetkin’s camp appears interested in Mormeck instead, and thinks that would be for the title somehow.
7) Tomasz Adamek (11-51-51)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- UD12 Kevin McBride (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/10/2011- vs. #1 Vitali Klitschko
Time for Adamek to get serious, as he faces a live opponent for the first time in a long stretch this September.
8) Tony Thompson (11-46-46)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- TKO4 Paul Marinaccio (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/27/2011- vs. Maurice Harris (UNR)
Finally decided to fight someone with a pulse. We’re probably still not talking about a top-10 worthy fight, but Thompson will reportedly fight fringe contender Maurice Harris on Friday Night Fights in late May.
9) Juan Carlos Gomez (11-46-46)
Last Fight: 12/4/2010- TKO4 Harold Sconiers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Treading water like nobody’s business.
10) Odlanier Solis (17-17-46)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- L (TKO1) vs. #1 Vitali Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
If anyone doubted the legitimacy of Solis’ injury, he is awaiting surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus. He wants a rematch, which of course seems unlikely- though I’d actually be interested.
11) Alexander Dimitrenko (3-13)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- TKO12 Albert Sosnowski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dimitrenko is being targeted by Helenius, but the EBU has ordered a European title match between him and #15 Jean Marc Mormeck.
12) Chris Arreola (3-108)
Last Fight: 1/28/2011- TKO1 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. Nagy Aguilera (UNR)
Arreola returns on the Ward-Abraham undercard on May 14 against Nagy Aguilera, a young fighter who rose to prominence by beating a used-up Oleg Maskaev but then came crashing down to Earth shortly thereafter and now appears to be just a good journeyman.
13) Denis Boytsov (3-95)
Last Fight: 11/19/2010- KO2 Mike Sheppard (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Recently added Golden Boy as an American co-promoter alongside Universum, and is looking to fight stateside in May if his hand holds up.
14) Dereck Chisora (3-30)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- TKO9 #20 Sam Sexton
Next Fight: Unknown
Now that Hasim Rahman bailed on Tyson Fury, the all-British showdown between Chisora and Fury appears back on track.
15) Jean Marc Mormeck (3-46)
Last Fight: 12/2/2010- SD12 #19 Timur Ibragimov
Next Fight: Unknown
Now appears more likely to fight Dimitrenko than Povetkin, for the European title.
16) Samuel Peter (2-46)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- L(KO9) vs. #16 Robert Helenius
Next Fight: Unknown
We’ll have to see if and how Peter rebounds from his latest knockout loss- this one more brutal than the last. If the relatively young (30) Nigerian decides to forge on, he’ll have to overcome the reality of being treated as a stepping stone at least for tall up-and-comers.
17) Francesco Pianeta (3-46)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- TKO3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cancer survivor Pianeta is staying busy, but not against credible opposition.
18) Ray Austin (3-46)
Last Fight: 12/17/2010- L(DQ10) vs. #17 Odlanier Solis
Next Fight: Unknown
No telling where he goes from here. He’s getting up there in age, and has probably done about all he’s going to do. Austin may be a good candidate to retire soon.
19) Kubrat Pulev (2-22)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- UD8 Yaroslav Zavorotnyi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Timur Ibragimov (2-41)
Last Fight: 12/2/2010- L(SD12) vs. #18 Jean Marc Mormeck
Next Fight: Unknown
Appears to be taking a bit of a break after his considerable momentum was halted by Jean Marc Mormeck.
THE WEEK AHEAD: In the division’s only significant fight of the week, Samoan gatekeeper Alex Leapai battles journeyman Okhello Peter of Uganda in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Posted in
Junior Middleweight,
Rankings on April 22, 2011 by danboxing
Junior middle prospect Damian Jonak of Poland was in action this week against a journeyman, but in a middleweight fight. See my middleweight update for more information on that fight.
For Comparision, here are the current Ring ratings for the division:
Champ: Vacant
1) Miguel Cotto
2) Kermit Cintron
3) Alfredo Angulo
4) Ryan Rhodes
5) Sechew Powell
6) Vanes Martirosyan
7) Pawel Wolak
8) Sergei Dzinziruk
9) Saul Alvarez
10) Cornelius Bundrage
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Alfredo Angulo (9-80-80)
Last Fight: 7/17/2010- TKO1 #8 Joachim Alcine
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC is pushing for a tournament that would include Angulo vs. Ryan Rhodes, with the winner to fight the winner of Paul Williams vs. either Saul Roman or Vanes Martirosyan. The winner would earn the right to fight for a title held by a guy already less accomplished than 3 of the 5: Saul Alvarez.
2) Cornelius Bundrage (9-35-35)
Last Fight: 8/7/2010- TKO5 Cory Spinks (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Every 154 pounder and his 154-pound grandma is calling out Bundrage because they think he might be the weakest titleholder, but I’m betting most of them haven’t seen his dismantling of Spinks. Still, it’d be nice to see him accept one of these challenges and fight soon, if that’s not too much to ask from a Don King fighter.
3) Miguel Cotto (20-44-44)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- TKO12 Ricardo Mayorga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto-Margarito II looks likely for July.
4) Pawel Wolak (4-4-4)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- RTD6 #5 Yuri Foreman
Next Fight: Unknown
Negotiations are underway for Wolak to fight #9 Sergiy Dzinziruk on HBO.
5) Paul Williams (4-9-9)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- L (KO2) vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Williams has been medically cleared to fight again after being iced by Sergio Martinez. For details on his possible next move, see Alfredo Angulo’s comments above.
6) Kermit Cintron (9-97-97)
Last Fight: 5/8/2010- L (TD4) vs. MW #2 Paul Williams
Next Fight: Unknown
Top Rank recently signed Cintron and will be looking to put him in action on the probably Cotto-Margarito card in July on PPV.
7) Ryan Rhodes (9-76-76)
Last Fight: 12/4/2010- TKO2 Rocky Junior (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Looks likely to fight Canelo Alvarez on 6/18 in what should be a very even matchup.
8) Saul Alvarez (5-5-20)
Last Fight: 3/5/2011- UD12 Matthew Hatton (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/18/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
The WBC is pushing Ryan Rhodes as Canelo’s next opponent- likely for his reserved June 18 HBO date.
9) Sergiy Dzinziruk (5-47-47)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- L(TKO9) vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
May fight #4 Pawel Wolak on HBO next.
10) Sechew Powell (5-55-55)
Last Fight: 3/19/2010- W (MD12) vs. #4 Deandre Latimore
Next Fight: Unknown
Powell was not removed for inactivity this week because he had a scheduled fight in November canceled by a town council vote in Massachusetts that nixed the entire card. There’s really not a good excuse for his having not found another venue and time to fight by now, but I feel it’s appropriate to allow him an extra month because of those circumstances beyond his control.
11) Gabriel Rosado (5-9)
Last Fight: 2/26/2011- TKO12 Jamaal Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
12) Manny Pacquiao (5-9)
Last Fight: 11/13/2010- UD12 Antonio Margarito
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #15 Shane Mosley (at WW)
Never actually weighed in over the welterweight limit, but he fought a guy at a 150 pound catchweight who had established himself as at least a credible fringe contender at 154 in Antonio Margarito, while giving up a whopping 17 pounds on fight night. He might never fight another junior middleweight, and definitely will return to welter for his next fight, but there is still at least an outside possibility that he’ll fight somebody over 147 in the next year and thus will retain his ranking for now. Pretty remarkable for a guy that could probably still fight at 135 if that’s where the money was.
13) Cory Spinks (9-9)
Last Fight: 8/7/2010- L (TKO5) vs. Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
If Spinks doesn’t need the money, he should probably consider retirement. He’s already exceeded the accomplishments of his Heavyweight Champion father Leon, and hopefully still has his health intact after being brutalized for a five rounds by the beastly Cornelius Bundrage in August.
14) Sam Webb (9-9)
Last Fight: 10/16/2010- KO11 Martin Concepcion (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/13/2011- vs. Prince Arron (UNR)
Webb is set to fight for the British title against gatekeeper Prince Arron in mid-May.
15) Shane Mosley (9-9)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- Draw (SD12) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #12 Manny Pacquiao (at WW)
Most 154-pound fighters wouldn’t mind having a draw with Sergio Mora on their record, but it was quite a disappointing result for Mosley, who was trying to rebound from a pathetically docile effort against Floyd Mayweather. Still, perhaps most observers thought Mosley deserved the decision above his natural weight, and he’s got some good wins a few years back that would make him a clear top-10 fighter if they were more recent. His next fight will be at Welterweight.
16) Erislandy Lara (2-9)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- Draw (MD10) vs. Carlos Molina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Currently involved in a war of words with #2 Cornelius Bundrage. No idea whether that will lead to an actual fight between the two.
17) Carlos Molina (2-2)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- Draw (MD10) vs. #20 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina’s draw with Lara (which he easily could have won) really just proves that he hasn’t lost a step due to his long stretch of Don King-induced inactivity.
18) Austin Trout (2-9)
Last Fight: 2/5/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Undefeated American prospect Trout first proved that he was one to watch in September 2009 by beating fellow prospect Nilson Tapia, and then finally stepped up again by earning a dominant points victory over fringe contender Rigoberto Alvarez. Rigoberto’s much better brother Saul “Canelo” Alvarez reportedly wants to revenge his brother in June.
19) Yuri Foreman (2-79)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- L (RTD6) vs. Pawel Wolak (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
What looked like a relatively easy fight turned into a disaster for Foreman as he was battered to a corner stoppage after six rounds with fringe contender/prospect Pawel Wolak. The stick-and-move boxer may have lost a step to a recurring knee injury, and we’ll see whether or not he’s finished as a serious contender.
20) Joachim Alcine (2-9)
Last Fight: 7/17/2010- L (TKO1) vs. Alfredo Angulo
Next Fight: Unknown
At one point months ago there was reportedly a fight in the works with Cory Spinks for April, but that appears to have been a non-starter. No recent reports on Alcine’s next move.
The Week Ahead: Former top-5 junior middleweight contender James Kirkland is in action this week against current fringe contender Nobuhiro Ishida, but that fight will be at middleweight. This will be the last time I will mention Kirkland at this weight until he returns to it because at least for now he seems to be a full-fledged middleweight.
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Posted in
Middleweight,
Rankings on April 21, 2011 by danboxing
#5 Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam had a bit of a tough night in France on Saturday in what turned out to be a controversial decision win over stalking fringe contender Giovanni Lorenzo. Lorenzo knocked N’Jikam through the ropes in the 5th round. The Frenchman rose to his feet at something like a four-count, but got a little help with the ropes from a photographer and- shockingly- one of the official judges. Third-party assistance in rising from a knockdown is technically grounds for a disqualification, and Lorenzo protested to that affect post-fight. In truth, though, there was no doubt that N’Jikam was getting up, and a DQ would have been an even bigger travesty than a supposed neutral helping the hometown fighter. That being said, the offending judge- who only gave Lorenzo that single round (and by a mere 10-9 margin)- should never be allowed to work a fight again. Period. At least one of the other judges was equally corrupt and probably just didn’t make it to the scene quickly enough to lend a helping hand. These guys were determined to help N’Jikam win at all costs, and their names- for the purposes of shunning by all of my readers until the end of time- are Stefano Carozza and Juan Manuel Garcia Reyes (119-110 and 119-109, respectively). For the record, despite running marathons at a sprinter’s pace in the 6th and 12th rounds, I thought N’Jikam mostly boxed effectively and cleverly and deserved to win the fight 115-112. Certainly the fight should have been between 116-111 N’Jikam and 114-113 Lorenzo. Not even the judge I didn’t name managed to keep it within that range, but he looks pretty good by comparison- turning in just an average hometown crap decision.
In other action, junior middleweight prospect Damian Jonak of Poland comfortably outpointed mediocre journeyman Albert Starikov on the Wlodarczyk-Palacios undercard in Poland.
The rankings remain unchanged. Lorenzo is a nice mark on the resume of N’Jikam, but the Frenchman still hasn’t beaten anyone as good as #4 Geale’s last victim: #8 Roman Karmazin. He also hasn’t particularly blown out the last two fringe contenders he’s defeated.
For Comparision, here are the current Ring ratings for the division:
Champ: Sergio Martinez
1) Felix Sturm
2) Sebastian Sylvester
3) Paul Williams
4) Daniel Geale
5) Matthew Macklin
6) Sebastian Zbik
7) Dmitry Pirog
8) David Lopez
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam
10) David Lemieux
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (51-51-51)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- TKO9 JMW #9 Sergiy Dzinziruk
Next Fight: Unknown
The latest news has Martinez’ anticipated July return being pushed back to a possible August date, with #20 Peter Manfredo, Jr. being the most likely opponent.
1) Felix Sturm (91-394-394)
Last Fight: 2/19/2011- TKO7 Ronald Hearns (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Appears likely to fight the suddenly-available #8 Matthew Macklin sometime in the summer.
2) Paul Williams (5-104-104)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- L(KO2) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC is talking about a four-man tournament at 154 to create a mandatory challenger for Saul Alvarez’ irrelevant title. But irrelevant or not, the tournament (which also seeks the participation of Alfredo Angulo, Ryan Rhodes, Saul Roman, and Vanes Martirosyan) would create some nice match-ups and be great for the sport, which feels strange to say when referring to the WBC. Williams would reportedly start by fighting the Roman-Vanes winner. Williams wants Martinez again, but that is unlikely at this time.
3) Sebastian Sylvester (5-295-295)
Last Fight: 10/30/2010- UD12 Mahir Oral (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #4 Daniel Geale
Just scheduled a huge fight with Daniel Geale. The fight will take place in Germany, and the winner probably passes up Paul Williams.
4) Daniel Geale (5-94-94)
Last Fight: 10/31/2010- TKO12 #8 Roman Karmazin
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #3 Sebastian Sylvester
See Sylvester’s comments above.
5) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (5-23-23)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Controversy aside, he probably deserved the win over Lorenzo and remains a force in the division.
6) Dmitry Pirog (5-36-36)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After an underwhelming effort against Maciel, Pirog now wants Martinez- who dismisses the challenge. I doubt Pirog is or ever will be ready for Sergio, but it’s certainly a better matchup than Martinez-Manfredo…
7) Garth Wood (5-10-10)
Last Fight: 12/8/2010- KO5 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: 4/13/2011- vs. #19 Anthony Mundine
We’ll see if Wood’s the real deal when he re-matches Anthony Mundine in April.
8) Matthew Macklin (5-80-80)
Last Fight: 12/11/2010- UD12 Ruben Varon (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin withdrew from his date with Khoren Gevor after Winky Wright withdrew from a fight with Macklin. It appears the Brit may now get a shot at #1 Felix Sturm this summer.
9) Maxim Bursak (5-10-10)
Last Fight: 9/4/2010- UD12 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
10) Osumanu Adama (2-2-2)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- TKO4 #19 Marcus Upshaw
Next Fight: Unknown
The fact that a win over a fighter like Upshaw alone can support a top 10 ranking speaks to just how shallow the division is after the top few guys.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (2-10)
Last Fight: 1/1/2011- TKO8 Wilson Santana (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/8/2011- vs. David Lemieux (UNR)
Rubio was forced out of the top 10 by Adama largely due to the fact that all of his good wins were years ago. He will look to change that against hot prospect David Lemieux shortly.
12) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (2-10)
Last Fight: 1/29/2011- UD10 Billy Lyell
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #17 Sebastian Zbik
Chavez will take on one of the biggest challenges of his career in undefeated but thus-far overrated alphabet titlist Sebastian Zbik.
13) Billy Lyell (2-10)
Last Fight: 1/29/2011- L(UD10) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. Dominik Britsch (UNR)
Lyell will look to keep the gate against undefeated German prospect Dominik Britsch on May 14.
14) Darren Barker (2-10)
Last Fight: 4/9/2010- UD12 Affif Belghecham
Next Fight: 4/30/2011- vs. Domenico Spada (UNR)
Barker is over some injuries that plagued him in 2010, and has a new promoter. He is now scheduled to fight quality journeyman Domenico Spada for the EBU title on April 30.
15) Pablo Navascues (2-10)
Last Fight: 11/26/2010- MD10 Luis Rodriguez (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/15/2011- vs. Grzegorz Proksa (UNR)
Navascues will look to halt the rise of undefeated Polish prospect Grzegorz Proksa on April 15 in Madrid.
16) Avtandil Khurtsidze (2-10)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- UD12 Mariusz Cendrowski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Khurtsidze is back on a winning track and has a regional belt in his possession to boot after taking care of Cendrowski.
17) Sebastian Zbik (2-91)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Jorge Heiland (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #12 Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
Undefeated Zbik will finally step up to the fringe contender level of competition, fighting Mexican star Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in June.
18) Fernando Guerrero (2-10)
Last Fight: 2/18/2011- UD10 Derrick Findley (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Anthony Mundine (2-10)
Last Fight: 12/8/2010- L(KO5) vs. Garth Wood
Next Fight: 4/13/2011- vs. #7 Garth Wood
Possible redemption on tap for April 13.
20) Peter Manfredo, Jr. (5-5)
Last Fight: 1/14/2011- UD10 Daniel Edouard (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
So far, so good on the comeback trail for Manfredo. #9 Maxim Bursak and Champ Sergio Martinez are both interested in fighting him, but no idea if that will happen or not.
The Week Ahead: Two notable fights this week: undefeated prospect David Lemieux looks to move from unranked fringe contender to top-10 star with a Friday Night Fights main event clash with #11 Marco Antonio Rubio, and then comebacking junior middleweight contender James Kirkland takes on his toughest opponent since prison on Saturday- Japanese junior middleweight fringe contender Nobuhiro Ishida- in an 8-round middleweight bout on the Action Heroes undercard in Vegas.
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Posted in
Rankings,
Super Middleweight on April 21, 2011 by danboxing
Prospect Don George beat journeyman Maxell Taylor Friday in Chicago, dropping and then stopping Taylor on his feet in the 8th. No movement in the rankings.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Lucian Bute
3) Carl Froch
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Librado Andrade
8) Glen Johnson
9) Arthur Abraham
10) Dimitri Sartison
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: None
1) Andre Ward (19-98-98)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- UD12 #10 Sakio Bika
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. #7 Arthur Abraham
It’s a bit shameful that Ward gets another essentially hometown fight. He probably doesn’t need it to win, but it was a huge oversight by Showtime to allow it.
2) Carl Froch (19-251-251)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- UD12 #7 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #15 Glen Johnson
Froch’s fight with Johnson has been bumped back to June 4 from an original date of May 21 primarily due to a venue dispute. The fight will take place in Atlantic City, much to Froch’s dismay.
3) Lucian Bute (19-260-260)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- TKO10 Brian Magee (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Had only the slightest trouble dispatching the game but limited Brian Magee. May finally get a true challenge in Mikkel Kessler sometime in the fall.
4) Mikkel Kessler (19-330-330)
Last Fight: 4/24/2010- UD12 Carl Froch
Next Fight: Unknown
Kessler is looking to fight a tune-up against fringe contender Renan St. Juste this summer before challenging Bute for the right to fight the Super Six winner.
5) Andre Dirrell (40-53-53)
Last Fight: 3/27/2010- DQ11 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: Unknown
I will go on the record and say I don’t believe Dirrell’s claims of serious neurological problems. I will still give him some benefit of the doubt, but he said he was cleared to return on February 1, and has been sparring with George Groves. I’ll give him an additional month to sign for a fight before removing him from the rankings.
6) Robert Stieglitz (40-84-84)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/9/2011- vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Will have to settle for a good fringe contender in Khoren Gevor after his original opponent #9 Dimitri Sartison pulled out with a training injury.
7) Arthur Abraham (54-76-76)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- TKO2 Stjepan Bozic (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
The easy win over Bozic probably didn’t serve as an adequate tune-up for Abe, since Bozic’s injured hand prevented him from getting any rounds in.
8) Librado Andrade (42-202-202)
Last Fight: 5/28/2010- RTD8 Eric Lucas (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: 5/6/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Andrade has a date on Telefutura on May 6. Andrade will fight in the main event- reportedly as a super middleweight- against an unknown opponent, while his brother Enrique Ornelas will fight in the co-feature.
9) Dimitri Sartison (25-36-40)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and has withdrawn from his scheduled bout with Robert Stieglitz. He will be out until about October, and will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February.
10) Sakio Bika (25-25-209)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Expect Bika to take a nice long vacation and then fight a weak opponent or two before stepping back up, if he ever does.
11) Eduard Gutknecht (25-40)
Last Fight: 2/12/2010- UD8 Oleksandr Cherviak (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Gutknecht’s place in the 168 pound rankings is on its deathbed, as he’s clearly decided to fight exclusively at 175. His year anniversary at 168 is 4/17.
12) Karoly Balzsay (25-40)
Last Fight: 11/19/2010- KO4 Misa Nikolic (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Balzsay hasn’t made 168 since early December 2009, but since he missed it by only a pound for his very inconsequential non-title fight with Aziz Daari, he gets an extra six months to fight at 168.
13) Edison Miranda (25-40)
Last Fight: 4/17/2010- L (TKO3) vs. Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Jesse Brinkley (25-40)
Last Fight: 10/15/2010- L (KO9) vs. #1 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: 4/29/2011- vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Has an intriguing matchup now scheduled with undefeated prospect Peter Quillin.
15) Glen Johnson (22-22)
Last Fight: 11/6/2010- TKO8 Allan Green (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Johnson, a former light heavyweight champion, has a real shot at being top dog at 168. His path is clear: beat Carl Froch in May, Andre Ward later in the year, and then (possibly) clean up the division with Lucian Bute in early 2012. The odds are long, though, as the Road Warrior is already 42 and must go through perhaps all three of the division’s best fighters.
16) Isaac Chilemba (6-40)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
17) Thomas Oosthuizen (6-40)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- TKO9 Evert Bravo (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. William Gare (UNR)
Will now fight fringe contender William Gare in a pretty even match-up in early June.
18) Bryan Vera (9-9)
Last Fight: 2/4/2011- SD10 Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vera, despite a bit of a roller-coaster career including a couple recent losses, has done more in beating Sebastian Demers and Sergio Mora than have the guys rated below him, at least at this weight.
19) Andy Lee (4-4)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- TKO10 Craig McEwan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Ezequiel Maderna (4-5)
Last Fight: 3/5/2011- UD10 Ruben Acosta (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
His win over Ruben Acosta gives him a slightly better resume than DeGale.
THE WEEK AHEAD: A trio of good fights populate the division this week on three different levels. Lower-level once-beaten prospect Adonis Stevenson takes on solid prospect Derek Edwards in the Friday Night Fights co-feature. If you flip channels you’ll find #19 Light Heavyweight and Super Middleweight prospect Dyah Davis taking on advanced prospect Marcus Johnson in the ShoBox main event. And in Germany, #6 Robert Stieglitz battles fringe contender Khoren Gevor in a pretty good match-up that was scheduled to be even better before Stieglitz’ original opponent #9 Dimitri Sartison was injured in training.
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Posted in
Light Heavyweight,
Rankings on April 21, 2011 by danboxing
Prospects Sergey Kovalev of Russia and Dustin Dirks of Germany were both in action this weekend. Kovelev on Friday knocked journeyman Julius Fogle down twice in the second round in Chicago, and Fogle stayed down the second time. The next night in Germany, German prospect Dustin Dirks visited the canvas for the first time in his professional career against lightly-regarded Italian journeyman Roberto Cocco, but rose to stop his opponent in the 6th round of a scheduled 8.
In a minor ratings shakeup, Hugo Garay (#14 last week) is removed this week. He has not fought at 175 since his March 27, 2010 loss to the also recently-removed Chris Henry, but was given a little extra time due to a recent fight being canceled because of his mother’s death. He did schedule a fight shortly thereafter, but unfortunately he came in as a small heavyweight for a fight with a cruiserweight, and thus has effectively moved up in weight and can no longer be rated here. Naturally if he does significant work at cruiser he will be rated there, and will be reconsidered for a ranking at 175 in the event he ever makes the weight again. The removal of Garay is just another example of attrition in a division that is very hot and active at about the top 10 level, but very shallow and weak beyond that. In keeping with that theme, prospect Yordanis Despaigne- fresh off a dominating loss to Ismayl Sillakh- rises to claim the vacant spot from amidst a crowded field of unimpressive candidates.
For comparison, here are the current Ring Magazine Ratings:
Champ: Jean Pascal
1) Bernard Hopkins
2) Tavoris Cloud
3) Chad Dawson
4) Glen Johnson
5) Nathan Cleverly
6) Adrian Diaconu
7) Karo Murat
8) Beibut Shumenov
9) Gabriel Campillo
10) Isaac Chilemba
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Jean Pascal (34-94-94)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- Draw (MD12) vs. #3 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
1) Bernard Hopkins (16-252-252)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- Draw (MD12) vs. Champ Jean Pascal
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. Champ Jean Pascal
He’ll get his shot to avenge the draw in the first fight with Pascal.
2) Chad Dawson (16-253-253)
Last Fight: 8/14/2010- L (TD11) vs. #3 Jean Pascal
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. #10 Adrian Diaconu
Dawson-Diaconu has now been confirmed by the promoter for the Pacal-Hopkins undercard.
3) Tavoris Cloud (16-84-84)
Last Fight: 12/17/2010- UD12 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud’s mandatory is now Yusaf Mack, the winner of an eliminator with Otis Griffin. This is actually a pretty decent matchup as alphabet contests go. But according to Zsolt Erdei promoter Lou DiBella, HBO is trying to match Cloud with his guy. Either bout is fine with me. This is one hot division.
4) Glen Johnson (34-407-407)
Last Fight: 11/6/2010- KO8 Allan Green (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. SMW #2 Carl Froch (at SMW)
If he manages to beat Froch, he will fight for the Super Six Championship, and possibly the legitimate Super Middleweight Championship of the World. If not, maybe he moves back up to 175. If he beats Froch, he will most likely forfeit his 175 rating because the Super Six will tie him up beyond the year anniversary of his light heavyweight fight with Cloud.
5) Gabriel Campillo (34-41-41)
Last Fight: 5/15/2010- KO1 Luzimar Gonzaga
Next Fight: 4/15/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Apparently #12 Dmitri Sukhotski never signed for the fight, and Campillo is now searching for another opponent on short notice.
6) Nathan Cleverly (29-61-61)
Last Fight: 12/11/2010- UD12 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. #8 Juergen Braehmer
Cleverly has expressed a desire to fight Cloud if he beats Braehmer, and there are also discussions of an all-Welsh showdown with cruiserweight fringe contender Enzo Maccarinelli at 175.
7) Yusaf Mack (5-5-41)
Last Fight: 3/4/2010- W(SD12) vs. #18 Otis Griffin
Next Fight: Unknown
The oft-delayed eliminator with Otis Griffin finally went down, and Mack escaped with a comfortable split decision, if there is such a thing. Mack is now the mandatory challenger for Cloud’s belt, but may have to wait awhile as HBO is pushing Zsolt Erdei for that honor, instead.
8) Jürgen Brähmer (5-41-41)
Last Fight: 4/24/2010- TKO5 Mariano Plotinsky
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. #6 Nathan Cleverly
9) Beibut Shumenov (2-37-41)
Last Fight: 1/8/2011- KO6 William Joppy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Shumenov, an attorney, is suing his promoter, Goosen-Tutor, and attempting to break away. Hopefully this doesn’t hurt his now-promising career.
10) Adrian Diaconu (2-2-204)
Last Fight: 10/15/2010- UD10 Omar Sheika (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/21/2011- vs. #2 Chad Dawson
The Dawson fight is now set on the Pascal-Hopkins undercard.
11) Danny McIntosh (2-41)
Last Fight: 1/22/2011- TKO11 #14 Thierry Karl
Next Fight: Unknown
McIntosh has a European title with some good challengers in those rankings, and also appears to be the mandatory challenger for a British title held by Tony Bellew.
12) Dmitri Sukhotski (2-23)
Last Fight: 3/11/2011- TKO5 Konstantin Piternov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Apparently was never fully on board for the proposed fight with #5 Campillo. That fight is now off.
13) Ismayl Sillakh (2-12)
Last Fight: 3/4/2011- UD10 Yordanis Despaigne (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Looked real good in outboxing Despaigne. Probably top 10-bound.
14) Zsolt Erdei (1-20)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- UD8 Samson Onyango (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With Campillo off the table, an HBO fight with Tavoris Cloud now looks like the most likely route for Erdei.
15) Thierry Karl (1-41)
Last Fight: 1/22/2011- L (TKO11) vs. #17 Danny McIntosh
Next Fight: Unknown
Will probably see a long layoff and a few tune-ups after being stopped by McIntosh. Karl might be done as a major contender.
16) Luis Garcia (1-12)
Last Fight: 11/6/2010- TKO2 Byron Mitchell (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
17) Otis Griffin (1-12)
Last Fight: 3/4/2011- L (SD12) vs. #12 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Tony Bellew (1-2)
Last Fight: 12/11/2010- TKO8 Ovill McKenzie (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Dyah Davis (1-2)
Last Fight: 2/5/2011- D (MD10) vs. Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/8/2011 – vs. Marcus Johnson (UNR)
Davis continues to get airtime, as he prepares to fight hot prospect Marcus Johnson on ShoBox. He got some of his own prospect street cred back by upsetting Francisco Sierra following his own upset loss to Aaron Pryor, Jr.
20) Yordanis Despaigne (1-1)
Last Fight: 3/4/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Ismayl Sillakh
Next Fight: Unknown
The shallow nature of the division is highlighted by the inclusion of Despaigne, who has only one notable win over a gatekeeper in his career and recently was picked apart by a then-17th ranked fighter.
The Week Ahead: A few top 50 light heavyweights are in action this week. In Hamburg, gatekeeper Geard Ajetovic of Serbia takes on Polish prospect Gregory Soszynski in what could turn out to be a pretty even fight. Meanwhile, on the undercard of Adamek-McBride in Newark, steroid-tainted Polish prospect Andrzej Fonfara battles journeyman Ray Smith. Also, #19 Dyah Davis fights super middleweight prospect Marcus Johnson on ShoBox Friday. That fight seems to be at 168, but both guys have a tendency to fight at contract weights over the limit in their careers.
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Posted in
Cruiserweight,
Rankings on April 20, 2011 by danboxing
Two marquee fights in the division this week. Serbian-turned-German Marco Huck, currently ranked #2, outpointed undefeated Israeli prospect Ran Nakash, who was a short-notice replacement for Giacobbe Fragomeni. Nakash isn’t yet on the level of an opponent that ought to test a guy like Huck, and one of the judges had the fight fairly close, so obviously Huck stays put in the rankings.
Meanwhile, #6 Krzystof Wlodarczyk of Poland stunk out the place against Puerto Rican journeyman Francisco Palacios. I had Palacios winning the fight 115-113, though Palacios gave away enough late rounds that Wlodarczyk at least had an argument. It really had more to do with Wlodarczyk barely throwing a punch than with anything Palacios did. It was honestly one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen, and I sorta feel like I took a bullet for my readers by watching it. As for the result, I think the fight was clearly between 117-111 Palacios and 115-113 Wlodarczyk. In keeping with my previously-announced policy, I am treating this result as what I’ve termed a “minimum deference” decision, meaning essentially I treat it as a draw, except with the slightest edge toward the official winner, with the upshot being that the winner can suffer in the rankings and the loser can benefit, though a lower-ranked loser can’t logically pass up the higher-ranked winner. This stands in contrast to an all-out robbery- where no legitimate case can be made for the official winner actually winning. In that case, I would simply substitute my own scorecard for that of the judges in adjusting my rankings.
With his weak performance, Wlodarczyk tumbles to #8 in the rankings. He may have fallen further, but was buoyed by the presence of Giacobbe Fragomeni at #9, whom he stopped in their last encounter just under a year ago. Meanwhile, Palacios debuts quite strongly at #12. Especially since he didn’t exactly look great himself, I hesitate to rank him ahead of Troy Ross who was beating Steve Cunningham before he was thumbed and controversially stopped in that fight. But the truth is Ross needs to add an actual good win to his resume. If he doesn’t fight the competition necessary to do so, it doesn’t matter where he’s ranked anyway. I believe that Ross would beat Palacios and perhaps at least half the top 10, but he needs to prove it. Palacios’ entry forces the exit of last week’s #20 Rogelio Rossi after eleven weeks.
In other action, journeyman Mohamed Azzaoui escaped with a technical draw (essentially a no contest) against gatekeeper Anthony McCracken when the former was ruled unable to continue after an accidental blow to the back of the head from the latter. Meanwhile, Firat Arslan had little difficulty with weak journeyman Michal Bilak in Berlin, dispatching him in round 3.
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:
Champ: None
1) Steve Cunningham
2) Marco Huck
3) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
4) Denis Lebedev
5) Troy Ross
6) Danny Green
7) Giacobbe Fragomeni
8) Ola Afolabi
9) Guillermo Jones
10) Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: None
1) Steve Cunningham (152*-355-355)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- UD12 #14 Enad Licina
Next Fight: Unknown
* Not actually sure how long he’s been rated #1, but it has been at least this number of weeks.
Cunningham defeated Licina, and will likely fight next in Sauerland’s Super Six.
2) Marco Huck (41-226-226)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Ran Nakash (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Next stop for Huck is probably the Sauerland Super Six.
3) Denis Lebedev (16-61-61)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- L(SD12*) vs. #2 Marco Huck
Next Fight: 5/22/2011- vs. Roy Jones, Jr. (UNR)
It’s now official. Denis Lebedev will attempt to retire the unretirable Roy Jones, Jr., who despite a good broadcasting gig insists on scrambling his washed-up brains by picking fights with guys bigger and better than him. Any yes man who told Jones he should take the fight should be ashamed of himself, and I kinda think Lebedev should be, too.
4) Ola Afolabi (16-108-108)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Afolabi is probably the best fighter not set to fight in the Super Six. His route to the top 5 was probably quieter than his peers, and he has the wrong promoter (Duva Boxing) for a division that’s now completely dominated by Sauerland. It might be hard for him to get good fights in the near future.
5) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (8-41-41)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- KO7 #12 Steve Herelius
Next Fight: Unknown
Reports suggest a clash with Guillermo Jones might be next. So much for his being already in the Super Six, I guess.
6) Guillermo Jones (1-27-27)
Last Fight: 10/2/2010- TKO11 Valery Brudov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reportedly considering fighting Yoan Pablo Hernandez in May.
7) Danny Green (1-70-70)
Last Fight: 11/17/2010- UD12 #12 B.J. Flores
Next Fight: Unknown
Green is rumored to be in talks with Antonio Tarver for a cruiserweight showdown. Tarver had been unsuccessfully lobbying for a fight with Green prior to moving up to heavyweight last year.
8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (1-302-302)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Barely escaped with a hometown decision in one of the worst fights in recent memory with Palacios. His stock has got to be way down among those who saw the fight, but his stoppage win over Fragomeni keeps him well within the top 10.
9) Giacobbe Fragomeni (20-125-125)
Last Fight: 11/5/2010- TKO6 Eduardo Ayala (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fragomeni sustained a cut in sparring and wasn’t able to meet Marco Huck as planned- an unfortunate setback for the aging Italian.
10) Alexander Frenkel (20-20-29)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- KO7 #12 Enzo Maccarinelli
Next Fight: Unknown
Has apparently overcome his hand injury enough to begin training for a possible bout with Silvio Branco, though that fight is not yet signed.
11) B.J. Flores (5-41)
Last Fight: 11/17/2010- L(UD12) vs. #9 Danny Green
Next Fight: Unknown
Began calling out Lateef Kayode after Kayode’s lackluster win over Nick Iannuzzi. It looks like Kayode doesn’t want that fight yet, and with good reason. Flores boxes with a similar style to Iannuzzi, but with much more class.
12) Francisco Palacios (1-1)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- L (SD12*) vs. #6 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
Next Fight: Unknown
In my opinion he did just enough to win one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen against Wlodarczyk, so I’m in no hurry to see him again. That being said, he performed well against a top 10 guy and deserved the win on that night, so I can’t exactly ignore that.
13) Troy Ross (1-110)
Last Fight: 10/30/2010- UD10 Carl Handy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I’m finally forced to give Ross more credit for his ill-fated impressive effort against Cunningham, since everyone immediately above him is losing.
14) Steve Herelius (1-40)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Next Fight: Unknown
It’s always hard to come back from a knockout loss. Herelius could become a go-to quality opponent for the guys locked out of the Super Six.
15) Enad Licina (1-41)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
16) Enzo Maccarinelli (1-41)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- L(KO7) vs. Alexander Frenkel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Enzo has decided to soldier on after his devastating knockout loss to Frenkel. He is now working with Joe Calzaghe and plans to fight at 175, possibly next against Nathan Cleverly. I’ll keep him rated here until it becomes logically impossible for him to compete above 175 within a year of his last fight.
17) Lateef Kayode (1-20)
Last Fight: 2/4/2011- UD10 Nicholas Iannuzzi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Seems to be slowing his pace of activity after barely escaping with a win against Nick Iannuzzi.
18) Alexander Alexeev (1-12)
Last Fight: 7/17/2010- L (KO2) vs. #7 Denis Lebedev
Next Fight: 4/9/2011- vs. DeAndrey Abron (UNR)
Alexeev will look to bounce back on April 9 from his stoppage loss to Denis Lebedev last summer, meeting journeyman DeAndrey Abron.
19) Matt Godfrey (1-117)
Last Fight: 8/21/2010- L(TKO5) vs. #2 Marco Huck
Next Fight: Unknown
Never the most active fighter, we don’t yet know what Godfrey’s up to next after Marco Huck destroyed him.
20) Mateusz Masternak (1-5)
Last Fight: 3/11/2011- TKO5 Ali Ismailov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
THE WEEK AHEAD: One fight worth mentioning on Friday and another on Saturday. Friday, former light heavyweight contender Hugo Garay fights mediocre journeyman Martin Islas in a mere 6-rounder in Argentina. Saturday, #18 Alexander Alexeev will fight 38 year-old journeyman DeAndrey Abron in Hamburg.
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Posted in
Heavyweight,
Rankings on April 19, 2011 by danboxing
#16 Robert Helenius turned out the lights of apparently shopworn #6 contender Sam Peter on Saturday in Germany in the 9th round. Helenius joins the Klitschko brothers as tall European heavyweights that have utterly dominated Peter in recent years. I gave the Nigerian more credit in my rankings than did many because it seemed to me that his losses had more to do with his willingness to fight tough opposition than with his not being tough, himself. Helenius, however, represents the least accomplished fighter that Peter has yet lost to, and it’s no longer reasonable to view him as a top-10 fighter or anywhere close. He does still have the kind of resume to remain a tough fringe contender, though if you are managing a tall young heavyweight with power and the ability to control range, you’ve gotta think Sam Peter’s manager is going to be on your speed dial- that is, if the brutal knockout doesn’t leave the former #2 contender looking for another career. Helenius is now a proven threat in the division and nudges the bottom-feeding Alexander Povetkin out of the #4 position. Eddie Chambers holds on to the #3 ranking narrowly because he has lost only to Wlad since his the Povetkin loss, and has beaten a little better version of Peter as well as Derric Rossy and contender Alexander Dimitrenko in that span. Peter slips to Helenius’ former position of #16.
In other action, #17 Francesco Pianeta easily handled low-level journeyman Ivica Perkovic to a 3rd round TKO, Polish prospect Ondrej Pala made much better journeyman Oleksiy Mazykin quit after seven rounds, and gatekeeper Jason Gavern stopped journeyman and former cruiserweight contender Darnell Wilson, also in seven.
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Heavyweight Rankings:
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko
1) Vitali Klitschko
2) David Haye
3) Alexander Povetkin
4) Tomasz Adamek
5) Ruslan Chagaev
6) Eddie Chambers
7) Alexander Dimitrenko
8) Denis Boystov
9) Robert Helenius
10) Chris Arreola
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (93-306-306)
Last Fight: 9/11/2010- KO10 #6 Samuel Peter
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #2 David Haye
Wlad will evidently fight #2 Haye on either 6/25 or 7/2.
1) Vitali Klitschko (130-130-130)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- TKO1 #10 Odlanier Solis
Next Fight: Unknown
Vitali’s win over Solis was about as inconclusive as a TKO can be, as he was losing the round at the time and didn’t actually land a significant punch to earn it.
2) David Haye (53-107-107)
Last Fight: 11/13/2010- TKO3 Audley Harrison (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
With his mandatory with Ruslan Chagaev out of the way due to hepatitis and Wlad’s fight with Chisora apparently contingent on whether the Champ feels like it at any given moment, Haye has once again signed on to fight Wlad. With the contract signed, the odds of the fight actually happen have increased to about 50-50 in my estimation.
3) Eddie Chambers (8-105-105)
Last Fight: 2/11/2011- UD12 Derric Rossy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dropped and decisioned Derric Rossy, moving him ahead of Alexander Povetkin, who’s been slumming lately.
4) Robert Helenius (1-1-45)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- KO9 #6 Samuel Peter
Next Fight: Unknown
After a destructive knockout of Peter, Helenius promoter Sauerland apparently wants to match his fighter with #11 Alexander Dimitrenko in a fight that would almost certainly put the winner close to the front of the line for a Klitschko shot.
5) Alexander Povetkin (1-180-180)
Last Fight: 12/18/2010- UD8 Nicolai Firtha (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teddy Atlas expects Povetkin to fight Mormeck for the WBA title being (sorta) vacated by Haye, who is likely being promoted to WBA Super Duper Extra Spectacular World Champion of the Whole Wide World, while promoter Sauerland admits Mormeck is on their short list, but says the fight is not made and that it’s not clear it would be for the nonsensical title. According to Atlas, the fight would be in early to mid June.
6) Ruslan Chagaev (1-229-229)
Last Fight: 11/19/2010- UD8 Travis Walker (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
To the extent the WBA rankings matter, Chagaev appears to be getting jobbed. He is supposed to be the mandatory challenger to Haye, but the likely biased British Board of Control nixed that fight for England, and the idea of fighting elsewhere seems not to have occurred to Haye. Now that Klitschko-Haye appears on, you would think Chagaev-Povetkin would be next, but Povetkin’s camp appears interested in Mormeck instead, and thinks that would be for the title somehow.
7) Tomasz Adamek (10-50-50)
Last Fight: 12/9/2010- TKO5 Vinny Maddalone (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/16/2010- vs. Kevin McBride (UNR)
Faced with 3 options: Sam Peter, Hasim Rahman, or…Kevin McBride, Adamek chose the ridiculously easy way out with McBride. But to be fair, would you want to jeopardize a million-dollar payday if it were you?
8) Tony Thompson (10-45-45)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- TKO4 Paul Marinaccio (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/27/2011- vs. Maurice Harris (UNR)
Finally decided to fight someone with a pulse. We’re probably still not talking about a top-10 worthy fight, but Thompson will reportedly fight fringe contender Maurice Harris on Friday Night Fights in late May.
9) Juan Carlos Gomez (10-45-45)
Last Fight: 12/4/2010- TKO4 Harold Sconiers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Treading water like nobody’s business.
10) Odlanier Solis (16-16-45)
Last Fight: 3/19/2011- L (TKO1) vs. #1 Vitali Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
If anyone doubted the legitimacy of Solis’ injury, he is awaiting surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus. He wants a rematch, which of course seems unlikely- though I’d actually be interested.
11) Alexander Dimitrenko (2-12)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- TKO12 Albert Sosnowski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dimitrenko is being targeted by Robert Helenius in what would be nice preparation by the winner for an eventual fight with a Klitschko. No word on whether the interest is mutual.
12) Chris Arreola (2-107)
Last Fight: 1/28/2011- TKO1 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. Nagy Aguilera (UNR)
Arreola returns on the Ward-Abraham undercard on May 14 against Nagy Aguilera, a young fighter who rose to prominence by beating a used-up Oleg Maskaev but then came crashing down to Earth shortly thereafter and now appears to be just a good journeyman.
13) Denis Boytsov (2-94)
Last Fight: 11/19/2010- KO2 Mike Sheppard (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Recently added Golden Boy as an American co-promoter alongside Universum, and is looking to fight stateside in May if his hand holds up.
14) Dereck Chisora (2-29)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- TKO9 #20 Sam Sexton
Next Fight: Unknown
Plans for a BBBofC-ordered fight between Chisora and Tyson Fury appear to be finished or at least on hold, as Fury is reportedly close to a deal to fight Hasim Rahman on the Khan-McCloskey undercard- potentially another bad break for the hard-luck Chisora.
15) Jean Marc Mormeck (2-45)
Last Fight: 12/2/2010- SD12 #19 Timur Ibragimov
Next Fight: Unknown
Appears at least 50-50 that he’ll fight Povetkin next.
16) Samuel Peter (1-45)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- L(KO9) vs. #16 Robert Helenius
Next Fight: Unknown
We’ll have to see if and how Peter rebounds from his latest knockout loss- this one more brutal than the last. If the relatively young (30) Nigerian decides to forge on, he’ll have to overcome the reality of being treated as a stepping stone at least for tall up-and-comers.
17) Francesco Pianeta (2-45)
Last Fight: 4/2/2011- TKO3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cancer survivor Pianeta is staying busy, but not against credible opposition.
18) Ray Austin (2-45)
Last Fight: 12/17/2010- L(DQ10) vs. #17 Odlanier Solis
Next Fight: Unknown
No telling where he goes from here. He’s getting up there in age, and has probably done about all he’s going to do. Austin may be a good candidate to retire soon.
19) Kubrat Pulev (2-22)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- UD8 Yaroslav Zavorotnyi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Timur Ibragimov (2-41)
Last Fight: 12/2/2010- L(SD12) vs. #18 Jean Marc Mormeck
Next Fight: Unknown
Appears to be taking a bit of a break after his considerable momentum was halted by Jean Marc Mormeck.
THE WEEK AHEAD: The only fight of note this week in the division is the sorry mismatch between #7 Tomasz Adamek and fat slob Kevin McBride of Ireland, who has lost 4 of his last 5 against journeyman-level opposition. His lone win was a 3-round split decision over complete non-entity Franklin Egobi in the first round of Britain’s Prizefighter series, and one of the losses was to fallen but fairly recent contender Andrew Golota. Please don’t buy this Pay-Per-View, for the sake of all that is good and holy….
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Posted in
Junior Middleweight,
Rankings on April 17, 2011 by danboxing
A very interesting situation ratings-wise arose on Friday, when inactive fringe contender Carlos Molina earned a draw on ESPN2 with hot fringe contending prospect Erislandy Lara of Cuba. In reporting on the fight, it would be hard to imagine not focusing on the disappointing performance of Lara, who is regarded as a likely future champion.
In terms of rating the two fighters, though, it should be noted that despite losing the fight on my card (though I think the draw is plenty credible), Lara can point to Molina as the best opponent he’s yet faced. A draw with him probably establishes Lara’s competitiveness on a higher level than any other victory he’s had at least since he beat Grady Brewer over a year ago. While simultaneously chipping away at his perceived potential, this draw is at least somewhat of an accomplishment. Likewise for Molina. Since I rate on accomplishment and not potential, Lara actually climbs in the rankings to #16, while Molina debuts just behind him. Molina’s entry forces out Deandre Latimore, whose career lost all of its steam when he lost to Sechew Powell a year ago and hasn’t picked up since.
In other action, gatekeeper Roberto Garcia- in action for the first time since losing to Antonio Margarito last year- outpointed former contender Jose Flores over eight rounds in California, dropping him in the 6th along the way.
For Comparision, here are the current Ring ratings for the division:
Champ: Vacant
1) Miguel Cotto
2) Kermit Cintron
3) Alfredo Angulo
4) Ryan Rhodes
5) Sechew Powell
6) Vanes Martirosyan
7) Pawel Wolak
8) Sergei Dzinziruk
9) Saul Alvarez
10) Cornelius Bundrage
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Alfredo Angulo (8-79-79)
Last Fight: 7/17/2010- TKO1 #8 Joachim Alcine
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC is pushing for a tournament that would include Angulo vs. Ryan Rhodes, with the winner to fight the winner of Paul Williams vs. either Saul Roman or Vanes Martirosyan. The winner would earn the right to fight for a title held by a guy already less accomplished than 3 of the 5: Saul Alvarez.
2) Cornelius Bundrage (8-34-34)
Last Fight: 8/7/2010- TKO5 Cory Spinks (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Every 154 pounder and his 154-pound grandma is calling out Bundrage because they think he might be the weakest titleholder, but I’m betting most of them haven’t seen his dismantling of Spinks. Still, it’d be nice to see him accept one of these challenges and fight soon, if that’s not too much to ask from a Don King fighter.
3) Miguel Cotto (19-43-43)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- TKO12 Ricardo Mayorga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Now rated #1 by the Ring, Cotto didn’t really impress against Mayorga when you consider how lightly the Nicaraguan former Champ was regarded, and his resume still pales in comparison to Angulo and Bundrage at this weight. May be headed for a grudge match with Antonio Margarito in his next bout or two.
4) Pawel Wolak (3-3-3)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- RTD6 #5 Yuri Foreman
Next Fight: Unknown
Wolak went from relative nobody to a major player on the scene with his big win over Foreman.
5) Paul Williams (3-8-8)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- L (KO2) vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Williams has been medically cleared to fight again after being iced by Sergio Martinez. For details on his possible next move, see Alfredo Angulo’s comments above.
6) Kermit Cintron (8-96-96)
Last Fight: 5/8/2010- L (TD4) vs. MW #2 Paul Williams
Next Fight: Unknown
Cintron said that he plans to move back to welterweight, and for some reason Jan Zaveck is at the top of his list.
7) Ryan Rhodes (8-75-75)
Last Fight: 12/4/2010- TKO2 Rocky Junior (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Looks likely to fight Canelo Alvarez on 6/18 in what should be a very even matchup.
8) Saul Alvarez (4-4-19)
Last Fight: 3/5/2011- UD12 Matthew Hatton (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/18/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
The WBC is pushing Ryan Rhodes as Canelo’s next opponent- likely for his reserved June 18 HBO date.
9) Sergiy Dzinziruk (4-46-46)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- L(TKO9) vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dzinziruk gambled in a big way by moving up to challenge Middleweight King Sergio Martinez, and lost that bet to the tune of five knockdowns and a 9th-round stoppage defeat. His loss doesn’t affect his ranking here per se, but he will need to schedule a fight at 154 soon to avoid forfeiting his place in the rankings altogether.
10) Sechew Powell (4-54-54)
Last Fight: 3/19/2010- W (MD12) vs. #4 Deandre Latimore
Next Fight: Unknown
Powell was not removed for inactivity this week because he had a scheduled fight in November canceled by a town council vote in Massachusetts that nixed the entire card. There’s really not a good excuse for his having not found another venue and time to fight by now, but I feel it’s appropriate to allow him an extra month because of those circumstances beyond his control.
11) Gabriel Rosado (4-8)
Last Fight: 2/26/2011- TKO12 Jamaal Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
12) Manny Pacquiao (4-8)
Last Fight: 11/13/2010- UD12 Antonio Margarito
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #15 Shane Mosley (at WW)
Never actually weighed in over the welterweight limit, but he fought a guy at a 150 pound catchweight who had established himself as at least a credible fringe contender at 154 in Antonio Margarito, while giving up a whopping 17 pounds on fight night. He might never fight another junior middleweight, and definitely will return to welter for his next fight, but there is still at least an outside possibility that he’ll fight somebody over 147 in the next year and thus will retain his ranking for now. Pretty remarkable for a guy that could probably still fight at 135 if that’s where the money was.
13) Cory Spinks (8-8)
Last Fight: 8/7/2010- L (TKO5) vs. Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
If Spinks doesn’t need the money, he should probably consider retirement. He’s already exceeded the accomplishments of his Heavyweight Champion father Leon, and hopefully still has his health intact after being brutalized for a five rounds by the beastly Cornelius Bundrage in August.
14) Sam Webb (8-8)
Last Fight: 10/16/2010- KO11 Martin Concepcion (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Webb has had exactly one fight against good opposition- fringe contender Anthony Small last March- and he’s 1 for 1. He does have one cuts loss against 0-3 welterweight Alexei Stoda from almost 5 years ago, but that was probably an aberration.
15) Shane Mosley (8-8)
Last Fight: 9/18/2010- Draw (SD12) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #12 Manny Pacquiao (at WW)
Most 154-pound fighters wouldn’t mind having a draw with Sergio Mora on their record, but it was quite a disappointing result for Mosley, who was trying to rebound from a pathetically docile effort against Floyd Mayweather. Still, perhaps most observers thought Mosley deserved the decision above his natural weight, and he’s got some good wins a few years back that would make him a clear top-10 fighter if they were more recent. His next fight will be at Welterweight.
16) Erislandy Lara (1-8)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- Draw (MD10) vs. Carlos Molina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Definitely lost some of his future champion hype by nearly losing to inactive fringe contender Molina, but simultaneously proved competitive with arguably the best opponent of his career.
17) Carlos Molina (1-1)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- Draw (MD10) vs. #20 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina’s draw with Lara (which he easily could have won) really just proves that he hasn’t lost a step due to his long stretch of Don King-induced inactivity.
18) Austin Trout (1-8)
Last Fight: 2/5/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Undefeated American prospect Trout first proved that he was one to watch in September 2009 by beating fellow prospect Nilson Tapia, and then finally stepped up again last week by earning a dominant points victory over fringe contender Rigoberto Alvarez. Rigoberto’s much better brother Saul “Canelo” Alvarez reportedly wants to revenge his brother in June.
19) Yuri Foreman (1-78)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- L (RTD6) vs. Pawel Wolak (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
What looked like a relatively easy fight turned into a disaster for Foreman as he was battered to a corner stoppage after six rounds with fringe contender/prospect Pawel Wolak. The stick-and-move boxer may have lost a step to a recurring knee injury, and we’ll see whether or not he’s finished as a serious contender.
20) Joachim Alcine (1-8)
Last Fight: 7/17/2010- L (TKO1) vs. Alfredo Angulo
Next Fight: Unknown
At one point months ago there was reportedly a fight in the works with Cory Spinks for April, but that appears to have been a non-starter. No recent reports on Alcine’s next move.
The Week Ahead: Undefeated Polish prospect Damian Jonak will fight run-of-the-mill journeyman Albert Starikov in Poland on Saturday on the undercard of Wlodarczyk-Palacios.
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Posted in
Middleweight,
Rankings on April 13, 2011 by danboxing
#19 Marcus Upshaw had a tough assignment against gatekeeper Osumanu Adama on Friday in Illinois, and failed to rise to the challenge as the Ghanaian stopped him in the 4th round. In Russia Saturday, #6 Dmitry Pirog struggled a great deal with unheralded Argentine prospect Javier Maciel. Pirog clearly lost 4 rounds on my card to a guy that, while very defensively responsible, did not sustain much offense- a testament to the lackluster effort of the contender, who probably did not take his opponent seriously enough. Nevertheless, Pirog got the win without a ton of worry, and luckily the damage to his reputation in the US was probably limited largely to those who tuned in on ESPN3.com, as the fight was not televised in the states.
Pirog stays put at #6, while Adama debuts very strongly at #10. This forces Marco Antonio Rubio out of the top 10 at least for now. Upshaw exits with the loss.
For Comparision, here are the current Ring ratings for the division:
Champ: Sergio Martinez
1) Felix Sturm
2) Sebastian Sylvester
3) Paul Williams
4) Daniel Geale
5) Matthew Macklin
6) Sebastian Zbik
7) Dmitry Pirog
8) David Lopez
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam
10) David Lemieux
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (50-50-50)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- TKO9 JMW #9 Sergiy Dzinziruk
Next Fight: Unknown
The latest news has Martinez’ anticipated July return being pushed back to a possible August date, with #20 Peter Manfredo, Jr. being the most likely opponent.
1) Felix Sturm (90-393-393)
Last Fight: 2/19/2011- TKO7 Ronald Hearns (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Another guy with lots of options. Pavlik and Khurtsidze seem to be the top candidates at present.
2) Paul Williams (4-103-103)
Last Fight: 11/20/2010- L(KO2) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC is talking about a four-man tournament at 154 to create a mandatory challenger for Saul Alvarez’ irrelevant title. But irrelevant or not, the tournament (which also seeks the participation of Alfredo Angulo, Ryan Rhodes, Saul Roman, and Vanes Martirosyan) would create some nice match-ups and be great for the sport, which feels strange to say when referring to the WBC. Williams would reportedly start by fighting the Roman-Vanes winner. Williams wants Martinez again, but that is unlikely at this time.
3) Sebastian Sylvester (4-294-294)
Last Fight: 10/30/2010- UD12 Mahir Oral (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #4 Daniel Geale
Just scheduled a huge fight with Daniel Geale. The fight will take place in Germany, and the winner probably passes up Paul Williams.
4) Daniel Geale (4-93-93)
Last Fight: 10/31/2010- TKO12 #8 Roman Karmazin
Next Fight: 5/7/2011- vs. #3 Sebastian Sylvester
See Sylvester’s comments above.
5) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (4-22-22)
Last Fight: 10/30/2010- UD12 Avtandil Khurtsidze
Next Fight: 4/2/2011- vs. Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
N’jikam fights fringe contender Giovanni Lorenzo on April 2.
6) Dmitry Pirog (4-35-35)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Pirog looked lackadaisical and just plain mediocre in outpointing prospect Javier Maciel.
7) Garth Wood (4-9-9)
Last Fight: 12/8/2010- KO5 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: 4/13/2011- vs. #19 Anthony Mundine
We’ll see if Wood’s the real deal when he re-matches Anthony Mundine in April.
8) Matthew Macklin (4-79-79)
Last Fight: 12/11/2010- UD12 Ruben Varon (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/16/2011- vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
After Winky Wright withdrew with a broken hand from a 4/9 fight with Macklin, the latter made the best of a bad situation by signing on to fight fringe contender Khoren Gevor on the Khan-McCloskey card on the 16th.
9) Maxim Bursak (4-9-9)
Last Fight: 9/4/2010- UD12 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
10) Osumanu Adama (1-1-1)
Last Fight: 3/25/2011- TKO4 #19 Marcus Upshaw
Next Fight: Unknown
The fact that a win over a fighter like Upshaw alone can support a top 10 ranking speaks to just how shallow the division is after the top few guys.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (1-9)
Last Fight: 1/1/2011- TKO8 Wilson Santana (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/8/2011- vs. David Lemieux (UNR)
Rubio was forced out of the top 10 by Adama largely due to the fact that all of his good wins were years ago. He will look to change that against hot prospect David Lemieux shortly.
12) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (1-9)
Last Fight: 1/29/2011- UD10 Billy Lyell
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #17 Sebastian Zbik
Chavez will take on one of the biggest challenges of his career in undefeated but thus-far overrated alphabet titlist Sebastian Zbik.
13) Billy Lyell (1-9)
Last Fight: 1/29/2011- L(UD10) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
Next Fight: 5/14/2011- vs. Dominik Britsch (UNR)
Lyell will look to keep the gate against undefeated German prospect Dominik Britsch on May 14.
14) Darren Barker (1-9)
Last Fight: 4/9/2010- UD12 Affif Belghecham
Next Fight: 4/30/2011- vs. Domenico Spada (UNR)
Barker is over some injuries that plagued him in 2010, and has a new promoter. He is now scheduled to fight quality journeyman Domenico Spada for the EBU title on April 30.
15) Pablo Navascues (1-9)
Last Fight: 11/26/2010- MD10 Luis Rodriguez (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/15/2011- vs. Grzegorz Proksa (UNR)
Navascues will look to halt the rise of undefeated Polish prospect Grzegorz Proksa on April 15 in Madrid.
16) Avtandil Khurtsidze (1-9)
Last Fight: 3/12/2011- UD12 Mariusz Cendrowski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Khurtsidze is back on a winning track and has a regional belt in his possession to boot after taking care of Cendrowski.
17) Sebastian Zbik (1-90)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Jorge Heiland (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2011- vs. #12 Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
Undefeated Zbik will finally step up to the fringe contender level of competition, fighting Mexican star Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in June.
18) Fernando Guerrero (1-9)
Last Fight: 2/18/2011- UD10 Derrick Findley (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Anthony Mundine (1-9)
Last Fight: 12/8/2010- L(KO5) vs. Garth Wood
Next Fight: 4/13/2011- vs. #7 Garth Wood
Possible redemption on tap for April 13.
20) Peter Manfredo, Jr. (4-4)
Last Fight: 1/14/2011- UD10 Daniel Edouard (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
So far, so good on the comeback trail for Manfredo. #9 Maxim Bursak is interested in fighting him, but no idea if that will happen or not.
The Week Ahead: #5 Hassan N’Dam N’jikam faces off with rugged fringe contender Giovanni Lorenzo in France Saturday, while Polish 154-pound prospect Damian Jonak, whose career has been busy yet progressed slowly, will take on another weak journeyman in Albert Starikov on the Wlodarczyk-Palacios undercard in Poland at a contract weight over the 154 pound limit.
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Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 