Nothing to write home (or online) about this week.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (48-127-127)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Ward-Froch has been rescheduled for December 17 in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (48-280-280)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (48-289-289)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #13 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (48-359-359)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
Kessler had surgery for a broken finger last week, and the Stieglitz bout figures to be postponed for a good long while. 5) Robert Stieglitz (29-113-113)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (8-21-69)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: 11/23/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Oosthuizen will fight on November 23. Maxim Vlasov was originally the opponent, but backed out shortly thereafter.
7) Arthur Abraham (8-105-105)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Abraham now expects to fight in December in Germany. 8) Dimitri Sartison (8-65-69)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (8-26-26)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Craig McEwan (UNR)
Quillin will fight Craig McEwan on the Angulo-Kirkland undercard in Cancun on November 5.
10) Sakio Bika (8-8-238)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Andy Lee (4-33)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- UD10 #14 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
Exorcised whatever demons he had left in his career with the win over Vera, and is now ready to move on like the sure-fire contender he was originally seen as.
12) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (4-25)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 12/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.
13) Glen Johnson (4-51)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
14) Isaac Chilemba (4-69)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 15) Bryan Vera (4-38)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(UD10) vs. #15 Andy Lee
Next Fight: Unknown
Totally outclassed by Lee in the rematch of a fight he won last time around.
16) Librado Andrade (9-9)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. Don George (UNR)
Andrade has not been deterred from fighting top prospects after the Pryor loss, and is now scheduled to fight knockout artist Don George in December.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (9-16)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) James DeGale (2-2)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W(MD12) vs. Piotr Wilczewski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
DeGale finally gets a measure of justice after a questionable loss to Groves now that he has another good win under his belt, albeit a close one. He already appears to have Italian journeyman Cristian Sanavia in line as his next opponent, likely in December. 19) George Groves (2-23)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Paul Smith (UNR)
Groves and Smith were originally scheduled to fight December 17, but perhaps because of a conflict with Ward-Froch, it has been moved up to November 5.
20) Ezequiel Maderna (2-34)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead:No notable fights at 168 this week for a second week in a row. This was to be the week of Ward-Froch originally.
Unofficial #21 James DeGale just edged out fringe contender Piotr Wilczewski for the European title on Saturday. This creates a slight quandry. On one hand, DeGale has an overall better resume than George Groves. But on the other hand, Groves owns a win over DeGale quite recently. But on the other other hand, the fight was very close and I personally believe DeGale deserved to edge that one out, as well. So on balance, I finally have the excuse to rate DeGale over Groves, and I’m running with it. Sure, it was a close win over a non-ranked fighter, but Wilczewski was more or less a top-25 guy, so I’m not reaching too far. DeGale returns to the rankings at #18. I was originally going to do the natural thing and bounce #20 Groves, but I looked at the matter a little more closely and decided not to. To stay consistent with my own standards of practice, Groves’ win against DeGale, which I don’t consider an outright robbery despite disagreeing with the verdict, must be treated with minimum deference- essentially similar to a draw. Looking at the records of the fighters, I have to conclude that even a draw against a 20th-ranked DeGale has to trump an average decision win over gatekeeper Ruben Acosta, which is the only significant outing of Maderna’s career. I thus move Groves to just behind DeGale at #19 which causes Maderna to slump 2 spots to #20, while Jesse Brinkley- an inaugural member of my rankings 68 weeks ago- ends up being the one bounced.
Prospect Noe Gonzalez Alcoba knocked out the fairly hapless Paul Rodriguez in round two in Los Mochis, Mexico on the same night.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (47-126-126)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Ward-Froch has been rescheduled for December 17 in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (47-279-279)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (47-288-288)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #13 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (47-358-358)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
Kessler had surgery for a broken finger last week, and the Stieglitz bout figures to be postponed for a good long while. 5) Robert Stieglitz (28-112-112)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (7-20-68)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: 11/23/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Oosthuizen will fight on November 23. Maxim Vlasov was originally the opponent, but backed out shortly thereafter.7) Arthur Abraham (7-104-104)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Abraham now expects to fight in December in Germany. 8) Dimitri Sartison (7-64-68)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (7-25-25)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Craig McEwan (UNR)
Quillin will fight Craig McEwan on the Angulo-Kirkland undercard in Cancun on November 5.
10) Sakio Bika (7-7-237)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Andy Lee (3-32)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- UD10 #14 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
Exorcised whatever demons he had left in his career with the win over Vera, and is now ready to move on like the sure-fire contender he was originally seen as.
12) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (3-24)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 12/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.
13) Glen Johnson (3-50)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
14) Isaac Chilemba (3-68)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 15) Bryan Vera (3-37)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(UD10) vs. #15 Andy Lee
Next Fight: Unknown
Totally outclassed by Lee in the rematch of a fight he won last time around.
16) Librado Andrade (8-8)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. Don George (UNR)
Andrade has not been deterred from fighting top prospects after the Pryor loss, and is now scheduled to fight knockout artist Don George in December.17) Jesus Gonzalez (8-15)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) James DeGale (1-1)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W(MD12) vs. Piotr Wilczewski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
DeGale finally gets a measure of justice after a questionable loss to Groves now that he has another good win under his belt, albeit a close one. He already appears to have Italian journeyman Cristian Sanavia in line as his next opponent, likely in December. 19) George Groves (1-22)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Paul Smith (UNR)
Groves and Smith were originally scheduled to fight December 17, but perhaps because of a conflict with Ward-Froch, it has been moved up to November 5.
20) Ezequiel Maderna (1-33)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead:No notable fights at 168 this week.
Nothing going on again in the division this past week.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (46-125-125)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Ward-Froch has been rescheduled for December 17 in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (46-278-278)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (46-287-287)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (46-357-357)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (27-111-111)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (6-19-67)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.
7) Arthur Abraham (6-103-103)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Abraham now expects to fight in December in Germany. 8) Dimitri Sartison (6-63-67)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (6-24-24)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Craig McEwan (UNR)
Quillin will fight Craig McEwan on the Angulo-Kirkland undercard in Cancun on November 5.
10) Sakio Bika (6-6-236)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Andy Lee (2-31)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- UD10 #14 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
Exorcised whatever demons he had left in his career with the win over Vera, and is now ready to move on like the sure-fire contender he was originally seen as.12) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (2-23)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 12/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.
13) Glen Johnson (2-49)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
14) Isaac Chilemba (2-67)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 15) Bryan Vera (2-36)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(UD10) vs. #15 Andy Lee
Next Fight: Unknown
Totally outclassed by Lee in the rematch of a fight he won last time around.16) Librado Andrade (7-7)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (7-14)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (7-32)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (7-67)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (7-21)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Paul Smith (UNR)
Groves and Smith were originally scheduled to fight December 17, but perhaps because of a conflict with Ward-Froch, it has been moved up to November 5.
The Week Ahead:Unofficial #21 James DeGale takes on fringe contender Piotr Wilczewski in Liverpool on Saturday in a fight that should have implications in the rankings, and then Uruguayan prospect Noe Gonzalez Alcoba fights no-hoper Paul Rodriguez in Los Mochis, Mexico.
In a fight advertised at Middleweight but actually contested almost halfway to the 168 pound limit, #15 Andy Lee erased the memory of his stoppage loss to Bryan Vera by dominating the rugged fringe contender to what should have been a shutout decision. It was like Lee had a magnet attached to his right hand, because he couldn’t miss Vera’s iron chin. Lee advances to #11 in the rankings (not bad for a guy that’s really a middleweight), while Vera slumps down to #15.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (45-124-124)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Ward-Froch has been rescheduled for December 17 in Atlantic City.2) Carl Froch (45-277-277)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (45-286-286)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (45-356-356)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (26-110-110)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (5-18-66)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.
7) Arthur Abraham (5-102-102)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Abraham is scheduled to return to the ring on November 5, probably in a catchweight fight between 160 and 168, and probably against a tune-up-type opponent. 8) Dimitri Sartison (5-62-66)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (5-23-23)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Craig McEwan (UNR)
Quillin will fight Craig McEwan on the Angulo-Kirkland undercard in Cancun on November 5.10) Sakio Bika (5-5-235)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Andy Lee (1-30)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- UD10 #14 Bryan Vera
Next Fight: Unknown
Exorcised whatever demons he had left in his career with the win over Vera, and is now ready to move on like the sure-fire contender he was originally seen as.12) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (1-22)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 12/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.
13) Glen Johnson (1-48)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
14) Isaac Chilemba (1-66)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 15) Bryan Vera (1-35)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(UD10) vs. #15 Andy Lee
Next Fight: Unknown
Totally outclassed by Lee in the rematch of a fight he won last time around. 16) Librado Andrade (6-6)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (6-13)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (6-31)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (6-66)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (6-20)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Paul Smith (UNR)
Groves and Smith were originally scheduled to fight December 17, but perhaps because of a conflict with Ward-Froch, it has been moved up to November 5.
The Week Ahead:Nothing major on tap for this week.
Texas prospect Alfonso Lopez stopped journeyman Michael Walker at the beginning of round 7 in Corpus Christi on Saturday, and in a fight that was technically contested just slightly over the 168 limit, Russian prospect Maxim Vlasov made undefeated but green 3-0 prospect Gasan Gasanov quit after one round in Krasnodar, Russia on Sunday.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (43-122-122)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Ward sustained a cut in training, and the Super Middleweight Championship fight with Froch has been postponed.2) Carl Froch (43-275-275)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (43-284-284)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (43-354-354)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (24-108-108)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (4-16-64)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.
7) Arthur Abraham (4-100-100)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Abraham is scheduled to return to the ring on November 5, probably in a catchweight fight between 160 and 168, and probably against a tune-up-type opponent. 8) Dimitri Sartison (4-60-64)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (4-21-21)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin turned down an offer to fight Ishe Smith on the Hopkins-Dawson undercard. He has bigger ambitions, hoping to fight Sergio Martinez or the winner of Vera-Lee.
10) Sakio Bika (4-4-233)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (4-20)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 10/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.
12) Glen Johnson (23-46)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
13) Isaac Chilemba (21-64)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 14) Bryan Vera (16-33)
Last Fight: 6/24/2011- KO8 Eloy Suarez (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #15 Andy Lee
Now officially scheduled for a rematch with #15 Andy Lee on October 1, on the Martinez-Barker undercard. Not sure yet whether that will be a Middleweight or Super Middleweight fight.
15) Andy Lee (16-28)
Last Fight: 5/18/2011- UD10 Alex Bunema (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #14 Bryan Vera
See Vera’s notes, above.
16) Librado Andrade (5-5)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (5-11)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (5-29)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (5-64)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (5-18)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: 12/17/2011- vs. Paul Smith (UNR)
Groves will fight James DeGale victim Paul Smith on December 17 in Liverpool.
The Week Ahead:Nothing major on tap for this week.
Friday in Riga, Latvia, gatekeeper Mehdi Bouadla handled awful awful Dmitri Protkunas in predictable fashion, knocking him down 3 times in just over 2 minutes en route to a 1st-round stoppage. The following night in Liverpool, British gatekeeper Paul Smith stopped journeyman Paul Samuels in an almost identical amount of time. Across the pond in Vegas later than night, Mexican undefeated prospect Marco Antonio Periban won a fairly dominant 8-round decision over solid journeyman Dhafir Smith on the same card on which 1-loss Hatian-Canadian prospect Adonis Stevenson stopped fringe prospect Dion Savage in under 2 minutes.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (42-121-121)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
We now have a date certain for the Championship fight between Ward and Froch: October 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (42-274-274)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (42-283-283)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (42-353-353)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (23-107-107)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (3-15-63)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.
7) Arthur Abraham (3-99-99)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Abraham is scheduled to return to the ring on November 5, probably in a catchweight fight between 160 and 168, and probably against a tune-up-type opponent. 8) Dimitri Sartison (3-59-63)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (3-20-20)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin turned down an offer to fight Ishe Smith on the Hopkins-Dawson undercard. He has bigger ambitions, hoping to fight Sergio Martinez or the winner of Vera-Lee.
10) Sakio Bika (3-3-232)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (3-19)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: 10/10/2011- vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Pryor looks to rebound from his momentum-halting loss to Oosthuizen with another tough fight against human highlight reel Adonis Stevenson in October.12) Glen Johnson (22-45)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
13) Isaac Chilemba (20-63)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 14) Bryan Vera (15-32)
Last Fight: 6/24/2011- KO8 Eloy Suarez (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #15 Andy Lee
Now officially scheduled for a rematch with #15 Andy Lee on October 1, on the Martinez-Barker undercard. Not sure yet whether that will be a Middleweight or Super Middleweight fight.
15) Andy Lee (15-27)
Last Fight: 5/18/2011- UD10 Alex Bunema (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #14 Bryan Vera
See Vera’s notes, above.
16) Librado Andrade (4-4)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (4-10)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (4-28)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (4-63)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (4-17)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: Unknown
Groves may be looking at a fight with James DeGale victim Paul Smith on December 17 in Liverpool.
The Week Ahead:Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas, prospect Alfonso Lopez (who gave Kelly Pavlik all he could handle this spring) squares off with journeyman Michael Walker. The following evening in Krasnodar, Russia, one-loss Russian prospect Maxim Vlasov faces novice 3-0 prospect Gasan Gasanov
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (41-120-120)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
We now have a date certain for the Championship fight between Ward and Froch: October 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (41-273-273)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (41-282-282)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (41-352-352)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (22-106-106)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (2-14-62)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.
7) Arthur Abraham (2-98-98)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Abraham is scheduled to return to the ring on November 5, probably in a catchweight fight between 160 and 168, and probably against a tune-up-type opponent. 8) Dimitri Sartison (2-58-62)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (2-19-19)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin turned down an offer to fight Ishe Smith on the Hopkins-Dawson undercard. He has bigger ambitions, hoping to fight Sergio Martinez or the winner of Vera-Lee.
10) Sakio Bika (2-2-231)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (2-18)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: Unknown
12) Glen Johnson (21-44)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
13) Isaac Chilemba (19-62)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 14) Bryan Vera (14-31)
Last Fight: 6/24/2011- KO8 Eloy Suarez (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #15 Andy Lee
Now officially scheduled for a rematch with #15 Andy Lee on October 1, on the Martinez-Barker undercard. Not sure yet whether that will be a Middleweight or Super Middleweight fight.
15) Andy Lee (14-26)
Last Fight: 5/18/2011- UD10 Alex Bunema (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #14 Bryan Vera
See Vera’s notes, above.
16) Librado Andrade (3-3)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (3-9)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (3-27)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (3-62)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (3-16)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: Unknown
Very questionable outcome in his fight with DeGale, but Groves edges out his rival on the strength of the win.
The Week Ahead:This is a pretty busy week, although not necessarily with anything Earth-shattering on the schedule. Friday in Riga, Latvia, gatekeeper Mehdi Bouadla will easily destroy the truly awful Dmitri Protkunas. The following night in Liverpool, gatekeeper Paul Smith takes on journeyman Paul Samuels. Later in the evening in Vegas, undefeated Mexican prospect Marco Antonio Periban fights journeyman Dhafir Smith, and one-loss Haitian-Canadian prospect Adonis Stevenson battles one-loss fringe prospect Dion Savage.
#9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.’s string of surprisingly good performances ended Saturday in Biloxi, Mississippi, when South African contender #10 Thomas Oosthuizen won a uniformly 117-111 decision over him. A few days earlier, on Wednesday in Tasmania, one-loss prospect Serge Yannick won on cuts in the second round over fallen former prospect Jamie Pittman.
Oosthuizen surges to #6 in the rankings after his win over Pryor, and Pryor slumps two spots to #11. This allows Sakio Bika to re-enter the top 10 at #10. Everybody rated #6-8 last week falls one spot each.
Here are The Ring’s top 10 for comparison purposes:
1) Andre Ward
2) Carl Froch
3) Lucian Bute
4) Mikkel Kessler
5) Robert Stieglitz
6) Sakio Bika
7) Glen Johnson
8) Arthur Abraham
9) Thomas Oosthuizen
10) George Groves
Dan’s Top 20Champ: None 1) Andre Ward (40-119-119)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- UD12 #6 Arthur Abraham
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #2 Carl Froch
We now have a date certain for the Championship fight between Ward and Froch: October 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
2) Carl Froch (40-272-272)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- W(MD12) vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 10/29/2011- vs. #1 Andre Ward
See Ward’s comments above.
3) Lucian Bute (40-281-281)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- KO4 Jean Paul Mendy (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #12 Glen Johnson
Bute passed up Mikkel Kessler for a potentially slightly easier night with #12 Glen Johnson in early November. 4) Mikkel Kessler (40-351-351)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #5 Robert Stieglitz
The Stieglitz bout is now official, and will be in Copenhagen. 5) Robert Stieglitz (21-105-105)
Last Fight: 4/9/2011- W(DQ10) vs. Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #4 Mikkel Kessler
See Kessler’s notes above.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (1-13-61)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- UD12 #9 Aaron Pryor, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Oosthuizen is one of the most accomplished fighters out there that nobody has ever heard of.7) Arthur Abraham (1-97-97)
Last Fight: 5/14/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Abraham is scheduled to return to the ring on November 5, probably in a catchweight fight between 160 and 168, and probably against a tune-up-type opponent. 8) Dimitri Sartison (1-57-61)
Last Fight: 7/31/2010- UD12 Khoren Gevor (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison badly injured his knee in training and will be out until about October. He will be given adequate time to schedule a fight thereafter without being removed. I probably won’t even consider removing him until February. 9) Peter Quillin (1-18-18)
Last Fight: 7/23/2011- TKO5 Jason LeHoullier (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin turned down an offer to fight Ishe Smith on the Hopkins-Dawson undercard. He has bigger ambitions, hoping to fight Sergio Martinez or the winner of Vera-Lee.
10) Sakio Bika (1-1-230)
Last Fight: 11/27/2010- L(UD12) vs. #2 Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (1-17)
Last Fight: 9/3/2011- L(UD12) vs. #10 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: Unknown
12) Glen Johnson (20-43)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- L(MD12) vs. #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. #3 Lucian Bute
With no apparent buzz leading up to the announcement, Johnson suddenly had a fight signed with Bute for November.
13) Isaac Chilemba (18-61)
Last Fight: 3/26/2011- UD12 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba seems to be toying with the idea of moving up to 175. We’ll have to see if he ultimately takes that route or not. 14) Bryan Vera (13-30)
Last Fight: 6/24/2011- KO8 Eloy Suarez (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #15 Andy Lee
Now officially scheduled for a rematch with #15 Andy Lee on October 1, on the Martinez-Barker undercard. Not sure yet whether that will be a Middleweight or Super Middleweight fight.
15) Andy Lee (13-25)
Last Fight: 5/18/2011- UD10 Alex Bunema (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 10/1/2011- vs. #14 Bryan Vera
See Vera’s notes, above.
16) Librado Andrade (2-2)
Last Fight: 8/27/2011- TKO3 Matt O’Brien (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Still appears to be well on the downside of his career, but with his past success he only needs to stay active and win to stay in the rankings at this point.
17) Jesus Gonzalez (2-8)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With a fairly comfortable win over a generally solid and much bigger opponent, Gonzalez finds his way easily within the top 20.
18) Ezequiel Maderna (2-26)
Last Fight: 8/28/2011- TKO3 Jorge Rodriguez Olivera (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Jesse Brinkley (2-61)
Last Fight: 4/29/2011- L (TKO3) vs. Peter Quillin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brinkley’s career now appears a shambles after he was destroyed by rising star Peter Quillin.
20) George Groves (2-15)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- W(MD12*) vs. #20 James DeGale
Next Fight: Unknown
Very questionable outcome in his fight with DeGale, but Groves edges out his rival on the strength of the win.
The Week Ahead: No fights of note this week in the division.
If you asked Santa for a significant light heavyweight fight for Christmas, you must have been bad this year.
For comparison, here are the current Ring Magazine Ratings:
Champ: Bernard Hopkins
1) Jean Pascal
2) Tavoris Cloud
3) Chad Dawson
4) Nathan Cleverly
5) Adrian Diaconu
6) Zsolt Erdei
7) Beibut Shumenov
8) Karo Murat
9) Gabriel Campillo
10) Ismayl Sillakh
Dan’s Top 20 Champ: Bernard Hopkins (32-290-290)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has ordered a Dawson rematch. There is much speculation floating around that the matchup is extremely unmarketable due to the poor PPV numbers of the first fight. Also, Dawson has unequivocally stated his desire for a Paschal rematch next. But on the other hand, Hopkins is under contract for another fight with HBO, and it’s hard to come up with anyone realistic that would make a more natural opponent for Hopkins. 1) Jean Pascal (32-132-132)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has ordered an eliminator vs. Sillakh after originally offering Paschal an outright shot at the winner of the ill-fated Hopkins-Dawson fight. Pascal has basically confirmed that he is 100% all for that fight and his sole goal is winning his title back. 2) Chad Dawson (54-291-291)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
See Hopkins’ notes, above.
3) Tavoris Cloud (54-122-122)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- TKO8 #8 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
Erdei’s injured hand has nixed the entire New Year’s Eve card. Somewhat inexplicably, Showtime rejected Gabriel Campillo- who is likely better than Erdei- as a replacement opponent.
4) Gabriel Campillo (11-79-79)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #14 Karo Murat
Next Fight: Unknown
See Cloud’s notes, above.
5) Nathan Cleverly (11-99-99)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W*(MD12) vs. Tony Bellew (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/25/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Cleverly will fight an unknown opponent on February 25 in Cardiff, Wales. Some names being mentioned: Edison Miranda, Bernard Hopkins, and Enzo Maccarinelli.6) Karo Murat (13-13-34)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
I never thought this would happen, but I now rate the long-overrated Murat even higher than does Ring Magazine.
7) Tony Bellew (11-11-11)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- L*(MD12) vs. #4 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: Unknown
Deserved better than a majority decision loss against Cleverly. I thought he won the fight or deserved, at worst, a draw.
8) Eduard Gutknecht (11-34-34)
Last Fight: 7/16/2011- UD12 Lorenzo Di Giacomo (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. Vyacheslav Uzelkov (UNR)
Gutknecht will fight fringe contender/prospect Uzelkov on February 4. 9) Beibut Shumenov (11-75-79)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Shumenov’s attempts to get a fight with Cleverly have apparently failed. Shumenov wants to unify the alphabet titles, but he appears to be the odd man out in a lot of those fights. This might be an ideal time for a rematch with Campillo if he can’t get a unification at this point.10) Yusaf Mack (11-43-79)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L(TKO8) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
Mack looks a little too small to compete with the top guys at this weight, but still has a good enough resume to avoid dropping too far.
11) Dmitri Sukhotski (11-61)
Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sukhotski has a fight with Cleverly on the horizon, but it appears unlikely to be in Cleverly’s next appearance in February. 12) Adrian Diaconu (11-242)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
A quality fighter, Diaconu is nevertheless slipping in the rankings simply because he never wins against anyone above the journeyman level. He ought to try and find some kind of mid-range fringe contender just to get a decent win, because fighting journeymen or top contenders isn’t working out for him. 13) Ismayl Sillakh (11-50)
Last Fight: 11/4/2011- TKO4 Ali Ismailov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has slated Sillakh for an eliminator against Pascal.
14) Cornelius White (2-2)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- UD6 #16 Yordanis Despaigne
Next Fight: Unknown
White, who was blown out in one round by prospect Don George at super middleweight early in 2011, may be a fluke. But at least for one night, he looked a lot better against former top amateur Yordanis Despaigne than did established fringe contender Edison Miranda.
15) Zsolt Erdei (2-58)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Erdei’s injured hand has nixed the entire New Year’s Eve card, including his fight with Cloud.
16) Edison Miranda (2-2)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- TKO5 Kariz Kariuki (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Yordanis Despaigne’s upset loss appears to have nixed the essentially made fight with Miranda. Miranda is now talking about wanting a fight with Nathan Cleverly.17) Danny McIntosh (2-79)
Last Fight: 5/7/2011- L(TKO8) vs. Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Significantly diminished by his loss to Gutknecht, but still has a better win in Thierry Karl than the two guys rated immediately below him: Karo Murat and…well…Thierry Karl.
18) Jesus Gonzales (2-25)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
His present and future are probably both at 168, but he beat a good enough light heavyweight to earn this ranking, nevertheless.
19) Thierry Karl (2-79)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- KO1 Mile Nikolic (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Karl is a threat to be removed in late January if he doesn’t schedule a light heavyweight fight soon.
20) Dyah Davis (2-40)
Last Fight: 10/21/2011- UD6 Darnell Boone (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/6/2012- vs. Alfonso Lopez (UNR)
Davis will lead off the new season of Friday Night Fights on January 6, when he takes on Alfonso Lopez, the prospect who probably deserved a win over Kelly Pavlik in 2011.
The Week Ahead: Undefeated Cuban prospect Luis Garcia returns to the sport he abandoned for the past year when he fights fellow unbeaten Alexander Johnson of Maryland in the opening (and likely most competitive) bout of ShoBox’s Friday telecast. The winner of this fight will almost certainly earn (or re-earn) a rating. In other words, it was nice knowing you, Dyah Davis!
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:Champ: None1) Marco Huck2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez3) Steve Cunningham 4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk 5) Denis Lebedev6) Antonio Tarver 7) Giacobbe Fragomeni 8) Ola Afolabi 9) Guillermo Jones10) Lateef Kayode
Dan’s Top 20 Champ: None 1) Denis Lebedev (22-98-98)
Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
If Marco Huck loses his alphabet title due to his move to heavyweight, we might see Lebedev-Afolabi for that vacant title.2) Antonio Tarver (12-22-22)
Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green
Next Fight: Unknown
Tarver wants Wlodarczyk next, then would like to move back to heavyweight. Too bad, because the Lebedev offer would have crowned a champion here.
3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (12-78-78)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham
Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight. 4) Steve Cunningham (12-392-392)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
See Hernandez’ comments above.
5) Marco Huck (12-263-263)
Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)
Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north. 6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (4-339-339)
Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green
Next Fight: Unknown
Wlodarczyk has a alphabet obligation to give a rematch to Francisco Palacios who probably deserved the win against Wlodarczyk, and is being challenged by Tarver, as well. But the Polish contender appears less interested in these fights than in a disgusting execution of the oft-executed Roy Jones. And he, like Lebedev before him, should be ashamed of himself.7) Ola Afolabi (4-145-145)
Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.8) Guillermo Jones (4-64-64)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko, but also has the equally suicidal willingness to fight Marco Huck…in Germany.
9) Danny Green (22-107-107)
Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
Next Fight: Unknown
Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.
10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (22-162-162)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) B.J. Flores (10-78)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Flores will keep up his streak of fighting in his hometown of Springfield, MO when he fights for a regional title in late January. Several names have been mentioned, including Ed Perry (who put up a spirited but clearly losing effort against Lateef Kayode on ShoBox not long ago) and Jeremiah Graziano, a Kansas City-based undefeated prospect who impressed me when I saw him fight a no-hoper.12) Francisco Palacios (10-38)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.13) Lateef Kayode (10-57)
Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kayode recently vacated his NABF title rather than fight BJ Flores. It’s starting to become apparent that Kayode might not be the can’t-miss prospect most assumed he was about a year ago.14) Steve Herelius (8-77)
Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Next Fight: Unknown15) Enad Licina (8-78)
Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev
Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.
16) Firat Arslan (8-23)
Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent
Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.
17) Alexander Alexeev (8-49)
Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina
See Licina’s notes, above.
18) Matt Godfrey (8-14)
Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode
Next Fight: Unknown
It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.
19) Eric Fields (8-10)
Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)
Fields is the latest in a fairly long line of iffy candidates to enter in the rankings. He’s a one-loss prospect with a win over marginal gatekeeper Danny Batchelder back in June. What separates him from the 2 or 3 guys he beat out for this spot is the fact that his loss- in 2008 against current #6 Ola Afolabi- is a lot more forgivable than the losses of his competitors.
20) Mateusz Masternak (8-8)
Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.
