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.
