Cruiserweight: 2011, Dec 12-18
Roy Jones, Jr. fought a complete nobody named Max Alexander in Atlanta and won a shutout decision this week. The fight was for a regional belt of some organization called the IBS. So having no doubt left the ring with the belt around his waist or over his shoulder, it’s safe to say that Jones left the ring with the end result of IBS all over him. Personally, I probably would have crapped myself if Jones hadn’t left the building with some serious IBS shit. No changes to the ratings.
4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
5) Denis Lebedev 6) Antonio Tarver
7) Giacobbe Fragomeni
8) Ola Afolabi
9) Guillermo Jones 10) Lateef Kayode
Champ: None
1) Denis Lebedev (20-96-96) Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev. 2) Antonio Tarver (10-20-20) 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 (10-76-76) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham Next Fight: Unknown Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.
4) Steve Cunningham (10-390-390) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings. 5) Marco Huck (10-261-261) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Huck may be literally getting too big for his britches, as he has been publicly agitating for a fight with heavyweight #1 contender Vitali Klitschko. Vitali seems to have some interest, and there are talks that the fight might happen in February or March. He also says he wants to fight Guillermo Jones, and has a mandatory obligation with Ola Afolabi.
6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (2-337-337) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green Next Fight: Unknown May have a fight with Tarver looming once his broken hand heals. 7) Ola Afolabi (2-143-143) Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown May be in line for a fight with Huck in February or March. 8) Guillermo Jones (2-62-62) 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 (20-105-105) 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 (20-160-160) Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 11) B.J. Flores (8-76) Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown It was assumed that Flores was in line to fight Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones, but King apparently thinks he can make more money fighting at home in Springfield and then taking on one of the other alphabet titlists. 12) Francisco Palacios (8-36) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 13) Lateef Kayode (8-55) Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings. 14) Steve Herelius (6-75) Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown 15) Enad Licina (6-76) 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 (6-21) Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda. 17) Alexander Alexeev (6-47) 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 (6-12) 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 (6-8) Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 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 (6-6) 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.
For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings: Champ: None 1) Marco Huck 2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez 3) Steve Cunningham
4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
5) Denis Lebedev 6) Antonio Tarver
7) Giacobbe Fragomeni
8) Ola Afolabi
9) Guillermo Jones 10) Lateef Kayode
Champ: None
1) Denis Lebedev (20-96-96) Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev. 2) Antonio Tarver (10-20-20) 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 (10-76-76) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham Next Fight: Unknown Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.
4) Steve Cunningham (10-390-390) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings. 5) Marco Huck (10-261-261) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Huck may be literally getting too big for his britches, as he has been publicly agitating for a fight with heavyweight #1 contender Vitali Klitschko. Vitali seems to have some interest, and there are talks that the fight might happen in February or March. He also says he wants to fight Guillermo Jones, and has a mandatory obligation with Ola Afolabi.
6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (2-337-337) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green Next Fight: Unknown May have a fight with Tarver looming once his broken hand heals. 7) Ola Afolabi (2-143-143) Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown May be in line for a fight with Huck in February or March. 8) Guillermo Jones (2-62-62) 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 (20-105-105) 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 (20-160-160) Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 11) B.J. Flores (8-76) Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown It was assumed that Flores was in line to fight Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones, but King apparently thinks he can make more money fighting at home in Springfield and then taking on one of the other alphabet titlists. 12) Francisco Palacios (8-36) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 13) Lateef Kayode (8-55) Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings. 14) Steve Herelius (6-75) Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown 15) Enad Licina (6-76) 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 (6-21) Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda. 17) Alexander Alexeev (6-47) 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 (6-12) 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 (6-8) Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 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 (6-6) 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.
THE WEEK AHEAD: Undefeated Ukrainian prospect Dmitro Kucher is set to fight Belgian journeyman Ismail Abdoul in the Ukraine on Sunday in the division’s only notable action.
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