Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 23-29
On the Sartison-Balzsay undercard Saturday in Schwerin, undefeated Russian prospect and top 25 contender Rakhim Chakhkiev saw action against short-notice opponent Jaidon Codrington. Codrington is best known for his fight of the year candidate in a losing effort against Sakio Bika in the 2007 Super Middleweight Contender finale. Codrington had fought just twice since then, and had been inactive for over 18 months coming in to this fight. He was also more than 25 pounds lighter for the Bika fight. It showed. Codrington was sluggish and had the look of an opponent all over his face. He went away very quickly, taking the 10 count on one knee following a body shot from Chakhkiev- the second knockdown of the first round. I don’t want to take anything away from Chakhkiev. His body attack was truly impressive. But Codrington at 195.5 pounds is not a legit challenge, and that was obvious. No changes to the rankings.
Champ: None
1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (12-96-96) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham Next Fight: Unknown Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.
2) Denis Lebedev (12-116-116) Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris. 3) Antonio Tarver (12-40-40) Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age. 4) Marco Huck (12-281-281) Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW) Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight. 5) Steve Cunningham (12-410-410) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown 6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (21-357-357) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green Next Fight: Unknown 7) Ola Afolabi (21-163-163) Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR) Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR) See Huck’s notes, above. 8) Guillermo Jones (21-82-82) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown With all of his possible mandatories tied up with other fights, Jones has made renewed noises about moving up to face a Klitschko. In the meantime, he continues to train in Miami for a fight that has yet to materialize. 9) Danny Green (40-125-125) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk Next Fight: Unknown Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end. 10) B.J. Flores (6-6-96) Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner. 11) Francisco Palacios (6-56) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk has since chased fights with Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver, neither of which seem to be currently on the table. 12) Alexander Alexeev (6-67) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany. 13) Lateef Kayode (6-75) Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver. 14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (6-180) Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco. 15) Silvio Branco (6-6) Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni Next Fight: Unknown 45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni. 16) Mateusz Masternak (4-4) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly. 17) Enad Licina (4-96) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev Next Fight: Unknown May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy. 18) Troy Ross (4-12) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings. 19) Firat Arslan (4-41) Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR) Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev See Alexeev’s notes, above. 20) Grigory Drozd (4-11) Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR) Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR) After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.
Dan’s Top 20
Champ: None
1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (12-96-96) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham Next Fight: Unknown Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.
2) Denis Lebedev (12-116-116) Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris. 3) Antonio Tarver (12-40-40) Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age. 4) Marco Huck (12-281-281) Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW) Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight. 5) Steve Cunningham (12-410-410) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez Next Fight: Unknown 6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (21-357-357) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green Next Fight: Unknown 7) Ola Afolabi (21-163-163) Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR) Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR) See Huck’s notes, above. 8) Guillermo Jones (21-82-82) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown With all of his possible mandatories tied up with other fights, Jones has made renewed noises about moving up to face a Klitschko. In the meantime, he continues to train in Miami for a fight that has yet to materialize. 9) Danny Green (40-125-125) Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk Next Fight: Unknown Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end. 10) B.J. Flores (6-6-96) Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner. 11) Francisco Palacios (6-56) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk has since chased fights with Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver, neither of which seem to be currently on the table. 12) Alexander Alexeev (6-67) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany. 13) Lateef Kayode (6-75) Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver. 14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (6-180) Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco. 15) Silvio Branco (6-6) Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni Next Fight: Unknown 45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni. 16) Mateusz Masternak (4-4) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly. 17) Enad Licina (4-96) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev Next Fight: Unknown May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy. 18) Troy Ross (4-12) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings. 19) Firat Arslan (4-41) Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR) Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev See Alexeev’s notes, above. 20) Grigory Drozd (4-11) Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR) Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR) After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.
THE WEEK AHEAD: Friday: Undefeated local prospect Dmitro Kucher takes on Argentine journeyman Walter Cabral in Kiev.
Sunday: From Donetsk, Ukraine, Georgian prospect Iago Kiladze battles French journeyman Julien Perriaux. Later that night in Sao Paolo, undefeated local product William Fernando Souza Bezerra (I’m sure there’s a shorter way to render his name, but until I see him on TV I have to go with what is on boxrec) fights journeyman Fernando De Oliveira for the Brazilian and South American titles.
Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 
May 3, 2012 at 3:50 pm
eu já vir William Fernando Souza Bezerra lutando ele e um fenomeno Brazieliro ele tem uma mão de ferro um verdadeiro cavolo humano. estou até hoje no meio do boxe profissional mais até hoje não vir uma mão teu pesada ele e um peso cruzador mais te mão de peso pesado.
a sua mão e um verdadeiro torpedo
May 9, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Thanks for the info Ialon! I had a Brazilian relative of mine translate for me- I hope you’re able to translate this back if you see it. I look forward to seeing Souza Bezerra on the international scene- his knockout record is impressive even given the limited opposition he’s faced.