Light Heavyweight: 2012, May 7-13
Nothing doing this week.
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown All hail the new Champ! But let’s hope he gets in against some opponents that will make him come out of his shell, because his coronation was excruciating to watch. I want to see him in against either Campillo or the Pascal-Cloud winner. He also said he wants Andre Ward, and will even fight him at 168. I’ll believe that when I see it. 1) Bernard Hopkins (2-309-309)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown I’m not sure what he thinks he can or still wants to prove, but 47-year-old Hopkins has shrugged off retirement talk and there is talk of potential fights with Lucian Bute and Nathan Cleverly.
2) Jean Pascal (2-151-151)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #4 Tavoris Cloud Showtime has kindly provided the date of August 11 for the Pascal-Cloud tilt. That’s more than 14-months since Pascal’s last fight…just sayin’.
3) Gabriel Campillo (12-98-98)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown With Cloud apparently sidestepping not only Campillo, but also a mandatory with Karo Murat in favor of an even better match with Pascal, I wonder if Campillo might get the rematch with Murat, instead. 4) Tavoris Cloud (12-141-141)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #2 Jean Pascal It appeared certain that Cloud would fight Murat next, but now he’s fighting Pascal instead. 5) Nathan Cleverly (30-118-118)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Originally scheduled to fight the underwhelming Robin Krasniqi, a virus scuttled that fight for him. Not that anyone’s complaining. Barring a rescheduling, which would be problematic from the WBO’s perspective, Cleverly may be looking toward his mandatory with Sukhotski next, though there’s some talk of a Hopkins fight, as well. 6) Karo Murat (32-32-53) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo Next Fight: Unknown Not sure where Murat goes from here after his mandatory shot at Cloud was at least delayed for Cloud to seek greener pastures. My vote: Campillo-Murat II. 7) Tony Bellew (30-30-30) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntosh Next Fight: Unknown After demolishing McIntosh for the British title, Bellew has renewed his calls for a rematch with Cleverly. He also named Cloud and Shumenov as guys he’s ready for. 8) Beibut Shumenov (14-94-98) Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Enrique Ornelas (UNR) How this guy gets to keep even an alphabet title while fighting exactly William Joppy, Danny Santiago, and Enrique Ornelas over what will become more than a 2-year span is well beyond me. And that’s setting aside the fact that he got totally worked in the fight that “won” him the title in the first place. I know for a fact that Adrian Diaconu wanted to fight him, so it’s not like he’s being ducked by every name fighter out there. 9) Yusaf Mack (14-62-98)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- UD12 Omar Sheika (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Mack called out Cloud and Dawson after beating Sheika. Sure, he’s a top 10 fighter, but that still feels like a stretch for him.
10) Dmitri Sukhotski (14-14-80) Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBO originally demanded that Cleverly fight Sukhotski rather than the mediocre Krasniqi, but then backed down and gave Cleverly an extra 4 months to take the fight. Now that Cleverly got sick and cancelled on Krasniqi, surely this fight will have to happen now… 11) Isaac Chilemba (14-14) Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison Miranda Next Fight: Unknown Chilemba, a former super middleweight, now has the highest ranking of his career at either weight after beating fringe contender Miranda. 12) Vyacheslav Uzelkov (6-14) Last Fight: 3/4/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #8 Eduard Gutknecht Next Fight: 5/12/2012- vs. Ravshanbek Jabbarov (UNR) Deserved much better than a unanimous decision loss against Gutknecht, and is rewarded for it in my rankings. 13) Jürgen Brähmer (3-3) Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD10 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Braehmer has showed up for his last two fights, which at least feels like a record for him. 14) Denis Grachev (2-2) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl Sillakh Next Fight: Unknown Yes, it was a flukey win, and it’s clear from his performance on its face that, at least at this point, he’s not this good. But honestly the result in black and white could have supported a rating as high as around #10. Common sense can only demote a guy so far (in conjunction with relative inexperience) when his actual resume calls out for a decent ranking. 15) Adrian Diaconu (2-261)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown I’ve recently spoken to a source within Diaconu’s promoter Interbox, and the word is that he was trying to get a fight with Shumenov, but the two couldn’t come together on the venue. As it is, he will likely be removed if he doesn’t pull an upset by signing a fight before May 28.
16) Cornelius White (6-21) Last Fight: 12/17/2011- UD6 #16 Yordanis Despaigne Next Fight: 5/12/2012- vs. Anthony Bowman (UNR) 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. 17) Zsolt Erdei (3-77) Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Had a fight with Pascal lined up, but Showtime couldn’t come up with the money to make it happen. 18) Tony Averlant (3-6) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- L*(SD12) vs. #12 Eduard Gutknecht (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown Averlant is probably closer to the journeyman he was on 3/30 than the solid fringe contender he became on 3/31, but a win is a win…even when it’s a loss (in Germany). 19) Ismayl Sillakh (2-69) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- L(TKO8) vs. Denis Grachev (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown I didn’t see that coming at all. I trust Sillakh will bounce back from the upset loss to Grachev. But wow. 20) Eduard Gutknecht (2-53) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown Lost a close but clear fight against Averlant, but got the decision. That’s two at least questionable verdicts in a row for Gutknecht, both against extremely unranked fighters.
Dan’s Top 20 Champ: Chad Dawson (2-310-310)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown All hail the new Champ! But let’s hope he gets in against some opponents that will make him come out of his shell, because his coronation was excruciating to watch. I want to see him in against either Campillo or the Pascal-Cloud winner. He also said he wants Andre Ward, and will even fight him at 168. I’ll believe that when I see it. 1) Bernard Hopkins (2-309-309)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown I’m not sure what he thinks he can or still wants to prove, but 47-year-old Hopkins has shrugged off retirement talk and there is talk of potential fights with Lucian Bute and Nathan Cleverly.
2) Jean Pascal (2-151-151)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #4 Tavoris Cloud Showtime has kindly provided the date of August 11 for the Pascal-Cloud tilt. That’s more than 14-months since Pascal’s last fight…just sayin’.
3) Gabriel Campillo (12-98-98)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown With Cloud apparently sidestepping not only Campillo, but also a mandatory with Karo Murat in favor of an even better match with Pascal, I wonder if Campillo might get the rematch with Murat, instead. 4) Tavoris Cloud (12-141-141)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #2 Jean Pascal It appeared certain that Cloud would fight Murat next, but now he’s fighting Pascal instead. 5) Nathan Cleverly (30-118-118)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Originally scheduled to fight the underwhelming Robin Krasniqi, a virus scuttled that fight for him. Not that anyone’s complaining. Barring a rescheduling, which would be problematic from the WBO’s perspective, Cleverly may be looking toward his mandatory with Sukhotski next, though there’s some talk of a Hopkins fight, as well. 6) Karo Murat (32-32-53) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo Next Fight: Unknown Not sure where Murat goes from here after his mandatory shot at Cloud was at least delayed for Cloud to seek greener pastures. My vote: Campillo-Murat II. 7) Tony Bellew (30-30-30) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntosh Next Fight: Unknown After demolishing McIntosh for the British title, Bellew has renewed his calls for a rematch with Cleverly. He also named Cloud and Shumenov as guys he’s ready for. 8) Beibut Shumenov (14-94-98) Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Enrique Ornelas (UNR) How this guy gets to keep even an alphabet title while fighting exactly William Joppy, Danny Santiago, and Enrique Ornelas over what will become more than a 2-year span is well beyond me. And that’s setting aside the fact that he got totally worked in the fight that “won” him the title in the first place. I know for a fact that Adrian Diaconu wanted to fight him, so it’s not like he’s being ducked by every name fighter out there. 9) Yusaf Mack (14-62-98)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- UD12 Omar Sheika (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Mack called out Cloud and Dawson after beating Sheika. Sure, he’s a top 10 fighter, but that still feels like a stretch for him.
10) Dmitri Sukhotski (14-14-80) Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBO originally demanded that Cleverly fight Sukhotski rather than the mediocre Krasniqi, but then backed down and gave Cleverly an extra 4 months to take the fight. Now that Cleverly got sick and cancelled on Krasniqi, surely this fight will have to happen now… 11) Isaac Chilemba (14-14) Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison Miranda Next Fight: Unknown Chilemba, a former super middleweight, now has the highest ranking of his career at either weight after beating fringe contender Miranda. 12) Vyacheslav Uzelkov (6-14) Last Fight: 3/4/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #8 Eduard Gutknecht Next Fight: 5/12/2012- vs. Ravshanbek Jabbarov (UNR) Deserved much better than a unanimous decision loss against Gutknecht, and is rewarded for it in my rankings. 13) Jürgen Brähmer (3-3) Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD10 Vikapita Meroro (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Braehmer has showed up for his last two fights, which at least feels like a record for him. 14) Denis Grachev (2-2) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl Sillakh Next Fight: Unknown Yes, it was a flukey win, and it’s clear from his performance on its face that, at least at this point, he’s not this good. But honestly the result in black and white could have supported a rating as high as around #10. Common sense can only demote a guy so far (in conjunction with relative inexperience) when his actual resume calls out for a decent ranking. 15) Adrian Diaconu (2-261)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown I’ve recently spoken to a source within Diaconu’s promoter Interbox, and the word is that he was trying to get a fight with Shumenov, but the two couldn’t come together on the venue. As it is, he will likely be removed if he doesn’t pull an upset by signing a fight before May 28.
16) Cornelius White (6-21) Last Fight: 12/17/2011- UD6 #16 Yordanis Despaigne Next Fight: 5/12/2012- vs. Anthony Bowman (UNR) 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. 17) Zsolt Erdei (3-77) Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Had a fight with Pascal lined up, but Showtime couldn’t come up with the money to make it happen. 18) Tony Averlant (3-6) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- L*(SD12) vs. #12 Eduard Gutknecht (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown Averlant is probably closer to the journeyman he was on 3/30 than the solid fringe contender he became on 3/31, but a win is a win…even when it’s a loss (in Germany). 19) Ismayl Sillakh (2-69) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- L(TKO8) vs. Denis Grachev (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown I didn’t see that coming at all. I trust Sillakh will bounce back from the upset loss to Grachev. But wow. 20) Eduard Gutknecht (2-53) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown Lost a close but clear fight against Averlant, but got the decision. That’s two at least questionable verdicts in a row for Gutknecht, both against extremely unranked fighters.
The Week Ahead: A couple of top-20 contenders in apparent mismatches this week. Friday in Meridian, Mississippi, #16 Cornelius White fights nobody Anthony Bowman- a loser in his last 13 fights and 9-40 overall. The following night in the Ukraine, #12 Vyacheslav Uzelkov fights journeyman Ravshanbek Jabbarov who, though 10-2, may not be much better than Bowman.
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