Light Heavyweight: 2012, Aug 13-19
Another slow week this past week (which will be followed by another next week, incidentally).
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW) Wow- it really is happening! Dawson will reportedly drop down to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for the World Championship at Super Middle. For my money, it will also be an opportunity for Ward to capture Dawson’s light heavyweight title. He’s fighting the 175 champion under the 175 limit. I’m not sure this scenario has ever played out in the history of boxing…and it’s pretty exciting- even if the fight itself may not be. 1) Bernard Hopkins (16-323-323)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown Hopkins might be looking to return- likely for his last fight- around the end of the year.
2) Jean Pascal (16-165-165)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown Pascal is out with a hand injury, forcing the postponement of his fight with Cloud. Though it’s been well over a year since his last fight, I will take a wait-and-see attitude on his ranking.
3) Gabriel Campillo (26-112-112)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: 9/21/2012- vs. Sergei Kovalev (UNR) With Cloud otherwise occupied and Shumenov no doubt wanting nothing to do with him, Campillo will fight Russian prospect Sergei Kovalev in late September on NBC Sports. 4) Tavoris Cloud (26-155-155)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown With Pascal’s withdrawal due to a hand injury, Cloud’s next move remains uncertain. 5) Cornelius White (5-5-35) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- UD12 #10 Dmitri Sukhotski Next Fight: Unknown White is on a tear. Is he really top-5 good? I wouldn’t think so, but he proves me wrong every time I feel I might be overrating him. 6) Nathan Cleverly (5-132-132)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown There is talk of a fight with Shumenov in October, with Hopkins as a second possibility. 7) Karo Murat (5-46-67) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 8) Tony Bellew (5-44-44) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntosh Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. Edison Miranda (UNR) Bellew will fight another halfway decent matchup with Edison Miranda in early September. 9) Beibut Shumenov (5-108-112) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown After embarrassing both Enrique Ornelas and himself (merely for taking the fight), Shumenov has already been approached for fights with Hopkins, Cleverly, and Kessler. That being the case, he won’t have much of an excuse left if he ends up fighting his 4th consecutive journeyman. 10) Yusaf Mack (5-76-112)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD6 Sabou Ballogou (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown 11) Isaac Chilemba (28-28) Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison Miranda Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR) Chilemba will fight former (I guess arguably current) lineal Champion Zsolt Erdei in late September on HBO. 12) Vyacheslav Uzelkoff (20-28) Last Fight: 7/21/2012- W(MD12) vs. Mohamed Belkacem (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Got a bit of a scare from the mediocre Belkacem. 13) Andrzej Fonfara (5-5) Last Fight: 7/13/2012- UD10* SMW #16 Glen Johnson Next Fight: Unknown I don’t think he landed enough clean blows to have cleanly beaten Johnson, but since I could have pictured a draw being a fair result, I am compelled to rate him anyhow. 14) Jürgen Brähmer (5-17) 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. 15) Denis Grachev (5-16) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl Sillakh Next Fight: 11/3/2012- vs. SMW #3 Lucian Bute Grachev will fight Lucian Bute at a 170 pound catchweight in November. 16) Dmitri Sukhotski (5-94) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- L(UD12) vs. #16 Cornelius White Next Fight: Unknown The White loss must be a bitter disappointment for Sukhotski, who had been in line for a shot at an alphabet strap held by Cleverly for some time, but with Cleverly blatantly ducking him to great effect. 17) Mikkel Kessler (5-13) Last Fight: 5/19/2012- TKO4 Allan Green (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown A Froch fight in the fall now looks extremely likely, at 168, though Pavlik is acting like an October fight with Kessler is a distinct possibility, too. 18) Tony Averlant (5-20) 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 (5-83) 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 (5-12) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown
Dan’s Top 20 Champ: Chad Dawson (16-324-324)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW) Wow- it really is happening! Dawson will reportedly drop down to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for the World Championship at Super Middle. For my money, it will also be an opportunity for Ward to capture Dawson’s light heavyweight title. He’s fighting the 175 champion under the 175 limit. I’m not sure this scenario has ever played out in the history of boxing…and it’s pretty exciting- even if the fight itself may not be. 1) Bernard Hopkins (16-323-323)
Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown Hopkins might be looking to return- likely for his last fight- around the end of the year.
2) Jean Pascal (16-165-165)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown Pascal is out with a hand injury, forcing the postponement of his fight with Cloud. Though it’s been well over a year since his last fight, I will take a wait-and-see attitude on his ranking.
3) Gabriel Campillo (26-112-112)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: 9/21/2012- vs. Sergei Kovalev (UNR) With Cloud otherwise occupied and Shumenov no doubt wanting nothing to do with him, Campillo will fight Russian prospect Sergei Kovalev in late September on NBC Sports. 4) Tavoris Cloud (26-155-155)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown With Pascal’s withdrawal due to a hand injury, Cloud’s next move remains uncertain. 5) Cornelius White (5-5-35) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- UD12 #10 Dmitri Sukhotski Next Fight: Unknown White is on a tear. Is he really top-5 good? I wouldn’t think so, but he proves me wrong every time I feel I might be overrating him. 6) Nathan Cleverly (5-132-132)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown There is talk of a fight with Shumenov in October, with Hopkins as a second possibility. 7) Karo Murat (5-46-67) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 8) Tony Bellew (5-44-44) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntosh Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. Edison Miranda (UNR) Bellew will fight another halfway decent matchup with Edison Miranda in early September. 9) Beibut Shumenov (5-108-112) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown After embarrassing both Enrique Ornelas and himself (merely for taking the fight), Shumenov has already been approached for fights with Hopkins, Cleverly, and Kessler. That being the case, he won’t have much of an excuse left if he ends up fighting his 4th consecutive journeyman. 10) Yusaf Mack (5-76-112)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD6 Sabou Ballogou (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown 11) Isaac Chilemba (28-28) Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison Miranda Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR) Chilemba will fight former (I guess arguably current) lineal Champion Zsolt Erdei in late September on HBO. 12) Vyacheslav Uzelkoff (20-28) Last Fight: 7/21/2012- W(MD12) vs. Mohamed Belkacem (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Got a bit of a scare from the mediocre Belkacem. 13) Andrzej Fonfara (5-5) Last Fight: 7/13/2012- UD10* SMW #16 Glen Johnson Next Fight: Unknown I don’t think he landed enough clean blows to have cleanly beaten Johnson, but since I could have pictured a draw being a fair result, I am compelled to rate him anyhow. 14) Jürgen Brähmer (5-17) 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. 15) Denis Grachev (5-16) Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl Sillakh Next Fight: 11/3/2012- vs. SMW #3 Lucian Bute Grachev will fight Lucian Bute at a 170 pound catchweight in November. 16) Dmitri Sukhotski (5-94) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- L(UD12) vs. #16 Cornelius White Next Fight: Unknown The White loss must be a bitter disappointment for Sukhotski, who had been in line for a shot at an alphabet strap held by Cleverly for some time, but with Cleverly blatantly ducking him to great effect. 17) Mikkel Kessler (5-13) Last Fight: 5/19/2012- TKO4 Allan Green (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown A Froch fight in the fall now looks extremely likely, at 168, though Pavlik is acting like an October fight with Kessler is a distinct possibility, too. 18) Tony Averlant (5-20) 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 (5-83) 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 (5-12) Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: No action this week, once again.
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