Heavyweight: 2012, Sep 17-23
German prospect and #20 contender Edmund Gerber fought highly motivated British journeyman Michael Sprott in Bamberg, Germany on Saturday, and just as if someone had hit the turbo bass on a boombox at an old folks’ home, what happened next was a total disgrace. If you don’t get it, google “Boombox” and “Lonely Island.”
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (169-382-382)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- TKO6 #11 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 11/10/2012- vs. Mariusz Wach (UNR)
Klitschko-Wach is now a done deal for November 10. Wach- a Polish prospect- is in no way worthy of a shot at the legitimate title yet, but is considered by many to be a dangerous fighter anyway due to his size and power.
1) Vitali Klitschko (206-206-206)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO4 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the early indications being that Vitali’s silly sparring match with Charr being his last fight, there is now plenty of buzz that he might fight Haye in March of next year.
2) David Haye (10-10-10) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- TKO5 #6 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: Unknown Haye has indicated that a fight with Vitali may be the only fight that would lure him away from re-retiring. He may get his wish, as there is now talk of a March 2013 matchup. 3) Tomasz Adamek (10-126-126)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO5 Travis Walker (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/22/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Adamek once again struggled with what should have been an overmatched opponent in Travis Walker. Walker dropped and badly hurt Adamek in the 2nd round of their fight, but Adamek rallied to return the favor late in the round and ultimately stop him in the 5th. Credit Adamek with staying busy, though. He’s already got a fight lined up for just before Christmas, with no lesser an opponent than Odlanier Solis being mentioned. This would fit into the rumors of a WBC tournament to which Ustinov, Solis, Adamek, and Pulev were all invited. Ustinov and Pulev are already scheduled for a fight. 4) Alexander Povetkin (10-256-256) Last Fight: 2/25/2012- W*(MD12) vs. CW #5 Marco Huck
Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Hasim Rahman (UNR)
The Rahman fight will be broadcast in the US on Epix. That’s a weaker than usual offering from the network, but I suppose more TV boxing is always better than less.
5) Marco Huck (10-30-30) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. CW #7 Ola Afolabi (at CW) Next Fight: 11/3/2012- vs. CW #9 Firat Arslan (at CW) Huck just signed for an alphabet defense against Arslan, kind of out of nowhere. 6) Tyson Fury (10-61-61) Last Fight: 7/7/2012- TKO5 Vinny Maddalone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fury is reportedly frustrated with apparently tepid interest from Chagaev after he had reportedly ruled out possible fights with James Toney and Jean Marc Mormeck. 7) Eddie Chambers (14-14-14) Last Fight: 6/16/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Tomasz Adamek Next Fight: Unknown Chambers’ MRI revealed a torn tendon, and he had surgery to repair that. No definite timetable has been set, but I’d be very surprised if we saw him back in the ring before early 2013. 8) Dereck Chisora (10-42-105) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- L(TKO5) vs. David Haye (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The Haye loss will be a huge setback for the already underrated Chisora. Many will forget that he did clearly beat Helenius.
9) Robert Helenius (10-77-121)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- W*(SD12) vs. #18 Dereck Chisora (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Helenius is now back to full training, looking to return to the ring as early as November after suffering a shoulder injury against Dereck Chisora that required surgery.
10) Kubrat Pulev (10-20-97) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- KO11 #12 Alexander Dimitrenko
Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Alexander Ustinov (UNR)
Pulev will fight an eliminator against Russian giant Alexander Ustinov in late September from Hamburg.
11) Odlanier Solis (10-121)
Last Fight: 5/19/2012- UD12 Konstantin Airich (UNR) Next Fight: 10/12/2012- vs. Leif Larsen (UNR)
Solis is apparently scheduled to fight 37-year-old undefeated Norwegian fringe prospect Leif Larsen in Madrid, but there is also talk of him fighting Adamek in December.
12) Seth Mitchell (10-41) Last Fight: 4/28/2012- TKO3 Chazz Witherspoon (UNR) Next Fight: 10/6/2012- vs. Johnathon Banks (UNR) Mitchell’s injury-delayed fight with Banks has been rescheduled for October 6. Adrien Broner will also fight on the card. 13) Ruslan Chagaev (10-305) Last Fight: 9/1/2012- TKO7 Werner Kreiskott (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chagaev has a fight with Tyson Fury on the table at last check, but is currently looking for a new trainer after his split with Universum.
14) Alexander Dimitrenko (10-88) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- L(KO11) vs. #17 Kubrat Pulev
Next Fight: Unknown
Despite showing the heart of a quitter and the consistency of a random number generator against Pulev, Dimitrenko hangs on to a solid ranking because the other guys in his tier haven’t been winning meaningful fights lately.
15) Tony Thompson (10-121)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- L(TKO6) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
In case any of you thought the first fight was a fluke, now you know for sure: Thompson really isn’t as good as Wlad Klitschko.
16) Chris Arreola (10-183)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- KO1 Eric Molina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola-Stiverne appears very likely for November 10.
17) Denis Boytsov (10-170)
Last Fight: 4/13/2012- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/12/2012- vs. Konstantin Airich (UNR)
Boytsov will see action October 12 in Hamburg, when he fights high-level journeyman Konstantin Airich. 18) Jean-Marc Mormeck (10-121) Last Fight: 3/3/2012- L(TKO4) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko Next Fight: Unknown
19) Bermane Stiverne (10-65) Last Fight: 4/14/2012- UD8 Willie Herring (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne is very likely to fight Chris Arreola on November 10, in a good test for each fighter, both of whom have been inactive and/or slumming against journeymen recently. 20) Edmund Gerber (10-20) Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO4* Michael Sprott (UNR) (terrible stoppage) Next Fight: Unknown Gerber was losing to Sprott when he scored a knockdown. The ref then ended the fight because he’s in the tank for Gerber’s team.
Sprott was up 3 rounds to none on any competent scorecard when, late in an otherwise toss-up 4th, he was floored by a great right hand from Gerber. He was up at about 5, had his legs steady by 7, and was holding his hands up for the ref by 8. He was clearly ready to continue with absolutely no doubt. But the pathetic excuse for a human being refereeing the fight, Gerhard Sigl, waved it off because Sprott had the audacity to show up British to a German fight.
Sprott quite understandably flipped out, even going so far as to shove the ref, who flopped to the floor…well…like a total bitch, even though the shove’s main effect was to pin him to the ropes. I have nothing but contempt for Sigl. He deliberately set out to take money out of the pocket and food out of the mouth of Sprott and his family. He didn’t spend hours a day for weeks and months on end to prepare for that fight. At most he took some classes- though you couldn’t tell from watching. And yet he took it upon himself to decide the fight based on no criteria other than he was presumably getting paid to make sure that one guy won and the other guy lost. The worst part of all of this is that Sigl will probably be working a major card alongside Luis Pabon and Hans Joachim Karge in no time. Likely with Manuel Palomo, Giuseppe Quartarone, and Juergen Langos judging the action. Meanwhile, Sprott will probably be suspended for quite a while just for attacking a piece of human refuse that was actively engaged in what would be considered felony larceny against him anywhere but in a boxing ring.
Anyway, the ultimate effect of all this is basically null in terms of my rankings. Unfortunately there’s no way I can credibly decide that Sprott won the fight. Even by a theory I kinda like using in situations like this- in which I view the fight as having been halted by a foul by the referee, and use the scorecards to determine a winner in the fashion of a technical decision- there is no winner, since 4 rounds were not complete. Obviously I can’t give Gerber credit for winning since he was clearly behind in the fight even with the knockdown, and even if I did it wouldn’t affect his ranking since Sprott doesn’t currently have enough standing for that. So what I’m getting at here is that this fight basically ends up a non-event in terms of significance, and that there are no changes to the rankings this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (169-382-382)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- TKO6 #11 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 11/10/2012- vs. Mariusz Wach (UNR)
Klitschko-Wach is now a done deal for November 10. Wach- a Polish prospect- is in no way worthy of a shot at the legitimate title yet, but is considered by many to be a dangerous fighter anyway due to his size and power.
1) Vitali Klitschko (206-206-206)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO4 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the early indications being that Vitali’s silly sparring match with Charr being his last fight, there is now plenty of buzz that he might fight Haye in March of next year.
2) David Haye (10-10-10) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- TKO5 #6 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: Unknown Haye has indicated that a fight with Vitali may be the only fight that would lure him away from re-retiring. He may get his wish, as there is now talk of a March 2013 matchup. 3) Tomasz Adamek (10-126-126)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO5 Travis Walker (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/22/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Adamek once again struggled with what should have been an overmatched opponent in Travis Walker. Walker dropped and badly hurt Adamek in the 2nd round of their fight, but Adamek rallied to return the favor late in the round and ultimately stop him in the 5th. Credit Adamek with staying busy, though. He’s already got a fight lined up for just before Christmas, with no lesser an opponent than Odlanier Solis being mentioned. This would fit into the rumors of a WBC tournament to which Ustinov, Solis, Adamek, and Pulev were all invited. Ustinov and Pulev are already scheduled for a fight. 4) Alexander Povetkin (10-256-256) Last Fight: 2/25/2012- W*(MD12) vs. CW #5 Marco Huck
Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Hasim Rahman (UNR)
The Rahman fight will be broadcast in the US on Epix. That’s a weaker than usual offering from the network, but I suppose more TV boxing is always better than less.
5) Marco Huck (10-30-30) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. CW #7 Ola Afolabi (at CW) Next Fight: 11/3/2012- vs. CW #9 Firat Arslan (at CW) Huck just signed for an alphabet defense against Arslan, kind of out of nowhere. 6) Tyson Fury (10-61-61) Last Fight: 7/7/2012- TKO5 Vinny Maddalone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fury is reportedly frustrated with apparently tepid interest from Chagaev after he had reportedly ruled out possible fights with James Toney and Jean Marc Mormeck. 7) Eddie Chambers (14-14-14) Last Fight: 6/16/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Tomasz Adamek Next Fight: Unknown Chambers’ MRI revealed a torn tendon, and he had surgery to repair that. No definite timetable has been set, but I’d be very surprised if we saw him back in the ring before early 2013. 8) Dereck Chisora (10-42-105) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- L(TKO5) vs. David Haye (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The Haye loss will be a huge setback for the already underrated Chisora. Many will forget that he did clearly beat Helenius.
9) Robert Helenius (10-77-121)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- W*(SD12) vs. #18 Dereck Chisora (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Helenius is now back to full training, looking to return to the ring as early as November after suffering a shoulder injury against Dereck Chisora that required surgery.
10) Kubrat Pulev (10-20-97) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- KO11 #12 Alexander Dimitrenko
Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Alexander Ustinov (UNR)
Pulev will fight an eliminator against Russian giant Alexander Ustinov in late September from Hamburg.
11) Odlanier Solis (10-121)
Last Fight: 5/19/2012- UD12 Konstantin Airich (UNR) Next Fight: 10/12/2012- vs. Leif Larsen (UNR)
Solis is apparently scheduled to fight 37-year-old undefeated Norwegian fringe prospect Leif Larsen in Madrid, but there is also talk of him fighting Adamek in December.
12) Seth Mitchell (10-41) Last Fight: 4/28/2012- TKO3 Chazz Witherspoon (UNR) Next Fight: 10/6/2012- vs. Johnathon Banks (UNR) Mitchell’s injury-delayed fight with Banks has been rescheduled for October 6. Adrien Broner will also fight on the card. 13) Ruslan Chagaev (10-305) Last Fight: 9/1/2012- TKO7 Werner Kreiskott (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chagaev has a fight with Tyson Fury on the table at last check, but is currently looking for a new trainer after his split with Universum.
14) Alexander Dimitrenko (10-88) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- L(KO11) vs. #17 Kubrat Pulev
Next Fight: Unknown
Despite showing the heart of a quitter and the consistency of a random number generator against Pulev, Dimitrenko hangs on to a solid ranking because the other guys in his tier haven’t been winning meaningful fights lately.
15) Tony Thompson (10-121)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- L(TKO6) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
In case any of you thought the first fight was a fluke, now you know for sure: Thompson really isn’t as good as Wlad Klitschko.
16) Chris Arreola (10-183)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- KO1 Eric Molina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola-Stiverne appears very likely for November 10.
17) Denis Boytsov (10-170)
Last Fight: 4/13/2012- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/12/2012- vs. Konstantin Airich (UNR)
Boytsov will see action October 12 in Hamburg, when he fights high-level journeyman Konstantin Airich. 18) Jean-Marc Mormeck (10-121) Last Fight: 3/3/2012- L(TKO4) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko Next Fight: Unknown
19) Bermane Stiverne (10-65) Last Fight: 4/14/2012- UD8 Willie Herring (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne is very likely to fight Chris Arreola on November 10, in a good test for each fighter, both of whom have been inactive and/or slumming against journeymen recently. 20) Edmund Gerber (10-20) Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO4* Michael Sprott (UNR) (terrible stoppage) Next Fight: Unknown Gerber was losing to Sprott when he scored a knockdown. The ref then ended the fight because he’s in the tank for Gerber’s team.
THE WEEK AHEAD: The big boys aren’t coming out to play this week.
Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 
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