Middleweight: 2011, Nov 28- Dec 4
Sheffield’s Ryan Rhodes moved up in weight to outpoint quality journeyman Sergei Khomitski in the former’s native Yorkshire on Saturday. That same day in Mexico City, #14 Nobuhiro Ishida stopped late replacement Edson Espinoza (who was making his pro debut) in the closing seconds of the first round. And last but not least, undefeated Mexican Gilberto Ramirez stayed that way on that same card, stopping credible gatekeeper Samuel Miller of Colombia in just 4 rounds.
Next Fight: Unknown
There are simply too many potential challengers for Martinez’ crown to list them all here.
1) Daniel Geale (23-128-128) Last Fight: 8/31/2011- UD12 Eromosele Albert (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Geale vs. Pirog on New Year’s Eve once looked like a good bet, but that fight appears in jeopardy, as Geale now says he’s waiting on TV network input.
2) Grzegorz Proksa (9-33-33) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- RTD3 #4 Sebastian Sylvester
Next Fight: Unknown After destroying Sylvester, Proksa may be in for a fight with fringe contender Sebastian Zbik next.
3) Felix Sturm (9-428-428) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- W*(SD12) vs. #11 Matthew Macklin
Next Fight: 12/2/2012- vs. Martin Murray (UNR) Apparently ducking a rematch with British contender Matthew Macklin, Sturm will instead fight his countryman, undefeated prospect Martin Murray, in Mannheim. 4) Matthew Macklin (9-23-114) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L*(SD12) vs. #1 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin couldn’t secure a rematch of his borderline robbery loss to Sturm, as the German has opted to fight countryman Martin Murray, instead. 5) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (21-57-57) Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown A fight rumored to be in the works with Gennady Golovkin has reportedly been scuttled by N’Dam’s unwillingness to fight the Kazakh, but N’Dam says he wants to fight someone in January.
6) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (2-26-44) Last Fight: 11/19/2011- TKO5 Peter Manfredo, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chavez will return to the ring on HBO on either January 28 or February 4, but no opponent has yet been announced.
7) Dmitry Pirog (2-70-70) Last Fight: 9/25/2011- RTD10 Gennady Martirosyan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Geale’s notes, above. 8) Sebastian Sylvester (2-329-329) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(RTD3) vs. #9 Grzegorz Proksa
Next Fight: Unknown
Sylvester may be getting long in the tooth after being destroyed by Proksa. 9) Marco Antonio Rubio (9-34-44) Last Fight: 9/3/2011- TKO5 Mohammed Akrong (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/16/2011- vs. Matt Vanda (UNR)
Rubio has substituted unknown journeyman Mohammed Said with a higher quality one in steady veteran Matt Vanda.
10) Anthony Mundine (21-21-44) Last Fight: 10/19/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez (UNR) (at JMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mundine believes he’s been blacklisted in the US for comments he made in 2001 blaming the US for 9/11 and supporting Al Quaeda. Well boo-hoo, asshole. Austin Trout is also trying to make a fight with Mundine.
11) Osumanu Adama (8-36) Last Fight: 10/6/2011- TKO9 Roman Karmazin (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Adama has now quietly put together a really respectable resume after battering Karmazin. 12) Max Bursak (8-44) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- TKO3 Abdulaziz Matazimov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bursak had little trouble with his latest weak opponent.
13) Garth Wood (2-44) Last Fight: 4/13/2011- L (UD10) vs. #20 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: Unknown Wood appeared set to fight journyeman Johannes Mwetupunga on the Geale-Albert undercard, but pulled out of that fight. 14) Nobuhiro Ishida (2-34) Last Fight: 11/26/2011- TKO1 Edson Espinoza (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown A fighter in his pro debut isn’t exactly the level of opponent we all want to see Ishida fighting.
15) Gennady Golovkin (2-24) Last Fight: 6/17/2011- KO10 Kassim Ouma (UNR) Next Fight: 12/9/2011- vs. Lajuan Simon (UNR) Golovkin is now set to fight journeyman Lajuan Simon in December. 16) Avtandil Khurtsidze (2-44) Last Fight: 10/3/2012- TKO2 Jason LeHoullier (at SMW)
Next Fight: 12/18/2011- vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Khurtsidze will fight dangerous gatekeeper Ossie Duran in the Ukraine a week before Christmas.
17) Demetrius Andrade (2-15) Last Fight: 9/21/2011- RTD3 Saul Duran (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Andrade is likely fighting in January. 18) Darren Barker (2-7) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(KO11) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez Next Fight: Unknown Barker has been receiving interest from Chavez and Geale after his over-performance against Martinez. 19) Billi Godoy (2-6) Last Fight: 11/12/2011- TKO1 Luciano Silva (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 20) Dominik Britsch (2-2) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- W*(MD12) vs. #15 Billy Lyell Next Fight: Unknown
Ramirez in particular has improved his credibility, but he still falls well short of a top-20 ranking in a very competitive division. No changes this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: Sergio Martinez (85-85-85) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- KO11 #20 Darren Barker
Next Fight: Unknown
There are simply too many potential challengers for Martinez’ crown to list them all here.
1) Daniel Geale (23-128-128) Last Fight: 8/31/2011- UD12 Eromosele Albert (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Geale vs. Pirog on New Year’s Eve once looked like a good bet, but that fight appears in jeopardy, as Geale now says he’s waiting on TV network input.
2) Grzegorz Proksa (9-33-33) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- RTD3 #4 Sebastian Sylvester
Next Fight: Unknown After destroying Sylvester, Proksa may be in for a fight with fringe contender Sebastian Zbik next.
3) Felix Sturm (9-428-428) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- W*(SD12) vs. #11 Matthew Macklin
Next Fight: 12/2/2012- vs. Martin Murray (UNR) Apparently ducking a rematch with British contender Matthew Macklin, Sturm will instead fight his countryman, undefeated prospect Martin Murray, in Mannheim. 4) Matthew Macklin (9-23-114) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L*(SD12) vs. #1 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin couldn’t secure a rematch of his borderline robbery loss to Sturm, as the German has opted to fight countryman Martin Murray, instead. 5) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (21-57-57) Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown A fight rumored to be in the works with Gennady Golovkin has reportedly been scuttled by N’Dam’s unwillingness to fight the Kazakh, but N’Dam says he wants to fight someone in January.
6) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (2-26-44) Last Fight: 11/19/2011- TKO5 Peter Manfredo, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chavez will return to the ring on HBO on either January 28 or February 4, but no opponent has yet been announced.
7) Dmitry Pirog (2-70-70) Last Fight: 9/25/2011- RTD10 Gennady Martirosyan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Geale’s notes, above. 8) Sebastian Sylvester (2-329-329) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(RTD3) vs. #9 Grzegorz Proksa
Next Fight: Unknown
Sylvester may be getting long in the tooth after being destroyed by Proksa. 9) Marco Antonio Rubio (9-34-44) Last Fight: 9/3/2011- TKO5 Mohammed Akrong (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/16/2011- vs. Matt Vanda (UNR)
Rubio has substituted unknown journeyman Mohammed Said with a higher quality one in steady veteran Matt Vanda.
10) Anthony Mundine (21-21-44) Last Fight: 10/19/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez (UNR) (at JMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mundine believes he’s been blacklisted in the US for comments he made in 2001 blaming the US for 9/11 and supporting Al Quaeda. Well boo-hoo, asshole. Austin Trout is also trying to make a fight with Mundine.
11) Osumanu Adama (8-36) Last Fight: 10/6/2011- TKO9 Roman Karmazin (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Adama has now quietly put together a really respectable resume after battering Karmazin. 12) Max Bursak (8-44) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- TKO3 Abdulaziz Matazimov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bursak had little trouble with his latest weak opponent.
13) Garth Wood (2-44) Last Fight: 4/13/2011- L (UD10) vs. #20 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: Unknown Wood appeared set to fight journyeman Johannes Mwetupunga on the Geale-Albert undercard, but pulled out of that fight. 14) Nobuhiro Ishida (2-34) Last Fight: 11/26/2011- TKO1 Edson Espinoza (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown A fighter in his pro debut isn’t exactly the level of opponent we all want to see Ishida fighting.
15) Gennady Golovkin (2-24) Last Fight: 6/17/2011- KO10 Kassim Ouma (UNR) Next Fight: 12/9/2011- vs. Lajuan Simon (UNR) Golovkin is now set to fight journeyman Lajuan Simon in December. 16) Avtandil Khurtsidze (2-44) Last Fight: 10/3/2012- TKO2 Jason LeHoullier (at SMW)
Next Fight: 12/18/2011- vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Khurtsidze will fight dangerous gatekeeper Ossie Duran in the Ukraine a week before Christmas.
17) Demetrius Andrade (2-15) Last Fight: 9/21/2011- RTD3 Saul Duran (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Andrade is likely fighting in January. 18) Darren Barker (2-7) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(KO11) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez Next Fight: Unknown Barker has been receiving interest from Chavez and Geale after his over-performance against Martinez. 19) Billi Godoy (2-6) Last Fight: 11/12/2011- TKO1 Luciano Silva (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 20) Dominik Britsch (2-2) Last Fight: 10/22/2011- W*(MD12) vs. #15 Billy Lyell Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: #3 Felix Sturm, who appears for all the world to be in decline, takes on undefeated English prospect Martin Murray in Mannheim on Friday.
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