Middleweight: 2012, Feb 13-19
Top-50 Argentine veteran Claudio Abalos stopped 6-6 journeyman Juan Munoz in 2 rounds in Trelew, Argentina in a fight that was a bit ridiculously billed as being for the South American title.
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. #3 Matthew Macklin
After weeks of speculation, it’s now official: Martinez vs. Macklin, St. Patrick’s Day, MSG.
1) Daniel Geale (34-139-139) Last Fight: 8/31/2011- UD12 Eromosele Albert (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/29/2012- vs. #12 Osumanu Adama
Geale will fight Osumanu Adama on leap day in Tasmania.
2) Grzegorz Proksa (20-44-44) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- RTD3 #4 Sebastian Sylvester
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent Proksa will fight an as-yet-unannounced opponent in Sheffield, England on March 17.
3) Matthew Macklin (11-34-125) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L*(SD12) vs. #1 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Champ Sergio Martinez
See Martinez’s notes, above. 4) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (2-37-55) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #10 Marco Antonio Rubio
Next Fight: Unknown
Chavez’s team is already working on his next fight, and they have June 16, Texas, and Andy Lee in mind. Margarito has also been floated, but the WBC is unlikely to approve that fight. 5) Felix Sturm (2-439-439) Last Fight: 12/2/2012- Draw (SD12) vs. Martin Murray (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/13/2012- vs. Sebastian Zbik (UNR)
A few weeks ago, it looked like Sturm would be promoting Zbik’s fight with Proksa. Now he’s fighting Zbik instead, after Zbik showed his disgust for Sturm by pulling out. 6) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (2-68-68) Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown It looks likely that he will fight Pirog in Equatorial Guinea of all places on April 6.
7) Martin Murray (2-11-11) Last Fight: 12/2/2011- Draw(SD12) vs. #3 Felix Sturm Next Fight: Unknown Murray rejected a fight with Andy Lee, thinking the offer was too low. Barker then refused an offer from Murray. 8) Dmitry Pirog (11-81-81) Last Fight: 9/25/2011- RTD10 Gennady Martirosyan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See N’Jikam’s notes, above. 9) Sebastian Sylvester (11-340-340) 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. 10) Anthony Mundine (2-2-55) Last Fight: 10/19/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez (UNR) (at JMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Osumanu Adama (2-47) Last Fight: 10/6/2011- TKO9 Roman Karmazin (UNR) Next Fight: 2/29/2012- vs. #1 Daniel Geale Adama gets a shot at real prominence when he fights the most accomplished Middleweight not named Sergio Martinez on leap day in Tasmania. 12) Marco Antonio Rubio (2-55) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #7 Julio Cesar Chavez
Next Fight: Unknown
Rubio renewed his relevance with what was officially an upset over Lemieux, but the more proven Chavez proved to be a prospect too far.
13) Avtandil Khurtsidze (9-55) Last Fight: 12/18/2011- W(MD12) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has ordered Khurtsidze to defend his new goofy color-coded belt against gatekeeper Domenico Spada. 14) Max Bursak (9-55) Last Fight: 12/17/2012- TKO3 Laatekwei Hammond (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bursak is the mandatory contender for whatever title Pirog holds, but Pirog appears to be interested in fighting someone else first.
15) Garth Wood (9-55) Last Fight: 4/13/2011- L (UD10) vs. #20 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: 2/19/2012- vs. Sam Soliman (UNR)
Wood will fight in Sydney on February 19 against an apparently resurgent Sam Soliman.
16) Gennady Golovkin (9-35) Last Fight: 12/9/2011- KO1 Lajuan Simon (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Both sides now agree that Golovkin-N’Dam is a no-go. Golovkin is the current mandatory for Sturm, but Sturm has opted to fight Zbik instead. Golovkin is a feared puncher, and it’s understandable that nobody’s in a hurry to fight him. 17) Nobuhiro Ishida (9-45) Last Fight: 11/26/2011- TKO1 Edson Espinoza (UNR) Next Fight: 2/18/2012- vs. JMW #15? Paul Williams (at JMW) Ishida will fight Paul Williams in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 18, apparently at 154.
18) Demetrius Andrade (11-26) Last Fight: 2/10/2012- KO2 Angel Hernandez (UNR) (at JMW) Next Fight: Unknown With original opponent Derek Ennis getting sick 2 days before the fight, Andrade instead dispatched journeyman Angel Hernandez on ESPN2. 19) Darren Barker (11-18) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(KO11) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez Next Fight: Unknown Barker turned down an offer to fight Martin Murray. 20) Billi Godoy (11-17) Last Fight: 11/12/2011- TKO1 Luciano Silva (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: Sergio Martinez (96-96-96) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- KO11 #20 Darren Barker
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. #3 Matthew Macklin
After weeks of speculation, it’s now official: Martinez vs. Macklin, St. Patrick’s Day, MSG.
1) Daniel Geale (34-139-139) Last Fight: 8/31/2011- UD12 Eromosele Albert (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/29/2012- vs. #12 Osumanu Adama
Geale will fight Osumanu Adama on leap day in Tasmania.
2) Grzegorz Proksa (20-44-44) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- RTD3 #4 Sebastian Sylvester
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent Proksa will fight an as-yet-unannounced opponent in Sheffield, England on March 17.
3) Matthew Macklin (11-34-125) Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L*(SD12) vs. #1 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Champ Sergio Martinez
See Martinez’s notes, above. 4) Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (2-37-55) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #10 Marco Antonio Rubio
Next Fight: Unknown
Chavez’s team is already working on his next fight, and they have June 16, Texas, and Andy Lee in mind. Margarito has also been floated, but the WBC is unlikely to approve that fight. 5) Felix Sturm (2-439-439) Last Fight: 12/2/2012- Draw (SD12) vs. Martin Murray (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/13/2012- vs. Sebastian Zbik (UNR)
A few weeks ago, it looked like Sturm would be promoting Zbik’s fight with Proksa. Now he’s fighting Zbik instead, after Zbik showed his disgust for Sturm by pulling out. 6) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (2-68-68) Last Fight: 4/2/2011- UD12 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown It looks likely that he will fight Pirog in Equatorial Guinea of all places on April 6.
7) Martin Murray (2-11-11) Last Fight: 12/2/2011- Draw(SD12) vs. #3 Felix Sturm Next Fight: Unknown Murray rejected a fight with Andy Lee, thinking the offer was too low. Barker then refused an offer from Murray. 8) Dmitry Pirog (11-81-81) Last Fight: 9/25/2011- RTD10 Gennady Martirosyan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See N’Jikam’s notes, above. 9) Sebastian Sylvester (11-340-340) 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. 10) Anthony Mundine (2-2-55) Last Fight: 10/19/2011- UD12 Rigoberto Alvarez (UNR) (at JMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Osumanu Adama (2-47) Last Fight: 10/6/2011- TKO9 Roman Karmazin (UNR) Next Fight: 2/29/2012- vs. #1 Daniel Geale Adama gets a shot at real prominence when he fights the most accomplished Middleweight not named Sergio Martinez on leap day in Tasmania. 12) Marco Antonio Rubio (2-55) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #7 Julio Cesar Chavez
Next Fight: Unknown
Rubio renewed his relevance with what was officially an upset over Lemieux, but the more proven Chavez proved to be a prospect too far.
13) Avtandil Khurtsidze (9-55) Last Fight: 12/18/2011- W(MD12) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has ordered Khurtsidze to defend his new goofy color-coded belt against gatekeeper Domenico Spada. 14) Max Bursak (9-55) Last Fight: 12/17/2012- TKO3 Laatekwei Hammond (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bursak is the mandatory contender for whatever title Pirog holds, but Pirog appears to be interested in fighting someone else first.
15) Garth Wood (9-55) Last Fight: 4/13/2011- L (UD10) vs. #20 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: 2/19/2012- vs. Sam Soliman (UNR)
Wood will fight in Sydney on February 19 against an apparently resurgent Sam Soliman.
16) Gennady Golovkin (9-35) Last Fight: 12/9/2011- KO1 Lajuan Simon (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Both sides now agree that Golovkin-N’Dam is a no-go. Golovkin is the current mandatory for Sturm, but Sturm has opted to fight Zbik instead. Golovkin is a feared puncher, and it’s understandable that nobody’s in a hurry to fight him. 17) Nobuhiro Ishida (9-45) Last Fight: 11/26/2011- TKO1 Edson Espinoza (UNR) Next Fight: 2/18/2012- vs. JMW #15? Paul Williams (at JMW) Ishida will fight Paul Williams in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 18, apparently at 154.
18) Demetrius Andrade (11-26) Last Fight: 2/10/2012- KO2 Angel Hernandez (UNR) (at JMW) Next Fight: Unknown With original opponent Derek Ennis getting sick 2 days before the fight, Andrade instead dispatched journeyman Angel Hernandez on ESPN2. 19) Darren Barker (11-18) Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(KO11) vs. Champ Sergio Martinez Next Fight: Unknown Barker turned down an offer to fight Martin Murray. 20) Billi Godoy (11-17) Last Fight: 11/12/2011- TKO1 Luciano Silva (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: Three fights worth mentioning, with two on Saturday and another on Sunday.
In Cancun, Mexico, one-loss prospect Fernando Guerrero of the Domincan Republic fights low-level Canadian journeyman Jason Naugler.
Paul Williams, who appears to have settled in as a junior middleweight for the time being, will fight #17 Nobuhiro Ishida at 154.
And in a fight that could definitely affect the rankings, #15 Garth Wood fights resurgent veteran and fellow Australian Sam Soliman in Homebush, Australia.
Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 
Leave a Reply