Junior Middleweight: 2012, Sep 10-16
No in-ring action to report this week, but one major development affecting the rankings. Veteran British contender Ryan Rhodes (#17) reversed course and decided to retire after being stopped in June by prospect Sergey Rabchenko. His departure allows everyone ranked #18 and below to move up a spot, and makes room for Anthony Mundine to return at #20 on the strength of his debateable win over Rigoberto Alvarez from nearly a year ago.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: None 1) Saul Alvarez (19-80-95) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12 Shane Mosley (UNR) Next Fight: 9/15/2012- vs. WW#? Josesito Lopez Canelo will presumably be paying well for the privilege of making Josesito Lopez- a natural 140 pounder- move up to 154 after he made his bones at 147 with a shocking upset of would-be Alvarez opponent Victor Ortiz. He is also planning a possible subsequent bout for December 8 already. 2) Carlos Molina (19-62-77) Last Fight: 8/17/2012- UD10 Damian Frias (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 3) Cornelius Bundrage (25-110-110) Last Fight: 6/30/2012- TKO7 #11 Cory Spinks Next Fight: Unknown Bundrage has replaced Manny Steward as his manager (but not trainer), but has to return to the drawing board on his next fight, as the two guys he was looking to fight or who were looking to fight him opted instead to fight each other- Trout and Cotto. 4) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (19-19-19) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12* #4 Miguel Cotto Next Fight: Unknown Floyd may be looking to fight Pacquiao in April. But we’ve heard this before, and it wouldn’t even be as enticing this time after his so-so performance against Bradley and robbery win over Marquez. 5) Miguel Cotto (19-119-119) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- L* (UD12) vs. WW #1 Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Next Fight: 12/1/2012- vs. #8 Austin Trout Cotto fights Austin Trout December 1 at Madison Square Garden. 6) Erislandy Lara (19-62-84) Last Fight: 6/30/2012- UD10 Freddy Hernandez (UNR) Next Fight: 11/10/2012- vs. #14 Vanes Martirosyan After months of speculation, Lara-Martirosyan is finally on, November 10 in Vegas, with the winner to get a mandatory shot at Canelo. 7) James Kirkland (19-45-45) Last Fight: 3/24/2012- W*(DQ10) vs. #6 Carlos Molina (Robbery) Next Fight: Unknown Kirkland is apparently having managerial problems, and he has no upcoming fights in the works of any kind, it would appear. 8) Austin Trout (15-15-84) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 #13 Delvin Rodriguez Next Fight: 12/1/2012- vs. #5 Miguel Cotto See Cotto’s notes, above. 9) Alfredo Angulo (15-155-155) Last Fight: 11/5/2011- L (TKO6) vs. James Kirkland (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Angulo has finally been released from detention by US immigration authorities after 7 months of chargeless detention for the heinous crime of overstaying his visa. Absolutely unacceptable. On the bright side, he’s planning to be back in the ring by the end of the year, and says he would be interested in a Kirkland rematch. 10) Gabriel Rosado (16-16-84) Last Fight: 6/1/2013- TKO9 #19 Sechew Powell Next Fight: 9/21/2012- vs. Charles Whittaker (UNR) Rosado will get gatekeeper Charles Whittaker on September 21 in Bethlehem, PA, and the fight will be televised by NBC Sports. He’s already expressed interest in an Angulo rematch. 11) Cory Spinks (13-33) Last Fight: 6/30/2012- L (TKO7) vs. #3 Cornelius Bundrage Next Fight: Unknown Spinks failed to revenge his ugly 2010 TKO loss to Bundrage, but managed to look a little better and capture a round or two this time. 12) Sergey Rabchenko (13-13) Last Fight: 6/16/2012- TKO7 #11 Ryan Rhodes Next Fight: Unknown Rabchenko is likely to defend his European title against France’s Cedric Vitu in his next fight. Purse bids are due September 26. 13) Delvin Rodriguez (16-61) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- L (UD12) vs. #12 Austin Trout Next Fight: Unknown 14) Vanes Martirosyan (14-67) Last Fight: 2/4/2012- TKO3 Troy Lowry (UNR) Next Fight: 11/10/2012- vs. #6 Erislandy Lara See Lara’s notes, above. 15) Lukas Konecny (14-57) Last Fight: 4/5/2012- TKO7 Salim Larbi (UNR) Next Fight: 10/27/2012- vs. Zaurbek Baysangurov (UNR) Konecny-Baysangurov will finally happen- October 27 in Kiev. 16) Carlos Quintana (14-19) Last Fight: 5/5/2012- TKO6 Deandre Latimore (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Quintana said he wanted Canelo in the immediate aftermath of his upset TKO of Deandre Latimore, and has since expressed interest in Cotto and Trout, as well. 17) Sechew Powell (1-130) Last Fight: 6/1/2012- L (TKO9) vs. #10 Gabriel Rosado Next Fight: Unknown 18) Brian Rose (1-41) Last Fight: 6/2/2012- W* (UD12) vs. Kris Carslaw (UNR) Next Fight: 10/5/2012- vs. Vivian Harris (UNR) Rose will fight former junior welterweight contender and current welterweight journeyman Vivian Harris on October 5 in Blackpool. 19) Roberto Garcia (1-14) Last Fight: 3/23/2012- UD10 Antwone Smith (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 20) Anthony Mundine (1-1) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- TKO7 Bronco McKart (at MW) Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: Two notable fights in the division this week. Headlining Showtime’s Vegas card on Saturday, #1 Canelo Alvarez takes on natural 140-pounder in Josesito Lopez who qualified for the fight by breaking the jaw of and thereby stopping the fight’s presumptive B-side in Victor Ortiz. Lopez was barely big enough to handle Ortiz at 147, and I highly doubt he’s going to be able to make it through the fight against a somewhat better p4p fighter 7 pounds heavier.
On the competing Vegas card of HBO the same night (or the non-televised undercard of it, anyway), promising and freakishly tall one-loss Cleveland prospect Willie Nelson- who made his name by beating can’t-miss Cuban Yudel Jhonson- fights undefeated but rather unproven prospect John Jackson.
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