Heavyweight: 2013, Sep 2-8
In a wild back and forth fight with an ultimately unsatisfying ending in Remedios de Escalada, Argentina, 44 year old gatekeeper Fabio Moli threw away a probable victory and the Argentine title on Friday by hitting his opponent with an uppercut long after he’d already hit the deck. That opponent, power-punching one-loss prospect Matias Vidondo looked quite good early, dropping Moli twice in the first 4 rounds (plus a standing 8 in the first). But by the 5th, the big man looked completely spent, and was being tattooed from pillar to post and finally falling to his knees on what may have been a push on the back of the head. When referee Rodolfo Stella stepped in to send Moli to a neutral corner, Moli uncorked an uppercut aimed for the chin of the fallen Vidondo, who had been down for probably a full 2 seconds. It was blatant. But I’m not sure it was much more than a glancing blow, despite an epic flop by Vidondo. I don’t know how clearly Stella saw it, but I think if it were me, I’d have deducted 2 points for the intentional foul, given Vidondo 5 minutes, and tried to keep the fight going. Still, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for the guy that intentionally uppercutted an obviously fallen opponent.
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (219-432-432)
Last Fight: 5/4/2013- TKO6 Francesco Pianeta
Next Fight: 10/5/2013- vs. #4 Alexander Povetkin
Klitschko-Povetkin is now officially signed for 10/5 in Moscow.
1) Vitali Klitschko (256-256-256)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO4 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vitali is struggling with a hand injury according to the WBC. But it’s already been nearly a year, and he’s made no attempt to get a fight done. I’ll keep him ranked based on the logical possibility that he may still schedule a fight before the 2nd week of September. Most likely, though, he’ll be removed at that time.
2) Tyson Fury (20-111-111) Last Fight: 4/20/2013- KO7 #3 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: 9/28/2013- vs. #3 David Haye
Fury-Haye is a done deal for September 28 in Manchester. 3) David Haye (20-60-60) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- TKO5 #6 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: 9/28/2013- vs. #2 Tyson Fury See Fury’s notes, above. 4) Alexander Povetkin (60-306-306) Last Fight: 5/17/2013- TKO3 Andrzej Wawryzk (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/5/2013- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Wlad’s notes, above. 5) Steve Cunningham (20-37-37) Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L (KO7) vs. #6 Tyson Fury Next Fight: Unknown Cunningham is now sparring with the man that knocked him out in April- Tyson Fury. 6) Tomasz Adamek (20-176-176)
Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
A collision between two of Main Events’ blue chip heavyweights is being discussed for November, as they’re looking to match Adamek with Bryant Jennings. 7) Kubrat Pulev (2-70-147) Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 #11 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: Unknown
Pulev will now be at least one of Wlad’s mandatories after beating Thompson. 8) Dereck Chisora (2-92-155) Last Fight: 7/20/2013- KO6* #17 Malik Scott
Next Fight: 9/21/2013- vs. Edmund Gerber (UNR)
Chisora will fight busted German prospect Edmund Gerber on the 21st. Gerber is, in my opinion, very little threat to win a fight at this level, especially without his German home cooking. 9) Odlanier Solis (13-24-171)
Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO7 Yakup Saglam (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Solis is now pushing for what would be a very intriguing fight with Deontay Wilder. 10) Bermane Stiverne (11-11-27) Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola Next Fight: Unknown Stiverne was the victim of another delayed purse bid, as Vitali asked for and was granted another extension from the scheduled 7/22 date. 11) Tony Thompson (11-171) Last Fight: 8/24/2013- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev
Next Fight: Unknown
Thompson may have come up a bit short against Pulev, but he proved that even at 41, he’s still a challenge for obviously top-10 opposition. 12) Seth Mitchell (11-13) Last Fight: 6/22/2013- UD12 #10 Johnathon Banks Next Fight: 9/7/2013- vs. Chris Arreola (UNR) The Mitchell-Arreola fight has been moved back to Saturday the 7th instead of Friday the 6th. 13) Erkan Teper (1-1) Last Fight: 8/31/2013- TKO1 Michael Sprott (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Teper impressed by putting a beating on an underrated Sprott. 14) Deontay Wilder (1-19) Last Fight: 8/9/2013- KO1 Sergei Liakhovich (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Wilder would like to fight the winner of the fight between Arreola and his friend and stablemate Seth Mitchell. He’s also been challenged by the Odlanier Solis camp, and says he wants the Klitschkos before they retire. 15) Robert Helenius (1-171)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W*(UD10) vs. Michael Sprott (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
If Helenius’ team was accurate on the severity of his hand injury, it should be long healed by now, although there were immediate rumors that the injury was more serious. 16) Alexander Dimitrenko (1-138) Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dimitrenko turned down a Pulev rematch. He’s sparring with David Haye currently, but no word on who he might fight next. 17) Vyacheslav Glazkov (1-37) Last Fight: 8/3/2013- TKO2 Byron Polley (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glazkov’s gift of a draw to Scott seems to have hurt his standing a bit, as his follow-up was so weak it didn’t even make TV on his promoter’s show. He’s currently sparring with Klitschko to prepare the Champ for the Povetkin fight. 18) Malik Scott (1-28) Last Fight: 7/20/2013- L (KO6*) vs. #8 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: Unknown Scott was up at 9.5 and ready to go, but Phil Edwards called the fight off in an unfortunate SNAFU. That being said, Chisora was coming on and I already had him ahead. Scott probably would have gone on to lose anyway. 19) Johnathon Banks (1-42) Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell Next Fight: Unknown Banks apparently dinged his hands up pretty good in the Mitchell fight- an alternate explanation for those who, like me, thought his inexplicable failure to follow up on his early success was a bit suspicious. He’s been doing physical therapy, and is about ready to get back in the ring. He’d like a rematch with Mitchell, but unfortunately a trilogy probably isn’t of much benefit to the fragile young contender at this point. 20) Denis Boytsov (1-220)
Last Fight: 6/15/2013- KO3 Alexander Nesterenko (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After the Chisora match-up fell through, Boytsov has turned his attention to prospect Christian Hammer.
The following night in Basel, Switzerland, British fringe contender Michael Sprott looked to follow up on his questionable loss to Robert Helenius by testing Turkish-German undefeated prospect Erkan Teper. It didn’t go so well. Midway through the first round, Teper caught Sprott with a perfect counter right, dropping him heavily. Sprott got to his feet, appearing dazed. Seconds later he went down again, though it was incorrectly ruled a slip by the referee. Teper continued to follow up with a barrage of headshots, at which point Sprott’s corner tossed in the towel and ended it, with about 20 seconds remaining in the round.
Teper debuts at #13, forcing everyone ranked #13 and below last week down a spot, and forcing Franklin Lawrence out after 26 consecutive weeks in.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (219-432-432)
Last Fight: 5/4/2013- TKO6 Francesco Pianeta
Next Fight: 10/5/2013- vs. #4 Alexander Povetkin
Klitschko-Povetkin is now officially signed for 10/5 in Moscow.
1) Vitali Klitschko (256-256-256)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO4 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vitali is struggling with a hand injury according to the WBC. But it’s already been nearly a year, and he’s made no attempt to get a fight done. I’ll keep him ranked based on the logical possibility that he may still schedule a fight before the 2nd week of September. Most likely, though, he’ll be removed at that time.
2) Tyson Fury (20-111-111) Last Fight: 4/20/2013- KO7 #3 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: 9/28/2013- vs. #3 David Haye
Fury-Haye is a done deal for September 28 in Manchester. 3) David Haye (20-60-60) Last Fight: 7/14/2012- TKO5 #6 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: 9/28/2013- vs. #2 Tyson Fury See Fury’s notes, above. 4) Alexander Povetkin (60-306-306) Last Fight: 5/17/2013- TKO3 Andrzej Wawryzk (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/5/2013- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Wlad’s notes, above. 5) Steve Cunningham (20-37-37) Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L (KO7) vs. #6 Tyson Fury Next Fight: Unknown Cunningham is now sparring with the man that knocked him out in April- Tyson Fury. 6) Tomasz Adamek (20-176-176)
Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
A collision between two of Main Events’ blue chip heavyweights is being discussed for November, as they’re looking to match Adamek with Bryant Jennings. 7) Kubrat Pulev (2-70-147) Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 #11 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: Unknown
Pulev will now be at least one of Wlad’s mandatories after beating Thompson. 8) Dereck Chisora (2-92-155) Last Fight: 7/20/2013- KO6* #17 Malik Scott
Next Fight: 9/21/2013- vs. Edmund Gerber (UNR)
Chisora will fight busted German prospect Edmund Gerber on the 21st. Gerber is, in my opinion, very little threat to win a fight at this level, especially without his German home cooking. 9) Odlanier Solis (13-24-171)
Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO7 Yakup Saglam (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Solis is now pushing for what would be a very intriguing fight with Deontay Wilder. 10) Bermane Stiverne (11-11-27) Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola Next Fight: Unknown Stiverne was the victim of another delayed purse bid, as Vitali asked for and was granted another extension from the scheduled 7/22 date. 11) Tony Thompson (11-171) Last Fight: 8/24/2013- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev
Next Fight: Unknown
Thompson may have come up a bit short against Pulev, but he proved that even at 41, he’s still a challenge for obviously top-10 opposition. 12) Seth Mitchell (11-13) Last Fight: 6/22/2013- UD12 #10 Johnathon Banks Next Fight: 9/7/2013- vs. Chris Arreola (UNR) The Mitchell-Arreola fight has been moved back to Saturday the 7th instead of Friday the 6th. 13) Erkan Teper (1-1) Last Fight: 8/31/2013- TKO1 Michael Sprott (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Teper impressed by putting a beating on an underrated Sprott. 14) Deontay Wilder (1-19) Last Fight: 8/9/2013- KO1 Sergei Liakhovich (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Wilder would like to fight the winner of the fight between Arreola and his friend and stablemate Seth Mitchell. He’s also been challenged by the Odlanier Solis camp, and says he wants the Klitschkos before they retire. 15) Robert Helenius (1-171)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W*(UD10) vs. Michael Sprott (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
If Helenius’ team was accurate on the severity of his hand injury, it should be long healed by now, although there were immediate rumors that the injury was more serious. 16) Alexander Dimitrenko (1-138) Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dimitrenko turned down a Pulev rematch. He’s sparring with David Haye currently, but no word on who he might fight next. 17) Vyacheslav Glazkov (1-37) Last Fight: 8/3/2013- TKO2 Byron Polley (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glazkov’s gift of a draw to Scott seems to have hurt his standing a bit, as his follow-up was so weak it didn’t even make TV on his promoter’s show. He’s currently sparring with Klitschko to prepare the Champ for the Povetkin fight. 18) Malik Scott (1-28) Last Fight: 7/20/2013- L (KO6*) vs. #8 Dereck Chisora Next Fight: Unknown Scott was up at 9.5 and ready to go, but Phil Edwards called the fight off in an unfortunate SNAFU. That being said, Chisora was coming on and I already had him ahead. Scott probably would have gone on to lose anyway. 19) Johnathon Banks (1-42) Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell Next Fight: Unknown Banks apparently dinged his hands up pretty good in the Mitchell fight- an alternate explanation for those who, like me, thought his inexplicable failure to follow up on his early success was a bit suspicious. He’s been doing physical therapy, and is about ready to get back in the ring. He’d like a rematch with Mitchell, but unfortunately a trilogy probably isn’t of much benefit to the fragile young contender at this point. 20) Denis Boytsov (1-220)
Last Fight: 6/15/2013- KO3 Alexander Nesterenko (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After the Chisora match-up fell through, Boytsov has turned his attention to prospect Christian Hammer.
THE WEEK AHEAD: Two fights worth mentioning this week, both on Saturday.
In London, prospect Ian Lewison battles fellow Prizefighter veteran Tom Dallas in a 10-rounder.
Later that night in Indio, California, a very intriguing heavyweight clash pits chinny #12 Seth Mitchell against gatekeeper Chris Arreola, who will be looking to re-establish his long-time spot in the top 20.
Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 
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