Welterweight: 2013, Sep 9-15

Saturday in Bunbury, Australia, Tunisian-born Australian gatekeeper Naoufel Ben Rabeh stopped low-level Thai journeyman Rachamongkol Sor Pleonchit in 2 rounds of their scheduled 8-round fight. No changes.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)

Champ: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (176-208-208)

Last Fight: 5/4/2013- UD12 #6 Robert Guerrero

Next Fight: 9/14/2013- vs. #2 JMW Saul Alvarez (at JMW)

This is the big week for the Champ, as he fights #2 JMW Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on PPV.

1) Juan Manuel Marquez (96-96-96)

Last Fight: 12/8/2012- KO6 #2 Manny Pacquiao

Next Fight: 10/12/2013- vs. #18 Timothy Bradley

With Mayweather apparently wanting to stay busy, a hard-earned rematch with the Champ might not be out of the question over the next year or two. For now, it’s all about Tim Bradley.

2) Manny Pacquiao (96-249-249)

Last Fight: 12/8/2012- L (KO6) vs. #1 Juan Manuel Marquez

Next Fight: 11/23/2013- vs. #? JWW Brandon Rios (UNR)

Pac Man needs to prove he can still get it done when he tries to rebound from a devastating knockout against former top lightweight Brandon Rios in China.

3) Shane Mosley (17-17-17)

Last Fight: 5/18/2013- UD12 Pablo Cesar Cano (UNR)

Next Fight: 10/23/2013- vs. #12 MW Anthony Mundine (at JMW)

Mosley-Mundine now has a date of October 23.

4) Devon Alexander (13-81-81)

Last Fight: 5/18/2013- RTD7 Lee Purdy (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

It looks likely that Alexander will fight Khan on December 7, but no contract yet.

5) Marcos Maidana (14-14-14)

Last Fight: 6/8/2013- TKO6 #4 Josesito Lopez

Next Fight: Unknown

Golden Boy is reportedly working on a November 9 fight with Broner. Reportedly it might be a Showtime Pay-per-View. Broner is nowhere near a PPV attraction for me, so I’m definitely not sure about buying this one, if true, as much as I like Maidana.

6) Jesus Soto Karass (7-7-33)

Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO12 #7 Andre Berto

Next Fight: Unknown

Soto Karass obviously had a little help from Berto’s bad shoulder, but he was ahead in the fight even before the injury.

7) Robert Guerrero (7-42-59)

Last Fight: 5/4/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Next Fight: Unknown

Guerrero turned down Keith Thurman for a proposed November fight, according to both fighters’ promoter.

8) Kell Brook (17-124-124)

Last Fight: 7/13/2013- TKO8 Carson Jones (UNR) (at JMW)

Next Fight: 10/26/2013- vs. Vyacheslav Senchenko (UNR)

Brook fights Senchenko in late October. He’d better make 147 for the non-title fight if he wants to maintain his ranking here.

9) Randall Bailey (17-66-66)

Last Fight: 10/20/2012- L (UD12) vs. #? Devon Alexander

Next Fight: Unknown

I haven’t heard any buzz about an upcoming Bailey fight since he was comfortably outpointed by Alexander in October.

10) Josesito Lopez (14-64-64)

Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #11 Marcos Maidana

Next Fight: Unknown

Lopez suffered an injury, and will no longer be fighting on September 6.

11) Andre Berto (7-42)
Last Fight: 7/27/2013- L (TKO12) vs. #11 Jesus Soto Karass

Next Fight: Unknown

Berto’s shoulder surgery will keep him out until sometime in 2014.

12) Keith Thurman (7-27)

Last Fight: 7/27/2013- KO10 Diego Chaves (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Guerrero’s notes, above.

13) Chris van Heerden (7-65)

Last Fight: 3/2/2013- UD12 Matthew Hatton (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Van Heerden recently moved his home base to Southern California from his native South Africa in search of better sparring and bigger fights. He is likley to work with Brandon Rios in the coming months, and hopes to make his US debut in October.

14) Luis Carlos Abregu (7-20)

Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD10 Antonin Decarie (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Abregu’s plans for an October fight have been scrapped, as he recently had 2013-ending hand surgery.

15) Jan Zaveck (7-196)

Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #15 JMW Keith Thurman

Next Fight: Unknown

16) Selcuk Aydin (7-230)

Last Fight: 7/27/2013- KO8 Aaron Herrera (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

17) Timothy Bradley (7-66)

Last Fight: 3/16/2013- W* (UD12) vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (UNR) (should be draw)

Next Fight: 10/12/2013- vs. #1 Juan Manuel Marquez

Bradley will look for redemption after very nearly losing to an inconsistent prospect. It’ll be a tall order.

18) Ruslan Provodnikov (7-26)

Last Fight: 3/16/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #11? Timothy Bradley (should be draw)

Next Fight: 10/19/2013- vs. JWW#? Mike Alvarado (at JWW)

Alvarado-Provodnikov is done for 10/19 in Denver, at 140, with HBO to televise.

19) Leonard Bundu (7-12)

Last Fight: 4/6/2013- KO11 Rafal Jackiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Jessie Vargas (7-7)

Last Fight: 3/16/2013- UD10 Wale Omotoso (UNR)

Next Fight: 10/12/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent

Vargas will look to follow up on his career-best win against Omotoso with an appearance against a TBA opponent on the Marquez-Bradley undercard.

The Week Ahead: Thursday in Vegas, fringe contenders Shawn Porter and Julio Diaz look to settle their unfinished business from a December 2012 draw. That fight will headline a very good Thursday card on Fox Sports 2.

The Mayweather-Canelo card will open with a showdown between fringe contender Pablo Cesar Cano and borderline top-50 Englishman Ashley Theophane. Cano impressed against Malignaggi last year, but was robbed in that fight, and was then beaten by Shane Mosley. Make no mistake, though. He would be ranked here if he had made 147 against Malignaggi.

And of course, the Champion is in action as well, but that fight will be fully treated in its home division, which is Junior Middle.

This entry was posted on September 12, 2013 at 1:17 am and is filed under Rankings, Welterweight with tags Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Julio Diaz, Manny Pacquiao, Naoufel Ben Rabeh, Pablo Cesar Cano, Shane Mosley, Shawn Porter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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