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Year-End Awards: Light Heavyweight, 2013

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Yearly Awards and Wrap Up with tags , , , , , , , on March 28, 2014 by danboxing
Welcome to my 2nd Annual Light Heavyweight Year-End Awards and Wrap-Up.  First, a list of awards for the division.  Then, a look at the 20 fighters that did the best work in 2013 specifically, followed by a rundown of the year’s rankings history.  Dig in!

 

Light Heavyweight Fighter of the Year: Adonis Stevenson
Stevenson burst on the scene at 175 in a big way this year.  Last year he was the hard-hitting #6 contender at 168, frustrated in his efforts to land a fight with Carl Froch.  This year he’s considered the lineal light heavyweight champion by many (I do not share this opinion), and certainly the #1 contender if not.  He beat #1, #6, and #8 contenders on the year (Dawson, Bellew, and Cloud), which clearly beats out runner-up Sergey Kovalev’s impressive year.

 

Prospect of the Year: Hadillah Mohoumadi
I originally was giving the honor to Cedric Agnew before I realized that he had lost his “prospect” status by my definition for these purposes, by briefly cracking the top 10 for just under a month.  The next possible candidate was Edwin Rodriguez, but I’ve had him losing to Aaron Pryor, Jr., Will Rosinsky, and Ezequiel Maderna, so to me he’s more like a veteran fringe contender than a prospect.  That leaves it to Hadillah Mohoumadi, who is maybe more of a super middleweight at present, but went into hostile territory to stop the highly-regarded Pawel Glazewski to earn the honor at this weight.

 

Most Important Knockout of the Year: Adonis Stevenson TKO1 #1 Chad Dawson
In addition to meeting the straightforward criteria I use to decide this category- that being the fight in which the highest-ranked fighter was stopped, this one is a pretty common-sense choice.  Dawson wasn’t exactly at the peak of his powers- having been stopped by Andre Ward in 2012- but he was still the top ranked contender at 175, and his quick knockout came as a shock to many.

 

Most Sensational Knockout of the Year: Yunieski Gonzalez KO8 Rowland Bryant
You know the competition was steep in this category when you stop to consider that Adonis Stevenson’s two sensational destructions of Dawson and Bellew and Kovalev’s massacre of Sillakh were all runners-up.  I know that only about 100 people have seen the actual winner, but check it out by clicking “KO8” above.  The big right hand lands at the 1:56 mark of the video, and it’s well worth a look.  For style points in the landed punches, check out Mateo Veron’s TKO of Ricardo Ramallo, as well.

 

Match-Up of the Year: #1 Adonis Stevenson vs. #6 Tony Bellew
Even with a solid average ranking of 3.5, this matchup had plenty of competition.  Stevenson was ranked #6 a division to the south when he fought #1 Chad Dawson, but 1-6 at 175 beats 1-6 at 168/175. #2 Hopkins vs. #6 Cloud is another really good runner-up.

 

Fight of the Year: Enzo Maccarinelli TKO11 Ovill McKenzie
A lot of big-ticket fights this year, but a lot of them turned out to be beat-downs or dominations.  Maccarinelli and McKenzie put forth a mutually gruelling effort in their rematch, and it was a very competitive battle in general.  That’s covers the action and competitiveness categories that I judge this on…and the result was exciting as well, with Maccarinelli knocking McKenzie clean out on his feet, hunched over.  If you haven’t seen it, you should.  The only other candidate that jumped out at me was Fonfara-Campillo.
 
Upset of the Year: Doudou Ngumbu UD12 #14 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff
This category is a tough call this year, with a relative lack of standout options.  Ultimately I went with Ngumbu over Uzelkoff.  Uzelkoff was a ranked contender, and Ngumbu a fairly low-level gatekeeper.  The runner-up for the honor was probably Mikhalkin over Ngumbu, interestingly enough.  The difference in status at the time of the fight was even more pronounced, but it was less of an upset intellectually, since Mikhalkin had already beaten Ngumbu in a previous fight.

 

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Enzo Maccarinelli
Maccarinelli came back in 2013 from a rather discrediting campaign in 2012.  That year, he was stopped by Ovill McKenzie and most likely needed a timekeeper’s error to avoid suffering the same fate against journeyman Shane McPhilbin.  I’m not saying he’s a top contender now, as he once was, but his revenge knockout of McKenzie goes a long way toward making him relevant again, when it appeared that his trajectory was entirely in the direction of obscurity and/or retirement.

 

Robbery of the Year: Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. UD10 Bryan Vera
I originally had the first Bellew-Chilemba fight as the winner, but only because I forgot that this fight was actually contested at light heavyweight due to Chavez’s laziness.  This was, if not a true robbery in the sense of being completely unreasonable, about as close as you can get.  I had it 97-93 Vera.  There were a lot of close rounds, and I personally could imagine someone scoring it for Chavez, though I could also have seen Chavez winning as little as one round.  Maybe I was being too kind.  I’ve seldom seen such unanimity in the press and fan reaction.  There were apparently only three people in the world that actually scored it for Chavez.  Still, in the interests of consistency, I have to say that by the standards I use in print here, I don’t consider this a true robbery- merely a bad decision.  Still, it narrowly beats out Bellew-Chilemba as the worst decision of the year in the division.

 

Now, for anyone that cares, I will rank the division based solely on the fighters’ 2013 accomplishments.  I will use the same criteria that I use to rank them overall (with victories, draws, or should-be victories and draws over top 50 opposition making one eligible), but will completely ignore all fights prior to 2013.

 

1) Adonis Stevenson
Significant Results: Jun 8- TKO1 #1 Chad Dawson. Sep 28- RTD7 #8 Tavoris Cloud. Nov 30- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Jun 9: Ranked only at SMW. Jun 10- Dec 31: #1.
2) Sergey Kovalev
Significant Results: Jan 19- TKO3 #4 Gabriel Campillo. Jun 14- TKO3 #10 Cornelius White. Aug 17- TKO4 #8 Nathan Cleverly. Nov 30- TKO2 Gatekeeper Ismayl Sillakh.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: Unranked. Jan 21- May 12: #4. May 13-26: #3. May 27-Jun 9: #4. Jun 10-16: #5. Jun 17- Dec 31: #3.
3) Bernard Hopkins
Significant Results: Mar 9- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud.  Oct 26- UD12 Inactive Fringe Contender Karo Murat.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: #2.
4) Andrzej Fonfara
Significant Results: Aug 16- KO9 #6 Gabriel Campillo.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #13. Jan 21- Feb 3: #14. Feb 4- Mar 17: #15. Mar 18- Apr 7: #14. Apr 8-14: #13. Apr 15- May 12: #14. May 13- Jun 2: #13. Jun 3-9: #12. Jun 10- Jul 14: #13. Jul 15- Aug 18: #14. Aug 19- Dec 31: #5.
5) Tony Bellew
Significant Results: Mar 30- Draw (should be loss) vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba. May 25- UD12 #7 Isaac Chilemba. Nov 30- L (TKO6) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #8. Jan 21- Mar 31: #9. Apr 1- May 12: #10. May 13-26: #9. May 27- Jun 9: #3. Jun 10-16: #4. Jun 17- Aug 18: #5. Aug 19- Dec 31: #6.
6) Isaac Chilemba
Significant Results: Mar 30- Draw (should be win) vs. #9 Tony Bellew. May 25- L (UD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #11. Jan 21- Feb 3: #12. Feb 4- Mar 31: #13. Apr 1-21: #7. Apr 22- May 12: #8. May 13-26: #7. May 27- Jun 9: #8. Jun 10- Aug 18: #9. Aug 19- Dec 31: #10.
7) Cedric Agnew
Significant Results: Apr 12- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Apr 14: Unranked. Apr 15- May 12: #11. May 13- Jun 9: #10. Jun 10- Aug 18: #11. Aug 19-25: #12. Aug 26- Oct 27: #13. Oct 28- Dec 31: #14.
8) Andre Ward
Significant Results: Nov 16- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Champion.
9) Edwin Rodriguez
Significant Results: Mar 30- UD10 W (should have been loss) vs. #15 Ezequiel Maderna (at SMW). Jul 13- TKO1 #16 Denis Grachev. Nov 16- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Jul 14: Ranked only at SMW. Jul 15- Aug 18: #13. Aug 19- Oct 27: #14. Oct 28- Dec 31: #15.
10) Juergen Braehmer
Significant Results: Feb 2- UD12 Fringe Contender Eduard Gutknecht. Aug 24- UD12 Gatekeeper Stefano Abatangelo. Dec 14- UD12 Undefeated Prospect Marcus Oliveira.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #15. Jan 21- Feb 3: #16. Feb 4- Mar 31: #10. Apr 1-14: #11. Apr 15- May 12: #12. May 13- Jun 9: #11. Jun 10- Aug 18: #12. Aug 19-25: #13. Aug 26- Dec 15: #12. Dec 16-31: #11.
11) Hadillah Mohoumadi
Significant Results: Jun 29- TKO7 Fringe Contender Pawel Glazewski.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Jun 30: Ranked only at SMW. Jul 1-14: #15. Jul 15- Oct 27: #16. Oct 28- Dec 31: #17.
12) Enzo Maccarinelli
Significant Results: Aug 17: TKO11 Fringe Contender Ovill McKenzie.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Aug 18: Unranked. Aug 19- Sep 29: #17. Sep 30- Oct 27: #18. Oct 28- Nov 24: #19. Nov 25- Dec 31: #20.
13) Igor Mikhalkin
Significant Results: Jul 5- UD12 #20 Doudou Ngumbu.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
14) Yunieski Gonzalez
Significant Results: Mar 15- KO8 Fringe Contender Rowland Bryant.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Mar 17: Unranked. Mar 18- Apr 7: #20. Apr 8- May 12: #19. May 13- Jun 2: #18. Jun 3-9: #17. Jun 10-30: #18. Jul 1-14: #19. Jul 15- Aug 18: #20. Aug 19- Dec 31: Unranked.
15) Blake Caparello
Significant Results: Jul 25- W (MD12) vs. Gatekeeper Daniel MacKinnon. Oct 17- UD12 Gatekeeper Allan Green.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
16) Robert Berridge

Significant Results: Apr 18- TKO8 Gatekeeper Serge Yannick.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
17) Anatoliy Dudchenko
Significant Results: Oct 26- UD12 Undefeated Prospect Robert Woge.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.
18) Thomas Williams
Significant Results: Nov 26- UD10 Gatekeeper Yusaf Mack.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.
19) Umberto Savigne

Significant Results: Mar 29- TKO4 Undefeated Prospect Jackson Junior.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
20) Nathan Cleverly

Significant Results: Apr 20- UD12 Gatekeeper Robin Krasniqi. Aug 17- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #7. Jan 21- Mar 31: #8. Apr 1-21: #9. Apr 22- May 12: #7. May 13-26: #6. May 27- Jun 9: #7. Jun 10- Aug 18: #8. Aug 19- Dec 31: #9.

 

The following fighters could be found in the top 20 at various parts of the year, but did nothing at this weight to help their ranking.  Most are no longer around:

 

Chad Dawson– Jan 1- Jun 9: #1. Jun 10-16: #3. Jun 17- Dec 31: #4.

 

Jean Pascal– Jan 1- May 12: #3. May 13- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Gabriel Campillo– Jan 1-20: #4. Jan 21- May 12: #5. May 13-26: #4. May 27- Jun 9: #5. Jun 10- Aug 18: #6. Aug 19- Dec 31: #7.

 

Tavoris Cloud– Jan 1-20: #5. Jan 21- May 12: #6. May 13-26: #5. May 27- Jun 9: #6. Jun 10- Aug 18: #7. Aug 19- Dec 31: #8.

 

Cornelius White– Jan 1-20: #6. Jan 21- Mar 31: #7. Apr 1-21: #8. Apr 22- May 12: #9. May 13-26: #8. May 27- Jun 9: #9. Jun 10- Aug 18: #10. Aug 19- Dec 15: #11. Dec 16-31: #12.

 

Karo Murat– Jan 1-20: #9. Jan 21- Feb 3: #10. Feb 4- Mar 31: #11. Apr 1-7: #12. Apr 8- Oct 27: Unranked (Inactive). Oct 28- Dec 31: #13.

 

Beibut Shumenov– Jan 1-20: #10. Jan 21- Feb 3: #11. Feb 4- Mar 31: #12. Apr 1-7: #13. Apr 8-14: #12. Apr 15- May 12: #13. May 13- Jun 2: #12. Jun 3- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Vyacheslav Uzelkoff– Jan 1-20: #12. Jan 21- Feb 3: #13. Feb 4- Mar 17: #14. Mar 18- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Yusaf Mack– Jan 1-20: #14. Jan 21- Feb 3: #15. Feb 4- Mar 17: #16. Mar 18- Apr 7: #15. Apr 8-14: #14. Apr 15- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Lucian Bute– Jan 1-20: #16. Jan 21- Mar 17: #17. Mar 18- Apr 7: #16. Apr 8- May 12: #15. May 13- Jun 2: #14. Jun 3-9: #13. Jun 10- Jul 14: #14. Jul 15- Oct 27: #15. Oct 28- Dec 31: #16.

 

Denis Grachev– Jan 1-20: #17. Jan 21- Mar 17: #18. Mar 18- Apr 7: #17. Apr 8- May 12: #16. May 13- Jun 2: #15. Jun 3-9: #14. Jun 10-30: #15. Jul 1-14: #16. Jul 15- Aug 18: #17. Aug 19- Sep 29: #18. Sep 30- Oct 27: #19. Oct 28- Nov 24: #20. Nov 25- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Dmitry Sukhotsky– Jan 1-20: #18. Jan 21- Mar 17: #19. Mar 18- Apr 7: #18. Apr 8- May 12: #17. May 13- Jun 2: #16. Jun 3-9: #15. Jun 10-30: #16. Jul 1-14: #17. Jul 15- Aug 18: #18. Aug 19- Sep 29: #19. Sep 30- Oct 27: #20. Oct 28- Nov 24: Unranked. Nov 25- Dec 31: #19.

 

Mikkel Kessler– Jan 1-20: #19. Jan 21-27: #20. Jan 28- Dec 31: Unranked (Moved Down).

 

Tony Averlant– Jan 1-13: #20. Jan 14- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Eleider Alvarez– Jan 1-13: Unranked. Jan 14-20: #20. Jan 21-27: Unranked. Jan 28- Mar 17: #20. Mar 18- Apr 7: #19. Apr 8- May 12: #18. May 13- Jun 2: #17. Jun 3-9: #16. Jun 10-30: #17. Jul 1-14: #18. Jul 15- Aug 18: #19. Aug 19- Sep 29: #20. Sep 30- Oct 27: #17. Oct 28- Dec 31: #18.

 

Doudou Ngumbu– Jan 1-Apr 7: Unranked. Apr 8- May 12: #20. May 13- Jun 2: #19. Jun 3-9: #18. Jun 10-30: #19. Jul 1-7: #20. Jul 8- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Glen Johnson– Jan 1- May 12: Unranked. May 13- Jun 2: #20. Jun 3-9: #19. Jun 10-30: #20. Jul 1-7: Unranked. Jul 8-14: #20. Jul 15- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Ovill McKenzie– Jan 1- Jun 2: Unranked. Jun 3-9: #20. Jun 10- Dec 31: Unranked.

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Year-End Awards: Cruiserweight, 2013

Posted in Cruiserweight, Yearly Awards and Wrap Up with tags , , , , , , , on March 27, 2014 by danboxing
Welcome to my 2nd Annual Cruiserweight Year End Awards and Wrap-Up.  First, a list of awards for the division.  Then, a look at the 20 fighters that did the best work in 2012 specifically, followed by a rundown of the year’s rankings history.  Dig in!

 

Cruiserweight Fighter of the Year: Thabiso Mchunu
Last year’s Prospect of the Year made good on his potential, dominating highly credible heavyweight Eddie Chambers in what was supposed to be just the beginning of a productive cruiserweight run for Fast Eddie.  It was Mchunu’s only significant win of the year, though, and it’s really a toss-up between him and Marco Huck, who beat #5 Ola Afolabi- the highest ranked actual cruiserwight to fall.  If nothing else, I give it to the South African beast just based on the comprehensive nature of his victory.  

 

Prospect of the Year: Lukasz Janik
This award goes to the fighter with fewer than 3 wins that has never been in the top 10 and had the best year in 2013.  Janik gets it on the strength of a performance that, frankly, should have made him ineligible by getting him well within the top 10.  I’m referring to his “loss” to 7th-ranked Ola Afolabi from November.  Janik pretty clearly won the fight, but it wasn’t a blatant enough robbery to treat him as the unequivocal winner, which means he’s currently sitting in the teens.  His only other prior loss was against Mateusz Masternak.

 

Most Important Knockout of the Year: #4 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk TKO6 #9 Giacobbe Fragomeni
This is a simple recognition of the guy who stopped the highest-ranked contender to be stopped during the year.  This one might have been a foregone conclusion, since the 44 year-old Fragomeni had begun to show his age in recent fights, and since Wlodarczyk stopped him in their second meeting in 2010, when Fragomeni was closer to his prime.  Nevertheless, Fragomeni is the highest-ranked guy to suffer a stoppage on the year, and Wlodarczyk is the guy that made it happen.  Yoan Pablo Hernandez’s TKO of #12 Alexander Alekseev is the runner-up.

 

Most Sensational Knockout of the Year: #16 Ilunga Makabu KO5 Eric Fields
Makabu’s picture-perfect left-hand was such a devastating shot that he was already posing for the cameras before Fields hit the canvas.  Click “KO5” to see a brief video of the shot on Youtube.  The only other KO anywhere near the aesthetic value of this one was Dmitry Kudryashov’s shot on Zack Mwekassa, but in the latter case, Mwekassa was able to recover from the shot well enough to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the ref’s stoppage.  Fields was completely done.

 

Match-Up of the Year: #5 Ola Afolabi vs. #8 Marco Huck
Lots of options here, and no clear winner.  Afolabi-Huck featured an average ranking of 6.5.  Ditto on #4 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk vs. #9 Giacobbe Fragomeni.  Falling just short of that is #2 Yoan Pablo Hernandez vs. #12 Alexander Alekseev.  You could also make a strong case for #1 Denis Lebedev vs. Guillermo Jones, who had been #10 when he was removed for inactivity.  I think the inactivity would have to lower his standing a bit- just enough to lose out to the winner here.  With Afolabi-Huck and Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni being essentially a tie, I will go with the more closely-matched fight, and the one that was more competitive.

 

Fight of the Year: #6 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk TKO8 Rakhim Chakhkiev
 Jones-Lebedev would be a tough candidate to beat given the extremely competitive nature, the gruesome swelling, and the dramatic stoppage, but that fight is unfortunately tainted by Jones’ PED use and the ensuing no contest verdict.  But even if not for that drawback, that contest would get very stiff competition from Wlodarczyk-Chakhkiev.  Chakhkiev was brutally dominating the Polish contender early, and looked on the verge of stopping him, having scored a knockdown in the third and most likely sweeping the opening 5 rounds.  That was before the 6th, when “el Diablo” began a streak of 4 knockdown in three rounds that ultimately led to referee Lindsey Page waving the fight off in the 8th.  I must say that I didn’t care for that decision, hich was made without a count.  Chakhkiev had shown a very weak chin against the knockdown at that point, but he didn’t seem so hurt that he conclusively needed to be saved in that fashion.  Nevetheless, it was an all-action affair full of guys hitting the floor, perseverance, competitive action, and a great comeback.

 

Upset of the Year: #7 Ola Afolabi W* (MD12) vs. Lukasz Janik
This is a bit of a problematic pick, I realize.  Technically, the heavy favorite won, but it was only due to a heavy dose of assistance from the judges.  While you could make a case for a legitimate Afolabi win, you’d have to bend over backwards to do so, I think.  While the fight was rather close, the only reasonable conclusion is that Janik deserved at least a draw, and a draw in itself would constitute a major upset.  Janik was a one-loss prospect, but was really only proven at a mid-range journeyman sort of level, while Afolabi had fought on essentially even terms with Marco Huck for 3 fights.  If you don’t like this pick from me, then feel free to go with the runner up, Ilunga Makabu’s fairly convincing decision win over then-17th-ranked Dmytro Kucher.  Both guys entered as undefeated prospects, but Kucher had been tested on a far higher level, and had looked like a destroyer to that point.  I have trouble giving that fight the nod over Janik-Afolabi, though, since Makabu had not ruled him out of the likelihood of competitiveness by his prior results- we just didn’t know what he was capable of yet.  Janik’s prior loss to Masternak seemed to be a good reason to believe he was outclassed by Afolabi.

 

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Marco Huck
If you just looked at the official record, you’d be puzzled as to just what Huck had to come back from.  But for those that actually watched his last two fights of 2012, you’d know that he took a serious hit to his credibility last year by maybe getting a small benefit of the doubt to earn a draw with Afolabi and especially by needing a blatant robbery to leave with a victory against the ancient Firat Arslan.  He fought only once in 2013- a very low number for the busy contender- but managed to put any Afolabi-related angst to rest with a competitive but clear win over his old nemesis in their trilogy bout.  He’ll get a chance in January to come all the way back with a rematch against Arslan.

 

Robbery of the Year: #7 Ola Afolabi W* (MD12) vs. Lukasz Janik
The judges mostly behaved themselves in the cruiserweight division this year, after an especially scandalous 2012.  The only clearly wrong decision of the year in serious action was in November, when #7 Afolabi squeaked by with a majority decision over one-loss Polish prospect Lukasz Janik at Madison Square Garden.  It really was a close fight.  I had it 115-113 for Janik.  Fair scores could range from about 115-113 Afolabi to 117-111 Janik.  It’s hard to gripe too much at Jerry Roth’s draw card, or even to any great extent at Joseph Pasquale’s 115-113 pro-Afolabi card, but Waleska Roldan’s 117-111 for the Brit was absolutely shameful, having given Afolabi all the debatable rounds and at least 2 clear Janik frames.  Technically-speaking, I wouldn’t quite go so far as to call this a robbery, but it was definitely the worst decision of the year.  The only other one I really disagreed with at all was Alekseev vs. Garrett Wilson, won by Alekseev, which I had a draw.  That one wasn’t a big deal.

 

Now, for anyone that cares, I will rank the division based solely on the fighters’ 2013 accomplishments.  I will use the same criteria that I use to rank them overall (with victories, draws, or should-be victories and draws over top 50 opposition making one eligible), but will completely ignore all fights prior to 2012. 

 

1) Thabiso Mchunu
Significant Results: Aug 3- UD12 Heavyweight Contender Eddie Chambers.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Feb 10: #17.  Feb 11- May 19: #16.  May 20- Jun 2: #17. Jun 3- Jul 14: #16. Jul 15-28: #17. Jul 29- Aug 4: #16. Aug 5- Sep 15: #7. Sep 16- Dec 31: #6.
2) Marco Huck
Significant Results: Jun 8- W (MD12) vs. #5 Ola Afolabi.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Feb 10: #8. Feb 11- May 19: #7. May 20- Jun 9: #8. Jun 10- Jul 28: #5. Jul 29- Sep 15: #4. Sep 16- Dec 31: #3.
3) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
Significant Results: Jun 21- TKO8 Undefeated Prospect Rakhim Chakhkiev. Dec 6- TKO6 #9 Giacobbe Fragomeni.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Feb 10: #6. Feb 11- May 19: #5. May 20- Jul 28: #6. Jul 29- Sep 15: #5. Sep 16- Dec 31: #4.
4) Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Significant Results: Nov 23- TKO10 #12 Alexander Alekseev.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: #2.
5) Grigory Drozd
Significant Results: Oct 5- TKO11 #13 Mateusz Masternak.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Feb 10: #20. Feb 11- May 19: #19. May 20- Jun 2: #20. Jun 3- Jul 28: #19. Jul 29- Sep 15: #18. Sep 16-22: #17. Sep 23- Oct 6: #16. Oct 7- Nov 3: #9. Nov 4-24: #8. Nov 25- Dec 31: #7..
6) Lukasz Janik
Significant Results: Nov 2- L (should be W) vs. #7 Ola Afolabi.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Nov 3: Unranked. Nov 4-24: #16. Nov 25- Dec 8: #15. Dec 9-31: #14.
7) Ilunga Makabu
Significant Results: Jul 13- W (MD12) vs. #17 Dmytro Kucher. Aug 31- TKO5 Prospect Eric Fields.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Jul 14: Unranked. Jul 15-28: #16. Jul 29- Aug 4: #15. Aug 5- Sep 1: #16. Sep 2-15: #15. Sep 16- Oct 6: #14. Oct 7- Nov 24: #13. Nov 25- Dec 31: #11.
8) Santander Silgado
Significant Results: Nov 1- TKO2 #20 Steve Herelius.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Nov 3: Unranked. Nov 4-24: #14. Nov 25- Dec 8: #13. Dec 9-31: #12.
9) Alexander Alekseev
Significant Results: Feb 22- UD12 W (should be Draw) vs. Fringe Contender Garrett Wilson. Nov 23- L (TKO10) vs. #2 Yoan Pablo Hernandez.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Feb 10: #16. Feb 11-24: #15. Feb 25- May 19: #13. May 20- Jun 2: #14. Jun 3- Jul 28: #13. Jul 29- Aug 4: #12. Aug 5- Sep 15: #13. Sep 16- Dec 8: #12. Dec 9-31: Unranked (Retired).
10) Garrett Wilson
Significant Results: Feb 22- UD12 L (should be Draw) vs. #15 Alexander Alekseev. Nov 16- L (UD10) vs. Vyacheslav Glazkov (at HW).
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 8: Unranked.  Dec 9-22: #20. Dec 23-31: Unranked.
11) Nuri Seferi
Significant Results: Dec 20- W (DQ7) vs. Fringe Contender Steve Herelius.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 22: Unranked. Dec 23-31: #15.
12) Marcos Ahumada
Significant Results: May 25- KO4 Gatekeeper Alejandro Valori (at 179).
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.
13) Silvio Branco
Significant Results: Jul 6- W (TD10) vs. Gatekeeper Juho Haapoja.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Feb 10: #13. Feb 11- May 19: #12. May 20- Jun 2: #13. Jun 3- Jul 28: #12. Jul 29- Aug 4: #11. Aug 5- Sep 15: #12. Sep 16- Nov 24: #11. Nov 25- Dec 31: #10.
14) Danie Venter
Significant Results: Sep 21- KO1 Gatekeeper Shawn Cox.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Sep 15: Unranked. Sep 16-22: #20. Sep 23- Oct 6: #17. Oct 7- Nov 3: #16. Nov 4-24: #18. Nov 25- Dec 8: #17. Dec 9-22: #16. Dec 23-31: #17.
15) Eleider Alvarez
Significant Results: Sep 28- UD10 Gatekeeper Edison Miranda (at 180).
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
16) Tony Conquest
Significant Results: Oct 5- UD10 Prospect Wadi Camacho.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.
17) Ola Afolabi
Significant Results: Jun 8- L (MD12) vs. #8 Marco Huck.  Nov 2- W* (MD12- should have been L) vs. Prospect Lukasz Janik.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Feb 10: #5. Feb 11- May 19: #4. May 20- Jun 9: #5. Jun 10- Jul 28: #8. Jul 29- Aug 4: #7. Aug 5- Sep 15: #8. Sep 16- Nov 3: #7. Nov 4-24: #9. Nov 25- Dec 31: #8.

 

The following fights could be found in the top 20 at various parts of the year, but did nothing at this weight to help their ranking.  Or in the case of Guillermo Jones, self-sabotaged.  Most are no longer around:

 

Denis Lebedev– Jan 1- May 19: #1. May 20- Jul 28: #4. Jul 29- Dec 31: #1.

 

Troy Ross– Jan 1- Sep 15: #3. Sep 16- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Steve Cunningham– Jan 1- Feb 10: #4. Feb 11- Dec 31: Unranked (Moved Up).

 

Firat Arslan– Jan 1- Feb 10: #7. Feb 11- May 19: #6. May 20- Jul 28: #7. Jul 29- Sep 15: #6. Sep 16- Dec 31: #5.

 

Lateef Kayode– Jan 1- Feb 10: #9. Feb 11- May 19: #8. May 20- Jun 2: #9. Jun 3- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Danny Green– Jan 1- Feb 10: #10. Feb 11- May 19: #9. May 20- Jun 2: #10. Jun 3- Jul 28: #9. Jul 29- Aug 4: #8. Aug 5- Sep 15: #9. Sep 16- Nov 3: #8. Nov 4-24: #7. Nov 25- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

B.J. Flores– Jan 1- Feb 10: #11. Feb 11- May 19: #10. May 20- Jun 2: #11. Jun 3- Jul 28: #10. Jul 29- Aug 4: #9. Aug 5- Sep 15: #10. Sep 16- Oct 6: #9. Oct 7- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Giacobbe Fragomeni– Jan 1- Feb 10: #12. Feb 11- May 19: #11. May 20- Jun 2: #12. Jun 3- Jul 28: #11. Jul 29- Aug 4: #10. Aug 5- Sep 15: #11. Sep 16- Nov 24: #10. Nov 25- Dec 31: #9.

 

Mateusz Masternak– Jan 1- Feb 10: #14. Feb 1-24: #13. Feb 25- May 19: #14. May 20- Jun 2: #15. Jun 3- Jul 28: #14. Jul 29- Aug 4: #13. Aug 5- Sep 15: #14. Sep 16- Oct 6: #13. Oct 7- Nov 3: #14. Nov 4-24: #15. Nov 25- Dec 8: #14. Dec 9-31: #13.

 

Francisco Palacios– Jan 1- Feb 10: #15. Feb 11- 24: #14. Feb 25- May 19: #15. May 20- Jun 2: #16. Jun 3- Jul 28: #15. Jul 29- Aug 4: #14. Aug 5- Sep 1: #15. Sep 2-15: #16. Sep 16-22: #15. Sep 23- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Dmytro Kucher– Jan 1- Feb 10: #18. Feb 11- May 19: #17. May 20- Jun 2: #18. Jun 3- Jul 14: #17. Jul 15-28: #20. Jul 29- Sep 15: #19. Sep 16- Oct 6: #18. Oct 7- Nov 3: #17. Nov 4-24: #19. Nov 25- Dec 8: #18. Dec 9-22: #17. Dec 23-31: #18.

 

Enad Licina– Jan 1- Feb 10: #19. Feb 11- May 19: #18. May 20- Jun 2: #19. Jun 3- Jul 28: #18. Jul 29- Sep 15: #17. Sep 16-22: #16. Sep 23- Nov 3: #15. Nov 4-24: #17. Nov 25- Dec 8: #16. Dec 9- 22: #15. Dec 23-31: #16.

 

Pawel Glazewski– Jan 1- Feb 10: Unranked.  Feb 11- May 19: #20. May 20- Jun 2: Unranked. Jun 3-30: #20. Jul 1- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Guillermo Jones– Jan 1- May 19: Unranked. May 20- Jul 28: #1. Jul 29- Dec 31: Unranked (PEDs).

 

Krzysztof Glowacki– Jan 1- Jun 30: Unranked. Jul 1-14: #20. Jul 15-28: Unranked. Jul 29- Sep 15: #20. Sep 16- Oct 6: #19. Oct 7- Nov 3: #18. Nov 4-24: #20. Nov 25- Dec 8: #19. Dec 9-22: #18. Dec 23-31: #19.

 

Rakhim Chakhkiev– Jan 1- Sep 22: Unranked.  Sep 23- Oct 6: #20. Oct 7- Nov 3: #19. Nov 4-24: Unranked. Nov 25- Dec 8: #20. Dec 9-22: #19. Dec 23-31: #20.

 

Steve Herelius– Jan 1- Oct 6: Unranked. Oct 7- Nov 3: #20. Nov 4- Dec 31: Unranked.

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Year-End Awards: Heavyweight, 2013

Posted in Heavyweight, Yearly Awards and Wrap Up with tags , , , , , , , on March 26, 2014 by danboxing
Welcome to my 2nd Annual Year-End Awards and Wrap-Up.  First, a list of awards for the division.  Then, a look at the 20 fighters that did the best work in 2012 specifically, followed by a rundown of the year’s rankings history.  Dig in!

 

Heavyweight Fighter of the Year: Wladimir Klitschko
After spending 2012 practically sitting on his title by failing to fight a single top 10 fighter, Klitschko got back to business a bit this year.  He and runner-up Tyson Fury each beat #3 contenders- Povetkin for Klitschko and Cunningham for Fury- but Klitschko took the nod by throwing in a fringe contender in Francesco Pianeta.

 

Prospect of the Year: Mike Perez
The winner of this award is the fighter to do the most during the year who has never been ranked in the top 10 and has fewer than 3 losses in his career.  Under those criteria, Perez is a clear-cut winner.  He has peaked at his current #11 so far, and while both he and Deontay Wilder have won at an almost identical level this year (Abdusalamov and Audley Harrison), but Perez also added a throw-in win against gatekeeper Travis Walker.

 

Most Important Knockout of the Year: Tyson Fury KO7 Steve Cunningham
This award goes to the fighter who knocks out the highest-ranked opponent to get stopped during the year.  Fury had a little help from his forearm and subtler illegal tactics like constantly leaning on his opponent’s neck, but he nevertheless wore down and knocked out the much smaller #3 Steve Cunningham, who was 2012’s Heavyweight Fighter of the Year after clearly beating Tomasz Adamek.

 

Most Sensational Knockout of the Year: Erkan Teper KO1 Martin Rogan
Normally I would list all the potential candidates and re-watch to pick the most exciting.  But there was no need this time around.  Teper’s under-viewed performance featured about 3 separate knockout punches in succession, and almost certainly retired the Irish veteran, whose jaw was left completely shattered by the blows.

 

Match-Up of the Year: Champ Wladimir Klitschko vs. #3 Alexander Povetkin
This is a simple recognition of the fight between the two fighters whose combined rank totaled the lowest number.  Klitschko-Povetkin is by far the best, with an average rank of 1.5 (with Champ=0).  The runner up is #6 Fury vs. #3 Cunningham.  Unfortunately, Povetkin’s performance didn’t really live up to his ranking, though that may have had a lot to do with abysmal referee Luis Pabon’s determination to let Wlad cheat in absolutely any way he wished throughout the fight.

 

Fight of the Year: #6 Tyson Fury KO7 #3 Steve Cunningham
This is perhaps my most subjective award.  In choosing the winner, I attempt to balance importance, exciting action, and competitiveness.  Fury-Cunningham was a pretty easy call this year.  It was the 2nd highest-ranked fight of the year, behind only the nigh-unwatchable Klitschko-Povetkin.  It was very competitive, with Fury being dropped hard early before coming back to win.  It also had very good action overall, and ended in a knockout.  Can’t get much better.

 

Upset of the Year: Alex Leapai UD10 #20 Denis Boytsov
Apparently #20 is not where you want to be in my rankings, as this award has been won now in consecutive years by underdogs knocking off #20 contenders.  Last year it was Michael Sprott- whose upset was tempered a bit by the fact that he had already outboxed his opponent in a previous fight that was prematurely stopped against him.  This year it was Samoan gatekeeper Alex Leapai springing a total shocker on #20 Denis Boytsov who, despite injury and inactivity, had been long been considered a top 10 contender in many quarters, and who was in line for a shot at the Championship in his next fight.  Leapai now looks poised to get that shot instead, having soundly outworked the Russian and just plain old wanting it more.  Leapai did not appear to be much of a threat, having 4 career losses, 3 of which were against such mediocrities as Yan Kulkov, Baden Oui (a stoppage), Colin Wilson, and with the 4th being a stoppage against the reasonably decent Kevin Johnson.

 

Comeback Fighter of the Year: Chris Arreola
Arreola might be a bit of a peculiar winner in this category, since his fall and comeback both occurred in the same year.  He fell from the top 20 for the first time in memory after a clear-cut loss to Bermane Stiverne, but rose to his highest level in years by destroying the chinless #12 contender Seth Mitchell.  Opportunistic?  Sure.  But he was lost and now he’s found, which makes him really the only choice for this particular award.

 

Robbery of the Year: Vyacheslav Glazkov D10 vs. Malik Scott
Was this a true robbery?  I wouldn’t go that far, personally, to be honest.  To me, a robbery is when one guy clearly won beyond all doubt, and the other guy gets the decision (or draw).  This was close to that, but there were enough toss up rounds to justify a draw if you were a reasonable judge that just consistently favored something about Glazkov’s style, for instance.  I personally scored it 98-92 for Scott, though, and so by my lights it was pretty darned close to clear-cut.  The judges mostly behaved themselves in heavyweight fights this year, and so the only other fight that would really come close to qualifying was Robert Helenius’ victory over Michael Sprott, in a fight that I scored a draw.

 

Now, for anyone that cares, I will rank the division based solely on the fighters’ 2013 accomplishments.  I will use the same criteria that I use to rank them overall (with victories, draws, or should-be victories and draws over top 50 opposition making one eligible), but will completely ignore all fights prior to 2013. 

 

1) Wladimir Klitschko
Significant Results: May 4- TKO6 Fringe Contender Francesco Pianeta.  Oct 5- UD12 #3 Alexander Povetkin.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Champion
2) Tyson Fury
Significant Results: Apr 20- KO7 #3 Steve Cunningham.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Apr 21: #6.  Apr 22- Sep 8: #2.  Sep 9- Nov 24: #1.  Nov 25- Dec 31: Unranked (Retired).
3) Kubrat Pulev
Significant Results: Aug 24- UD12 #11 Tony Thompson.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Jun 9: #8. Jun 10- Jul 21: #7.  Jul 22- Aug 25: #8.  Aug 26- Sep 8: #7.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #6.  Nov 18-24: #5.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #4.
4) Dereck Chisora
Significant Results: Jul 20- KO6* #17 Malik Scott.  Sep 21- TKO5 Gatekeeper Edmund Gerber.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Jun 9: #1.  Jun 10- Jul 21: #8.  Jul 22- Aug 25: #7.  Aug 26- Sep 8: #8.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #7.  Nov 18- 24: #6.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #5.
5) Erkan Teper
Significant Results: Aug 31- TKO1 Fringe Contender Michael Sprott.  Nov 16- KO1 Gatekeeper Martin Rogan.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Sep 1: Unranked.  Sep 2-8: #13.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #12.  Nov 18-24: #11.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #10.
6) Bermane Stiverne
Significant Results: Apr 27- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: Unranked.  Jan 21- Feb 24: #20.  Feb 25- Mar 3: Unranked.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #19.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #12.  Jun 10-23: #11.  Jun 24- Sep 8: #10.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #9.  Nov 18-24: #8.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #7.
7) Alex Leapai
Significant Results: Nov 23- UD10 #20 Denis Boytsov.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Nov 24: Unranked.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #13.
8) Chris Arreola
Significant Results: Apr 27- L (UD12) vs. #19 Bermane Stiverne.  Sep 7- KO1 #12 Seth Mitchell.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #17.  Jan 21- Mar 3: #16.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #15.  Apr 29- Sep 8: Unranked.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #10.  Nov 18-24: #9.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #8.
9) Tony Thompson
Significant Results: Feb 23- TKO2 Undefeated Prospect David Price.  Jul 6- TKO5 Prospect David Price.  Aug 24- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-20: #16.  Jan 21- Feb 24: #15.  Feb 25- Mar 3: #13.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #12.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #13.  Jun 10-23: #12.  Jun 24- Nov 17: #11.  Nov 18-24: #10.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #9.
10) Mike Perez
Significant Results: May 4- UD10 Gatekeeper Travis Walker.  Nov 2- UD10 Undefeated Prospect Magomed Abdusalamov.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Nov 3: Unranked.  Nov 4-17: #13.  Nov 18-24: #12.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #11.
11) Deontay Wilder
Significant Results: Apr 27- TKO1 Fringe Contender Audley Harrison.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Apr 28: Unranked.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #14.  Jun 10- Sep 1: #13.  Sep 2-8: #14.  Sep 9- Nov 3: #13.  Nov 4-17: #14.  Nov 18-24: #13.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #12.
12) Seth Mitchell
Significant Results: Jun 22- UD12 #10 Johnathon Banks. Sep 7- L (KO1) vs. Fringe Contender Chris Arreola.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Jun 9: Unranked.  Jun 10-23: #20.  Jun 24- Sep 8: #12.  Sep 9- Nov 3: #16.  Nov 4-17: #17.  Nov 18- Dec 31: #16.
13) Andy Ruiz
Significant Results: Nov 24- RTD3 Gatekeeper Tor Hamer.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Nov 24: Unranked. Nov 25- Dec 31- #15.
14) Audley Harrison
Significant Results: Feb 23- UD3 Fringe Contender Martin Rogan.  Feb 23- TKO2 Gatekeeper Derric Rossy.  Apr 27- L (TKO1) vs. Undefeated Prospect Deontay Wilder.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
15) Eric Molina
Significant Results: Apr 27- UD12 Gatekeeper Tony Grano.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
17) Lucas Browne
Significant Results: Apr 28- UD12 Gatekeeper James Toney.  Nov 2- TKO5 Undefeated Prospect Richard Towers.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1-Dec 31: Unranked.
18) Robert Helenius
Significant Results: Mar 23- UD10 (should have been draw) vs. Gatekeeper Michael Sprott.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Feb 24: #13.  Feb 25- Mar 3: #14.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #13.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #15.  Jun 10- Sep 1: #14.  Sep 2-8: #15.  Sep 9- Nov 3: #14.  Nov 4-17: #15.  Nov 18- Dec 31: #14.
19) Fres Oquendo
Significant Results: Jun 8- UD10 Gatekeeper Derric Rossy.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.
20) Gerald Washington
Significant Results: Jun 8- UD8 Gatekeeper Sherman Williams.
2013 Rankings History: Jan 1- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Other fighters ranked during the year are detailed below.  These guys had either bad or rather indifferent years, with most of them failing to snag a rateable victory for various reasons:

 

Vitali Klitschko: Jan 1- Sep 8: #1.  Sep 9- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

David Haye: Jan 1- Apr 21: #2.  Apr 22- Sep 8: #3.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #2.  Nov 18- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Steve Cunningham: Jan 1- Apr 21: #3.  Apr 22- Sep 8: #5.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #4.  Nov 18-24: #3.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #2.

 

Alexander Povetkin: Jan 1- Sep 8: #4.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #3.  Nov 18-24: #2.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #1.

 

Tomasz Adamek: Jan 1- Apr 21: #5.  Apr 22- Sep 8: #6.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #5.  Nov 18-24: #4.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #3.

 

Eddie Chambers– Jan 1- Jun 9: #7.  Jun 10- Dec 31: Unranked (Moved Down).

 

Johnathon Banks: Jan 1- Mar 24: #10.  Mar 25- Jun 9: #11.  Jun 10-23: #10.  Jun 24- Sep 1: #18.  Sep 2- Nov 3: #19.  Nov 4-17: #20.  Nov 18-24: #19.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #20.

 

Odlanier Solis– Jan 1- Mar 24: #11.  Mar 25- Jun 9: #10.  Jun 10- Sep 8: #9.  Sep 9- Nov 17: #8.  Nov 18-24: #7.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #6.

 

Marco Huck: Jan 1- Mar 3: #12.  Mar 4- Dec 31: Unranked (Moved Down).

 

Ruslan Chagaev: Jan 1-20: #14.  Jan 21- Dec 31: Unranked. 

 

Alexander Dimitrenko: Jan 1-20: #15.  Jan 21- Feb 24: #14.  Feb 25- Mar 3: #15.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #14.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #16. Jun 10- Sep 1: #15.  Sep 2-8: #16.  Sep 9- Nov 3: #15.  Nov 4-17: #16.  Nov 18-24: #15.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #17. 

 

Denis Boytsov: Jan 1-20: #18.  Jan 21- Mar 3: #17.  Mar 4- Apr 28: #16.  Apr 29- Jun 9: #19.  Jun 10-23: #18.  Jun 24- Sep 1: #19.  Sep 2- Nov 3: #20.  Nov 4-17: Unranked.  Nov 18-24: #20.  Nov 25- Dec 31: Unranked.

 

Jean-Marc Mormeck: Jan 1-20: #19.  Jan 21- Mar 3: #18.  Mar 4- Dec 31: Unranked (Inactive).

 

Vyacheslav Glazkov: Jan 1-20: #20.  Jan 21- Mar 3: #19.  Mar 4- Jun 9: #17.  Jun 10- Sep 1: #16.  Sep 2- Nov 3: #17.  Nov 4-17: #18.  Nov 18- 24: #17.  Nov 25- Dec 31- #18.

 

Malik Scott– Jan 1- Feb 24: Unranked.  Feb 25- Mar 3: #20.  Mar 4- Jun 9: #18.  Jun 10- Sep 1: #17.  Sep 2- Nov 3: #18.  Nov 4-17: #19.  Nov 18-24: #18.  Nov 25- Dec 31: #19.

 

Franklin Lawrence– Jan 1- Mar 3: Unranked.  Mar 4- Jun 9: #20.  Jun 10-23: #19.  Jun 24- Sep 1: #20.  Sep 2- Dec 31: Unranked.

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Welterweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Rankings, Welterweight with tags , , , , , , , on March 25, 2014 by danboxing
I thought the fight in Argentina between Cesar Barrionuevo and Ramon de la Cruz Sena on Saturday would be in this division, but it was unequivocally a light middleweight fight, and thus has been addressed in that update.  Nothing to report at 147 from last week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (192-224-224)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #2 JMW Saul Alvarez (at JMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Floyd will likely be back on both May 3 and September 13.  Amir Khan has long been rumored as the May 3 opponent, but reports suggest Maidana may have supplanted him in that regard.
1) Timothy Bradley (12-12-82)
Last Fight: 10/12/2013- W (SD12) vs. #1 Juan Manuel Marquez
Next Fight: Unknown
Bradley-Pacquiao II is very likely for April 12, though rumors also have Marquez and Pacquiao renewing their rivalry.
2) Juan Manuel Marquez (12-112-112)
Last Fight: 10/12/2013- L (SD12) vs. #17 Timothy Bradley
Next Fight: Unknown
After retirement was mentioned a couple different times, Marquez now says he intends to fight twice in 2014.  He wants a tune-up in Mexico City, followed by a rematch with Bradley.  There are also rumors of a 5th fight with Pacquiao.
3) Manny Pacquiao (12-265-265)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- UD12 #5? JWW Brandon Rios
Next Fight: Unknown
See Bradley and Marquez’s notes, above. 
4) Marcos Maidana (4-30-30)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 LW Champ Adrien Broner
Next Fight: Unknown
After his 12-round beatdown of overhyped Broner, Maidana has set himself up for a big opportunity.  Malignaggi indicated interest in the winner, for starters, and Shawn Porter also seems interested.  Even better- Mayweather now says Maidana is in the mix for his May PPV.
5) Keith Thurman (3-3-43)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO9 #6 Jesus Soto-Karass
Next Fight: Unknown
After beating Soto-Karass, Thurman issued what amounts to a challenge to the entire division.
6) Shawn Porter (3-4-4)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #5 Devon Alexander
Next Fight: Unknown
All indications are that Porter will fight his mandatory, Kell Brook, next, though he has also indicated interest in Maidana.
7) Robert Guerrero (4-58-75)
Last Fight: 5/4/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Next Fight: Unknown
Guerrero wants Pacquiao next.  I see his style as potentially problematic for Pacquiao, which probably renders the match-up unlikely at this time, when combined with his lack of a recent win.
8) Kell Brook (4-140-140)
Last Fight:10/26/2013- TKO4 Vyacheslav Senchenko (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Porter’s notes, above.
9) Devon Alexander (4-97-97)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (UD12) vs. Shawn Porter (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Alexander would like to fight three times in 2014.
10) Randall Bailey (6-6-6)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- W (DQ8) vs. Humberto Toledo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Josesito Lopez (6-80)
Last Fight: 12/13/2013- W (TD8) vs. Mike Arnaoutis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Hopefully his great struggles against Arnaoutis aren’t the result of wear and tear taking their toll on Lopez and his career.
12) Jesus Soto Karass (3-49)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- L (TKO9) vs. #13 Keith Thurman
Next Fight: Unknown
His results are now decidedly mixed, but I suspect Soto Karass will continue to get decent TV fights, since his fights are almost always entertaining, and  always a test for his opponent.
13) Andre Berto (3-58)
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.
14) Paulie Malignaggi (4-4) 
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #8? JWW Zab Judah 
Next Fight: Unknown 
Malignaggi expects a big money fight in the wake of his handy victory over Judah.  He is interested in Maidana. 
15) Chris van Heerden (4-81)
Last Fight: 3/2/2013- UD12 Matthew Hatton (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Amidst conflicting reports variously suggesting he would fight in February in the US or in South Africa, the truth has emerged.  He’s starting a 3-year contract with a US promoter, and supposedly has a fight planned for early in the new year.
16) Luis Carlos Abregu (4-36)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD10 Antonin Decarie (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
At last check, Abregu was recovering from hand surgery, and the WBC is looking to match him with Antonin Decarie when he returns.
17) Jan Zaveck (4-212)
Last Fight: 10/19/2013- UD8 Sebastien Allais (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
As expected, Zaveck had little trouble with French journeyman Allais.
18) Ruslan Provodnikov (4-42)
Last Fight: 10/19/2013- RTD10 #3 JWW Mike Alvarado (at JWW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Provodnikov proved against Alvarado that the Bradley fight was no fluke.  He’s a big-time fighter now.  Mostly it’s all rumor at this point, but there has been speculation of his fighting Rios or Marquez.  He said he would refuse a fight with Pacquiao, a friend with whom he shares a trainer.
19) Pablo Cesar Cano (4-16)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD10*) vs. Ashley Theophane (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cano said after the 143-pound catchweight win against Theophane that he intends to seek title contention at 140 now.  I must say I’m surprised by the move, considering he failed to make weight for one of his biggest fights at 147 against Malignaggi.

20) Leonard Bundu (3-3)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO12 Lee Purdy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundu retains his European title and undefeated record with the impressive effort over Purdy.

 

The Week Ahead: Happy New Year!

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Junior Middleweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 25, 2014 by danboxing
One-loss Belgian prospect Sasha Yengoyan said Merry Christmas to Ukraine-based Armenian journeyman Igor Fanian in his own special way, knocking him out in the 7th round of a scheduled 8, on Christmas Day, no less.  So much for Christmas cheer!

 

A few days later, on Saturday, an unexpected fight occurred in the division, and it was unexpectedly important.  Cesar Barrionuevo of Argentina came in as a top-50 welterweight, while his opponent, Ramon de la Cruz Sena, was a journeyman at that weight.  As it turned out, the fight was contested as a clear light middleweight affair, and de la Cruz Sena- who had been soundly outpointed by Barrionuevo in their October first meeting- sprung an upset on the favorite, outpointing the favorite in a very close fight.  By the Argentine scoring system that was in effect (which uses half-points for close rounds), I had de la Cruz Sena winning 97.5-97- just a half-point difference.  The official judges all had it a bit wider, with 1 point, 1.5 point, and 4 point margins- the latter of which is rather inexplicable.

 

Despite the significant upset, Sena’s 9 prior losses to almost exclusively low-level opposition completely precludes his getting anywhere near a ranking.  Yengoyan needs to step up his competition if he’s to claim one, as well.  There is one change this week, however.  I actually should have noticed this a couple weeks ago, but Yuri Foreman’s 2nd-best win of the last 5 years is, well, no longer within the last 5 years- that being his December 2008 win over James Moore.  As a result, Foreman loses his overall edge over guys like Guido Pitto, Kell Brook, and Jermall Charlo.  That being the case, Foreman falls from the top 20, as Pitto moves up to #19 and Kell Brook reclaims a spot at #20.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (48-130-145)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith
Next Fight: Unknown
I still have my doubts, but Steve Kim reports that Molina is being considered for a March 8 PPV headliner with Canelo.  Angulo is also in the mix as Canelo’s opponent.
2) Erislandy Lara (4-130-152)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #4 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
Lara wants Canelo next, but has reportedly been ruled out by the Mexican superstar.
3) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (4-16-16)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Mayweather intends to fight twice in 2014: on May 3 and September 13, if all goes to plan.  Amir Khan is the rumored opponent for May 3.  Bradley is getting a bit of buzz lately, too, as is Bernard Hopkins, at middleweight- though Floyd Sr. has said the latter will never happen.  The new kid on the block is Maidana, who it has been said has moved to the front of the line after his win over Broner.
4) Saul Alvarez (4-148-163)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L* (MD12) vs. WW Champion Floyd Mayweather
Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Alvarez will be back on March 8.  He’s hoping for either Cotto or Sergio, though it sounds like those two might fight each other, instead.  Molina and Angulo have been mentioned as possible alternatives.  After that, he expects to fight two additional times in 2014. 
5) Austin Trout (4-83-152)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (UD12) vs. #5 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Trout might be getting to that unfortunate position of having a record underwhelming enough to be low-reward, while still being easily skilled enough to be high-risk.  He says essentially that he wants worthwhile fights in 2014, rather than a soft diet for rebuilding purposes.
6) Ishe Smith (16-45-45)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L (SD12) vs. #1 Carlos Molina
Next Fight: Unknown
Smith sounds like he’s open to a variety of options for his next fight.  Anything from a Molina rematch, to Trout, to Angulo or Lara.  And even more various than that- he says he wants one UFC fight.  More recently, he’s been rumored as Mundine’s January 29 opponent, though he’s denied this.
7) Anthony Mundine (5-5-5)
Last Fight: 11/27/2013- vs. #4 WW Shane Mosley
Next Fight: 1/29/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Mundine returns from a mere two months away on January 29 in Brisbane.
8) Miguel Cotto (5-187-187)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Cotto is said to be all but signed for a June 7 superfight with Sergio.
9) Cornelius Bundrage (5-178-178)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/24/2014- vs. Joey Hernandez (UNR)
Bundrage has been approved to fight Joey Hernandez in an IBF eliminator.  Golden Boy won the purse bid at a paltry $11,000, meaning Bundrage will bank just $6,600.  The fight is set for Indio, California on January 24, but incredibly is not a slam dunk to be included on the card’s telecast.
10) Alfredo Angulo (5-223-223)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo may be returning in January, and Carlos Molina has been discussed as a possible foe.  He’s also apparently a leading candidate for a March 8 PPV fight with Canelo.
11) Sergey Rabchenko (5-81)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Bradley Pryce (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko is in line for an alphabet eliminator at any time.  The EBU, meanwhile, has set a date of January 21 for purse bids for his mandatory European title defense against Emanuele Della Rosa.  
12) Javier Maciel (5-10)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery L (SD12) vs. #14 Brian Rose
Next Fight: 1/11/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Argentine media reports that Maciel will return in Mar del Plata on January 11.
13) Demetrius Andrade (5-8)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (SD12) vs. #13 Vanes Martirosyan
Next Fight: Unknown
Andrade wants to unify against Carlos Molina, but negotiations are underway for a Brian Rose fight.
14) Delvin Rodriguez (5-129)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #7 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez appears to be solid against borderline top-10 types (see Wolak), but completely out of his depth at just a tad higher level.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (5-135)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- L* (SD12) vs. Demetrius Andrade (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vanes recently challenged Austin Trout, which seems like a good but unlikely matchup considering their ties to rival promoters.  
16) Willie Nelson (5-44)
Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Nelson’s promoter tells me that he’s recovered from the elbow injury that nixed his fight with Matthew Macklin, and that he might be in line for an alphabet title against Sergey Rabchenko if Mayweather chooses to vacate.
17) Brian Rose (5-41)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rose will be fighting Andrade for his alphabet title at some point.  Totally undeserved, although the WBO title  at 154 is particularly meaningless already, having been handed to the very mediocre Zaurbek Baysangurov before being contested between two prospects.
18) Jermell Charlo (5-30)
Last Fight: 10/14/2013- TKO10 Jose Angel Rodriguez (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/25/2014- vs. Gabriel Rosado (UNR)
Charlo gets likely his toughest test to date in former junior middleweight contender Gabe Rosado, who has recently been used as an opponent at 160, but with mixed results.
19) Guido Pitto (1-3)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #20 Jack Culcay
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Kell Brook (1-1)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- vs. Vyacheslav Senchenko (UNR) (at WW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brook is the subject of speculation for a Khan fight, which might materialize, theoretically, if Khan doesn’t secure Mayweather.

 

The Week Ahead: No fights of note to ring in the new year at 154.

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Middleweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 24, 2014 by danboxing
Insert filler about lack of boxing action and Christmas here.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (194-194-194)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
According to fighthype.com, citing anonymous sources close to Cotto, there is now no doubt that Cotto-Martinez will happen on June 7 in New York. 
1) Gennady Golovkin (3-70-133)
Last Fight: 11/2/2013- RTD8 #15 Curtis Stevens
Next Fight: 2/1/2014- vs. Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Golovkin returns February 1 in Monte Carlo.  Originally it looked like Murray was the opponent, but he will instead fight former borderline top 10 contender Osumanu Adama, who was removed from a #13 berth in September for failing to make 160 for 18 months.
2) Felix Sturm (3-537-537)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO2 #3 Darren Barker
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman is the #1 contender for Sturm’s alphabet title, and Macklin and Geale are both trying to get rematches with him, as well.
3) Martin Murray (3-109-109)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- W* (PTS8) vs. Sergey Khomitsky (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/1/2014- vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Murray gets a shot at a second-rate alphabet title on February 1, against Australian prospect Jarrod Fletcher on the Golovkin-Adama undercard.  He says he would like a Sturm rematch after that.
4) Darren Barker (4-20-116)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (TKO2) vs. #4 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Barker’s body failed him against Sturm, and it’s led to heavy speculation that we may have seen the last of him.  His team has only fueled this speculation further.
5) Daniel Geale (20-237-237)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (SD12) vs. #15 Darren Barker
Next Fight: Unknown
In the wake of Sturm’s victory over the man that beat him, Geale has renewed calls for what would be a very interesting rematch with the German.  On the other hand, he’s got a loose verbal agreement to fight Golovkin, likely toward the end of 2014.
6) Matthew Macklin (20-132-223)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After a legitimate but very unspectacular win over only moderately proven prospect Lamar Russ, Macklin has joined the chorus of quality middleweights looking for a rematch with Sturm.  He’s also pushing for a fight with Andy Lee.
7) Peter Quillin (36-63-84)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- TKO10 Gabriel Rosado (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Golden Boy is looking to match Quillin with Danny Jacobs in Brooklyn on February 1.  A recent interview indicates he might prefer to fight some of the top contenders, instead.  Unfortunately most of them fight on HBO in this division, while Quillin’s promoter is tied to Showtime.
8) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (3-3-3)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD10 Anthony Fitzgerald (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There is serious talk of a March 1 fight between N’Dam and Andy Lee in Dublin.
9) Sam Soliman (3-3-3)
Last Fight: 12/11/2013- TKO9 Les Sherrington (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman has been re-installed as the #1 contender to Sturm’s alphabet strap, and will likely get another shot soon.
10) Sergio Mora (3-27-27)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO5 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora had hoped to fight Golovkin on February 1, but says he was never offered the fight.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (3-153)
Last Fight: 7/27/2013- KO2 Dionisio Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rubio looks poised to take on Sergio if Maravilla’s intended fight with Cotto falls through, though that possibility has begun to look increasingly unlikely.  The WBC has ordered a fight between Rubio and Domenico Spada, as an easy shot at the interim title, for whatever that’s worth.
12) Anthony Mundine (3-153)
Last Fight: 11/27/2013- TKO7 #4 WW Shane Mosley (at JMW)
Next Fight: 1/29/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
In a quick turnaround, Mundine announced that he will headline a January 29 show in Brisbane.  Most likely this will be nothing more than a quick payday, as I’m sure he won’t want to prepare for two big fights that close together.
13) Max Bursak (3-153)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD8 Gari Abajian (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Caleb Truax (3-15)
Last Fight: 9/21/2013- TKO4 Ceresso Fort (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/3/2014- vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Truax’s January 3 fight will likely be the first notable fight of the New Year.  His opponent was to be Derek Ennis, but he’s been replaced by the marginally better Ossie Duran.
15) Bryan Vera (3-63)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L* (UD10) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: 3/1/2014- vs. Julio Cesar Chavez (UNR)
Vera-Chavez II now looks likely for March 1 in either Vegas or Texas, after a proposed February date was abandoned over concerns related to Olympic conflicts.
16) Grzegorz Proksa (3-142)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Proksa had another hand operation in August, but thinks he’ll be ready to go for a proposed February fight in Poland with undefeated prospect Maciej Suleckim.
17) Curtis Stevens (3-22)
Last Fight: 11/2/2013- L (RTD8) vs. #2 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: 1/24/2014- vs. Patrick Majewski (UNR)
Stevens will make a surprisingly quick return from a grueling battle with Golovkin.  His January 24 opponent will be one-loss Polish fringe prospect Patrick Majewski.
18) Andrey Meryasev (3-8)
Last Fight: 11/4/2013- UD10 Sergio Sanders (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I’ve still yet to see Meryasev in action, but his win over Sanders at this point in his career proves that he’s a real prospect.
19) Danny Jacobs (3-19)
Last Fight: 8/19/2013- TKO3 Giovanni Lorenzo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Golden Boy is apparently looking to match Jacobs and Quillin on February 1 in Brooklyn.
20) Dmitry Chudinov (3-19)
Last Fight: 12/21/2013- TKO6 Juan Camilo Novoa (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov is said to be in discussions to fight Ricardo Mayorga (who’s still fighting, apparently…) in April.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
Caleb Truax vs. Ossie Duran; Minneapolis, Minnesota; ESPN2 (US)
Truax has emerged from a hit-and-miss reputation in recent fights, and appears poised to mount a challenge for the top 10.  Duran is no easy mark, though, having clearly beaten current #5 contender Brandon Gonzales on his way up.

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Super Middleweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Rankings, Super Middleweight with tags , , , , , , , on March 24, 2014 by danboxing
No major bulletins to report this week, except a large and unexplained increase in the consumption of egg nog.

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Andre Ward (107-241-241)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #13 Edwin Rodriguez
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward says he would fight Golovkin or Hopkins, but seems to doubt that either of them wants to fight him.  In the meantime, he has maybe another fight to deal with that could do more damage to his career than any he has yet met in the ring- a lawsuit against his promoter.  He hopes to be back in March or April, though.  He has expressed interest in both Froch and Groves recently, as well.
1) Carl Froch (84-394-394)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO9 #8 George Groves
Next Fight: Unknown
After a grueling fight that showed Froch returning to his pre-Super 6 ways by pulling one out of the fire late, Froch has a very credible and vehement rematch challenge in his lap, courtesy of George Groves.  Rumor has it that he intends to refuse, and has also resisted suggestions that he move up to 175 to fight Stevenson.  His current focus seems to be on trying to make a Ward rematch, which the Champion apparently is not ruling out.
2) Robert Stieglitz (41-227-227)
Last Fight: 10/19/2013- UD12 Isaac Ekpo (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/1/2014- vs. #4 Arthur Abraham
The Abraham-Stieglitz trilogy bout, originally announced for February 1, is now official for March 1, in Stieglitz’s home base of Magdeburg.
3) Mikkel Kessler (55-473-473)
Last Fight: 5/25/2013- L (UD12) vs. #1 Carl Froch
Next Fight: Unknown
After meeting with Kessler, his promoter says he won’t be fighting anytime soon, and Kessler hinted at possible retirement immediately after the Froch fight.  It’s not looking good for Kessler fans, though the Viking Warrior recently said, rather vaguely, that he still wants a big fight.
4) Arthur Abraham (33-219-219)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Giovanni De Carolis (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/1/2014- vs. #2 Robert Stieglitz
See Stieglitz’s notes, above.
5) Brandon Gonzales (27-27-27)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD10 Jonathan Nelson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Gonzales was placed in the position of fighting Vlasov in an alphabet eliminator, but it’s unclear at present if that fight is still on the table or not.
6) Thomas Oosthuizen (14-135-183)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #13 Ezequiel Maderna
Next Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. LHW #18 Eleider Alvarez (at LHW)
Oosthuizen-Alvarez looks like it’s staying on the Bute-Pascal card despite a few roadblocks.
7) Ezequiel Maderna (8-8-53)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- L* (MD12) vs. #6 Thomas Oosthuizen
Next Fight: Unknown
I doubt he’ll get much love from the alphabets for his effort, but I think you could make a better case for him winning than losing against Oosthuizen, though I had it a draw personally.
8) George Groves (8-55-77)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- L (TKO9) vs. #1 Carl Froch
Next Fight: Unknown
While I think the result of a TKO loss was an inevitable one, I also don’t fault Groves for the ultimatum he recently issued to Froch: rematch or retire.  Obviously he can’t make Froch do that, but I think he earned the rematch, and I think there’s a lot of money in it for both guys.  He’s having to resort to personal attacks to try and get a reluctant Froch to agree, however.  If Froch doesn’t come through with the rematch, Ward might come calling.
9) James DeGale (7-30-116)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Dyah Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Negotiations are underway for an eliminator between DeGale and Periban for a shot at Bika, and promoter Frank Warren is interested in staging a fight between DeGale and Billy Joe Saunders in 2014.
10) Christopher Rebrasse (7-7-30)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- UD6 George Kandelaki (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rebrasse was apparently involved in a December 6 fight that was so under the radar that I missed it until two weeks after it happened.
11) Sakio Bika (7-352)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- Draw (SD12) vs. Anthony Dirrell (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dirrell wants a rematch, and that’s obviously a worthy endeavor given the legitimate draw the first time around.  In the meantime, machinations are underway for an eliminator between Periban and DeGale, with the winner to become his mandatory.  On Bika’s end, he’d like a unification with Froch.
12) Maxim Vlasov (8-60)
Last Fight: 12/5/2013- KO4 Maxell Taylor (UNR) (at LHW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vlasov appears set for an IBF eliminator, and Brandon Gonzales and Ndiaye appear to be the possibilities to oppose him.
13) Edwin Rodriguez (8-50)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
According to his trainer Ronnie Shields, they might be looking to fight a top-15 level light heavyweight, and have absolutely no intention to ever try to make 168 again.  He’ll be on the shelf for a little while due to bone chip-removal surgery on his elbow in December.
 14) Andy Lee (14-33)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013-TKO2 Ferenc Hafner (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin-Lee was all the talk for months, with St. Patrick’s Day being the target.  I don’t know if that’s still on the table, but the latest word is that Lee might be fighting N’Dam in Dublin on March 1.
15) Ryota Murata (14-19)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- TKO8 Dave Peterson (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/22/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Murata is slated for a February 22 card in Macau.
16) Caleb Truax (14-28)
Last Fight: 9/21/2013- TKO4 Ceresso Fort (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 1/3/2014- vs. Ossie Duran (UNR)
Ossie Duran has replaced Derek Ennis as Truax’s January 3 opponent- a modest upgrade, actually.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (14-44)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
 18) Badou Jack (4-24)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- TKO6 Rogelio Medina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Jack called out the winner of Bika vs. Dirrell after his win over Medina, but might want to restate, since the fight ended in a draw the following night.
19) Don Mouton (4-14)
Last Fight: 5/13/2013- L* (UD8) vs. #10 Anthony Dirrell
Next Fight: 2/1/2013- vs. Gilberto Ramirez (UNR)
Mouton-Ramirez has been rescheduled for February 1.
20) Anthony Dirrell (4-4)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- Draw (SD12) vs. #11 Sakio Bika
Next Fight: Unknown
His hard-fought draw with Sakio Bika gained Dirrell a measure of redemption for what pretty clearly should have been a loss against Don Mouton, and has him back in the hot prospect category.  He’s called for a rematch (good idea) and a fight with Golovkin (bad idea).

 

The Week Ahead: #16 Caleb Truax will be in action against Ossie Duran in Minneapolis.  To the best of my knowledge, it will be a middleweight fight, though I would caution that both fighters are known to fight at various catchweights, and that such things are rarely reported adequately until the weigh-in.

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Light Heavyweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 24, 2014 by danboxing
Nothing to report, except that I got a few nice presents for Christmas.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (69-69-69)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
When asked about a fight with Hopkins, Ward acknowledged that it’s one of only two fights that would get him on PPV (the other being Chavez), but said he would only fight Hopkins if the legend called him out.  He’s now officially suing his promoter, but seems hopeful of a March or April return.  He’s also indicated interest in a Froch rematch or a Groves fight.
1) Adonis Stevenson (30-30-30)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevenson-Kovalev is the obvious can’t-miss battle in the division, but it sounds like Stevenson is looking for a much safer outing against Andrzej Fonfara for April 12.
2) Bernard Hopkins (69-395-395)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Golden Boy is working on an in-house clash between Hopkins and Shumenov, though B-Hop still says he strongly prefers a middleweight clash with Mayweather- a great superfight, but a fight that is probably not going to get made, realistically.
3) Sergey Kovalev (29-50-50)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO2 Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev is actively pursuing a fight with a seemingly reluctant Stevenson, and says he’s open to fighting Ward at 175, too.  More recently, there is talk of a February or March bout, with stated possibilities being Fonfara or the Pascal-Bute winner.
4) Chad Dawson (29-396-396)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson is now a promotional free agent, and is looking to sign with a top promoter to start rebuilding after a rough year.  He says he is interested in a Stevenson rematch.
5) Andrzej Fonfara (20-20-77)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fonfara was being discussed as a possible alternative for Kovalev if Stevenson fell through, but apparently there are now active discussions for him to fight Stevenson, instead.
6) Tony Bellew (20-116-116)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Bellew plans a move to cruiserweight.  That division could use some new blood.  Cleverly seems like a natural opponent there, since he’s moving up as well.  Both men are interested, though Cleverly just signed to fight Makabu.
7) Gabriel Campillo (20-184-184)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo might be on his way to deserved obscurity after being robbed of deserved prominence for so much of his career.  He still has plenty of boxing skill, but his will might be fading just a bit.
8) Tavoris Cloud (20-227-227)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
9) Nathan Cleverly (20-204-204)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: 2/1/2014- vs. #11 CW Ilunga Makabu (at CW)
Cleverly will fight Junior Makabu on the Golovkin card in Monaco, February 1.
10) Isaac Chilemba (20-40-100)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD8 Michael Gbenga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Jürgen Brähmer (3-89)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 Marcus Oliveira (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Braehmer now has an alphabet title.  The rather abysmal rankings of that organization would suggest that guys like Mohammedi and Eleider Alvarez are at the top of the heap to challenge for that.
12) Cornelius White (3-107)
Last Fight: 6/14/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #5 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
White was blasted out by Kovalev, but at least he has good company in that regard.
 13) Karo Murat (10-10)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Cedric Agnew (10-38)
Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
Agnew has been ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko.
15) Edwin Rodriguez (10-25)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez’s trainer Ronnie Shields opines that a fight against a top-15 level light heavyweight would be a good jumping-off point for his anticipated permanent move up.  Before that happens, he’ll need to recover from minor elbow surgery he had in December.
16) Lucian Bute (10-61)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Bute-Pascal has been pushed back to January 18.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (10-27)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mohoumadi snuck in a low-level win on November 30, apparently at 168.
18) Eleider Alvarez (10-49)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- UD10 Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/18/2013- vs. #6 SMW Thomas Oosthuizen
Alvarez-Oosthuizen appears to be a go for the Bute-Pascal undercard.
19) Dmitry Sukhotsky (6-6)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO5 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
As conclusive as the Sukhotsky-Gutknecht result looks on paper, I’d actually like to see a rematch, since Gutknecht was having the better of it before his eye began to balloon.
20) Enzo Maccarinelli (6-20)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO7 Courtney Fry (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Maccarinelli has a likely fanciful desire to fight Bernard Hopkins.

 

The Week Ahead: A third slow week in a row begins the new year.

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Cruiserweight: 2013-2014, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Cruiserweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 24, 2014 by danboxing
Nothing to report from last week, except that Christmas happened, as scheduled.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: None
1) Denis Lebedev (23-204-204)
Last Fight: 5/17/2013- L (TKO11) vs. Guillermo Jones (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Citing delays from the Guillermo Jones/Don King side, Lebedev has petitioned to the WBA for the ability to seek a unification fight with Wlodarczyk, instead.  In the mean time, purse bids have been set for January 6 on the Jones fight.
2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (68-184-184)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO10 #12 Alexander Alekseev
Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Sauerland says Hernandez will be back on March 8 in Berlin, in a voluntary defense.  No opponent yet.
3) Marco Huck (16-369-369)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- W (MD12) vs. #5 Ola Afolabi
Next Fight: 1/25/2014- vs. #5 Firat Arslan
Huck-Arslan II has a new date of January 25 after Huck suffered a hand injury.
4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (16-445-445)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- TKO6 #9 Giacobbe Fragomeni
Next Fight: Unknown
Wlodarczyk had a relatively easy time in his third fight with Fragomeni, and is interested in Huck, Hernandez, Afolabi, Drozd, and Chakhkiev for his next fight.
5) Firat Arslan (16-86-129)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD10 Varol Vekiloglu (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/25/2014- vs. #3 Marco Huck
See Huck’s notes, above.

6) Thabiso Mchunu (16-22-60)
Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Eddie Chambers (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/24/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Mchunu is in search of an opponent for January 24, after Garrett Wilson and then Santander Silgado both fell through in the space of a week.
7) Grigory Drozd (6-13-60)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO11 #13 Mateusz Masternak
Next Fight: 3/15/2014- vs. Jeremy Ouanna (UNR)
Drozd will defend his European title in March against solid French journeyman Jeremy Ouanna, though Wlodarczyk’s team seems to think they might get Drozd in their next fight.
8) Ola Afolabi (6-251-251)
Last Fight: 11/2/2013- W* (MD12) vs. Lukasz Janik (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Afolabi needed a gift to squeak by Janik, and is on Wlodarczyk’s short list for the Pole’s next fight.
9) Giacobbe Fragomeni (6-16-268)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #4 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
Next Fight: Unknown
I really hope that Fragomeni will call it a career.  
10) Silvio Branco (6-6-94)
Last Fight: 7/6/2013- W (TD10) vs. Juho Haapoja (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Branco has been tabbed by the WBC to fight Chakhkiev for some silly color coded title belt, with January 3 the deadline to avoid purse bids.
11) Ilunga Makabu (6-25)
Last Fight: 8/31/2013- TKO5 Eric Fields (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/1/2014- vs. #9 LHW Nathan Cleverly
Makabu gets a high-profile opponent in Monaco on February 1- Welsh contender Nathan Cleverly, who takes a big chance in his cruiserweight debut.
12) Santander Silgado (4-9)
Last Fight: 11/1/2013- TKO2 #20 Steve Herelius
Next Fight: Unknown
Silgado is being slammed by his own manager after he declined an arranged fight with Thabiso Mchunu.
13) Mateusz Masternak (4-92)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (TKO11) vs. #16 Grigory Drozd
Next Fight: Unknown
Masternak is still a legitimate prospect despite his first loss, but can no longer lay claim to the status of “top prospect” after losing to Drozd.
14) Lukasz Janik (4-9)
Last Fight: 11/2/2013- L* (MD12) vs. #7 Ola Afolabi
Next Fight: Unknown
Janik would like a well-deserved rematch with Afolabi.
15) Nuri Seferi (2-2)
Last Fight: 12/20/2013- W (DQ7*) vs. Steve Herelius (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
16) Enad Licina (2-184)
Last Fight: 9/27/2013- TKO3 Levan Jomardashvili (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Licina needs a significant win before January, as his only relevant win in the last 5 years will become older than 5 years at that point, prompting his removal.
17) Danie Venter (2-16)
Last Fight: 9/21/2013- KO1 Shawn Cox (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I must admit I wrote Venter off when he lost a bit of an upset to Mchunu last year, but Mchunu has proven to be something of a world beater since, and Venter’s overall resume is quietly starting to look pretty solid.
18) Dmytro Kucher (2-79)
Last Fight: 7/13/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ilunga Makabu (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kucher would like a rematch with Makabu, and has his sights set on Wlodarczyk down the road, as well.  He expects to be back against someone in November or December.
19) Krzysztof Glowacki (2-23)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO9 Varol Vekiloglu (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glowacki has been tearing through the middle tier of the division like a wrecking ball.
20) Rakhim Chakhkiev (2-6)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- KO10 Giulian Ilie (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chakhkiev will apparently get a chance at some silly color-coded alphabet belt against Silvio Branco, with a deadline to avoid purse bids of January 3.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD: 
Saturday
Victor Ramirez vs. TBA; Mar del Plata, Argentina; TyC Sports (ARG)
Ramirez was a ranked fringe contender before taking 4 years off.  Even with that layoff, he might not be far from reclaiming a ranking in this weakened division if he manages to make 200 for this fight.

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Heavyweight: 2013-204, Dec 30- Jan 5

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 24, 2014 by danboxing
No fight action last week, due to the Christmas holiday.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (236-449-449)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- UD12 #3 Alexander Povetkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Klitschko is in talks to fight his mandatory, Alex Leapai.  He said recently that he wants to capture his brother’s old alphabet title, which would unify all the major titles for the first time since Lewis in 1999.  He would have to wait for someone else to pick it up first, as the silly alphabets don’t let current titlists fight for vacant titles.
1) Alexander Povetkin (6-323-323)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
Povetkin is calling for a rematch.  He would probably need to become the WBA mandatory by winning an eliminator (possibly against Luis Ortiz) in order to get that shot.  His promotional ties expire at the end of the year, and he says he’ll announce his next move in early 2014.
2) Steve Cunningham (6-54-54)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD8 Manuel Quezada (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Cunningham had little trouble dominating a fading former gatekeeper in Quezada.
3) Tomasz Adamek (6-193-193)
Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/15/2014- vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov
The rescheduled fight with Glazkov is now official for March 15.
4) Kubrat Pulev (6-87-164)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO5 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Pulev was dropped (lightly) for the first time in his career, and seems to have taken Abell lightly in general.  Nevertheless, he finished it off with an impressive stoppage.
5) Dereck Chisora (6-109-172)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO3 Ondrej Pala (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/15/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Chisora returns on February 15, with an opponent as yet unannounced.  There is a lot of speculation in Britain that he might be in line to fight Tyson Fury in a rematch for the vacated WBC title.  How that would come to pass, when neither guy is at the top of the rankings in that organization, is beyond me.  That being said, boxing politics seldom fails to surprise, and Chisora and Fury are more deserving at this point than Stiverne and Arreola, anyhow.
6) Odlanier Solis (6-41-188)
Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO7 Yakup Saglam (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/22/2014- vs. #9 Tony Thompson
Solis was first set to fight Kevin Johnson.  But he backed out because the IBF wanted him to fight Takam.  But now word from Tony Thompson is that Solis will fight Thompson, instead, on March 22.
7) Bermane Stiverne (6-28-44)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola
Next Fight: Unknown
Despite speculation in the UK of a possible match-up between Fury and Chisora for the WBC title, that organization has officially ordered Stiverne-Arreola, with purse bids due on January 17.  Stiverne’s legal situation with Don King seems to be the only possible stumbling block at this point.
8) Chris Arreola (6-17-17)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- TKO1 #12 Seth Mitchell
Next Fight: Unknown
See Stiverne’s notes, above.
9) Tony Thompson (6-7-188)
Last Fight: 8/24/2013- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev
Next Fight: 3/22/2014- vs. #6 Odlanier Solis
Thompson says he’s fighting Odlanier Solis on March 22.
10) Erkan Teper (6-6-18)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO1 Martin Rogan (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teper might have scored the heavyweight knockout of the year, and probably retired Martin Rogan in the process.
11) Mike Perez (6-9)
Last Fight: 11/2/2013- UD10 Magomed Abdusalamov (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Carlos Takam (UNR)
With Solis-Takam falling through, Takam will now be offered up to Perez, instead, on the Pascal-Bute undercard on January 18 in Montreal.
12) Deontay Wilder (6-36)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- TKO4 Nicolai Firtha (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Wilder had hoped to supersede either Stiverne or Arreola for a shot at the WBC belt, but with that fight now officially ordered, he can only hope that Stiverne can’t work the fight out due to legal problems, or that he can fight the winner.
13) Alex Leapai (6-6)
Last Fight: 11/23/2013- UD10 #20 Denis Boytsov
Next Fight: Unknown
Leapai and Wlad are beginning negotiations for a mandatory fight.
14) Robert Helenius (7-188)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W*(UD10) vs. Michael Sprott (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
We finally have a bit of clarification on the Helenius-Sauerland situation.  Helenius says that when he signed a promotional contract with Sauerland in 2007, he had no representation and couldn’t even read it in German.  He is currently trying to get a Finnish court to allow him to fight in Finland, as he says Sauerland is blocking him from fighting now despite the fact that his health will now allow it.
15) Andy Ruiz (6-6)
Last Fight: 11/24/2013- RTD3 Tor Hamer (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ruiz has called out Tyson Fury, whose team says he’s out until at least March.
16) Seth Mitchell (7-30)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career.  Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.
17) Alexander Dimitrenko (6-155)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dimitrenko is rumored at least to be fighting Sam Sexton in the first round of the WBC World Cup, but that tournament appears to be in limbo for the time being, at least.
18) Vyacheslav Glazkov (6-54)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD10 Garrett Wilson (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/15/2014- vs. #3 Tomasz Adamek
Glazkov-Adamek is back on, for March 15, after the first attempt was cancelled due to an Adamek illness.
19) Malik Scott (6-45)
Last Fight: 7/20/2013- L (KO6*) vs. #8 Dereck Chisora
Next Fight: Unknown
Scott is getting serious buzz for a fight with Wilder.
20) Johnathon Banks (6-59)
Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell
Next Fight: Unknown
Banks is penciled-in for the second round of the WBC World Cup, against the winner of Sam Sexton and Alexander Dimitrenko, but as noted above, that whole tournament is delayed and in doubt.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD: Happy New Year!

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