Light Heavyweight: 2014, Jan 27- Feb 2
The week’s most important fight was the Friday Night Fights clash in Shelton, Washington between underrated #13 Cornelius White and well-connected undefeated prospect Thomas Williams, Jr. In a single action-packed round, Williams dropped White with a left that may not even have landed, but which nevertheless caused an off-balance White to take a seat. Later in the round, Williams caught White on the top of the head as he carelessly leaned forward. This appeared to hurt him, and Williams displayed his killer instinct by peppering White on the ropes, causing referee Bobby Howard to stop it with only a matter of a few seconds remaining in the round. But in between, White nailed Williams with a beautiful left that arrived first in an exchange, and dropped the prospect pretty hard. The best knockdown punch of the night was White’s, but his chin- combined with a fair amount of sloppiness- really let him down in this fight. An inescapable conclusion has emerged with regard to White’s career: if you can punch at a world class level or thereabouts (Williams, Kovalev, and Don George), you’re going to get him out of there early, since the opportunity is definitely there. If you can’t (Despaigne and Sukhotsky), you might be in for a tough night, as he beat up those to guys in (non-televised) distance fights.
Champ: Andre Ward (73-73-73) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW) Next Fight: Unknown Ward says his manager is working on his next fight despite his lawsuit against promoter Dan Goossen. He had indicated interest in Golovkin, but the Kazakh’s own trainer recently said his fighter is not ready for that fight. 1) Adonis Stevenson (34-34-34) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #6 Andrzej Fonfara According to Ringtv.com, Stevenson-Fonfara will most likely land on May 24. 2) Bernard Hopkins (73-399-399) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR) Golden Boy has reportedly closed the deal on Hopkins-Shumenov, with March or April expected. 3) Jean Pascal (2-2-2) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute Next Fight: Unknown Pascal appears to be fully back from his 2 years in the desert, figuratively speaking, having dominated an apparently shopworn Bute. 4) Sergey Kovalev (2-54-54) 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 March 15 bout, with Pascal being one possibility. 5) Chad Dawson (2-400-400) 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. Prospects for another occasionally-discussed rematch- with Jean Pascal- increased recently with word that Pascal’s trainer offered Dawson a contract. 6) Andrzej Fonfara (2-24-81) Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson See Stevenson’s notes, above. 7) Tony Bellew (2-120-120) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson Next Fight: 3/15/2013- vs. Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW) Bellew plans a move to cruiserweight, and his first fight there is scheduled for March 15 in Liverpool, against Valery Brudov. 8) Gabriel Campillo (2-188-188)
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. For anyone who is wondering he says he plans to make another push for a title, rather than retiring. 9) Tavoris Cloud (2-231-231)
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. 10) Nathan Cleverly (2-208-208) Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut is once again delayed by what’s being called a minor injury. His promoter says he intends to schedule him another fight very soon. 11) Isaac Chilemba (2-104) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD8 Michael Gbenga (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 12) Jürgen Brähmer (2-93) Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 Marcus Oliveira (UNR) Next Fight: 4/5/2014- vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (UNR) Braehmer returns April 5 in Rostock, Germany against moderately resurgent Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli. 13) Karo Murat (1-14) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins Next Fight: Unknown Murat is a free agent after his contract with Sauerland recently expired. 14) Thomas Williams, Jr. (1-1) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- TKO1 #13 Cornelius White Next Fight: Unknown Williams has been well-matched against vulnerable guys with good resumes. 15) Cedric Agnew (2-42) Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack Next Fight: Unknown Agnew was ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko, and also appears to have the option of fighting Sukhotsky for a position as IBF mandatory. Even so, he’s now being mentioned as a possible March opponent for Sergey Kovalev. 16) Edwin Rodriguez (2-29) 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. 17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (14-31) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 18) Cornelius White (1-111) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses. 19) Eleider Alvarez (1-53) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD10 Andy Gardiner (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Alvarez may have been suffering from a letdown after Oosthuizen withdrew from what could have been the Colombian’s biggest fight ever, and almost let it effect him to the point of losing to an unheralded undefeated prospect in Gardiner. 20) Lucian Bute (1-65) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Bute looks rather shopworn after the brutal beating at the hands of Froch, the close pitched battle with Grachev, and the humiliation at the hands of Pascal.
That same night in Pinamar, Argentina, fringe contender Roberto Feliciano Bolonti knocked out decent-ish journeyman Jose Clavero late in the 6th round of a scheduled 10.
Saturday on the non-televised portion of the Mikey Garcia card in New York, undefeated local prospect Sean Monaghan blitzed faded journeyman Matt Vanda, stopping him in the closing seconds of the opening round. Vanda announced his retirement after the fight.
Williams’ win allows him to debut at #14, with Karo Murat still taking precedence with his draw against Campillo. White slumps to #18, rescued from total obscurity by his still-relevant 2012 win over Sukhotsky. Sukhotsky himself is forced out in the transaction, after 9 weeks in.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (73-73-73) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW) Next Fight: Unknown Ward says his manager is working on his next fight despite his lawsuit against promoter Dan Goossen. He had indicated interest in Golovkin, but the Kazakh’s own trainer recently said his fighter is not ready for that fight. 1) Adonis Stevenson (34-34-34) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #6 Andrzej Fonfara According to Ringtv.com, Stevenson-Fonfara will most likely land on May 24. 2) Bernard Hopkins (73-399-399) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR) Golden Boy has reportedly closed the deal on Hopkins-Shumenov, with March or April expected. 3) Jean Pascal (2-2-2) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute Next Fight: Unknown Pascal appears to be fully back from his 2 years in the desert, figuratively speaking, having dominated an apparently shopworn Bute. 4) Sergey Kovalev (2-54-54) 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 March 15 bout, with Pascal being one possibility. 5) Chad Dawson (2-400-400) 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. Prospects for another occasionally-discussed rematch- with Jean Pascal- increased recently with word that Pascal’s trainer offered Dawson a contract. 6) Andrzej Fonfara (2-24-81) Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson See Stevenson’s notes, above. 7) Tony Bellew (2-120-120) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- L (TKO6) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson Next Fight: 3/15/2013- vs. Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW) Bellew plans a move to cruiserweight, and his first fight there is scheduled for March 15 in Liverpool, against Valery Brudov. 8) Gabriel Campillo (2-188-188)
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. For anyone who is wondering he says he plans to make another push for a title, rather than retiring. 9) Tavoris Cloud (2-231-231)
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. 10) Nathan Cleverly (2-208-208) Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut is once again delayed by what’s being called a minor injury. His promoter says he intends to schedule him another fight very soon. 11) Isaac Chilemba (2-104) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD8 Michael Gbenga (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 12) Jürgen Brähmer (2-93) Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 Marcus Oliveira (UNR) Next Fight: 4/5/2014- vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (UNR) Braehmer returns April 5 in Rostock, Germany against moderately resurgent Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli. 13) Karo Murat (1-14) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins Next Fight: Unknown Murat is a free agent after his contract with Sauerland recently expired. 14) Thomas Williams, Jr. (1-1) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- TKO1 #13 Cornelius White Next Fight: Unknown Williams has been well-matched against vulnerable guys with good resumes. 15) Cedric Agnew (2-42) Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack Next Fight: Unknown Agnew was ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko, and also appears to have the option of fighting Sukhotsky for a position as IBF mandatory. Even so, he’s now being mentioned as a possible March opponent for Sergey Kovalev. 16) Edwin Rodriguez (2-29) 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. 17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (14-31) Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 18) Cornelius White (1-111) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses. 19) Eleider Alvarez (1-53) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD10 Andy Gardiner (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Alvarez may have been suffering from a letdown after Oosthuizen withdrew from what could have been the Colombian’s biggest fight ever, and almost let it effect him to the point of losing to an unheralded undefeated prospect in Gardiner. 20) Lucian Bute (1-65) Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Bute looks rather shopworn after the brutal beating at the hands of Froch, the close pitched battle with Grachev, and the humiliation at the hands of Pascal.
The Week Ahead: Friday Blake Caparello vs. Elvir Muriqi; West Orange, NJ; ESPN2 (US) Top Australian prospect Caparello makes his US debut in a Friday Night Fights main event against Kosovar journeyman Muriqi, who made a name for himself by losing a very close decision to post-Rocky Balboa-gig Antonio Tarver in 2007, but who has been in steady decline since then.
Saturday Erik Skoglund vs. Adasat Rodriguez; Fredrikshavn, Denmark; 3+ (Denmark) Skoglund is a Danish undefeated prospect- still largely untested- who has nevertheless made a bit of hay with his close win in 2013 over fellow undefeated prospect Luke Blackledge. I can’t vouch for that result, since I can’t find a video of the close decision in Skoglund’s back yard. Rodriguez is a low-level Spanish journeyman at 9-2-1. His losses weren’t against anybody special, so it should be an easy night for the Dane.
Dan's Weekly Boxer Rankings and Blog 
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