Cruiserweight: 2014, Feb 10-16
Nothing to report from last week.
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. More recently, he’s being openly pursued by Mchunu. 5) Thabiso Mchunu (3-28-66) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD10 Olanrewaju Durodola (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Wlodarczyk’s notes, above. 6) Firat Arslan (3-92-135) Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #3 Marco Huck Next Fight: Unknown Having visibly regressed since his excellent first effort against Huck, it might be time for the 43 year-old Arslan to consider retirement. 7) Grigory Drozd (12-19-66) 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 (12-257-257) Last Fight: 11/2/2013- W* (MD12) vs. Lukasz Janik (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown An alphabet eliminator has been ordered between Afolabi and unbeaten but unproven Italian prospect Mirko Larghetti. 9) Giacobbe Fragomeni (12-22-274) 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 (12-12-100) 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 March 15 reportedly in play. 11) Ilunga Makabu (12-31) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO2 Ruben Angel Mino (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Makabu will no doubt look for a big fight after his last one was changed into a stay-busy outing without his consent.
12) Santander Silgado (10-15) 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 (10-98) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- KO4 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 14) Lukasz Janik (10-15) 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 (8-8) Last Fight: 12/20/2013- W (DQ7*) vs. Steve Herelius (UNR) Next Fight: 4/11/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent Seferi will be among the headliners- against an unknown opponent- on April 11 on a show billed, a bit oddly, as “Evil Fight Night” in Hamburg. 16) Danie Venter (3-22) 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. 17) Dmytro Kucher (3-85) Last Fight: 7/13/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ilunga Makabu (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 18) Krzysztof Glowacki (3-29) Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO9 Varol Vekiloglu (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Glowacki is seriously interested in fighting Francisco Palacios. 19) Rakhim Chakhkiev (3-4) Last Fight: 10/5/2013- KO10 Giulian Ilie (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Branco’s notes, above. 20) Garrett Wilson (3-3) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD10) vs. #18 HW Vyacheslav Glazkov (at HW) Next Fight: Unknown Wilson was originally scheduled to fight Mchunu instead of Durodola. His tenuous foothold in the rankings may be short-lived, as his last fight at or below 200 was on February 22, which means he could be removed for that reason in less than a month.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: None 1) Denis Lebedev (29-210-210) Last Fight: 5/17/2013- L (TKO11) vs. Guillermo Jones (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Guillermo Jones (UNR) Lebedev-Jones II will soon be announced for an April date. 2) Marco Huck (3-375-375) Last Fight:1/25/2014- TKO6 #5 Firat Arslan Next Fight: 5/3/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent Sauerland says Huck will return on May 3, and then likely move up to heavyweight. 3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (3-190-190) Last Fight: 11/23/2013- TKO10 #12 Alexander Alekseev Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Pawel Kolodziej (UNR) Hernandez’s March 8 opponent is Pawel Kolodziej, an undefeated Polish prospect who would probably have been ranked here frequently if he ever bothered to make 200. 4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (22-451-451) 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. More recently, he’s being openly pursued by Mchunu. 5) Thabiso Mchunu (3-28-66) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD10 Olanrewaju Durodola (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Wlodarczyk’s notes, above. 6) Firat Arslan (3-92-135) Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #3 Marco Huck Next Fight: Unknown Having visibly regressed since his excellent first effort against Huck, it might be time for the 43 year-old Arslan to consider retirement. 7) Grigory Drozd (12-19-66) 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 (12-257-257) Last Fight: 11/2/2013- W* (MD12) vs. Lukasz Janik (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown An alphabet eliminator has been ordered between Afolabi and unbeaten but unproven Italian prospect Mirko Larghetti. 9) Giacobbe Fragomeni (12-22-274) 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 (12-12-100) 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 March 15 reportedly in play. 11) Ilunga Makabu (12-31) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO2 Ruben Angel Mino (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Makabu will no doubt look for a big fight after his last one was changed into a stay-busy outing without his consent.
12) Santander Silgado (10-15) 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 (10-98) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- KO4 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 14) Lukasz Janik (10-15) 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 (8-8) Last Fight: 12/20/2013- W (DQ7*) vs. Steve Herelius (UNR) Next Fight: 4/11/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent Seferi will be among the headliners- against an unknown opponent- on April 11 on a show billed, a bit oddly, as “Evil Fight Night” in Hamburg. 16) Danie Venter (3-22) 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. 17) Dmytro Kucher (3-85) Last Fight: 7/13/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ilunga Makabu (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 18) Krzysztof Glowacki (3-29) Last Fight: 12/14/2013- TKO9 Varol Vekiloglu (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Glowacki is seriously interested in fighting Francisco Palacios. 19) Rakhim Chakhkiev (3-4) Last Fight: 10/5/2013- KO10 Giulian Ilie (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Branco’s notes, above. 20) Garrett Wilson (3-3) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD10) vs. #18 HW Vyacheslav Glazkov (at HW) Next Fight: Unknown Wilson was originally scheduled to fight Mchunu instead of Durodola. His tenuous foothold in the rankings may be short-lived, as his last fight at or below 200 was on February 22, which means he could be removed for that reason in less than a month.
THE WEEK AHEAD: Saturday Denton Daley vs. Andres Taylor; Mississauga, Ontario; Off TV I’ve never seen Daley, but the Ontario prospect has passed every test so far, having stopped his two best opponents- mid-to-upper level journeymen both. Pennsylvania’s Taylor is a marginal step down from that level, or so it would appear.
Youri Kayembre Kalenga vs. Cesar Crenz; Dublin, Ireland; Off TV This is an interesting match-up. Crenz is a known quantity. He’s an Argentine veteran who generally loses to top 50 fighters and has been unsuccessfully in with the likes of Yoan Pablo Hernandez, Kolodziej, and Kucher, as well as the more borderline Rogelio Rossi, but did manage to spring an upset on former contender Hugo Garay in 2011. Kalenga is a bit more of a wildcard. He’s a Congolese prospect who looked to be headed straight for the top last summer when, as an undefeated fighter, he made short work of top 50 undefeated prospect Iago Kiladze, but that all came crashing down in his very next fight, when he lost a lopsided decision to sub-.500 travelling opponent Arturs Kulikauskis, who has lost to some pretty mediocre guys in addition to top prospects. Kalenga has gone on to stop two opponents roughly on Kulikauskis’ level since then, but he’s still got a lot to prove. Both guys are currently ranked in the top 50 by Boxrec, so this could be big for the winner.
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