Junior Middleweight: 2014, Mar 3-9
Last week saw no action, for the fourth week in a row.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: None 1) Carlos Molina (57-139-154) Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Jermall Charlo (UNR) Molina will put his belt on the line against the lower-ranked Charlo brother on the Canelo-Angulo undercard. 2) Erislandy Lara (13-139-161) Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #4 Austin Trout Next Fight: Unknown Lara wants Canelo, Mayweather, or now Golovkin. Meanwhile, he’s being sought out by Ishe Smith and Anthony Mundine. 3) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (13-25-25) Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez Next Fight: 5/3/2014- vs. #4 WW Marcos Maidana (at WW) Floyd will fight Maidana rather than Khan. Thank goodness. 4) Saul Alvarez (13-157-172) Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L* (MD12) vs. WW Champion Floyd Mayweather Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. #10 Alfredo Angulo Canelo says he will fight Angulo on March 8. 5) Austin Trout (13-92-161) 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 (25-54-54) Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L (SD12) vs. #1 Carlos Molina Next Fight: Unknown Smith and Lara have been exchanging words on Twitter, and there is speculation they might fight on Mayweather’s May 3 undercard. 7) Anthony Mundine (14-14-14) Last Fight: 1/29/2014- UD10 Gunnar Jackson (UNR) (at MW) Next Fight: 4/2/2014- vs. Joshua Clottey (UNR) Mundine will be fighting Joshua Clottey on April 2, and wants a fight with Lara after that. 8) Miguel Cotto (14-196-196) Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW) Cotto and Martinez have now officially agreed to a Middleweight Championship fight on June 7 at MSG. 9) Cornelius Bundrage (14-187-187) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD12 Joey Hernandez (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The IBF rankings are pretty incestuous in the sense that the same lower-profile contenders continue to get repeated bites at the apple. Bundrage could be one fight away from another shot, even after badly losing to the guy that lost to the current titlist. 10) Alfredo Angulo (14-232-232) Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Erislandy Lara Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. #4 Saul Alvarez Angulo gets a big shot against Canelo on a March 8 PPV. 11) Sergey Rabchenko (14-90) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Bradley Pryce (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Rabchenko is in line for an alphabet eliminator at any time, and has apparently relinquished his European belt to pursue that opportunity. 12) Javier Maciel (14-19) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery L (SD12) vs. #14 Brian Rose Next Fight: 3/15/2014- vs. Zaurbek Baysangurov (UNR) According to the blog “A Puro Boxeo,” Maciel will fight the ridiculously overrated Zaurbek Baysangurov on March 15 in the Ukraine. 13) Demetrius Andrade (14-17) Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (SD12) vs. #13 Vanes Martirosyan Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #19 Brian Rose Andrade and Rose have agreed to fight in the US, with June 14 now likely. 14) Delvin Rodriguez (14-138) 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 (14-144) Last Fight: 11/9/2013- L* (SD12) vs. Demetrius Andrade (UNR) Next Fight: 3/21/2014- vs. Mario Lozano (UNR) Vanes has signed with a new promoter, and will debut under the Goossen-Tutor banner on March 21st’s Friday Night Fights broadcast. He was initially slated to fight the solid Luciano Cuello, but he’ll settle for mid-level journeyman Mario Lozano after Cuello pulled out over money. 16) Jermell Charlo (6-39) Last Fight: 1/25/2014- UD10 Gabriel Rosado (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Charlo let Rosado back into the fight late, but overall was very impressive against a battle-tested opponent. 17) Gabriel Rosado (6-6) Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (UD10) vs. #18 Jermell Charlo Next Fight: Unknown Atrocious judges and a fragile eyelid have helped put Rosado’s career more or less in tatters. 18) Willie Nelson (6-53) Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. James Kirkland (UNR) Nelson’s camp says there’s a deal in place to fight Kirkland. The fight will likely take place on April 26 at MSG. 19) Brian Rose (6-50) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Andrade’s notes, above. 20) Guido Pitto (6-12) Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #20 Jack Culcay Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: Tuesday Tadashi Yuba vs. Takayuki Hosokawa; Tokyo, Japan; TV Unknown Gatekeeper Yuba is a top 50 fighter, but it should be noted that he twice settled for a split decision over Yoshihasa Tonimura- a journeyman at precisely the same level as Hosokawa- including in his last fight. Hosokawa might have a shot here, especially considering the unpredictability of Japanese results in general.
Saturday #4 Saul Alvarez vs. #10 Alfredo Angulo; Las Vegas, Nevada; Showtime PPV (US) Alvarez did a lot better against Mayweather, I thought, than anyone gave him credit for. But he’s got a whole different style in front of him on Saturday, in the relentless pressure fighter that is Angulo. Canelo won’t be able to take minutes and rounds off the way he did against guys like Trout and Gomez. Canelo would appear to be the crisper puncher and the more technical boxer, but Angulo did give Erislandy Lara very nearly all he could handle in his last fight. That’s the same Lara that comprehensively dominated Austin Trout, against whom Canelo was very fortunate to escape with a victory. That being said, styles make fights, and I do have to favor Canelo.
#1 Carlos Molina vs. Jermall Charlo; Las Vegas, Nevada; Showtime PPV (US) It’s a big step up for Charlo. The younger Charlo is a promising prospect but, despite a growing resume, he has yet to be tested anywhere near this level. Golden Boy is banking on him being a special fighter, and he very well may be just that. Molina is a heavily-underrated Hopkins-like technician who may just have too many veteran tricks in his bag for the youngster.
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