Junior Middleweight: 2014, Jul 7-13
No junior middleweight fights of substance last week, and no changes this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: None 1) Saul Alvarez (18-175-190) Last Fight: 3/8/2014- TKO10 #10 Alfredo Angulo (at 155) Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #3 Erislandy Lara (at 155) Canelo came knocking, and Lara answered the door. 2) Carlos Molina (18-157-172) Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. #10 Cornelius Bundrage Molina defends his alphabet belt on September 6 in Cancun against Bundrage. 3) Erislandy Lara (18-157-179) Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #4 Austin Trout Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #1 Saul Alvarez Lara traded an intended fight with Ishe Smith for a more lucrative and important showdown with Canelo. The fight might not determine a legitimate champion, but it should at least crown a preeminent top contender. 4) Miguel Cotto (5-214-214) Last Fight: 6/7/2014- RTD10 MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW) Next Fight: Unknown Cotto is now the Middleweight Champion, so it remains to be seen if he’ll continue to fight at 154 at all. He’s reportedly interested in fighting Canelo, in a likely catchweight fight, if Canelo can get by Lara. 5) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (5-43-43) Last Fight: 5/3/2014- W* (MD12) vs. #4 WW Marcos Maidana (at WW) Next Fight: 9/13/2014- vs. #1 WW Marcos Maidana (at WW) Floyd recently said he’s rematching Maidana on September 13. I’m glad. Maidana deserves that, at the very least. 6) Austin Trout (5-110-179) Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (UD12) vs. #5 Erislandy Lara Next Fight: 7/19/2014- vs. Daniel Dawson (UNR) Trout will look to get back on track with a fairly easy Friday Night Fights main event against upper mid-level Australian journeyman Daniel Dawson, who was once a fringe contender, but not since 2007. 7) Ishe Smith (5-72-72) Last Fight: 5/2/2014- KO2 Ryan Davis (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown I know he was a relatively short-notice replacement, but Ryan Davis was a little too hapless even by that standard. 8) Joshua Clottey (5-13-13) Last Fight: 4/9/2014- UD12 #7 Anthony Mundine Next Fight: Unknown For those looking for a good way to revitalize a practically evaporated career, you couldn’t do much better than the example Clottey just provided. He wants to fight Mayweather, but I’d say he’s at least one top 5 win away from having a chance at that. 9) Anthony Mundine (13-32-32) Last Fight: 4/9/2014- L (UD12) vs. Joshua Clottey (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Mundine is reportedly in talks to bring the now much larger and also more retired Danny Green into a rematch. He’s also getting an offer from up-and-coming prospect Jeff Horn. 10) Cornelius Bundrage (13-205-205) Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD12 Joey Hernandez (UNR) Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. #2 Carlos Molina See Molina’s notes, above. 11) Demetrius Andrade (4-35) Last Fight: 6/14/2014- TKO7 #20 Brian Rose Next Fight: Unknown After manhandling an overrated Brian Rose, Andrade says he’s ready for the big names. 12) Alfredo Angulo (4-250) Last Fight: 3/8/2014- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Saul Alvarez Next Fight: Unknown Angulo could probably use a fight with a gatekeeper or low level fringe contender just to get his career momentum going. He’s drawing interest from Julian Williams. 13) Sergey Rabchenko (4-108) Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Bradley Pryce (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Rabchenko’s fight in Rome was cancelled on 3 days’ notice due to Visa issues, and his would-be opponent, journeyman Emanuele Della Rosa, will be fighting undefeated prospect Isaac Real for what had been Rabchenko’s European title. 14) Jermell Charlo (4-57) Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD12 Charlie Ota (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown 15) Vanes Martirosyan (5-162) Last Fight: 3/21/2014- UD10 Mario Lozano (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Vanes was supposed to fight on the Stiverne-Arreola card from what I understood, but that fight quietly disappeared from the schedule at some unknown point in time. He’s been dropped by Top Rank and signed with Dan Goossen, as well. 16) Brian Castaño (5-5) Last Fight: 6/6/2014- TKO4 #15 Cesar Sastre Silva Next Fight: Unknown Castano looked like kind of a beast against Sastre Silva. Only time will tell if he really is a beast, was beating up on an overrated fringe contender, or some combination of those possibilities. 17) Gabriel Rosado (8-24) Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (UD10) vs. #18 Jermell Charlo Next Fight: 8/16/2014- vs. #10 SMW Bryan Vera (at MW) Rosado will be fighting Bryan Vera in a new event called Big Knockout Boxing. The knockdown rules are different, and the ring is replaced with a circular “pit.” I probably won’t know if it will count in the rankings until I’ve had a chance to see it in action. 18) Zaurbek Baysangurov (8-13) Last Fight: 4/12/2014- TKO12 #20 Guido Pitto Next Fight: Unknown Baysangurov looked the best I’ve seen him, by far, against Pitto. 19) Willie Nelson (8-71) Last Fight: 6/7/2014- TKO1 Darryl Cunningham (UNR) (at MW) Next Fight: 8/8/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent Nelson was just days away from removal for inactivity at 154 when Lou DiBella announced he’d be fighting on August 8. There’s no opponent yet, and so there’s still the possibility he’ll be removed if it becomes clear that he’s fighting at 160 again. Stay tuned. 20) Kell Brook (4-4) Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO8 Alvaro Robles (UNR) Next Fight: 8/16/2014- vs. #6 WW Shawn Porter (at WW) Brook is really a welterweight (and a top 10 contender at that weight), but has thrown in enough significant wins near the 154 limit to make himself independently a fringe contender at this weight. He’ll get a shot at a welterweight belt on August 16 against Shawn Porter in New York.
The Week Ahead: Wednesday Alfonso Gomez vs. Ed Paredes; Las Vegas, Nevada; FS1 (US) Gomez and Paredes are both traditionally welterweights. Gomez is best described as a fringe contender, and Paredes maybe more of a gatekeeper. Gomez hasn’t fought since July 2012- just shy of two years ago. That being the case, Paredes might be a bit of a big ask. Even so, Paredes himself hasn’t fought anyone remotely worth fighting in almost exactly the same amount of time. Interesting scrap.
#1 Saul Alvarez vs. #3 Erislandy Lara; Las Vegas, Nevada; Showtime PPV (US) One of the best matchups of the year, marred slightly be the unfortunate decision to contract it at 155 and thus cloud the divisional picture slightly. Lara is the sharper and quicker puncher of the two, and has quicker feet by a wide margin. Canelo is the heavier-handed. Any way you slice this, it’s an interesting fight. Unfortunately, it won’t crown a champion, since there’s no compelling reason to bypass Carlos Molina.
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