Middleweight: 2014, Jul 21-27
No notable middleweights saw action last week.
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York. 2) Sam Soliman (8-32-32) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm Next Fight: Unknown His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely. Soliman himself says he wants the winner of Golovkin-Geale. On the other hand, the winner of N’Dam-Stevens will become his mandatory. 3) Sergio Martinez (7-223-223) Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury? If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time. If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen. His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose. That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked. He says he plans to continue fighting. 4) Felix Sturm (7-566-566) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm passed on an eliminator with Curtis Stevens, right after David Lemieux passed on an eliminator with Sturm. Apparently nobody wants the IBF title. 5) Daniel Geale (7-266-266) Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin See Golovkin’s notes, above. 6) Martin Murray (5-138-138) Last Fight: 6/21/2014- UD12 #15 Max Bursak Next Fight: 10/25/2014- vs. Domenico Spada (UNR) Murray will essentially tread water against formerly significant journeyman Domenico Spada in Monte Carlo in late October. He’s apparently the #1 contender for Cotto’s title, so we’ll see if that materializes at some point thereafter. 7) Peter Quillin (5-92-113) Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBO has ordered Quillin-Korobov. 8) Matthew Macklin (7-161-252) Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/30/2014- vs. Jorge Sebastian Heiland (UNR) Macklin is back on August 30 in Dublin against Argentina’s Sebastian Heiland, who I guess qualifies as a minor threat after technically stopping Billi Godoy. 9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (7-32-32) Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR) Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #19 Curtis Stevens N’Dam-Stevens is set for September 30, with the winner getting a shot at Soliman’s belt. 10) Sergio Mora (7-56-56) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin. 11) Osumanu Adama (7-25) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin Next Fight: Unknown Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight. 12) Dmitry Chudinov (7-17) Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR) Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Mehdi Bouadla (UNR) Russian Chudinov will be in action in Sevastopol- a city his country is currently occupying in the Ukraine- against decent French journeyman Mehdi Bouadla on August 9. 13) Marco Antonio Rubio (7-182) Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown Rubio wants a shot at Cotto. 14) Matt Korobov (4-4) Last Fight: 6/28/2014- UD10 Jose Uzcategui (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Quillin’s notes, above. 15) Jarrod Fletcher (4-25) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR) Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on August 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title. 16) Max Bursak (4-182) Last Fight: 6/21/2014- L (UD12) vs. #7 Martin Murray
Next Fight: Unknown Monte Carlo isn’t kind to Bursak. He lost a debatable decision to Jarrod Fletcher there, and then was more or less dominated by Martin Murray. 17) David Lemieux (4-9) Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud. In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm. 18) Caleb Truax (7-44) Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Derek Ennis (UNR) Truax has a new opponent for 7/25, with a slight downgrade to Derek Ennis. 19) Curtis Stevens (7-51) Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #9 Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam The winner of Stevens-N’Dam will get a shot at Soliman’s belt. 20) Andrey Meryasev (7-37) Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: Unknown Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20) Champ: Miguel Cotto (7-7-7) Last Fight: 6/7/2014- RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez Next Fight: Unknown Cotto is the Champion. The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance. His thoughts seem to be more in the direction of Canelo. 1) Gennady Golovkin (32-99-162) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York. 2) Sam Soliman (8-32-32) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm Next Fight: Unknown His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely. Soliman himself says he wants the winner of Golovkin-Geale. On the other hand, the winner of N’Dam-Stevens will become his mandatory. 3) Sergio Martinez (7-223-223) Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury? If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time. If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen. His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose. That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked. He says he plans to continue fighting. 4) Felix Sturm (7-566-566) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm passed on an eliminator with Curtis Stevens, right after David Lemieux passed on an eliminator with Sturm. Apparently nobody wants the IBF title. 5) Daniel Geale (7-266-266) Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin See Golovkin’s notes, above. 6) Martin Murray (5-138-138) Last Fight: 6/21/2014- UD12 #15 Max Bursak Next Fight: 10/25/2014- vs. Domenico Spada (UNR) Murray will essentially tread water against formerly significant journeyman Domenico Spada in Monte Carlo in late October. He’s apparently the #1 contender for Cotto’s title, so we’ll see if that materializes at some point thereafter. 7) Peter Quillin (5-92-113) Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown The WBO has ordered Quillin-Korobov. 8) Matthew Macklin (7-161-252) Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/30/2014- vs. Jorge Sebastian Heiland (UNR) Macklin is back on August 30 in Dublin against Argentina’s Sebastian Heiland, who I guess qualifies as a minor threat after technically stopping Billi Godoy. 9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (7-32-32) Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR) Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #19 Curtis Stevens N’Dam-Stevens is set for September 30, with the winner getting a shot at Soliman’s belt. 10) Sergio Mora (7-56-56) Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin. 11) Osumanu Adama (7-25) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin Next Fight: Unknown Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight. 12) Dmitry Chudinov (7-17) Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR) Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Mehdi Bouadla (UNR) Russian Chudinov will be in action in Sevastopol- a city his country is currently occupying in the Ukraine- against decent French journeyman Mehdi Bouadla on August 9. 13) Marco Antonio Rubio (7-182) Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown Rubio wants a shot at Cotto. 14) Matt Korobov (4-4) Last Fight: 6/28/2014- UD10 Jose Uzcategui (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown See Quillin’s notes, above. 15) Jarrod Fletcher (4-25) Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR) Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on August 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title. 16) Max Bursak (4-182) Last Fight: 6/21/2014- L (UD12) vs. #7 Martin Murray
Next Fight: Unknown Monte Carlo isn’t kind to Bursak. He lost a debatable decision to Jarrod Fletcher there, and then was more or less dominated by Martin Murray. 17) David Lemieux (4-9) Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR) Next Fight: Unknown Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud. In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm. 18) Caleb Truax (7-44) Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Derek Ennis (UNR) Truax has a new opponent for 7/25, with a slight downgrade to Derek Ennis. 19) Curtis Stevens (7-51) Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #9 Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam The winner of Stevens-N’Dam will get a shot at Soliman’s belt. 20) Andrey Meryasev (7-37) Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW) Next Fight: Unknown Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
The Week Ahead: It’s a middleweight bonanza this week. Friday Michel Soro vs. Antoine Douglas; Verona, New York; Showtime (US) Douglas is an untested undefeated prospect, while Soro would be undefeated if he hadn’t been robbed in what was technically a title fight with Zaurbek Baysangurov at 154. This is a total toss-up fight, and well-matched.
#18 Caleb Truax vs. Derek Ennis; Chicago, Illinois; ESPN2 (US) Ennis would have been a good test for Truax about 4 years ago, but he’s been rather inactive since 2011, and has had only one significant fight since then. His career really jumped the rails earlier that year, when he was inexplicably stopped by low-level journeyman Giorbis Barthelemy. Truax had a poor outing his last time out in a draw against Ossie Duran, but he was on a bit of a roll before that. We’ll see which Truax shows up. If it’s the good one, it might be a short night.
Billi Godoy vs. Martin Rios; Buenos Aires, Argentina; TV Publica (ARG) Godoy, who has come up as a golden prospect in Argentina, was once ranked here, but has been tagged with 2 losses now. He should arguably still be undefeated. I had his loss to Sergio Sanders a draw back in 2012, and when he was unjustly stopped against Jorge Heiland in November, I was set to score that fight a draw if the 12th had played out with no new knockdowns. Still, struggling to that degree against that level of competition doesn’t exactly make him look like the next Maravilla. Rios is a one-loss fringe prospect. His only loss is a reasonably respectable decision setback to the solid Luciano Cuello, but he does have two draws already against lesser competition.
Saturday Billy Joe Saunders vs. Emanuele Blandamura; Manchester, England; BoxNation (UK) This is a good matchup of legit prospects. England’s Saunders owns wins over fellow prospects Jarrod Fletcher (though it was very prematurely stopped) and John Ryder, while Rome’s Blandamura comes off his career-best win over fellow prospect Marcos Nader in a convincing decision. The cards in that fight were ludicrously close overall, but it was something like a 118-11o win in reality. You’d have to lean toward Saunders due to his better overall experience coming up in the British system, but you never know what can happen when two legitimately unbeaten guys with top 50 wins on their record meet up.
#1 Gennady Golovkin vs. #5 Daniel Geale; New York, New York; HBO (US) Looking at the names on each man’s resume alone, this one figures to be a barnburner. On the other hand, it’s almost impossible for me to picture Geale winning. By comparison, the Australian contender is woefully feather-fisted. He wins most of his high-level fights in close fashion by throwing a ton of volume. You’d think all the destructive Golovkin would have to do was time him a few times per round and it would be a short night. And that’s even assuming Geale could get the necessary respect to avoid being actively walked down by GGG. Nice matchup in terms of the standings, but it has all the signs of a relatively easy night for the #1 contender anyway.
#20 SMW Don Mouton vs. Larry Smith; Humble, Texas; Off TV Mouton takes on the abysmal Larry Smith in a fight so one-sided, it’s not worthy of further mention.
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