Archive for September, 2015

Heavyweight: 2014, Aug 25-31

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on September 3, 2015 by danboxing
Unbeaten prospect Gerald Washington was not all that impressive on Friday in outpointing veteran Dominican journeyman Nagy Aguilera in Fairfield, California.  Washington did work well behind a nice jab and straight right early in the fight, and did clearly win each of the first 5 rounds of the scheduled 8-rounder.  It was his conditioning that really faltered, as he was practically a zombie from the 6th round on, as Aguilera totally dominated the last three rounds.  Luckily for the prospect, Aguilera lacked the additional gear he needed to put the flagging Washington away, and the big American was clear on the cards by then.  In the end, I had it 77-75 for Washington.  Kermit Bayless’ card agreed with my own, while Susan Thomas-Gitlin and Marshall Walker both had it clearly too wide at 78-74, and I suspect they didn’t notice how completely the fight had turned and scored round 6 on cruise control before getting the memo.  In calling the fight for Fox Sports 1, middleweight contender Daniel Jacobs ludicrously believed that Aguilera had clearly won the fight.  This makes me glad that he’s only deciding the actual outcome of fights when he has gloves on.

 

Aguilera gives good fighters competitive fights, but it’s been too long since he actually won a significant fight for him to serve as a basis for any kind of ranking for Washington.  No changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (270-483-483)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev
Klitschko-Pulev is postponed after the Champion tore his biceps.
1) Tyson Fury (28-28-28)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora
After saying he was no longer interested in fighting Chisora after his rival withdrew from a scheduled fight, the fight is now rescheduled for November 22.
2) Alexander Povetkin (13-357-357)
Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/25/2014- vs. #7 Carlos Takam
Povetkin will attempt to halt the meteoric rise of rugged slugger Carlos Takam when the two meet in Russia on October 25.
3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (13-24-88)
Last Fight: 8/9/2014- W(MD10) vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glazkov didn’t exactly earn any style points for his lazy showing against big underdog Rossy, but a win’s a win, I suppose…
4) Amir Mansour (21-21-21)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
Cunningham had the more sympathetic story and a legitimately great comeback attempt, but Mansour had the better collection of rounds legitimately won.  Mansour was robbed even though the fight was close, and deserves Cunningham’s former position in the rankings for his effort.
5) Kubrat Pulev (28-121-198)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Klitschko’s notes, above.
6) Dereck Chisora (28-143-206)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury
See Fury’s notes, above.
7) Carlos Takam (12-12-32)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 10/25/2014- vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin
Takam looks to go from contender to international superstar when he looks to topple Povetkin in Russia in late October.
8) Bermane Stiverne (12-16-78)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne had been looking at November for a big fight with Wilder.  Purse bids are scheduled for 9/12.
9) Steve Cunningham (12-88-88)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are unconfirmed reports of a potential fight with Bryant Jennings in the works.  It would make sense, as both guys are Main Events fighters.
10) Tony Thompson (12-23-222)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam
Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #12 Odlanier Solis
Thompson will be giving Odlanier Solis a well-deserved rematch in October, it would appear.
11) Tomasz Adamek (12-227)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov
Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)
Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.
12) Odlanier Solis (12-222)
Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #10 Tony Thompson
After taking a tough loss and a heap of excessive criticism in a fight he frankly deserved to win, Solis will get a chance to avenge the slight with an October rematch with Tony Thompson.
13) Deontay Wilder (16-70)
Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Stiverne’s notes, above.
14) Chris Arreola (16-51)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.
15) Erkan Teper (21-52)
Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teper’s effort in his last fight- and perhaps especially in the gym leading up to it- was awful, and he got lucky when his opponent turned out to be almost as out of shape as him, in addition to being an apparent quitter.
16) Alex Leapai (21-40)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. Malik Scott (UNR)
After intended fights with Shannon Briggs and Sam Peter fell through, Leapai will have an interesting matchup with Malik Scott.
17) Andy Ruiz (21-40)
Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/20/2014- vs. Sergey Liakhovich (UNR)
Ruiz will headline a Solo Boxeo card from Phoenix on September 20 against former contender and current journeyman Sergey Liakhovich.
18) Seth Mitchell (21-64)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career.  Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.
19) Bryant Jennings (5-5)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reasonable minds can disagree on the correct result of Jennings-Perez.  What’s clear, though, is that Jennings is not nearly ready for Klitschko, a fight some of his supporters have been proposing for a while now.  He himself appears to want the Wilder-Stiverne winner, which might be more within his competency.
20) Mike Perez (5-5)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/?/2014 – vs. Unknown Opponent
Perez, who calls Cork, Ireland home, will return to his home base in November when he headlines a card there.  Details TBD.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD:
Saturday
Denis Boytsov vs. Timur Musafarov; Halle, Germany; ARD (Germany)
Boytsov was one fight away from a shot at the Champ 9 months ago, but he suffered an upset loss, which also spoiled his unbeaten record.  Now he’s rebuilding, and will be in with a relative novice in 6-1 Uzbek Musafarov on the Marco Huck undercard.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Aug 18-24

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on September 2, 2015 by danboxing
#13 Deontay Wilder won his short-notice stay-busy fight with Jason Gavern on Saturday, wearing out journeyman Jason Gavern and forcing the veteran to retire in the corner before the 5th round.  Wilder, perhaps looking to go rounds and perhaps short on preparation for the hastily-arranged bout, didn’t really look all that sharp, and fairly clearly lost the first round before Gavern’s abysmal conditioning began to show.  He just plain wasn’t in shape to go more than the four rounds he went, even under the best of circumstances.  Wilder was credited with two knockdowns in the fight, one of which was a shot to the back of the head followed by a push that should not have counted.  Not that it mattered ultimately.  Gavern wasn’t a top 50 opponent, and thus Wilder stays right where he’s at in the rankings.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (269-482-482)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev
Klitschko-Pulev is set for September 6 in Hamburg.
1) Tyson Fury (27-27-27)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora
After saying he was no longer interested in fighting Chisora after his rival withdrew from a scheduled fight, the fight is now rescheduled for November 22.
2) Alexander Povetkin (12-356-356)
Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/27/2014- vs. #7 Carlos Takam
Povetkin will attempt to halt the meteoric rise of rugged slugger Carlos Takam when the two meet in Russia on October 27.
3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (12-23-87)
Last Fight: 8/9/2014- W(MD10) vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glazkov didn’t exactly earn any style points for his lazy showing against big underdog Rossy, but a win’s a win, I suppose…
4) Amir Mansour (20-20-20)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
Cunningham had the more sympathetic story and a legitimately great comeback attempt, but Mansour had the better collection of rounds legitimately won.  Mansour was robbed even though the fight was close, and deserves Cunningham’s former position in the rankings for his effort.
5) Kubrat Pulev (27-120-197)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Klitschko’s notes, above.
6) Dereck Chisora (27-142-205)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury
See Fury’s notes, above.
7) Carlos Takam (11-11-31)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 10/27/2014- vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin
Takam looks to go from contender to international superstar when he looks to topple Povetkin in Russia in late October.
8) Bermane Stiverne (11-15-77)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne had been looking at November for a big fight with Wilder, but a reported hand injury may delay that a bit.
9) Steve Cunningham (11-87-87)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are unconfirmed reports of a potential fight with Bryant Jennings in the works.  It would make sense, as both guys are Main Events fighters.
10) Tony Thompson (11-22-221)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam
Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #12 Odlanier Solis
Thompson will be giving Odlanier Solis a well-deserved rematch in October, it would appear.
11) Tomasz Adamek (11-226)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov
Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)
Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.
12) Odlanier Solis (11-221)
Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #10 Tony Thompson
After taking a tough loss and a heap of excessive criticism in a fight he frankly deserved to win, Solis will get a chance to avenge the slight with an October rematch with Tony Thompson.
13) Deontay Wilder (15-69)
Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Wilder had kind of a mediocre performance against a hopelessly out-of-shape Jason Gavern, but you wouldn’t know it by the result.  Up next will be Bermane Stiverne, it would seem.
14) Chris Arreola (15-50)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.
15) Erkan Teper (20-51)
Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teper’s effort in his last fight- and perhaps especially in the gym leading up to it- was awful, and he got lucky when his opponent turned out to be almost as out of shape as him, in addition to being an apparent quitter.
16) Alex Leapai (20-39)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. Samuel Peter (UNR)
After a targeted fight with Shannon Briggs was nixed on account of Briggs’ stupid Klitschko stunt, Leapai will get another solid name from the past who has seen better days in Sam Peter.
17) Andy Ruiz (20-39)
Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/20/2014- vs. Sergey Liakhovich (UNR)
Ruiz will headline a Solo Boxeo card from Phoenix on September 20 against former contender and current journeyman Sergey Liakhovich.
18) Seth Mitchell (20-63)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career.  Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.
19) Bryant Jennings (4-4)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reasonable minds can disagree on the correct result of Jennings-Perez.  What’s clear, though, is that Jennings is not nearly ready for Klitschko, a fight some of his supporters have been proposing for a while now.
20) Mike Perez (4-4)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Perez is reportedly being considered for an October fight with Manuel Charr in Moscow.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD:
Friday
Gerald Washington vs. Nagy Aguilera; Fairfield, California; FS1 (US)
Washington is a raw but reasonably accomplished prospect, who is making a lateral move, more or less, with Aguilera.  The Dominican journeyman peaked in 2009 with an upset win over Oleg Maskaev, but has been used as an opponent ever since.  He’s managed to win a round or two against the likes of Dominic Breazeale, Antonio Tarver, and Tomasz Adamek, for what that’s worth.  It should be at least a worthwhile development fight for Washington.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Aug 11-17

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on September 2, 2015 by danboxing
Saturday in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, #3 Vyacheslav Glazkov turned in what could be fairly described as an uneven performance against often capable journeyman Derric Rossy.  Glazkov perhaps looked more like the prospect who struggled mightily with Malik Scott than the contender that busted up Tomasz Adamek.  In fairness, he was much more effective than Rossy when he punched, but he was badly outworked in the fight.  Rossy’s workrate was impressive, but only intermittently effective, and he appeared to visibly tire in the last 2-3 rounds.  I scored the fight 97-93 for Glazkov, while believing any score between 95-95 and 98-92 for the Russian could be reasonable.  The judges took full advantage of that scoring range, with John Poturaj arriving at 95-95, Ron McNair 96-94, and Pierre Benoist 98-92.  I have no complaints generally, as I think those scores collectively reflected the fight.

 

Having lost consecutive fights to Joey Dawejko, Fres Oquendo, and Audley Harrison before his solid previous outing against Joe Hanks, Rossy wasn’t on a high enough level to improve Glazkov’s ranking.  On the flip side, I don’t demote guys for legitimate wins, regardless of how underwhelming the performance involved.  No changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (268-481-481)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev
Klitschko-Pulev is set for September 6 in Hamburg.
1) Tyson Fury (26-26-26)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora
After saying he was no longer interested in fighting Chisora after his rival withdrew from a scheduled fight, the fight is now rescheduled for November 22.
2) Alexander Povetkin (11-355-355)
Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/27/2014- vs. #7 Carlos Takam
Povetkin will attempt to halt the meteoric rise of rugged slugger Carlos Takam when the two meet in Russia on October 27.
3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (11-22-86)
Last Fight: 8/9/2014- W(MD10) vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Glazkov didn’t exactly earn any style points for his lazy showing against big underdog Rossy, but a win’s a win, I suppose…
4) Amir Mansour (19-19-19)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
Cunningham had the more sympathetic story and a legitimately great comeback attempt, but Mansour had the better collection of rounds legitimately won.  Mansour was robbed even though the fight was close, and deserves Cunningham’s former position in the rankings for his effort.
5) Kubrat Pulev (26-119-196)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Klitschko’s notes, above.
6) Dereck Chisora (26-141-204)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury
See Fury’s notes, above.
7) Carlos Takam (10-10-30)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: 10/27/2014- vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin
Takam looks to go from contender to international superstar when he looks to topple Povetkin in Russia in late October.
8) Bermane Stiverne (10-14-76)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne had been looking at November for a big fight with Wilder, but a reported hand injury may delay that a bit.
9) Steve Cunningham (10-86-86)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are unconfirmed reports of a potential fight with Bryant Jennings in the works.  It would make sense, as both guys are Main Events fighters.
10) Tony Thompson (10-21-220)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam
Next Fight: Unknown
Thompson volunteered to replace Dereck Chisora against Tyson Fury, but that fight didn’t ultimately materialize.
11) Tomasz Adamek (10-225)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov
Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)
Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.
12) Odlanier Solis (10-220)
Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: Unknown
The Solis haters are out in force, claiming a clear loss in a fight that Solis deserved to win.  You might not like his physique or his training habits or his style, but if he outfights the other guy, he still deserves to be respected as a winner at least as much as a disappointment.  A loss to Thompson is not that embarrassing, especially when you ought to have won it.
13) Deontay Wilder (14-68)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO1 #19 Malik Scott
Next Fight: 8/16/2014 vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)
Wilder’s opponent for his short-notice stay-busy fight on August 16 will be Jason Gavern.  Gavern can handle himself generally, but hasn’t fared well against quality fighters since 2010.
14) Chris Arreola (14-49)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.
15) Erkan Teper (19-50)
Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teper’s effort in his last fight- and perhaps especially in the gym leading up to it- was awful, and he got lucky when his opponent turned out to be almost as out of shape as him, in addition to being an apparent quitter.
16) Alex Leapai (19-38)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
Leapai’s team was working on a deal to fight Shannon Briggs until Briggs got hurt trying to troll Klitschko.  Leapai is said to have another fight in the works for October that will be announced soon.
17) Andy Ruiz (19-38)
Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ruiz pulled out of his August 9 fight with Nagy Aguilera due to a family health issues.
18) Seth Mitchell (19-62)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career.  Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.
19) Bryant Jennings (3-3)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reasonable minds can disagree on the correct result of Jennings-Perez.  What’s clear, though, is that Jennings is not nearly ready for Klitschko, a fight some of his supporters have been proposing for a while now.
20) Mike Perez (3-3)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
In his previous fight, Perez got a draw in a fight in which he clearly deserved to lose, but most recently he took a loss in a fight in which he probably at least deserved a draw.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD:
Saturday
#13 Deontay Wilder vs. Jason Gavern; Carson, California; Showtime (US)
Wilder is waiting on a shot at a belt against an injured Stiverne, so Gavern is about as good an opponent as you could expect him to fight in this rather short-notice stay-busy outing.  Gavern can handle himself, but is 0 for his last 9 bouts against top 50 opposition.  Not exactly an advertisement for the fight, to be honest.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Aug 4-10

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on September 2, 2015 by danboxing
Overweight but rugged Australian undefeated veteran Lucas Browne took a hard-earned win in Wolverhampton England on Friday against skilled but relatively inexperienced unbeaten prospect Andriy Rudenko of Ukraine.  Browne started a bit slow, and his hands were glacially slow, but he did a surprisingly good job of setting up punches in the latter half of the fight, and really began to wear down the quicker but perhaps less resolute Rudenko, who tasted defeat for the first time.  Official scores were 116-112 from Terry O’Conner, 117-112 from Daniel Van de Wiele, and an excessively close 115-113 from Ian John-Lewis.  I had it 118-110, personally.

 

Rudenko has never beaten anyone of note, so this victory doesn’t serve as any kind of springboard into the rankings for Browne, who at 35 may be well-served to start increasing the profile of his opposition.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (267-480-480)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev
Klitschko-Pulev is set for September 6 in Hamburg.
1) Tyson Fury (25-25-25)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fury was briefly scheduled to fight Alexander Ustinov in the wake of Chisora’s withdrawal, but withdrew himself right before the fight.  Fury said he was no longer interested in Chisora, but the fight appears likely to be rescheduled for the fall anyway.
2) Alexander Povetkin (10-354-354)
Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Povetkin wants to return in late October, and wants to rematch the Champ when he’s gotten at least 3 fights in with his new trainer.
3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (10-21-85)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD12 #4 Tomasz Adamek
Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)
Glazkov returns in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 9, in a fight with gatekeeper Derric Rossy to be televised on NBC Sports.
4) Amir Mansour (18-18-18)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: Unknown
Cunningham had the more sympathetic story and a legitimately great comeback attempt, but Mansour had the better collection of rounds legitimately won.  Mansour was robbed even though the fight was close, and deserves Cunningham’s former position in the rankings for his effort.
5) Kubrat Pulev (25-118-195)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/6/2014- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
See Klitschko’s notes, above.
6) Dereck Chisora (25-140-203)
Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Fury’s notes, above.
7) Carlos Takam (9-9-29)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: Unknown
Takam’s potential appears nearly boundless after he handled Tony Thompson more easily than anyone not named Wladimir Klitschko.
8) Bermane Stiverne (9-13-75)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola
Next Fight: Unknown
Stiverne had been looking at November for a big fight with Wilder, but a reported hand injury may delay that a bit.
9) Steve Cunningham (9-85-85)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are unconfirmed reports of a potential fight with Bryant Jennings in the works.  It would make sense, as both guys are Main Events fighters.
10) Tony Thompson (9-20-219)
Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam
Next Fight: Unknown
Thompson volunteered to replace Dereck Chisora against Tyson Fury, but that fight didn’t ultimately materialize.
11) Tomasz Adamek (9-224)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov
Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)
Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.
12) Odlanier Solis (9-219)
Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson
Next Fight: Unknown
The Solis haters are out in force, claiming a clear loss in a fight that Solis deserved to win.  You might not like his physique or his training habits or his style, but if he outfights the other guy, he still deserves to be respected as a winner at least as much as a disappointment.  A loss to Thompson is not that embarrassing, especially when you ought to have won it.
13) Deontay Wilder (13-67)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO1 #19 Malik Scott
Next Fight: 8/16/2014 vs. Unknown Opponent
Wilder will fight TBA on the Porter-Brook undercard on August 16, in a fairly surprising move on such short notice.  With Wilder in line for a shot at Stiverne’s alphabet belt, you can bet he’s going journeyman hunting.
14) Chris Arreola (13-48)
Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne
Next Fight: Unknown
Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.
15) Erkan Teper (18-49)
Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Teper’s effort in his last fight- and perhaps especially in the gym leading up to it- was awful, and he got lucky when his opponent turned out to be almost as out of shape as him, in addition to being an apparent quitter.
16) Alex Leapai (18-37)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko
Next Fight: Unknown
Leapai is reportedly interested in fighting Shannon Briggs in the wake of his total non-performance against the Champ.
17) Andy Ruiz (18-37)
Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ruiz pulled out of his August 9 fight with Nagy Aguilera due to a family health issues.
18) Seth Mitchell (18-61)
Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career.  Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.
19) Bryant Jennings (2-2)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Reasonable minds can disagree on the correct result of Jennings-Perez.  What’s clear, though, is that Jennings is not nearly ready for Klitschko, a fight some of his supporters have been proposing for a while now.
20) Mike Perez (2-2)
Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
In his previous fight, Perez got a draw in a fight in which he clearly deserved to lose, but most recently he took a loss in a fight in which he probably at least deserved a draw.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD:
Saturday
#3 Vyachelsav Glazkov vs. Derric Rossy; Bethlehem, PA; NBC Sports (US)
I had my doubts about Glazkov not terribly long ago, but after beating the brakes off Adamek in his last fight, he appears to be in a much higher class than gatekeeper Rossy.

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