Archive for Cedric Agnew

Light Heavyweight: 2014, Jun 30- Jul 6

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 20, 2014 by danboxing
#14 Cedric Agnew got an easy night on Friday in Houston against hopelessly outmatched very low-level veteran journeyman Shannon Miller, who failed to answer the bell for the 2nd round.  For what it’s worth, Agnew came in at 176.  No changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks   in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (95-95-95)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward lost an arbitration with his promoter, but it sounds like the rift between the two is far from solved.  Kessler is the latest guy to renew a stated desire to fight him.
1) Adonis Stevenson (56-56-56)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD12 #6 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevenson is very likely to fight Bernard Hopkins next, though there have been no negotiations that I’m aware of yet.
2) Bernard Hopkins (95-421-421)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- W (SD12*) vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Hopkins is considering leaving Golden Boy.  This would give him free choice between Stevenson, Kovalev, or anyone else, really.  Mohammedi is now technically his mandatory, but we’ll see if they find some way around that.
3) Jean Pascal (24-24-24)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Pascal is pencilled in for a September fight, and perhaps one more before the end of the year.  There is currently talk of Tavoris Cloud being the September opponent.  That’s a significant step up from Sean Monaghan, who had been the odds-on favorite to fight Pascal on that date.
4) Sergey Kovalev (24-76-76)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- KO7 #15 Cedric Agnew
Next Fight: 8/2/2014- vs. Blake Caparello (UNR)
Kovalev is back on August 2 against apparently one of the few guys willing to fight him- Australian undefeated prospect Blake Caparello.
5) Tony Bellew (2-142-142)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO12 Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. Julio Cesar Dos Santos (UNR) (at CW)
Bellew’s July 12 opponent has been announced as Brazilian 2-loss fringe prospect Julio Cesar Dos Santos, who will basically just be extending his training camp after an aborted fight with Thabiso Mchunu. 
6) Andrzej Fonfara (2-46-103)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- L (UD12) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
See Kovalev’s notes, above.
7) Gabriel Campillo (2-210-210)
Last Fight: 5/9/2014- TKO7 Ricky Pow (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/1/2014- vs. #13 Thomas Williams, Jr.
This could be the start of Campillo’s resurgence, or the continuation of his decline.  He’ll fight up-and-comer Thomas Williams, Jr. on Friday Night Fights, August 1.
8) Tavoris Cloud (2-253-253)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
A September 27 fight with Pascal is a possibility.
9) Nathan Cleverly (2-230-230)
Last Fight: 5/17/2013- TKO2 Shawn Corbin (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. Alejandro Valori (UNR)
Cleverly looked good against Corbin in his cruiserweight debut.  He’ll keep his ranking here until he schedules a cruiserweight fight for after August 17 (the anniversary of his last fight in this division), or until that date passes, whichever comes first.  He will fight next on July 12, when he takes on Argentine gatekeeper Alejandro Valori at the 200 pound limit.  Valori is a solid performer on the South American scene, but has never fought outside Argentina.  If he gets by that, Bellew-Cleverly II is being targeted for November.
10) Isaac Chilemba (2-2-126)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD10 Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/2/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Chilemba looked very very sharp in dominating a game Denis Grachev, and might soon be in line for a shot at Adonis Stevenson. He’s coming back on the Rios-Chaves undercard on August 2, but no opponent yet.
11) Jürgen Brähmer (2-115)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- UD12 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Braehmer looked solid for 11 of the 12 rounds against Bolonti.  It’s said that he aspires to a Hopkins fight.
12) Karo Murat (2-36)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat wants Braehmer, his former stablemate, but is now without a promoter, which probably means Sauerland isn’t falling all over themselves to make that fight.
13) Thomas Williams, Jr. (2-23)
Last Fight: 4/24/2014- TKO3 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/1/2014- vs. #7 Gabriel Campillo
See Campillo’s notes, above.
14) Cedric Agnew (2-64)
Last Fight: 6/27/2014- RTD2 Shannon Miller (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After taking a risk against Kovalev and coming up short, I can only assume that his prospects for a regional title bout against Dudchenko and a IBF eliminator against Sukhotsky might both be out the window at least for the moment.
15) Edwin Rodriguez (2-51)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez was scheduled to fight Marcus Johnson on May 24, but Johnson quickly withdrew.
16) Hadillah Mohoumadi (2-53)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
17) Cornelius White (2-133)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses.
18) Eleider Alvarez (2-75)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD10 Alexander Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are rumors springing up in Russia of Alvarez fighting Dmitry Sukhotsky on July 19 in Quebec.
19) Lucian Bute (2-87)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bute wants his contractually-guaranteed rematch with Pascal, a fight that appears tentatively planned for late in the year.  He recently parted ways with his long-time trainer, and says he’s in no hurry to get back in the ring.
20) Dmitry Sukhotsky (2-2)
Last Fight: 6/4/2014- UD12 Joey Vegas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I can’t find a video anywhere, but Sukhotsky’s win over Joey Vegas in Russia was suspiciously close.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
Robert Berridge vs. Rogerio Damasco; Manukau, New Zealand; Sky Arena (NZ)
Robbie “the Butcher” is a veteran prospect of some note, whose only loss was to Blake Caparello.  Damasco, from Brazil, is a one-loss prospect in his own right, and his only career loss was to a fellow undefeated in Isidro Ranoni Prieto earlier this year in Argentina.  That was the only real fighter he’s been in with, unfortunately, so Berridge has to be the heavy favorite, as if the location of the fight wasn’t enough of a clue.

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Light Heavyweight: 2014, Jun 23-29

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 15, 2014 by danboxing
Congolese Gatekeeper Doudou Ngumbu notched a win in Monte Carlo on Saturday, outpointing high-level South African journeyman Johnny Muller over 10 rounds.  Scores were 99-91 (Pawel Kardyni), 97-93 (Juan Manuel Garica Reyes), and 96-94 (Olena Pobyvailo), all for the winner.  The only video I had unfortunately had an error and cut out permanently after round 7, but all of those scores were possible on my card, depending on how I saw the last rounds, since I had it 69-64 for Ngumbu to that point.  Muller looked heavy-handed, but was having all kinds of trouble finding the awkwardly elusive Ngumbu, who was light-hitting by comparison, but still effective while lighting Muller up consistently with counters off misses.

 

Later that night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, of all places, French gatekeeper Nadjib Mohammedi jump-started his career in a big way with a dominant and dynamic 7-round TKO win over Ukrainian gatekeeper/fringe prospect Anatoliy Dudchenko on an NBC Sports card.  Mohammedi, an unorthodox pressure fighter, looked really impressive overall.  His hands were surprisingly fast, his head movement was good, his accuracy was accurate, and his power looked solid.  As for Dudchenko, he was almost as disappointing as Mohammedi was…appointing.  Dudchenko stood stiff and straight up, like the bad version of Sergei Dzinziruk.  He also may have been concussed in the third or fourth round, because he had pretty much nothing left with which to slow down Mohammedi’s momentum after that point.

 

Chad Dawson returned to action after more than a year of inactivity, and didn’t make any friends in doing so.  The contract weight was an already generous 179, making it highly likely that the ex-Champ would be removed for moving up in weight anyway, but he failed to even come close to making that weight.  At 182.75, he outweighed George Blades by 5.25 pounds on the scale, and doubtless more than that on fight night.  That no doubt helped him in scoring a first-round knockout, featuring two knockdowns.  As if the extra weight and talent gap weren’t already enough of an advantage, referee Raul Caiz, Jr. awarded Dawson one of those knockdowns despite a fairly clear low blow.  The result has no bearing on the rankings, since Blades (who I consider a friend and a really good guy, by the way) was a gatekeeper at his peak, when he challenged Zsolt Erdei for the lineal Championship, and is very much a journeyman at this late stage in his career.  The weigh-in does, however, have an effect, as Dawson is removed, having not made anything close to 175 in over a year.  He has been ranked in my top 10, and the Ring Top 10 before I started publishing, for a total of 420 consecutive weeks.

 

Dawson’s removal allows everyone ranked #6 and below last week to move up one, including Isaac Chilemba, who re-enters the top 10 after a handful of months out.  Dmitry Sukhotsky returns to the top 20.  Mohammedi just barely misses the top 20 with his big win, as I now have him unofficially at #22.  If not for a loss to unheralded Thierry Karl nearly 5 years ago, he might have squeaked in.  I may re-evaluate his standing in July, when that loss passes the 5-year mark.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks   in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (94-94-94)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward lost an arbitration with his promoter, but it sounds like the rift between the two is far from solved.  Kessler is the latest guy to renew a stated desire to fight him.
1) Adonis Stevenson (55-55-55)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD12 #6 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevenson is very likely to fight Bernard Hopkins next, though there have been no negotiations that I’m aware of yet.
2) Bernard Hopkins (94-420-420)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- W (SD12*) vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Hopkins is considering leaving Golden Boy.  This would give him free choice between Stevenson, Kovalev, or anyone else, really.  Mohammedi is now technically his mandatory, but we’ll see if they find some way around that.
3) Jean Pascal (23-23-23)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Pascal is pencilled in for a September fight, and perhaps one more before the end of the year.  There is currently talk of Tavoris Cloud being the September opponent.  That’s a significant step up from Sean Monaghan, who had been the odds-on favorite to fight Pascal on that date.
4) Sergey Kovalev (23-75-75)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- KO7 #15 Cedric Agnew
Next Fight: 8/2/2014- vs. Blake Caparello (UNR)
Kovalev is back on August 2 against apparently one of the few guys willing to fight him- Australian undefeated prospect Blake Caparello.
5) Tony Bellew (1-141-141)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO12 Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. Julio Cesar Dos Santos (UNR) (at CW)
Bellew’s July 12 opponent has been announced as Brazilian 2-loss fringe prospect Julio Cesar Dos Santos, who will basically just be extending his training camp after an aborted fight with Thabiso Mchunu. 
6) Andrzej Fonfara (1-45-102)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- L (UD12) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
See Kovalev’s notes, above.
7) Gabriel Campillo (1-209-209)
Last Fight: 5/9/2014- TKO7 Ricky Pow (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/1/2014- vs. #13 Thomas Williams, Jr.
This could be the start of Campillo’s resurgence, or the continuation of his decline.  He’ll fight up-and-comer Thomas Williams, Jr. on Friday Night Fights, August 1.
8) Tavoris Cloud (1-252-252)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
A September 27 fight with Pascal is a possibility.
9) Nathan Cleverly (1-229-229)
Last Fight: 5/17/2013- TKO2 Shawn Corbin (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. Alejandro Valori (UNR)
Cleverly looked good against Corbin in his cruiserweight debut.  He’ll keep his ranking here until he schedules a cruiserweight fight for after August 17 (the anniversary of his last fight in this division), or until that date passes, whichever comes first.  He will fight next on July 12, when he takes on Argentine gatekeeper Alejandro Valori at the 200 pound limit.  Valori is a solid performer on the South American scene, but has never fought outside Argentina.  If he gets by that, Bellew-Cleverly II is being targeted for November.
10) Isaac Chilemba (1-1-125)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD10 Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/2/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Chilemba looked very very sharp in dominating a game Denis Grachev, and might soon be in line for a shot at Adonis Stevenson.  He’s coming back on the Rios-Chaves undercard on August 2, but no opponent yet.
11) Jürgen Brähmer (1-114)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- UD12 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Braehmer looked solid for 11 of the 12 rounds against Bolonti.  It’s said that he aspires to a Hopkins fight.
12) Karo Murat (1-35)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat wants Braehmer, his former stablemate, but is now without a promoter, which probably means Sauerland isn’t falling all over themselves to make that fight.
13) Thomas Williams, Jr. (1-22)
Last Fight: 4/24/2014- TKO3 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/1/2014- vs. #7 Gabriel Campillo
See Campillo’s notes, above.
14) Cedric Agnew (1-63)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- L (KO7) vs. #4 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
After taking a risk against Kovalev and coming up short, I can only assume that his prospects for a regional title bout against Dudchenko and a IBF eliminator against Sukhotsky might both be out the window at least for the moment.
15) Edwin Rodriguez (1-50)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez was scheduled to fight Marcus Johnson on May 24, but Johnson quickly withdrew.
16) Hadillah Mohoumadi (1-52)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
17) Cornelius White (1-132)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses.
18) Eleider Alvarez (1-74)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD10 Alexander Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There are rumors springing up in Russia of Alvarez fighting Dmitry Sukhotsky on July 19 in Quebec.
19) Lucian Bute (1-86)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bute wants his contractually-guaranteed rematch with Pascal, a fight that appears tentatively planned for late in the year.  He recently parted ways with his long-time trainer, and says he’s in no hurry to get back in the ring.
20) Dmitry Sukhotsky (1-1)
Last Fight: 6/4/2014- UD12 Joey Vegas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I can’t find a video anywhere, but Sukhotsky’s win over Joey Vegas in Russia was suspiciously close.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Friday
#14 Cedric Agnew vs. TBA; Houston, Texas; Off TV
There’s not a lot to say about this one, since Agnew doesn’t have an opponent yet.  Obviously not likely to be too stiff a challenge.

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Light Heavyweight: 2014, Mar 31- Apr 6

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on August 25, 2014 by danboxing
In the week’s headline act on Saturday, #4 Sergey Kovalev got a spirited challenge from #15 Cedric Agnew.  The unbeaten Agnew definitely came to win, and probably won the first round, and cut the imposing Russian with a head clash in round 4.  In the end, though, the lanky Agnew was just not physically strong enough to compete with consistency, and he was dropped in both the 2nd and the 6th before a body shot in the 7th ended it.  Kovalev stayed composed through adversity, and that’s a feather to put in his cap, if nothing else.  The knockout win over a top 15 contender doesn’t hurt, either.

 

On the non-televised undercard, American gatkeeper Lionell Thompson, who came in at 178.25, got some love from the judges in a quirky 8-rounder against undefeated Florida-based Bosnian Radivoje Kalajdzic, but still fell just short of the win.  I had it an easy win for “Hot Rad,” scoring it 78-73, while thinking it entirely possible that the Bosnian might have carried every round on the cards.  Instead, the judges apparently watched a whole different fight.  Kaison Cheeks had it 78-72, which is mathematically puzzling to me, but otherwise pretty well in line with what I saw.  Shafeeq Rashada had it 77-75, which I guess would have to include an even round to go with the point deduction assessed on Thompson in round 7, and would also include a high level of insanity, since he had that score in favor of Thompson.  Unless I’m out of my mind, Rashada gave all the toss-up rounds to Thompson, gave an additional close but clear round for Rad to Thompson, gave one completely clear-cut Kalajdzic round to Thompson, and then called a completely clear Kalajdzic round even, as well.  Awful card on all levels.  John McKaie, as I saw it, gave all the rounds that were even kinda close to Thompson, but still managed to see it for the right guy at 76-75.  It’s a weird situation.  Allen Huggins took a point from Thompson late in the fight for losing his mouthpiece.  I didn’t see it come out (my video wasn’t exactly high def), but unless it was a blatant spit-out situation, the deduction was ludicrous.  He had lost it as a result of a punch earlier in the fight, but that was the only other incident, and at least in the first case was certainly not intentional or even really negligent.  So with apologies in advance if Huggins saw a clear stall tactic that I missed, this was a terrible call.  But in the end, I’m glad it happened, because John McKaie needed this mistake to avoid robbing the Bosnian fighter that clearly won the fight.  Obviously there was no helping Rashada.  

 

Now I don’t want to give you the impression that I thought Kalajdzic fought a great fight.  He really didn’t.  He was the more talented and physically gifted fighter by a mile, though.  He appeared to be 5-6 inches taller and naturally 10 or more pounds heavier than Thompson, and his hands- which he tended to swing like an ax rather than throw- appeared fairly heavy.  Aside from technique, his gameplan was all wrong.  Every time Kalajdzic decided to come forward even just a little bit, Thompson would go into full retreat mode.  Not backing up and setting traps, mind you, but rather backing up constantly and maybe occasionally throwing a jab or two to try and keep him off.  Thompson was not able to do any effective work at all during these spells.  But for some reason, Kalajdzic spent nearly half the fight dancing around like a fool and backing off.  Look, I’m no expert on tactics really, but I’m pretty sure if you’ve got your much shorter opponent backing up constantly, you’ve got very little to worry about unless you just plain get reckless.  Kalajdzic had a chance to win every round so clearly that even Rashada might have noticed.

 

Friday in Potsdam, Germany, gatekeeper-level Albanian Robin Krasniqi looked impressive against undefeated but unproven Ghanaian prospect Emmmanuel Danso.  Danso, the much shorter man, constantly came forward, but wasn’t quick enough or clever enough to cut off the ring on Krasniqi.  The first few rounds were close, but by the third or the fourth, it was clear that Krasniqi was practically leading Danso around on a string as he circled around him.  His work wasn’t always effective, but it was more than enough, considering there were some rounds that I don’t think Danso even landed a punch.  In the 7th, having possibly won all the rounds on the cards to that point, Krasniqi walked Danso into a wound-up, sudden, and perfectly-landed uppercut that sent Danso crashing to the canvas like a felled tree.  Seeing this dramatic body language, referee Holger Wiemann immediately decided to stop the fight.  The problem is this: Danso somehow got up at the count of two, and appeared relatively steady.  The fight definitely could and should have continued, and I think by the time he actually got around to waving it off after walking with Danso to a neutral corner without having started the count, Wiemann probably had begun to realize it, but had to save face.  The lack of a clean knockout on that devastating of a punch probably tells you that Krasniqi lacks real one-punch power.  His record of only 16 stoppages in 41 wins further supports that.

 

Undefeated Atlanta prospect Michael Seals got a 5th round TKO over low-level journeyman Willis Lockett on the non-televised portion of the ESPN card in New Town, North Dakota.  I have nothing to add to that, since I wasn’t able to see it.

 

Kalajdzic’s win is naturally a boon to his career, but he’s still very much a prospect and a work in progress, and currently can’t crack the top 30.  Kovalev stays put.  Since Pascal has only lost to Hopkins at light heavyweight and has beaten a #1 contender, the only way Kovalev could get past him would be to beat him or someone ranked higher.  Agnew also stands pat, as there’s no shame in a mid-rounds KO to a guy like Kovalev, and since Edwin Rodriguez has struggled at a much lower level.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks   in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (82-82-82)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev’s promoter has zeroed in on the inactive Ward as an “inevitable” future opponent.
1) Adonis Stevenson (43-43-43)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #6 Andrzej Fonfara
In something of a coup, Stevenson-Fonfara will be carried by Showtime.   This not only further diminishes HBO’s stable of top fighters, but also puts in serious doubt the plausibility of what appeared to be an upcoming megafight with Kovalev.
2) Bernard Hopkins (82-408-408)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/19/2014- vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR)
Hopkins will fight Shumenov in mid-April at the D.C. Armory in Washington.
3) Jean Pascal (11-11-11)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Bob Arum has floated the possibility of a July fight with Julio Cesar Chavez.
4) Sergey Kovalev (11-63-63)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- KO7 #15 Cedric Agnew
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev had some choice words for Stevenson after the Haitian defected to Showtime and, apparently, scuttled their much hyped matchup for later this year.  No news yet on what Kovalev’s next move will be after the development.
5) Chad Dawson (11-409-409)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson has signed a deal with manager Al Haymon, which certainly brightens his career prospects.  He says he is interested in a Stevenson rematch.  Prospects for another occasionally-discussed rematch- with Jean Pascal- increased recently with word that Pascal’s trainer offered Dawson a contract.
6) Andrzej Fonfara (11-33-90)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
See Stevenson’s notes, above.
7) Tony Bellew (11-129-129)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO12 Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bellew is campaigning at cruiserweight now, but he’ll keep his ranking here until he schedules a fight there for after November 30, or until after November 30 itself.  BJ Flores wants to fight him, but it sounds like he’ll fight Cleverly before the year is out.
8) Gabriel Campillo (11-197-197)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: 5/9/2014- vs. Ibrahim Lopez (UNR)
Campillo will reportedly fight unproven one-loss Spanish prospect Ibrahim Lopez on May 9 in Madrid.
9) Tavoris Cloud (11-240-240)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
10) Nathan Cleverly (11-217-217)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut is once again delayed by what’s being called a minor injury.  He’s changed promoters, and it looks like a cruiserweight rematch with Bellew is very much in the works.
11) Isaac Chilemba (11-113)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD10 Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba looked very very sharp in dominating a game Denis Grachev, and might soon be in line for a shot at Adonis Stevenson.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (11-102)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 Marcus Oliveira (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/5/2014- vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (UNR)
Braehmer returns April 5 in Rostock, Germany against moderately resurgent Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli.
13) Karo Murat (10-23)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat is a free agent after his contract with Sauerland recently expired.
14) Thomas Williams, Jr. (10-10)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- TKO1 #13 Cornelius White
Next Fight: Unknown
Williams has been well-matched against vulnerable guys with good resumes.
15) Cedric Agnew (11-51)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- L (KO7) vs. #4 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
After taking a risk against Kovalev and coming up short, I can only assume that his prospects for a regional title bout against Dudchenko and a IBF eliminator against Sukhotsky might both be out the window at least for the moment.
16) Edwin Rodriguez (11-38)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez’s trainer Ronnie Shields opines that a fight against a top-15 level light heavyweight would be a good jumping-off point for his anticipated permanent move up.  Before that happens, he’ll need to recover from minor elbow surgery he had in December.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (23-40)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Cornelius White (10-120)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses.
19) Eleider Alvarez (10-62)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD10 Andy Gardiner (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Alvarez may have been suffering from a letdown after Oosthuizen withdrew from what could have been the Colombian’s biggest fight ever, and almost let it effect him to the point of losing to an unheralded undefeated prospect in Gardiner.
20) Lucian Bute (10-74)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bute wants his contractually-guaranteed rematch with Pascal.  He recently parted ways with his long-time trainer.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
#12 Juergen Braehmer vs. Enzo Maccarinelli; Rostock, Germany; BoxNation (UK)
Braehmer always seems one fight away from establishing himself as a clear top 10 force in the division.  I’m not sure Maccarinelli is at quite high enough a level to alter that perception much, but obviously a win would bolster the German’s resume a fair amount.  As for Enzo the Welshman, a win would really be a bit of a rebirth for him.  He took his career off life support with his last win over Ovill McKenzie, and is now on the fringes of the top 20.  This would get him in the top 10, somewhere he hasn’t been since his glory days at cruiserweight.

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Light Heavyweight: 2014, Mar 24-30

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on August 7, 2014 by danboxing
No meaningful fights to report from last week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (81-81-81)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward says his manager is working on his next fight despite his lawsuit against promoter Dan Goossen.  He had indicated interest in Golovkin, but the Kazakh’s own trainer recently said his fighter is not ready for that fight.
1) Adonis Stevenson (42-42-42)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #6 Andrzej Fonfara
According to Ringtv.com, Stevenson-Fonfara will most likely land on May 24.  After that, it looks like the Kovalev fight will happen in late 2014.
2) Bernard Hopkins (81-407-407)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/19/2014- vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR)
Hopkins will fight Shumenov in mid-April at the D.C. Armory in Washington.
3) Jean Pascal (10-10-10)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Bob Arum has floated the possibility of a July fight with Julio Cesar Chavez.
4) Sergey Kovalev (10-62-62)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO2 Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/29/2014- vs. #15 Cedric Agnew
Kovalev is likely to fight Stevenson in late 2014, and has a March 29 fight coming up in Atlantic City with Cedric Agnew.
5) Chad Dawson (10-408-408)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson has signed a deal with manager Al Haymon, which certainly brightens his career prospects.  He says he is interested in a Stevenson rematch.  Prospects for another occasionally-discussed rematch- with Jean Pascal- increased recently with word that Pascal’s trainer offered Dawson a contract.
6) Andrzej Fonfara (10-32-89)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
May 24 looks likely for Fonfara-Stevenson.
7) Tony Bellew (10-128-128)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO12 Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bellew is campaigning at cruiserweight now, but he’ll keep his ranking here until he schedules a fight there for after November 30, or until after November 30 itself.  BJ Flores wants to fight him.
8) Gabriel Campillo (10-196-196)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: 5/9/2014- vs. Ibrahim Lopez (UNR)
Campillo will reportedly fight unproven one-loss Spanish prospect Ibrahim Lopez on May 9 in Madrid.
9) Tavoris Cloud (10-239-239)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
10) Nathan Cleverly (10-216-216)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut is once again delayed by what’s being called a minor injury.  His promoter says he intends to schedule him another fight very soon.  He seems extremely keen on a Bellew rematch.
11) Isaac Chilemba (10-112)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD10 Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba looked very very sharp in dominating a game Denis Grachev, and might soon be in line for a shot at Adonis Stevenson.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (10-101)
Last Fight: 12/14/2013- UD12 Marcus Oliveira (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/5/2014- vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (UNR)
Braehmer returns April 5 in Rostock, Germany against moderately resurgent Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli.
13) Karo Murat (9-22)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat is a free agent after his contract with Sauerland recently expired.
14) Thomas Williams, Jr. (9-9)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- TKO1 #13 Cornelius White
Next Fight: Unknown
Williams has been well-matched against vulnerable guys with good resumes.
15) Cedric Agnew (10-50)
Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: 3/29/2014- vs. #4 Sergey Kovalev
Agnew was ordered to defend his regional title against fringe contender Anatoliy Dudchenko, and also appeared to have the option of fighting Sukhotsky for a position as IBF mandatory.  Instead, he’ll now roll the dice big against Kovalev.
16) Edwin Rodriguez (10-37)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez’s trainer Ronnie Shields opines that a fight against a top-15 level light heavyweight would be a good jumping-off point for his anticipated permanent move up.  Before that happens, he’ll need to recover from minor elbow surgery he had in December.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (22-39)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Cornelius White (9-119)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses.
19) Eleider Alvarez (9-61)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD10 Andy Gardiner (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Alvarez may have been suffering from a letdown after Oosthuizen withdrew from what could have been the Colombian’s biggest fight ever, and almost let it effect him to the point of losing to an unheralded undefeated prospect in Gardiner.
20) Lucian Bute (9-73)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bute wants his contractually-guaranteed rematch with Pascal.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Friday
Robin Krasniqi vs. Emmanuel Danso; Potsdam, Germany; RAN (Germany)
Krasniqi is a 27 year-old veteran gatekeeper from Kosovo and based in Munich, who was dominated by Nathan Cleverly in his only attempt at an alphabet belt.  Danso is an undefeated prospect from Ghana, but has yet to fight anyone with a pulse.

 

Michael Seals vs. Willis Lockett; New Town, North Dakota; Off TV
This fight is on the Friday Night Fights card, but is unlikely to make the broadcast.  That’s a familiar position for the undefeated Seals, who seems always to be on ESPN cards, but never gets TV exposure himself.  Lockett is roughly a .500 fighter and a low-level journyeman, but he still represents maybe the 2nd-best opponent Seals has faced.

 

Saturday
#4 Sergey Kovalev vs. #15 Cedric Agnew; Atlantic City, New Jersey; HBO (US)
Kovalev is among the most feared punchers in the sport, and obviously the heavy favorite.  Agnew is undefeated, himself, and has dominated the likes of Otis Griffin and a ranked version of Yusaf Mack.  Obviously neither of those guys present the same type of problem that Krusher Kovalev poses, so it’s a big ask for Agnew.  Still, we know from the split decision with Darnell Boone that Kovalev isn’t invincible, or at least wasn’t always so, so you’ve got to give at least some chance to a moderately proven undefeated prospect like Agnew.

 

Lionell Thompson vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Fight Klub (Poland)
Thompson is a gatekeeper who recently exposed Ryan Coyne on national TV.  Radivoje Kalajdzic is an undefeated Florida-based Bosnian.  He’s just outside the top 50 on Boxrec, and will be looking to prove he’s no Coyne.

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Light Heavyweight: 2013, Apr 15-21

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on April 18, 2013 by danboxing
This was one of those rare fights that just plain fell through the cracks video-wise.  A serious undefeated prospect in Cedric Agnew took on a declining top 15 contender in #14 Yusaf Mack in the prototypical crossroads fight in New Buffalo, Michigan, but it was a total media blackout.  Agnew won the decision unanimously, but the scores varied quite a bit.  One judge had it 115-113, while another had it 120-108 and the third came up with 118-110.  Normally I would insist on watching any important fight in which a judge saw it 115-113.  It could be that the judge was off his rocker.  It could be that there were a lot of close rounds in a fight that generally tilted toward Agnew.  But it could also be that it was a razor-thin fight.  Unfortunately we may never know because there isn’t even a youtube video of the fight out there.  For the purposes of the rankings, the median judge will hold sway, and it will be treated as a solid win for Agnew.

 

Another fairly intriguing fight- this one in Vegas- received similar treatment.  Kansas-based Menominee tribe member Marcus Oliveira battled fairly unproven but disproportionately-hyped Don King prospect Ryan Coyne in a fight that was unfortunately and somewhat peculiarly left off the ShoBox broadcast of the card.  Luckily, the result was a bit more clear-cut in this case.  Coyne reportedly started off strong, but was steadily worn down to an 11th round TKO.  Coyne is Oliveira’s best opponent since he knocked out Otis Griffin in 2009, but had not proven himself to be a real top 50 contender yet.  Frankly, in the two or three times I’d seen Coyne live, I never saw anything to convince me he was much more than a regional threat.  I have no doubt he could have edged his way into the Boxrec top 30 or so if carefully matched, but I think he would find himself outgunned against most of his peers at that level.  Despite Oliveira’s inactivity against decent competition, he is most likely at least that good.  On a sideshow sort of side note, this fight between two guys not ranked in the top 50 by Boxrec has apparently produced a ridiculous mandatory challenger to the ridiculous WBA belt ridiculously won and ridiculously still owned by Beibut Shumenov.  This proves once again that Don King completely owns the WBA rankings despite his dwindling stable of talent.

 

Agnew debuts at #11 with the big win, and Mack- a member of my inaugural rankings 147 weeks ago- falls from the rankings for the first time after losing for the first time to an unranked opponent.  This naturally forces everyone ranked #11-13 last week back one spot.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (32-32-32)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward’s attention seems fixed a division or two (or three) to the south, as the recent names associated with him have been Chavez, Mayweather, and Golovkin.
1) Chad Dawson (32-359-359)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. SMW #7 Adonis Stevenson
Dawson will fight Adonis Stevenson (who moves up from 168) on June 8 in Montreal.
2) Bernard Hopkins (32-358-358)
Last Fight: 3/9/2012- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: 7/27/2013- vs. Karo Murat (UNR)
All the buzz had been revolving around a Hopkins-Cleverly showdown, but with little or no warning, he signed to fight his mandatory, the slightly more proven but inactive Karo Murat, instead.
3) Jean Pascal (32-200-200)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #15 Lucian Bute
Pascal bailed on Dawson for a less internationally compelling fight with Lucian Bute on the same date.
4) Sergey Kovalev (13-13-13)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- TKO3 #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
5) Gabriel Campillo (13-147-147)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L(TKO3) vs. Sergey Kovalev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It remains to be seen whether we’ve seen Campillo rapidly decline, have a bad night, or just run into a world-beater.  But he’s still going to be highly ranked because he recently beat the guy ranked right below him.
6) Tavoris Cloud (13-190-190)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud’s manager expects him back in action by the end of the year.  Normally that wouldn’t be saying much, but that would be against type for Cloud.
7) Isaac Chilemba (3-3-63)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew (should be win)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #10 Tony Bellew
That didn’t take long!  Chilemba will rematch Bellew on the Froch-Kessler undercard in London, less than two months removed from getting borderline robbed the first time around.
8) Cornelius White (3-40-70)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Otis Griffin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
White snuck in an under-the-radar 8-rounder against Otis Griffin.  It was a pound over the limit, but will buy him some more time to stay active at 175, at least.
9) Nathan Cleverly (3-167-167)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)
Cleverly probably has a Hopkins fight waiting for him just a few months after the Krasniqi fight, assuming he wins.
10) Tony Bellew (3-79-79)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba (should be loss)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #7 Isaac Chilemba
See Chilemba’s notes, above.
11) Cedric Agnew (1-1)
Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
Agnew may have caught a fading Yusaf Mack at the right time, but he’s clearly a climber, having now beaten both Mack and Otis Griffin.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (1-52)
Last Fight: 2/2/2013- UD12 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/27/2013- vs. Tony Averlant (UNR)
Braehmer defends his European title in Hamburg on April 27 against journeyman Tony Averlant.  Averlant so far only steps up when he fights for the European belt, having previously been robbed against then-beltholder Eddy Gutknecht, only to get beat by a journeyman himself.
13) Beibut Shumenov (1-147)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Andrzej Fonfara (1-40)
Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fonfara aggravated a previous injury to his right hand and had to withdraw from his ESPN2 fight with Nicholson Poulard.  He will hope that it heals on its own in a month, but if not he will need surgery that would keep him out for an additional 3-6 months.
15) Lucian Bute (2-24)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #3 Jean Pascal
Bute will look to prove what I have long believed- that the 168 pound division is much better man-for-man than 175, by fighting his larger peer in Montreal on May 25.
16) Denis Grachev (2-51)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013– W* (SD10) vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR) (should be draw)
Next Fight: 7/13/2013- vs. SMW #16 Edwin Rodriguez
Grachev will be fighting Edwin Rodriguez at a catchweight of 171.5 in Monte Carlo for a million dollar prize.
17) Dmitri Sukhotski (2-129)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2013- vs. Mikhail Krinitsin
Sukhotski will fight in Barnaul, Russia on June 4 against low-level Kazakh journeyman Mikhail Krinitsin.
18) Eleider Alvarez (2-12)
Last Fight: 3/22/2013- TKO3 Nicholson Poulard (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Alvarez continues to stay busy, as he already has another fight scheduled for the Bute-Pascal undercard on May 25.  No opponent yet, though.
19) Yunieski Gonzalez (2-5)
Last Fight: 3/15/2013- KO8 Rowland Bryant (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Gonzalez took a huge step up in competition and made good, knocking out strong fringe contender Bryant. 
20) Doudou Ngumbu (2-2)
Last Fight: 3/16/2013- UD12 #14 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff
Next Fight: Unknown

 

The Week Ahead: Thursday- Two notable fights on one card in Footscray, Australia.  Undefeated prospect Blake Caparello stays busy against Uruguayan journeyman Jorge Rodriguez.  In a much better match-up, Melbourne-based Cameroonian fringe contender Serge Yannick looks to successfully move up from 168 against one-loss Kiwi prospect Robert Berridge, whose lone loss came against the aforementioned Caparello.

 

Saturday- A battle of Frenchmen in France, as fringe contender Nadjib Mohammedi meets mid-level journeyman Hakim Chioui.

 

Meanwhile, #9 Nathan Cleverly finally gets his oft-delayed and only barely worthwhile fight with 2-loss prospect Robin Krasniqi in London.  Fast-fading gatekeeper Enzo Maccarinelli is on the undercard in a 6-rounder against weak journeyman Carl Wild.

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Light Heavyweight: 2013, Apr 8-14

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on April 8, 2013 by danboxing
Last week’s #12 Karo Murat last made 175 on October 1, 2011.  He has fought just once since then, which bought him an extra six months based on my rules, since he missed the weight by less than 2 pounds.  He’s been waiting around for a shot at Tavoris Cloud (or Bernard Hopkins for the past month or so), which has been repeatedly frustrated by Don King.  But there’s just no excuse- save for injury- for a fighter to be out of the ring for stretches like these.  Accordingly, he is removed this week, allowing everyone ranked #13 and below last week to advance.  Doudou Ngumbu assumes the #20 position on the strength of his recent win over 14th-ranked Vyacheslav Uzelkoff. 

 

Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)
Champ: Andre Ward (31-31-31)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward’s attention seems fixed a division or two (or three) to the south, as the recent names associated with him have been Chavez, Mayweather, and Golovkin.
1) Chad Dawson (31-358-358)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. SMW #7 Adonis Stevenson
Dawson will fight Adonis Stevenson (who moves up from 168) on June 8 in Montreal.
2) Bernard Hopkins (31-357-357)
Last Fight: 3/9/2012- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
There is now serious talk of Hopkins fighting Cleverly in London this July.
3) Jean Pascal (31-199-199)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #15 Lucian Bute
Pascal bailed on Dawson for a less internationally compelling fight with Lucian Bute on the same date.
4) Sergey Kovalev (12-12-12)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- TKO3 #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
5) Gabriel Campillo (12-146-146)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L(TKO3) vs. Sergey Kovalev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It remains to be seen whether we’ve seen Campillo rapidly decline, have a bad night, or just run into a world-beater.  But he’s still going to be highly ranked because he recently beat the guy ranked right below him.
6) Tavoris Cloud (12-189-189)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud’s manager expects him back in action by the end of the year.  Normally that wouldn’t be saying much, but that would be against type for Cloud.
7) Isaac Chilemba (2-2-62)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew (should be win)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #10 Tony Bellew
That didn’t take long!  Chilemba will rematch Bellew on the Froch-Kessler undercard in London, less than two months removed from getting borderline robbed the first time around.
8) Cornelius White (2-39-69)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Otis Griffin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
White snuck in an under-the-radar 8-rounder against Otis Griffin.  It was a pound over the limit, but will buy him some more time to stay active at 175, at least.
9) Nathan Cleverly (2-166-166)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)
Cleverly probably has a Hopkins fight waiting for him just a few months after the Krasniqi fight, assuming he wins.
10) Tony Bellew (2-78-78)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- Draw* (SD12) vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba (should be loss)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #7 Isaac Chilemba
See Chilemba’s notes, above.
11) Jürgen Brähmer (2-51)
Last Fight: 2/2/2013- UD12 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/27/2013- vs. Tony Averlant (UNR)
Braehmer defends his European title in Hamburg on April 27 against journeyman Tony Averlant.  Averlant so far only steps up when he fights for the European belt, having previously been robbed against then-beltholder Eddy Gutknecht, only to get beat by a journeyman himself.
12) Beibut Shumenov (1-146)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
13) Andrzej Fonfara (1-39)
Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fonfara aggravated a previous injury to his right hand and had to withdraw from his ESPN2 fight with Nicholson Poulard.  He will hope that it heals on its own in a month, but if not he will need surgery that would keep him out for an additional 3-6 months.
14) Yusaf Mack (1-146)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- L(KO3) vs. #1 SMW Carl Froch (at SMW)
Next Fight: 4/12/2013- vs. Cedric Agnew (UNR)
After I rather thought he should retire after his showing against Carl Froch, Mack is instead back in the ring on April 12 against undefeated prospect Cedric Agnew.
15) Lucian Bute (1-23)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #3 Jean Pascal
Bute will look to prove what I have long believed- that the 168 pound division is much better man-for-man than 175, by fighting his larger peer in Montreal on May 25.
16) Denis Grachev (1-50)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013– W* (SD10) vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR) (should be draw)
Next Fight: 7/13/2013- vs. SMW #16 Edwin Rodriguez
Grachev will be fighting Edwin Rodriguez at a catchweight of 171.5 in Monte Carlo for a million dollar prize.
17) Dmitri Sukhotski (1-128)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/4/2013- vs. Mikhail Krinitsin
Sukhotski will fight in Barnaul, Russia on June 4 against low-level Kazakh journeyman Mikhail Krinitsin.
18) Eleider Alvarez (1-11)
Last Fight: 3/22/2013- TKO3 Nicholson Poulard (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Alvarez continues to stay busy, as he already has another fight scheduled for the Bute-Pascal undercard on May 25.  No opponent yet, though.
19) Yunieski Gonzalez (1-4)
Last Fight: 3/15/2013- KO8 Rowland Bryant (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Gonzalez took a huge step up in competition and made good, knocking out strong fringe contender Bryant. 
20) Doudou Ngumbu (1-1)
Last Fight: 3/16/2013- UD12 #14 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff
Next Fight: Unknown
 

 

The Week Ahead: There are two fights worth mentioning on Friday this week.

 

At a casino in New Buffalo, Michigan, we get a crossroads fight between undefeated Chicago prospect Cedric Agnew and the apparently shot #14 Yusaf Mack of Philly, who looked so bad against Carl Froch in his last fight that I personally thought he ought to retire.  And that’s even accounting for that fact that he had to cut some extra weight for the fight, and for the fact that Froch is really really good. 

 

In Vegas, and presumably a couple hours or so later, a once-great college rivalry is reignited between two undefeated prospects.  Marcus Oliveira, a member of the Menominee tribe, lives on an Indian reservation near Lawrence, Kansas.  I therefore make an assumption that he is a Jayhawk fan to one extent or another (though he played basketball for a nearby tribal college).  He is undefeated, and rose to roughly top 25 status with a knockout of gatekeeper Otis Griffin in the early summer of 2009.  But then he laid off for a year and has fought just 5 times against extremely weak opposition in the nearly 4 years since.  His inactivity and competition has been so bad that boxrec no longer even ranks him in the top 50 despite the Griffin win.  Almost needless to say, he’s a Don King fighter.  Oliveira’s opponent is Ryan Coyne, who at last check was trying and failing to separate himself from King.  Coyne played safety for the Mizzou Tigers, and comes in with an undefeated record, though he’s marginally less proven than Oliveira.  You might remember him for scheduled fights with Nathan Cleverly and Guillermo Jones, both of which fell through.  Technically speaking, I wouldn’t normally have mentioned this fight because it lacks a top 50 fighter according to boxrec, but given Oliveira’s past success and continued undefeated record, that seemed like quite a technicality indeed.

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Cruiserweight: 2012, Aug 6-12

Posted in Cruiserweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on September 8, 2012 by danboxing
Olympic boxing swallowed up the pro boxing schedule this weekend.  Nothing to report.

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: None
1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (27-111-111)
Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham
Next Fight: 9/15/2012- vs. #20 Troy Ross
This Cuban will fight Canadian fringe contender Troy Ross- in Germany.  I feel like this could only happen at Cruiserweight.
2) Denis Lebedev (27-131-131)
Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/20/2012- vs. #8 Guillermo Jones
Lebedev will fight very inactive alphabet titleholder and former welterweight Guillermo Jones in Moscow this October.
3) Steve Cunningham (10-425-425)
Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent (at HW)
Cunningham has now signed with Main Events and is poised to move up to heavyweight.  This paves the way for his return to America after fighting in Germany for Sauerland for a while, and also potentially for a rematch with new stablemate Tomasz Adamek down the road.  He will be ranked here until he’s been inactive at 200 for a year or signs a heavyweight fight for after that anniversary.
4) Marco Huck (10-296-296)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #7 Ola Afolabi
Next Fight: Unknown
Huck wants to fight Haye at heavyweight in what could be an interesting fight.  He says he doesn’t see any reason to rematch Afolabi, since he beat him twice.  That’s pure posturing.
5) Ola Afolabi (10-178-178)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #4 Marco Huck
Next Fight: Unknown
Afolabi is now discussing a September fight with Mormeck.
6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (10-372-372)
Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green
Next Fight: 9/22/2012- vs. #12 Francisco Palacios
It appears- according to Boxrec- that Wlodarczyk has finally consented to an alphabet-mandated rematch with Palacios. The first fight was close (I thought Palacios won), but unfortunately almost unwatchable, as well.
7) Lateef Kayode (7-10-90)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- Draw (SD12) vs. ‘Roided up #3 Antonio Tarver
Next Fight: Unknown
BJ Flores wants to fight Kayode, and Kayode is evidently gunning for Danny Green.
8) Guillermo Jones (7-97-97)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/20/2012- vs. #2 Denis Lebedev
Jones will travel to Moscow to put his alphabet title on the line against the much younger Lebedev.
9) Firat Arslan (7-13-56)
Last Fight: 5/11/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #12 Alexander Alekseev (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #16 Alexander Alekseev
Arslan-Alekseev II is reportedly on for November.
10) Danny Green (7-7-140)
Last Fight: 7/25/2012- TKO5 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) B.J. Flores (7-111)
Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Flores is replacing the disgraced Antonio Tarver in NBC’s Olympic boxing coverage, and then will apparently fight (probably against a nobody) on September 8 in Missouri.  Unfortunately, Flores is a pretty terrible commentator.
12) Francisco Palacios (7-71)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/22/2012- vs. #6 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk
See Wlodarczyk’s notes, above.
13) Giacobbe Fragomeni (7-195)
Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Branco.
14) Silvio Branco (7-21)
Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni
Next Fight: Unknown
45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.
15) Mateusz Masternak (7-19)
Last Fight: 5/19/2012- UD10 Hari Miles (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
A proposed fight with Enad Licina has apparently fallen through, and Masternak now looks likely to fight David Quinonero next, instead.
16) Alexander Alekseev (7-82)
Last Fight: 5/11/2012- Draw*(MD12) vs. #19 Firat Arslan (robbery- should have been L)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #9 Firat Arslan
See Arslan’s notes, above.
17) Enad Licina (7-111)
Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Dmitro Kucher (6-6)
Last Fight: 6/27/2012- KO3 Cesar Crenz (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/19/2012- vs. Geoffrey Battelo (UNR)
Kucher will face journeyman Geoffrey Battelo next.
19) Pawel Glazewski (6-6)
Last Fight: 6/30/2012- L(Robbery) vs. Roy Jones, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: 10/13/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Glazewski is on the schedule for October 13 in Poland, with no opponent yet announced.
20) Troy Ross (6-27)
Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/15/2012- vs. #1 Yoan Pablo Hernandez
Ross will roll the dice in a big way against Hernandez- the first decent opponent he’s fought in a very long time.

 

THE WEEK AHEAD:  There are only a handful of notable fights going on in the world this week of the professional variety, and three of them are right here at cruiser.

 

On Thursday in Houston, Texas, undefeated Chicago prospect Cedric Agnew takes on veteran journeyman Zack Page in a 6-rounder.

 

Saturday, Ukrainian fringe prospect Anatoliy Dudchenko will fight gatekeeper Alfredo Contreras in Studio City, California.  Across the country in Franklin Square, New York, undefeated Colombian Santander Silgado battles journeyman Joell Godfrey.

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