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Junior Middleweight: 2014, May 26- Jun 1

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 22, 2014 by danboxing
#16 Jermell Charlo got a really nice win on the Saturday undercard of Stevenson-Fonfara, capturing a unanimous decision over fringe contending prospect Charlie Ota, whose only loss came way back in 2007 in his 7th pro fight.  It wasn’t exactly a blowout.  Ota did score a knockdown in the 3rd round (a round he otherwise lost), and may have won as many as four rounds, which is the number I gave him.  Judge Lapointe had it essentially the same as me, except that at 115-111, he apparently gave Ota an undeserved 10-8 in round 3.  The other two judges, Larry Hazzard and Robert Paolino, apparently gave Charlo every close round, and had it 118-109.  Either way, it was a clear win for Charlo.  My main criticism of him is that he ran a bit too much.  He would have been well-served, both from a fan-friendly perspective and from a competitive one, to punch off movement more consistently, instead of waiting until he gets stuck on the ropes to let his hands go, which is something he did fairly often.  But on the flipside, Ota’s main problem was that he couldn’t cut off the ring very often, and thus allowed the generally passive Charlo to still be first, and to control range.  One side note on the officiating.  French-Canadian ref Jean-Guy Brousseau functionally couldn’t speak English, which makes him an inexcusably poor choice to referee a fight between two English-speaking fighters.  It’s not like they didn’t have other options in Quebec, such as Michael Griffin.  Even aside from the language barrier, Brousseau had a bad moment in the 9th, when he took a point from Charlo for a low blow.  It was only the second low blow I’d seen, and neither was blatant.  Definitely not a warranted deduction, in my opinion.

 

On the deeper, Showtime Extreme-televised undercard, undefeated prospect Julian Williams got the biggest win of his young career with a dominant 8 round TKO win over gatekeeper Michael Medina.  Williams appeared to be both accurate and heavy-handed, although you simultaneously have to question his natural power when you stop to consider that he hit Medina with the proverbial kitchen sink about 10 times before he was finally able to drop him in the 8th.  Even if Williams indeed is not another Golovkin-type puncher, you still have to credit the heart and chin of Medina (though not much else about his performance).  He had no head movement and was practically unable to defend himself really at all for any of the 8 rounds the fight lasted.  Medina’s stock is way down after he had little or nothing to offer in back-to-back fights against Willie Nelson and now Williams.

 

Gatekeeper Luciano Cuello got a little bit of help from the judges in La Plata, Argentina to remain viable internationally, as he took a 12-round decision over undefeated prospect Martin Rios.  I had it 114-113 Rios, and would have had it 115-113 if not for a point deduction by referee Jorge Basile for a backhanded punch that was petty, at best.  There were several close rounds, and I could have seen the fight legitimately going anywhere between 116-111 Rios and 117-110 Cuello, or 117-111 either way without the deduction.  Judges Manuel Veliz (116-111) and Juan Carlos Palmieri (114-112) had it within that range (both for Cuello), while Jorge Gorin apparently had a really good time at happy hour right before the fight, because his 119-108 card was just hideous.  I mean Rios completely dominated the first 2 rounds, as well as the last.  A drunken monkey could have scored those rounds right.  Judging aside, the story of the fight was a blistering fast start from Rios, who came out winging wild shots with his long arms, and having a great deal of success with that, especially on the plethora of occasions on which he had a passive Cuello backed to the ropes.  He appeared to be entirely punched out in the middle rounds, though, as he was forced to throw his whole body into his shots just to deliver them credibly.  This allowed Cuello to block nearly all of them.  Surprisingly, Cuello seemed content most of the time to tap away with the jab at close range, just trying to score points rather than hurt Rios.  This may have contributed to Rios’ ability to catch his second wind late in the fight.  Besides that, Rios simply appeared to want it more.  He hustled and threw his shots with conviction, while Cuello’s workrate was too low to win many of the rounds, while he allowed himself to get smothered on the inside.  Rios deserved better, I think, and Cuello looked nothing like the strong rugged guy that almost upset Willie Nelson not long ago.

 

Williams falls shy of claiming a ranking, though he does unofficially take a spot in the top 25.  Charlo benefits from the extra quality win on his resume, advancing to #13 on Ota’s back.  The Japan-based American, for his part, slumps down into roughly the mid-30s.  Cuello hasn’t beaten any top 50 opponents yet, so he’s not eligible for a ranking, and thus even though Rios would otherwise earn at least token consideration, he’s not eligible either, due to the paradox.  If either guy does have success against a top 50 opponent at some stage, though, this fight will figure into the calculus when determining his rightful place.  With Charlo’s promotion, everyone ranked #13-15 backtracks a spot.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Saul Alvarez (12-169-184)
Last Fight: 3/8/2014- TKO10 #10 Alfredo Angulo (at 155)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #3 Erislandy Lara
Canelo came knocking, and Lara answered the door.
2) Carlos Molina (12-151-166)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina is out of jail and training in Mexico City.  He lobbied the IBF to give him an exemption to defend his belt against Jermall Charlo, whom he was supposed to face already before he was jailed, but the alphabet is sticking to its guns and will try to make him fight Bundrage, instead.
3) Erislandy Lara (12-151-173)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #4 Austin Trout
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #1 Saul Alvarez
Lara traded an intended fight with Ishe Smith for a more lucrative and important showdown with Canelo.  The fight might not determine a legitimate champion, but it should at least crown a preeminent top contender.
4) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (12-37-37)
Last Fight: 5/3/2014- W* (MD12) vs. #4 WW Marcos Maidana (at WW)
Next Fight: 9/13/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Floyd will be fighting on September 13.  A Maidana rematch remains a possibility.
5) Austin Trout (25-104-173)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (UD12) vs. #5 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Trout might be getting to that unfortunate position of having a record underwhelming enough to be low-reward, while still being easily skilled enough to be high-risk.  He says essentially that he wants worthwhile fights in 2014, rather than a soft diet for rebuilding purposes.
6) Ishe Smith (37-66-66)
Last Fight: 5/2/2014- KO2 Ryan Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I know he was a relatively short-notice replacement, but Ryan Davis was a little too hapless even by that standard.
7) Joshua Clottey (7-7-7)
Last Fight: 4/9/2014- UD12 #7 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: Unknown
For those looking for a good way to revitalize a practically evaporated career, you couldn’t do much better than the example Clottey just provided.  He wants to fight Mayweather, but I’d say he’s at least one top 5 win away from having a chance at that.
8) Miguel Cotto (26-208-208)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Cotto and Martinez have now officially agreed to a Middleweight Championship fight on June 7 at MSG.
9) Anthony Mundine (7-26-26)
Last Fight: 4/9/2014- L (UD12) vs. Joshua Clottey (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mundine is reportedly in talks to bring the now much larger and also more retired Danny Green into a rematch.
10) Cornelius Bundrage (7-199-199)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD12 Joey Hernandez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It appears that Bundrage has jumped to the front of the line to challenge for Molina’s belt, and his would-be opponent is now out of jail and training.
11) Alfredo Angulo (7-244)
Last Fight: 3/8/2014- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo could probably use a fight with a gatekeeper or low level fringe contender just to get his career momentum going.
12) Sergey Rabchenko (7-102)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Bradley Pryce (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko’s fight in Rome was cancelled on 3 days’ notice due to Visa issues, and his would-be opponent, journeyman Emanuele Della Rosa, will be fighting undefeated prospect Isaac Real for what had been Rabchenko’s European title.
13) Jermell Charlo (1-51)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- UD12 Charlie Ota (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the cancellation of Smith-Lara, Charlo has been bumped back to May 24, and will fight fringe contending prospect Charlie Ota.
14) Demetrius Andrade (1-29)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (SD12) vs. #13 Vanes Martirosyan
Next Fight: 6/14/2014- vs. Brian Rose (UNR)
Andrade and Rose have agreed to fight in the US, with a date of June 14.
15) Cesar Sastre Silva (1-6)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- Robbery UD10 Loss (should be win) vs. #13 Javier Maciel
Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. Brian Castano (UNR)
Sastre Silva dominated a confused-looking Javier Maciel, but got robbed even worse than Maciel had been robbed against Rose in his previous fight.  Now he’ll be in with an undefeated prospect in Brian Castano on June 6.
16) Vanes Martirosyan (1-156)
Last Fight: 3/21/2014- UD10 Mario Lozano (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vanes was supposed to fight on the Stiverne-Arreola card from what I understood, but that fight quietly disappeared from the schedule at some unknown point in time.  He’s been dropped by Top Rank and signed with Dan Goossen, as well.
17) Gabriel Rosado (2-18)
Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (UD10) vs. #18 Jermell Charlo
Next Fight: Unknown
Rosado was offered to Ishe Smith as a May 2 replacement, but Smith turned him down.  In turn, Rosado is being challenged by Hassan N’Dam.
18) Zaurbek Baysangurov (2-7)
Last Fight: 4/12/2014- TKO12 #20 Guido Pitto
Next Fight: Unknown
Baysangurov looked the best I’ve seen him, by far, against Pitto.
19) Willie Nelson (2-65)
Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After a big fight fell through for him in May, Nelson’s co-promoter Lou DiBella says the lanky Nelson will be fighting in a main event in August.
20) Brian Rose (2-2)
Last Fight: 10/26/2014- Robbery SD12 W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/14/2014- vs. #13 Demetrius Andrade
See Andrade’s notes, above.

 

The Week Ahead: Nothing going on this week.

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Junior Middleweight: 2014, May 19-25

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 17, 2014 by danboxing
Friday in Montreal, #15 Delvin Rodriguez looked to be somewhat the worse for wear after his wipeout loss to Cotto last year.  His opponent this time was former contender and current journeyman Joachim Alcine, who returned to his form of at least a few years ago, it seemed.  Rodriguez started out solidly enough, carrying the first three rounds on my card.  But by the fourth, his work had begun to look a bit ragged.  Alcine swept the middle four rounds in my opinion, and had the lead at 67-66 after 7 complete.  Inexplicably, though, it almost seemed that Alcine’s desire to win the fight waned down the stretch, and he allowed Rodriguez to simply outwork him for each of the last three rounds.  I had Rodriguez eeking out a 96-94 victory.  Judge Benoit Roussel had it a round wider, while Jack Woodburn swung a couple toss-up rounds to Alcine to have him up 96-94.  Paschal Procopio split the difference at 95-95, and the fight was declared a draw.  I can’t argue much with that, even though I did think Rodriguez edged it out.

 

Giving deference to the judges, Alcine moves back to the gatekeeper category and perhaps resurrects his career a little, while Rodriguez exits the top 20, settling in at about the borderline of the top 25 for my money.  

 

This movement allows everyone ranked #16 and below last week to move up a spot, and lets Brian Rose reclaim a spot in the top 20 for the first time since he was forced out on April 14.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Saul Alvarez (11-168-183)
Last Fight: 3/8/2014- TKO10 #10 Alfredo Angulo (at 155)
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #3 Erislandy Lara
Canelo came knocking, and Lara answered the door.
2) Carlos Molina (11-150-165)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina is out of jail and training in Mexico City.  He will most likely get Cornelius Bundrage next, but has requested an optional defense against Jermall Charlo, with whom he had a fight scheduled before his incarceration.
3) Erislandy Lara (11-150-172)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD12 #4 Austin Trout
Next Fight: 7/12/2014- vs. #1 Saul Alvarez
Lara traded an intended fight with Ishe Smith for a more lucrative and important showdown with Canelo.  The fight might not determine a legitimate champion, but it should at least crown a preeminent top contender.
4) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (11-36-36)
Last Fight: 5/3/2014- W* (MD12) vs. #4 WW Marcos Maidana (at WW)
Next Fight: 9/13/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Floyd will be fighting on September 13.  A Maidana rematch remains a possibility.
5) Austin Trout (24-103-172)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- L (UD12) vs. #5 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Trout might be getting to that unfortunate position of having a record underwhelming enough to be low-reward, while still being easily skilled enough to be high-risk.  He says essentially that he wants worthwhile fights in 2014, rather than a soft diet for rebuilding purposes.
6) Ishe Smith (36-65-65)
Last Fight: 5/2/2014- KO2 Ryan Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I know he was a relatively short-notice replacement, but Ryan Davis was a little too hapless even by that standard.
7) Joshua Clottey (6-6-6)
Last Fight: 4/9/2014- UD12 #7 Anthony Mundine
Next Fight: Unknown
For those looking for a good way to revitalize a practically evaporated career, you couldn’t do much better than the example Clottey just provided.  He wants to fight Mayweather, but I’d say he’s at least one top 5 win away from having a chance at that.
8) Miguel Cotto (25-207-207)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. MW Champ Sergio Martinez (at MW)
Cotto and Martinez have now officially agreed to a Middleweight Championship fight on June 7 at MSG.
9) Anthony Mundine (6-25-25)
Last Fight: 4/9/2014- L (UD12) vs. Joshua Clottey (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Not one to be kept down for long, Mundine offered to substitute for Erislandy Lara for Ishe Smith’s May 2 date.
10) Cornelius Bundrage (6-198-198)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- UD12 Joey Hernandez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It appears that Bundrage has jumped to the front of the line to challenge for Molina’s belt, and his would-be opponent is now out of jail and training.
11) Alfredo Angulo (6-243)
Last Fight: 3/8/2014- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo could probably use a fight with a gatekeeper or low level fringe contender just to get his career momentum going.
12) Sergey Rabchenko (6-101)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 Bradley Pryce (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko’s fight in Rome was cancelled on 3 days’ notice due to Visa issues, and his would-be opponent, journeyman Emanuele Della Rosa, will be fighting undefeated prospect Isaac Real for what had been Rabchenko’s European title.
13) Demetrius Andrade (5-28)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (SD12) vs. #13 Vanes Martirosyan
Next Fight: 6/14/2014- vs. Brian Rose (UNR)
Andrade and Rose have agreed to fight in the US, with a date of June 14.
14) Cesar Sastre Silva (5-5)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- Robbery UD10 Loss (should be win) vs. #13 Javier Maciel
Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. Brian Castano (UNR)
Sastre Silva dominated a confused-looking Javier Maciel, but got robbed even worse than Maciel had been robbed against Rose in his previous fight.  Now he’ll be in with an undefeated prospect in Brian Castano on June 6.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (1-155)
Last Fight: 3/21/2014- UD10 Mario Lozano (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vanes was supposed to fight on the Stiverne-Arreola card from what I understood, but that fight quietly disappeared from the schedule at some unknown point in time.  He’s been dropped by Top Rank and signed with Dan Goossen, as well.
16) Jermell Charlo (1-50)
Last Fight: 1/25/2014- UD10 Gabriel Rosado (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. Charlie Ota (UNR)
With the cancellation of Smith-Lara, Charlo has been bumped back to May 24, and will fight fringe contending prospect Charlie Ota.
17) Gabriel Rosado (1-17)
Last Fight: 1/25/2014- L (UD10) vs. #18 Jermell Charlo
Next Fight: Unknown
Rosado was offered to Ishe Smith as a May 2 replacement, but Smith turned him down.  In turn, Rosado is being challenged by Hassan N’Dam.
18) Zaurbek Baysangurov (1-6)
Last Fight: 4/12/2014- TKO12 #20 Guido Pitto
Next Fight: Unknown
Baysangurov looked the best I’ve seen him, by far, against Pitto.
19) Willie Nelson (1-64)
Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After a big fight fell through for him in May, Nelson’s co-promoter Lou DiBella says the lanky Nelson will be fighting in a main event in August.
20) Brian Rose (1-1)
Last Fight: 10/26/2014- Robbery SD12 W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/14/2014- vs. #13 Demetrius Andrade
See Andrade’s notes, above.

 

The Week Ahead:
Saturday
#16 Jermell Charlo vs. Charlie Ota; Montreal, Quebec; Showtime (US)
This is a really nice match-up.  Charlo is a supremely talented undefeated prospect with the full backing of the most powerful promoter in the world.  Ota is a pretty decent prospect in his own right.  A former American serviceman once known as Charlie Bellamy, he has fought his entire career out of Japan.  I’ve got him unofficially ranked in the mid-20s currently.  Charlo handled a proven fringe contender in Rosado, so he’s the clear favorite here.  Still, Ota is no joke, and this should be a worthwhile scrap.

 

Julian Williams vs. Michael Medina; Montreal, Quebec; Showtime Extreme (US)
Williams is a rising 24 year-old Philly prospect.  Medina is a California gatekeeper who comes off more than 14 months’ inactivity following an ankle injury and TKO loss to Willie Nelson in March 2013.  He is roughly on a par with the other 3 or 4 best opponents of Williams’ career.  Williams handled Freddy Hernandez and Dashon Johnson with ease, dominated Hugo Centeno before a cut caused a no contest, and won a hard-fought battle with Joachim Alcine mainly by dropping Alcine 3 times.  Based on that track record, Williams ought to be the big favorite, especially with Medina’s potential for ring rust and physical issues from the injury.

 

Luciano Cuello vs. Martin Rios; La Plata, Argentina; TyC Sports (Argentina)
Cuello, of Argentina, would qualify as a gatekeeper.  Managed by Sergio Martinez, he was a 23-0 prospect when he lost a close decision to a pre-prime Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in 2009.  18 months later, he was stopped in 6 by a young Canelo.  He made his US cable debut in June, when he lost a very very close fight with current #19 Willie Nelson.  Rios is a moderately unproven undefeated prospect, also from Argentina, who has two draws on his record, but comes off a TKO over the best opponent of his career, mid-range journeyman Juan Manuel Bonanni, in February.  Cuello looks like a real international threat to the division, and I don’t think Rios looks like the kind of guy that’s likely to graduate to that level.

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Nov 11-17

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on January 12, 2014 by danboxing
Vanes Martirosyan fighting in Texas.  Could controversy have been any more likely?  In two of Vanes’ biggest career fights- against Lara and Kassim Ouma- he received offensively kind treatment from the judges in order to achieve a draw and a win, respectively.  And I don’t even know where to start on Texas’ long record of officiating outrages.  Here’s the thing: it was actually a really close fight.  I had it 114-114, though in fairness I should say that I happened to have given Vanes all of the close rounds to get to that score.  It might have been as wide as 117-111 in favor of Andrade.  

 

The Texas judges couldn’t let it rest at merely a close fight, though.  They had to throw their own bit of crapiness into the equation, too.  First of all, they all three had round 1 scored 10-8.  Bad call.  Vanes scored a knockdown, but Andrade won the rest of the round by a wide margin, which means Vanes should only have gotten the benefit of a 10-9.  Not even a close call.  Don Griffin’s card was just fine, that mistake aside.  He had it 114-113 for Andrade, which agrees with my card otherwise.  Jesse Reyes scored it 117-110 for Andrade, which means he had one pretty clear Vanes round for Andrade, in addition to all the close rounds.  But the real nutball in the group was Javier Alvarez, who somehow found an extra round to give to Vanes, in addition to all the close rounds that I gave him.  I can understand Reyes’ card a little more, despite being much further from my own numerically.  Why?  Because in addition to the three close rounds I gave Andrade, the next two closest rounds of the fight were also ones I had already scored for Vanes.  So to get Vanes into the win column, it means that after scoring all of the close and knda close rounds for him, Alvarez also found one of the clearest rounds of the fight and just blatantly scored it wrong.  This isn’t one of the greatest judging disasters I’ve chronicled here, to be honest.  I’ve seen guys score at least 4 clear rounds the wrong way before, and the most that any judge blatantly messed up here was 1.  But still…shame on Reyes and especially Alvarez.  This sport deserves better.

 

So now that I’m done talking about bad judging in Texas, it’s time to move on to, unfortunately, bad judging in New York.  Not dispositive bad judging.  Just embarrassing.  I’m talking about the Saturday fight between New York-born, Tokyo-based  fringe contender Charlie Ota (originally Charles Bellamy) and New York-based Puerto Rican Mike Ruiz, who was the crowd favorite by a significant margin.  Ota looked aggressive, powerful, and pretty much dominant.  He cut off the ring pretty well on Ruiz, whose style was essentially shoeshine-and-run.  I had it an 80-72 shutout.  There were three close rounds, which makes Waleska Roldan’s 77-75 scorecard somewhat palatable.  Robin Taylor at 76-76 was totally out of bounds.  Easy win for Ota, plain and simple.

 

Rounding out the week in Reims, France was fringe contender Michel Soro, who outpointed journeyman Jean Michel Hamilcaro over ten to retain the French title.

 

As I mentioned in last week’s preview, Andrade entered last week’s fight as very much a peer to Martirosyan, and was unranked only to technicalities regarding contract weights.  In fact, I calculate that I would have ranked him at #14 right below Vanes, if my rules allowed for it.  As a result, there is very little movement in the rankings based on what was a very slight win for Andrade.  The only movement comes from Andrade’s long-overdue debut, at #12.  Vanes holds his position, except the spot he is bumped back by Andrade, along with everyone else ranked #12 or below last week.  Kell Brook exits in the transaction, after 17 weeks in.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (41-123-138)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina is dreaming of a fight with Canelo.  But it’s just a dream.  Molina’s style and low-profile makes him essentially unpromotable, and he would be a serious threat to win that fight.  No chance Golden Boy puts it together.
2) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (9-9-9)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Mayweather intends to fight twice in 2014: on May 3 and September 13, if all goes to plan.  Amir Khan is the rumored opponent for May 3.  Bradley is getting a bit of buzz lately, too, as is Bernard Hopkins, at middleweight- though Floyd Sr. has said the latter will never happen.
3) Saul Alvarez (9-141-156)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L* (MD12) vs. WW Champion Floyd Mayweather
Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Alvarez will be back on March 8.  He’s hoping for either Cotto or Sergio.  After that, he expects to fight two additional times in 2014.
4) Austin Trout (9-76-145)
Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. #5 Erislandy Lara
It looks like Lara-Trout for December 7 is a done deal.
5) Erislandy Lara (9-123-145)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- TKO10 #8 Alfredo Angulo
Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. #4 Austin Trout
See Trout’s note, above.
6) Ishe Smith (9-38-38)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L (SD12) vs. #1 Carlos Molina
Next Fight: Unknown
Smith sounds like he’s open to a variety of options for his next fight.  Anything from a Molina rematch, to Trout, to Angulo or Lara.  And even more various than that- he says he wants one UFC fight.  He’s also been in a war of words with Shane Mosley recently.
7) Miguel Cotto (9-180-180)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez
Next Fight: Unknown 
Cotto reportedly has a $10 million offer to fight Canelo on the table, and is also being courted by Sergio Martinez.
8) Cornelius Bundrage (9-171-171)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundrage has been approved to fight Joey Hernandez in an IBF eliminator.  No date or contract yet, though.
9) Alfredo Angulo (9-216-216)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo may be returning in January, and Carlos Molina has been discussed as a possible foe.
10) Sergey Rabchenko (28-28-74)
Last Fight: 7/16/2013- TKO3 Gari Abajian (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Bradley Pryce (UNR)
Cedric Vitu has been replaced in Rabchenko’s Saturday fight with comparatively weak Welsh journeyman Bradley Pryce.
11) Javier Maciel (3-3)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery L (SD12) vs. #14 Brian Rose
Next Fight: Unknown
The one upside to a guy being robbed of a win that should have propelled him very near the top 10 is that it allows me to shine a light on the incompetence and/or corruption that caused the situation by ranking him exactly where he deserves, despite their attempts.
12) Demetrius Andrade (1-1)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- W* (SD12) vs. #13 Vanes Martirosyan
Next Fight: Unknown
Andrade now holds a major belt, and thus theoretically should start getting a steady stream of good opponents.
13) Delvin Rodriguez (1-122)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #7 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez appears to be solid against borderline top-10 types (see Wolak), but completely out of his depth at just a tad higher level.
14) Vanes Martirosyan (1-128)
Last Fight: 11/9/2013- L* (SD12) vs. Demetrius Andrade (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
15) Willie Nelson (1-37)
Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Nelson has injured his elbow, and his middleweight fight with Macklin has been cancelled as a result.
16) Brian Rose (1-34)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rose will be fighting Andrade for his alphabet title at some point.  Totally undeserved, although the WBO title  at 154 is particularly meaningless already, having been handed to the very mediocre Zaurbek Baysangurov before being contested between two prospects.
17) Jermell Charlo (1-23)
Last Fight: 10/14/2013- TKO10 Jose Angel Rodriguez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Charlo would like to fight Carlos Molina for an alphabet title, after saying he is above the level of Victor Ortiz, and would not be interested in that fight as a result.
18) Yuri Foreman (1-42)
Last Fight: 7/24/2013- UD8 Jamaal Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/12/2013- vs. Javier Gomez (UNR)
Foreman is back on November 12 in Hollywood, Florida against low-level journeyman Javier Gomez.
19) Jack Culcay (1-6)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- W* (UD12) vs. #17 Guido Pitto
Next Fight: Unknown
Culcay barely squeaked by Pitto in a rematch of a fight in which Pitto barely squeaked by.  For my part, I had them both scored a draw.
20) Guido Pitto (1-29)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #20 Jack Culcay
Next Fight: Unknown
Pitto wants a 3rd fight with Mateo Veron, whom he pretty much dominated- but still somehow lost to- in 2012.
 

 

The Week Ahead: Tuesday in Hollywood, Florida, #18 Yuri Foreman keeps busy with low-level journeyman Javier Gomez of Mexico.

 

The next night in Sao Paolo, Brazil, undefeated local prospect Patrick Teixeira meets Argentine journeyman and former fringe contender Alejandro Falliga.

 

Saturday, #10 Sergey Rabchenko takes on a late replacement in Welsh journeyman Bradley Pryce in Vratsa, Bulgaria.  

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Nov 4-10

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on January 8, 2014 by danboxing
One-loss Belgian prospect Sasha Yengoyan was in action in Izegem, Belgium on Friday, and had no trouble at all with low-level Latvian journeyman Sergejs Malcevs, knocking him out in the first.

 

Mexican fringe contender Roberto Garcia scored a dominant 6-round decision in what was actually his 2nd fight back from a bout with inactivity, against Dallas ham-and-egger Larry Smith.  Garcia was on the fringes of the rankings when inactivity took its toll, but both of his fights since coming back have been over the 154 limit, and thus he is not eligible for consideration for a fresh ranking.

 

No changes this week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (40-122-137)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W (SD12) vs. #5 Ishe Smith
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina is dreaming of a fight with Canelo.  But it’s just a dream.  Molina’s style and low-profile makes him essentially unpromotable, and he would be a serious threat to win that fight.  No chance Golden Boy puts it together.
2) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (8-8-8)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- W* (MD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Mayweather intends to fight twice in 2014: on May 3 and September 13, if all goes to plan.  Amir Khan is the rumored opponent for May 3.  Bradley is getting a bit of buzz lately, too, as is Bernard Hopkins, at middleweight- though Floyd Sr. has said the latter will never happen.
3) Saul Alvarez (8-140-155)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L* (MD12) vs. WW Champion Floyd Mayweather
Next Fight: 3/8/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Alvarez will be back on March 8.  He’s hoping for either Cotto or Sergio.  After that, he expects to fight two additional times in 2014.
4) Austin Trout (8-75-144)
Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. #5 Erislandy Lara
It looks like Lara-Trout for December 7 is a done deal.
5) Erislandy Lara (8-122-144)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- TKO10 #8 Alfredo Angulo
Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. #4 Austin Trout
See Trout’s note, above.
6) Ishe Smith (8-37-37)
Last Fight: 9/14/2013- L (SD12) vs. #1 Carlos Molina
Next Fight: Unknown
Smith sounds like he’s open to a variety of options for his next fight.  Anything from a Molina rematch, to Trout, to Angulo or Lara.  And even more various than that- he says he wants one UFC fight.  He’s also been in a war of words with Shane Mosley recently.
7) Miguel Cotto (8-179-179)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- TKO3 #11 Delvin Rodriguez
Next Fight: Unknown 
Cotto is getting a lot of buzz for a fight with Sergio lately, as well as Canelo.
8) Cornelius Bundrage (8-170-170)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundrage has been approved to fight Joey Hernandez in an IBF eliminator.  No date or contract yet, though.
9) Alfredo Angulo (8-215-215)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L (TKO10) vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo may be returning in January, and Carlos Molina has been discussed as a possible foe.
10) Sergey Rabchenko (27-27-73)
Last Fight: 7/16/2013- TKO3 Gari Abajian (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Cedric Vitu (UNR)
Rabchenko rematches tough prospect Cedric Vitu in a rematch of their very close fight of a year earlier.
11) Javier Maciel (2-2)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery L (SD12) vs. #14 Brian Rose
Next Fight: Unknown
The one upside to a guy being robbed of a win that should have propelled him very near the top 10 is that it allows me to shine a light on the incompetence and/or corruption that caused the situation by ranking him exactly where he deserves, despite their attempts.
12) Delvin Rodriguez (2-121)
Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #7 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez appears to be solid against borderline top-10 types (see Wolak), but completely out of his depth at just a tad higher level.
13) Vanes Martirosyan (2-127)
Last Fight: 6/15/2013- TKO2 Ryan Davis (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 11/9/2013- vs. Demetrius Andrade (UNR)
Martirosyan-Andrade has been moved up a week to November 9.
14) Willie Nelson (2-36)
Last Fight: 6/29/2013- UD10 Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/7/2013- vs. #6 MW Matthew Macklin (at MW)
Nelson’s stay-busy fight with Dante Moore was cancelled on short notice, but he appears poised to move up to 160 to fight proven contender Matthew Macklin at that weight on December 7.
15) Brian Rose (2-33)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- Robbery W (Draw at best) vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Aside from a “W,” the ill-gotten gain of Rose’s blatant robbery of Maciel will be a shot at a vacant alphabet title.
16) Jermell Charlo (2-22)
Last Fight: 10/14/2013- TKO10 Jose Angel Rodriguez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Charlo would like to fight Carlos Molina for an alphabet title, after saying he is above the level of Victor Ortiz, and would not be interested in that fight as a result.
17) Yuri Foreman (2-41)
Last Fight: 7/24/2013- UD8 Jamaal Davis (UNR)
Next Fight: 11/12/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Foreman is back on November 12 in Hollywood, Florida.  No opponent yet, but he’s been slowly upgrading his competition since beginning his comeback.
18) Jack Culcay (2-5)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- W* (UD12) vs. #17 Guido Pitto
Next Fight: Unknown
Culcay barely squeaked by Pitto in a rematch of a fight in which Pitto barely squeaked by.  For my part, I had them both scored a draw.
19) Guido Pitto (2-28)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #20 Jack Culcay
Next Fight: Unknown
Pitto wants a 3rd fight with Mateo Veron, whom he pretty much dominated- but still somehow lost to- in 2012.
20) Kell Brook (2-17)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- TKO4 Vyacheslav Shenchenko (UNR) (at WW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Brook is now the mandatory for the winner of the fight between Devon Alexander and Shawn Porter, at welterweight.  He’s also very interested in the Broner-Maidana winner (though he only mentioned Broner) and domestic rival Amir Khan.

 

The Week Ahead: Three notable fights to report this week, all on Saturday:

 

The big one is #13 Vanes Martirosyan taking on undefeated prospect Demetrius Andrade in Corpus Christi, Texas.  In point of fact, Andrade is at least Vanes’ peer.  He’s unranked here only because he hasn’t made 154 for any of his significant wins, and unranked at middleweight only because he hasn’t fought a middleweight in over a year.  Both guys are on the cusp of serious contention, and both have a lot left to prove on their way.  Good match-up.

 

A short time earlier in Brooklyn, fringe contender Charlie Ota once again returns to the home state in which he was born as Charles Bellamy, and fights mid-range Puerto Rican journeyman Mike Ruiz.  

 

A few hours before that in Reims, France, French fringe contender Michel Soro takes on a slightly better journeyman in Jean Michel Hamilcaro for Soro’s French title.
 
 

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Jun 3-9

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on June 21, 2013 by danboxing
No action to report from last week, but #16 Sechew Powell is removed for inactivity, since he last fought on June 1 of last year.  Taking the vacancy at #20 is Charlie Ota.  Ota was officially ranked for one week from April 22-28, though I didn’t include him in the rankings for that week until after the fact, when I noticed my error.  Other than that, he’s making his debut.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (18-100-115)
Last Fight: 2/1/2013- UD12 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: 7/19/2013- vs. #5 Ishe Smith
After a couple months of speculation and assurances, Molina-Smith is now officially on for July 19 in Vegas.
2) Saul Alvarez (18-118-133)
Last Fight: 4/20/2013- W* (UD12) vs. #3 Austin Trout
Next Fight: 9/14/2013- vs. #1 WW Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Floyd-Canelo on September 14 appeared to be made way back in February, but then appeared to be a distant memory for months.  Now it’s back on, for the exact same date.  The only difference is that Floyd got dropped for inactivity because the fight wasn’t signed when his 1-year anniversary at 154 came around.  There will be a 152-pound catchweight.
3) Austin Trout (15-53-122)
Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L* (UD12) vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
Next Fight: Unknown
Trout wants a rematch of his very dubious loss to Alvarez.  He certainly deserves it.  He’ll have to wait until 2014 at the earliest, though, as Canelo is fighting Mayweather.
4) Erislandy Lara (15-100-122)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #15 Vanes Martirosyan (robbery- should be win)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #8 Alfredo Angulo
Lara will fight Angulo on Showtime, June 8 in Carson, California.
5) Ishe Smith (15-15-15)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- W (MD12) vs. #3 Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
See Molina’s notes, above.
6) Miguel Cotto (5-157-157)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- L (UD12) vs. #8 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto appears very likely to fight K9 Bundrage on September 28.
7) Cornelius Bundrage (5-148-148)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Cotto’s notes, above.
8) Alfredo Angulo (5-193-193)
Last Fight: 12/15/2012- UD10 Jorge Silva (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
After it looked for awhile that he might fight Rosado next, Angulo will instead battle #4 Lara in Carson, California in early June.
9) Gabriel Rosado (5-11-122)
Last Fight: 5/4/2013- L* (SD10) vs. J’Leon Love (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
In addition to the fight result barely being credible to begin with, it turns out Love was on a banned diuretic that helped him make weight at 160 (which he managed to do only by the skin of his teeth).  Most likely this will end up as a no-contest, thus adding even more reasons for me to not hold it against Rosado’s ranking at 154.
10) Sergey Rabchenko (5-5-51)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- KO2 Adriano Nicchi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko might be fighting Italian prospect Emanuele Della Rosa on July 13 in Monaco.  A purse bid has been scheduled for June 18.
11) Delvin Rodriguez (5-99)
Last Fight: 5/24/2013- TKO8 Freddy Hernandez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez got a cuts stoppage over a guy that was beating him, but the judges had his back in case he needed their help.
12) Lukas Konecny (5-95)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W (TD12) vs. Karim Achour (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
13) Keith Thurman (5-28)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD12 #? WW Jan Zaveck (at WW)
Next Fight: 7/27/2013- vs. Diego Chaves (UNR) (at WW)
Thurman will be back on July 27 against undefeated Argentine prospect Diego Chaves, again at Welterweight.  The fight will be in San Antonio.
14) Vanes Martirosyan (5-105)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #6 Erislandy Lara (robbery- should be L)
Next Fight: 6/15/2013- vs. Ryan Davis (UNR)
Martirosyan will look to rebound from a broken thumb on June 15 against journeyman Ryan Davis, a non-threatening nobody that was dropped from a 2012 date with Vanes due to a failed eye exam or some such thing.
15) Yuri Foreman (5-19)
Last Fight: 4/6/2013- UD6 Gundrick King (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Foreman is keeping his comeback at a very low level for the time being.
16) Willie Nelson (1-14)
Last Fight: 3/1/2013- TKO1 Michael Medina (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/29/2013- vs. Luciano Cuello (UNR)
Nelson finally has an opponent for 6/29- decent Argentine journeyman Luciano Cuello.
17) Brian Rose (1-11)
Last Fight: 4/20/2013- TKO12 Joachim Alcine (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rose has officially vacated his British title.
18) Guido Pitto (1-6)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- W* (SD12) vs. Jack Culcay (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It took an “upset” over highly-touted prospect Culcay for Pitto to get the recognition he earned but was denied against Veron.
19) Jack Culcay (1-5)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- L* (SD12) vs. Guido Pitto (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Most see Culcay’s squeaker of a loss to Pitto to be a major setback in his career.  Not I.  First, he barely lost it, if at all.  Second, he held his own with a true and more proven fringe contender, who was underrated due to a robbery.
20) Charlie Ota (1-1)
Last Fight: 4/6/2013- UD12 Kyung-Suk Kwak (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ota hasn’t done a darned thing in a good long while, but the division has regressed just enough that he finally has a foothold on the top 20.

 

The Week Ahead:  Friday in Verona, New York, young gatekeeper Jorge Melendez takes on top-shelf journeyman Luis Grajeda in the ShoBox main event.

 

The following night in Brindisi, Italy, one-loss Roman prospect Emanuele Della Rosa will be featured against an opponent that has yet to be announced as of Monday.

 

Meanwhile, in Creil, France, still-promising local 2-loss prospect Cedric Vitu- who went life and death with current #10 Sergey Rabchenko in 2012- gets what should be an easier assignment against Hungarian journeyman Jozsef “Shatter Machine” Matolcsi.

 

The biggest fight occurs later that night in Carson, California, where #4 Erislandy Lara collides with #8 Alfredo Angulo in a compelling and interesting style match-up on Showtime.

 

On the undercard, undefeated prospect Jermell Charlo gets the toughest test of his promising career against fringe contender Demetrius Hopkins, the nephew of legend Bernard Hopkins.

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Apr 8-14

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on June 20, 2013 by danboxing
#16 Yuri Foreman got a shutout on all three cards in his 6-rounder against low-level Alabama journeyman Gundrick King on Thursday.  One of those cards came from John McKaie and thus hardly counts, but we’ll call it a shutout out of trust for the other two judges.

 

Fringe contender Charlie Ota also got a dominant win, posting a 12-round shutout on both of the non-Korean cards against Korean journeyman Kyung-Suk Kwak (118-109 according to the Korean judge).

 

No changes this week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (10-92-107)
Last Fight: 2/1/2013- UD12 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: Unknown
Ishe Smith says he plans to offer Molina a shot at his alphabet belt.
2) Saul Alvarez (10-110-125)
Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO5 WW#? Josesito Lopez
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. #3 Austin Trout
Canelo’s fight with Trout has been moved to April 20 after he had a falling out with Floyd over the apparent cancellation of their agreement to fight each other on September 14.  Canelo plans to fight in a September 14 PPV still, but is now looking at Cotto.
3) Austin Trout (7-45-114)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- UD12 #6 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
See Alvarez’s notes, above.
4) Erislandy Lara (7-92-114)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #15 Vanes Martirosyan (robbery- should be win)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #9 Alfredo Angulo
Lara will fight Angulo on Showtime, June 8 in Carson, California.
5) Ishe Smith (7-7-7)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- W (MD12) vs. #3 Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
See Molina’s notes, above.
6) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (19-49-49)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12* #4 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. WW #? Robert Guerrero (at WW)
Mayweather will officially be fighting Robert Guerrero on Showtime PPV on May 4.  That’s just a day before the 1-year anniversary of his last fight at 154, and since the fight will be at 147, he will likely be removed the following week.
7) Miguel Cotto (19-149-149)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- L (UD12) vs. #8 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto has laid out the plans for the rest of his career.  He says he’ll fight in October or November, twice in 2014, and then retire.  Canelo wants him in September.
8) Cornelius Bundrage (3-140-140)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundrage should probably retire after how awful he looked against Smith.
9) Alfredo Angulo (3-185-185)
Last Fight: 12/15/2012- UD10 Jorge Silva (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
After it looked for awhile that he might fight Rosado next, Angulo will instead battle #4 Lara in Carson, California in early June.
10) Gabriel Rosado (3-3-114)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #3 MW Gennady Golovkin (at MW)
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. J’Leon Love (UNR) (at MW)
Rosado will fight undefeated prospect J’Leon Love on the Mayweather-Guerrero undercard on May 4, at 160.
11) Sergey Rabchenko (3-43)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- KO2 Adriano Nicchi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko might be fighting Italian prospect Emanuele Della Rosa on July 13 in Monaco.
12) Delvin Rodriguez (3-91)
Last Fight: 2/15/2013- TKO6 George Tahdooahnippah (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Having not come all that close to making 154 against Tahdooahnippah, Rodriguez will need to schedule a fight at 154 before June 2 to maintain his ranking.
13) Lukas Konecny (3-87)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W (TD12) vs. Karim Achour (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Keith Thurman (3-20)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD12 #? WW Jan Zaveck (at WW)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Diego Chaves (UNR) (at WW)
Thurman will be back on either July 20 or 27 against undefeated Argentine prospect Diego Chaves, again at Welterweight.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (3-97)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #6 Erislandy Lara (robbery- should be L)
Next Fight: Unknown
Martirosyan was set to fight Javier Maciel on April 6 in China, but broke his thumb.
16) Yuri Foreman (3-11)
Last Fight: 4/6/2013- UD6 Gundrick King (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Foreman is keeping his comeback at a very low level for the time being.
17) Sechew Powell (3-160)
Last Fight: 6/1/2012- L (TKO9) vs. #10 Gabriel Rosado
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Willie Nelson (3-6)
Last Fight: 3/1/2013- TKO1 Michael Medina (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/29/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Nelson is set to return on the Golovkin-Macklin undercard on June 29, but no opponent yet.
19) Michel Soro (3-13)
Last Fight: 1/12/2013- UD12 Kris Carslaw (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. Frederic Serre (UNR)
Soro’s fight with Serre for the French title has been postponed to May 4.
20) Anthony Mundine (3-3)
Last Fight: 1/30/2013- L (UD12) vs. #1 MW Daniel Geale
Next Fight: Unknown

 

The Week Ahead: No junior middleweights of note are in action this week.

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Apr 1-7

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on June 20, 2013 by danboxing
French journeyman Frank Haroche Horta upset Ghana-born Belgian gatekeeper Jackson Osei Bonsu in Ghent, Belgium on Friday at what appears to have been a 155 pound contract weight.

 

#11 Sergey Rabchenko chalked up an easy defense of his European belt with a 2nd-round KO over Italian journeyman Adriano Nicchi on the Golovkin-Ishida undercard in Monte Carlo.

 

No changes this week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (9-91-106)
Last Fight: 2/1/2013- UD12 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: Unknown
Ishe Smith says he plans to offer Molina a shot at his alphabet belt.
2) Saul Alvarez (9-109-124)
Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO5 WW#? Josesito Lopez
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. #3 Austin Trout
Canelo’s fight with Trout has been moved to April 20 after he had a falling out with Floyd over the apparent cancellation of their agreement to fight each other on September 14.  Canelo plans to fight in a September 14 PPV still, but is now looking at Cotto.
3) Austin Trout (6-44-113)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- UD12 #6 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. #2 Saul Alvarez
See Alvarez’s notes, above.
4) Erislandy Lara (6-91-113)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #15 Vanes Martirosyan (robbery- should be win)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #9 Alfredo Angulo
Lara will fight Angulo on Showtime, June 8 in Carson, California.
5) Ishe Smith (6-6-6)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- W (MD12) vs. #3 Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
See Molina’s notes, above.
6) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (18-48-48)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12* #4 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. WW #? Robert Guerrero (at WW)
Mayweather will officially be fighting Robert Guerrero on Showtime PPV on May 4.  That’s just a day before the 1-year anniversary of his last fight at 154, and since the fight will be at 147, he will likely be removed the following week.
7) Miguel Cotto (18-148-148)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- L (UD12) vs. #8 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto has laid out the plans for the rest of his career.  He says he’ll fight in October or November, twice in 2014, and then retire.  Canelo wants him in September.
8) Cornelius Bundrage (2-139-139)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundrage should probably retire after how awful he looked against Smith.
9) Alfredo Angulo (2-184-184)
Last Fight: 12/15/2012- UD10 Jorge Silva (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/8/2013- vs. #4 Erislandy Lara
After it looked for awhile that he might fight Rosado next, Angulo will instead battle #4 Lara in Carson, California in early June.
10) Gabriel Rosado (2-2-113)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #3 MW Gennady Golovkin (at MW)
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. J’Leon Love (UNR) (at MW)
Rosado will fight undefeated prospect J’Leon Love on the Mayweather-Guerrero undercard on May 4, at 160.
11) Sergey Rabchenko (2-42)
Last Fight: 3/30/2013- KO2 Adriano Nicchi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko got an easy 2nd defense of his European title after barely squeaking by in his first.
12) Delvin Rodriguez (2-90)
Last Fight: 2/15/2013- TKO6 George Tahdooahnippah (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Having not come all that close to making 154 against Tahdooahnippah, Rodriguez will need to schedule a fight at 154 before June 2 to maintain his ranking.
13) Lukas Konecny (2-86)
Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W (TD12) vs. Karim Achour (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Keith Thurman (2-19)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD12 #? WW Jan Zaveck (at WW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Thurman will return on Showtime in June or July.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (2-96)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #6 Erislandy Lara (robbery- should be L)
Next Fight: Unknown
Martirosyan was set to fight Javier Maciel on April 6 in China, but broke his thumb.
16) Yuri Foreman (2-10)
Last Fight: 1/23/2013- UD6 Brandon Baue (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/6/2013- vs. Gundrick King (UNR)
Foreman continues his comeback on April 6 in New York against journeyman Gundrick King, in a 6-rounder.
17) Sechew Powell (2-159)
Last Fight: 6/1/2012- L (TKO9) vs. #10 Gabriel Rosado
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Willie Nelson (2-5)
Last Fight: 3/1/2013- TKO1 Michael Medina (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After being dropped multiple times in a close decision with fellow prospect Vincent Arroyo at 147, Nelson has gone on quite a hot streak.
19) Michel Soro (2-12)
Last Fight: 1/12/2013- UD12 Kris Carslaw (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Frederic Serre (UNR)
Soro’s fight with Serre for the French title has been postponed, but I don’t know the new date yet.
20) Anthony Mundine (2-2)
Last Fight: 1/30/2013- L (UD12) vs. #1 MW Daniel Geale
Next Fight: Unknown

 

The Week Ahead: Thursday in New York, Yuri Foreman continues his comeback with a 6-round walk in the park with journeyman Gundrick King.

 

Two nights later in Zama, Japan, fringe contending American ex-pat Charlie Ota stays busy against Korean journeyman Kyung-Suk Kwak.

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Feb 25- Mar 3

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on June 17, 2013 by danboxing
Detroit played host to a huge upset on Saturday, as veteran gatekeeper Ishe Smith got the biggest win of his career by dominantly outboxing #3 Cornelius Bundrage.  Smith swept rounds 3-7 and 9-12 on my card.  Bundrage was never graceful, but this time he looked as lackadaisical as he was musclebound.  He even spent a part of the fight running, which just plain doesn’t make sense.  Frankly, he looked like a mediocre clubfighter.

 

Charlie Ota was supposed to fight on Thursday in New York, but the fight was canceled late for an unknown reason.

 

Smith rockets all the way up to debut at #5.  He’s technically got a better win than Trout and Lara do, but Smith’s only win in the last 5 years that makes any difference here was against a then only somewhat proven Pawel Wolak over 4 years ago, while both Lara and Trout have several solid fringe contenders in a reasonable time frame to add to their respective wins over #6 contenders.  Bundrage falls to #9, just ahead of Alfredo Angulo.  Angulo fell from his high perch with a similarly unexpected loss, and the overall resumes are similar, as well.  Bundrage wins out because Angulo’s loss to Kirkland is obviously much older, and Angulo hasn’t been able to reverse things with a significant win since. 

 

Overall, Trout and Lara move up one.  Everyone ranked #6-8 stay put, while everyone #9-17 and below last week falls back to accommodate Sugar Shay.  The #19 spot is occupied by Frenchman Michel Soro, whose victory over Kris Carslaw somehow escaped my notice.  He should have been ranked for the six weeks prior to this, and without editing previous entries, I’m going to pretend he was.  This forces Brian Rose and Anthony Mundine out.  Likewise, Gabe Rosado drops out of the top 10 after 39 consecutive weeks in.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (4-86-101)
Last Fight: 2/1/2013- UD12 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: Unknown
Ishe Smith says he plans to offer Molina a shot at his alphabet belt.
2) Saul Alvarez (4-104-119)
Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO5 WW#? Josesito Lopez
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. #4 Austin Trout
After months of speculation, it’s now official: Canelo’s opponent for May 4 is Austin Trout.

3) Austin Trout (1-39-108)

Last Fight: 12/1/2012- UD12 #6 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
See Alvarez’s notes, above.
4) Erislandy Lara (1-86-108)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #15 Vanes Martirosyan (robbery- should be win)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lara has been ordered by the WBC to fight Emanuele Della Rosa in an eliminator, but his side says he may fight that fight, take on Sergey Rabchenko, or may even go direct to a Canelo fight.
5) Ishe Smith (1-1-1)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- W (MD12) vs. #3 Cornelius Bundrage
Next Fight: Unknown
See Molina’s notes, above.
6) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (13-43-43)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12* #4 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. WW #? Robert Guerrero (at WW)
Mayweather will officially be fighting Robert Guerrero on Showtime PPV on May 4.  That’s just a day before the 1-year anniversary of his last fight at 154, and since the fight will be at 147, he will likely be removed the following week.
7) Miguel Cotto (13-143-143)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- L (UD12) vs. #8 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto has laid out the plans for the rest of his career.  He says he’ll fight in October or November, twice in 2014, and then retire.
8) James Kirkland (13-69-69)
Last Fight: 3/24/2012- W*(DQ10) vs. #6 Carlos Molina (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kirkland is apparently having managerial problems.
9) Cornelius Bundrage (1-134-134)
Last Fight: 2/23/2013- L (MD12) vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bundrage should probably retire after how awful he looked against Smith.

10) Alfredo Angulo (1-179-179)

Last Fight: 12/15/2012- UD10 Jorge Silva (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo proved he can still go to war after gutting out a tough fight with very hungry prospect Jorge Silva.
11) Gabriel Rosado (1-108)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #3 MW Gennady Golovkin (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rosado wants Ishe Smith.
12) Sergey Rabchenko (1-37)
Last Fight: 11/24/2012- W (SD12) vs. Cedric Vitu (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. Adriano Nicchi (UNR)
Rabchenko will fight Tuscan journeyman Adriano Nicchi in Monte Carlo on March 30.
13) Delvin Rodriguez (1-85)
Last Fight: 2/15/2013- TKO6 George Tahdooahnippah (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Having not come all that close to making 154 against Tahdooahnippah, Rodriguez will need to schedule a fight at 154 before June 2 to maintain his ranking.
14) Lukas Konecny (1-81)
Last Fight: 10/6/2012- L* (UD12) vs. Zaurbek Baysangurov (UNR) (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Konecny all but dominated Baysangurov, but walked away with one of the worst robbery losses I’ve ever seen.
15) Keith Thurman (1-14)
Last Fight: 11/24/2012- TKO4 #16 Carlos Quintana
Next Fight: 3/9/2013- vs. #? WW Jan Zaveck (at WW)
Thurman will fight welterweight contender Jan Zaveck on HBO March 9 in Brooklyn, at 147.
16) Vanes Martirosyan (1-91)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #6 Erislandy Lara (robbery- should be L)
Next Fight: 4/6/2013- vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
After ducking a rematch of his robbery draw with Lara, Vanes will fight April 6 in Macau, China against Argentine Champ Javier Maciel.
17) Yuri Foreman (1-5)
Last Fight: 1/23/2013- UD6 Brandon Baue (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Foreman appeared to be retired, but is now back. 
18) Sechew Powell (1-154)
Last Fight: 6/1/2012- L (TKO9) vs. #10 Gabriel Rosado
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Michel Soro (1-7)
Last Fight: 1/12/2013- UD12 Kris Carslaw (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/2/2013- vs. Frederic Serre (UNR)
I missed Soro’s win over an underrated Carslaw, and missed getting him in the rankings as a result.  He fights Frederic Serre for the French title this weekend.
20) Roberto Garcia (1-38)
Last Fight: 3/23/2012- UD10 Antwone Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown

 

The Week Ahead: Friday in Mashantucket, Connecticut, prospect Willie Nelson takes on fringe contender Michael Medina on Friday Night Fights.

 

On the undercard, fringe contending prospect Charlie Ota takes on low-level journeyman Brandon Baue in a stay-busy fight, after his fight last week was canceled late. 

 

Saturday in Villeurbanne, France, #19 Michel Soro battles mid-level journeyman Frederic Serre.

 

Later that night in Vegas, two-loss Puerto Rican prospect Jorge Melendez gets a stay-busy fight against low-level journeyman Ryan Davis.

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Junior Middleweight: 2013, Feb 18-24

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on June 16, 2013 by danboxing
At the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Friday (in the Friday Night Fights main event), #12 Delvin Rodriguez took a round to get going against 34 year-old Oklahoma Comanche prospect George Tahdooahnippah, but got going in a big way once he did.  He beat his opponent from pillar to post in the 2nd, and continued to pound the gutsy but outclassed Tahdooahnippah until the fight was mercifully stopped in the 6th.  This fight does not help Rodriguez at all in the rankings, for two reasons.  First, he came in at 156.5 lbs, meaning he doesn’t even get partial credit for staying active at 154, as he would if he’d stayed within two pounds.  Secondly, Tahdooahnippah was totally unproven.

 

 The following night, there was a fight in Atlantic City that did matter, but was not televised.  Gatekeeper Demetrius Hopkins, the nephew of Bernard Hopkins, got his own 6th-round stoppage win, with his opponent and fellow gatekeeper Charles Whittaker retiring before the start of the 7th.

 

Hopkins’ win gets him into the top 30, but not into the top 20.  No changes this week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Carlos Molina (3-85-100)
Last Fight: 2/1/2013- UD12 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: Unknown
Molina has now beaten 3 top-11 fighters, while Canelo has beaten just 1 ranked in the top 20 (along with a bunch of fringe contenders and smaller guys). 
2) Saul Alvarez (3-103-118)
Last Fight: 9/15/2012- TKO5 WW#? Josesito Lopez
Next Fight: 5/4/2013- vs. #4 Austin Trout
After months of speculation, it’s now official: Canelo’s opponent for May 4 is Austin Trout.
3) Cornelius Bundrage (48-133-133)
Last Fight: 6/30/2012- TKO7 #11 Cory Spinks
Next Fight: 2/23/2013- vs. Ishe Smith (UNR)
K9 returns to action against gatekeeper Ishe Smith on Showtime, February 23.
4) Austin Trout (12-38-107)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- UD12 #6 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
See Alvarez’s notes, above.
5) Erislandy Lara (12-85-107)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #15 Vanes Martirosyan (robbery- should be win)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lara has been ordered by the WBC to fight Emanuele Della Rosa in an eliminator, but his side says he may fight that fight, take on Sergey Rabchenko, or may even go direct to a Canelo fight.
6) Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (12-42-42)
Last Fight: 5/5/2012- UD12* #4 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
Mayweather is in discussions to fight Robert Guerrero at welterweight sometime in the first half of 2013.
7) Miguel Cotto (12-142-142)
Last Fight: 12/1/2012- L (UD12) vs. #8 Austin Trout
Next Fight: Unknown
8) James Kirkland (12-68-68)
Last Fight: 3/24/2012- W*(DQ10) vs. #6 Carlos Molina (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kirkland is apparently having managerial problems.
9) Alfredo Angulo (38-178-178)
Last Fight: 12/15/2012- UD10 Jorge Silva (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo proved he can still go to war after gutting out a tough fight with very hungry prospect Jorge Silva.
10) Gabriel Rosado (39-39-107)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #3 MW Gennady Golovkin (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Looks like Rosado should stick to 154.
11) Sergey Rabchenko (3-36)
Last Fight: 11/24/2012- W (SD12) vs. Cedric Vitu (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rabchenko’s next fight may be a combination EBU title defense and WBC eliminator against Emanuele Della Rosa.
12) Delvin Rodriguez (2-84)
Last Fight: 2/15/2013- TKO6 George Tahdooahnippah (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Having not come all that close to making 154 against Tahdooahnippah, Rodriguez will need to schedule a fight at 154 before June 2 to maintain his ranking.
13) Lukas Konecny (2-80)
Last Fight: 10/6/2012- L* (UD12) vs. Zaurbek Baysangurov (UNR) (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Konecny all but dominated Baysangurov, but walked away with one of the worst robbery losses I’ve ever seen.
14) Keith Thurman (2-13)
Last Fight: 11/24/2012- TKO4 #16 Carlos Quintana
Next Fight: Unknown
Thurman will fight welterweight contender Jan Zaveck on HBO March 9 in Brooklyn, at 147.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (2-90)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- D* (TD9) vs. #6 Erislandy Lara (robbery- should be L)
Next Fight: 4/6/2013- vs. Javier Maciel (UNR)
After ducking a rematch of his robbery draw with Lara, Vanes will fight April 6 in Macau, China against Argentine Champ Javier Maciel.
16) Yuri Foreman (2-4)
Last Fight: 1/23/2013- UD6 Brandon Baue (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Foreman appeared to be retired, but is now back. 
17) Sechew Powell (2-153)
Last Fight: 6/1/2012- L (TKO9) vs. #10 Gabriel Rosado
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Roberto Garcia (2-37)
Last Fight: 3/23/2012- UD10 Antwone Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Anthony Mundine (2-24)
Last Fight: 1/30/2013- L (UD12) vs. #1 MW Daniel Geale (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Brian Rose (2-2)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD12* Sam Webb (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After securing the Lonsdale Challenge belt by (often shakily) defending his British title three times, Rose would now like a shot at Sergey Rabchenko’s European belt.

 

The Week Ahead: Fringe-contending prospect Charlie Ota returns home to New York for the second time in the last 12 months on Thursday, after fighting all of his other fights in Japan since turning pro in 2006.  He faces lower mid-level journeyman Abel Perry.

 

On Saturday in Detroit, #3 Cornelius Bundrage defends his alphabet belt against gatekeeper Ishe Smith.

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Junior Middleweight: 2012, Mar 19-25

Posted in Junior Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on March 6, 2013 by danboxing
American expat fringe contender Charlie Ota stopped low-level journeyman Gundrick King at MSG on Saturday, knocking King down in the 6th and 7th, and ending with a four-punch combo later in that round.  It was the first career fight for native New Yorker Ota (whose real name is Charles Bellamy) outside Japan.

 

The British title eliminator between Sam Webb and Matthew Hall did not come off as scheduled, but will likely take place on a new date. 

 

Last week’s #16 Yuri Foreman is removed, as he hasn’t fought or scheduled a fight in over a year.  Everyone ranked #17-20 last week moves up, and Anthony Mundine enters the rankings for (I believe) the first time since I began rating this division, at #20.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: None
1) Saul Alvarez (40-55-70)
Last Fight: 11/26/2011- TKO5 Kermit Cintron (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. Shane Mosley (UNR)
Canelo will look to retire an over the hill Shane Mosley on the Mayweather-Cotto undercard on May 5, with the winner reportedly to get a shot at the main event’s winner.  He’s already planning his return for September, too.
2) Cornelius Bundrage (40-85-85)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- UD12 #11 Sechew Powell
Next Fight: Unknown
K9 is interested in Kirkland and Sergio Martinez.
3) James Kirkland (20-20-20)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 #4 Alfredo Angulo
Next Fight: 3/24/2012-  vs. #6 Carlos Molina
Kirkland-Molina has a new date of March 24, in Houston.
4) Miguel Cotto (16-94-94)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- RTD10 #20 Antonio Margarito
Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. WW #1 Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
After being heavily rumored for a unnecessary rematch with Pacquiao, Cotto has gone the other way, fighting Floyd at 154 instead.
5) Erislandy Lara (16-37-59)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- L*(MD12) vs. #6 Paul Williams
Next Fight: 4/20/2012- vs. Ronald Hearns (UNR)
The Hearns fight has been rescehduled for April 20.
6) Carlos Molina (37-37-52)
Last Fight: 7/9/2011- UD10 #7 Kermit Cintron
Next Fight: 3/24/2012- vs. #3 James Kirkland
See Kirkland’s notes, above.
7) Paul Williams (5-5-59)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12 #17 MW Nobuhiro Ishida
Next Fight: Unknown
After Williams beat Ishida, he said he does not want a Lara rematch, but instead wants one with Sergio.
8) Alfredo Angulo (5-130-130)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- L (TKO6) vs. James Kirkland (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Angulo had no shortage of guts, but appeared a bit physically overmatched against a beastly incarnation of Kirkland.
9) Ryan Rhodes (5-126-126)
Last Fight: 11/26/2011- W (PTS8) vs. Sergei Khomitski (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Rhodes pulled out of his fight with Rabchenko, citing a back injury.
10) Gabriel Rosado (5-9-59)
Last Fight: 1/21/2012- TKO5 Jesus Soto Karass (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/1/2013- vs. Joel Julio (UNR)
Rosado will again fight on NBC Sports Network, fighting fringe contender Joel Julio in Bethlehem, PA.
11) Cory Spinks (5-8)
Last Fight: 1/28/2012- UD12 #11 Sechew Powell
Next Fight: Unknown
I cannot confirm that the close unanimous decision verdict over Powell was accurate due to lack of video.  So whether for skill or lack of sunlight, Spinks is very much back in the mix.
12) Austin Trout (5-59)
Last Fight: 11/11/2011- TKO6 Frank LoPorto (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Trout wants Cotto, Rodriguez, Mundine, and Kirkland, and also has apparently mutual interest in fighting Lara.  A purse bid has been scheduled on 3/29 for the Mundine fight.
13) Delvin Rodriguez (5-36)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- UD10* #9 Pawel Wolak
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez has confirmed that he’ll be staying at 154.
14) Brian Rose (15-16)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- W (SD12) vs. #8 Prince Arron
Next Fight: 3/31/2012- vs. Max Maxwell (UNR)
Rose’s first defense of his British title will come in his hometown of Blackpool  against Max Maxwell.  Maxwell is a very mediocre journeyman who just so happens to be the only man to ever beat Rose.
15) Vanes Martirosyan (15-42)
Last Fight: 2/4/2012- TKO3 Troy Lowry (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
We get it, Vanes!  You’re better than a bunch of random journeymen.  How about a test?
16) Lukas Konecny (1-32)
Last Fight: 5/27/2011- UD12 Hussein Bayram (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/5/2012- vs. Salim Larbi (UNR)
After Baysangurov withdrew with injury, Konecny will go home to the Czech Republic to fight French journeyman Salim Larbi for what is incredibly an interim alphabet title.
17) Sechew Powell (1-105)
Last Fight: 1/28/2012- L(UD12) vs. Cory Spinks (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Antonio Margarito (1-19)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- L (RTD10) vs. #5 Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
There is talk floating that Margarito might move up to fight Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in June, but the WBC has gone on record saying they would reject that fight for Chavez’ belt.
19) Prince Arron (1-4)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- L (SD12) vs. Brian Rose (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
When we last saw Arron in the rankings, it appeared that he was going to fight an 8 rounder on February 24.  That didn’t happen.  No word on his next move.
20) Anthony Mundine (1-1)
Last Fight: 10/19/2011- UD12* Rigoberto Alvarez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
A purse bid for a proposed fight with Austin Trout is scheduled for 3/29.

 

The Week Ahead:  Friday: Gatekeepers Antwone Smith and Roberto Garcia square off in Pharr, Texas on Friday Night Fights.

 

Saturday: In Houston, Texas on HBO, a huge fight will go down between #3 James Kirkland and #6 Carlos Molina.  The fight may be determined by which Kirkland shows up.  The version that showed up for the Angulo fight under current trainer Ann Wolfe may be too strong for a supremely crafty but smaller and less physical Molina.  If the passive, mentally weak one that was stopped by Ishida turns up (or anything close to that), he’s got no chance. 

 

In other Saturday action, Belorussian undefeated prospect Sergei Rabchenko fights low-level German journeyman Ronny Gabel in Sheffield, England.  The fight was originally going to pit Rabchenko against Ryan Rhodes, who withdrew due to injury.

 

Finally, gatekeepers Grady Brewer of Oklahoma and Frank Haroche Horta of France square off in Macon, Georgia.

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