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Heavyweight: 2014, Dec 22-28

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alexander Povetkin, Amir Mansour, Andy Ruiz, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Sergei Liakhovich, Tyson Fury, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Wladimir Klitschko on January 16, 2016 by danboxing

Sergei Liakhovich seemed like fodder for the rise of #17 Andy Ruiz, a blue chip prospect despite his ridiculous obesity, but that didn’t really play out on Saturday in Phoenix. Ruiz was in terrible shape both in appearance and output. Liakhovich is not anywhere near the contender he was years ago. He was stopped by Helenius, then dominated and stopped by Bryant Jennings and knocked out in less than 2 minutes by Deontay Wilder in consecutive fights- his last three of any substance leading up to this. He didn’t necessarily look very good in this one either, often barely throwing any punches, but even when that was the case, Ruiz was visibly having trouble keeping up. Ruiz clearly won the first three rounds, and almost all of the rest of the fight was very close, but I scored it a draw personally. The judges were predictably slanted, with Gonzalo Valenzuela having it reasonable at 96-94, Chris Flores giving Ruiz every benefit of the doubt at 98-92, and Derek Zazuetta selling his judging soul to Ruiz at 99-91. Obviously it’s not a stretch to claim Ruiz won the fight, and it’s hard to feel too sorry for Liakhovich considering how little he did throughout the fight when just a simple consistent jab alone could have won it for him, but this is nevertheless the first dent in the Ruiz armor, and will seriously affect his standing here, if not elsewhere. For the record, if you gave either fighter all the debatable rounds, I think you could reasonably have had it anywhere between 98-92 for Ruiz and 97-93 for Liakhovich.

Backtracking to Thursday in Tokyo, a 5-8-2 fighter took Japanese Champion Kyotaro Fujimoto the 8-round distance on Thursday. That’s not a good look for a guy who theoretically is a prospect on the world stage, but it might not be that bad. First, he seems to have won every round. Second, his French opponent, David Radeff, appears to be one of those reasonably durable guys that only gets stopped by real punchers. Cruiserweight contender Youri Kalenga stopped him twice, and an unbeaten Armenian managed to get him out of there, as well. He’s at least gone the distance against everyone else.

Ruiz falls from the top 20 for the time being due to his poor performance. He’s still a real prospect in my eyes, but he’s just not as advanced as I once saw him. It may be that a little extra training is the only thing he’s lacking, but he was lacking it a great deal on Saturday. A clear win may have boosted Liakhovich back to prominence, but a debatable draw, not so much. He’s probably a low-30s guy at this point. Everyone ranked #18 and below last week advances (appropriately including Bryant Jennings, who himself easily handled Liakhovich), and Alex Leapai returns at #20 after only a one-week absence.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (287-500-500)

Last Fight: 11/15/2014- KO5 #5 Kubrat Pulev

Next Fight: 4/25/2015- vs. Unknown Opponent

Klitschko is officially fighting on April 25, and while his opponent is not as official, it’s widely believed that it will be Bryant Jennings.

1) Tyson Fury (45-45-45)

Last Fight: 11/29/2014- RTD10 #6 Dereck Chisora

Next Fight: 2/28/2015- vs. Unknown Opponent

Fury wants Klitschko and has a mandatory position for that fight at some point. He’ll be likely just staying busy on February 28 in London.

2) Alexander Povetkin (30-374-374)

Last Fight: 10/24/2014- KO10 #7 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: Unknown

Nothing has been signed yet, but the WBC has given approval for Povetkin to fight an eliminator with Mike Perez.

3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (30-41-105)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- TKO7 Darnell Wilson (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/14/2015- vs. #9 Steve Cunningham

With Main Events behind both fighters, you could almost see this one coming. Glazkov will take on Steve Cunningham, likely on NBC Sports, in March.

4) Amir Mansour (38-38-38)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- KO7 Fred Kassi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Mansour’s power was brought to bear on the mediocre Kassi, who did a good job of hanging in there- perhaps for longer than most expected while losing every round.

5) Kubrat Pulev (45-138-215)

Last Fight: 11/15/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Back to the drawing board for the Bulgarian. He at least mounted an attack. That’s more than some challengers can say.

6) Carlos Takam (4-29-49)

Last Fight: 10/24/2014- L (KO10) vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin

Next Fight: Unknown

Takam found the ceiling on his rise to the top in #2 Povetkin. He actually appeared more than a match for the Russian early in the fight, but couldn’t hang in the later rounds.

7) Dereck Chisora (4-160-223)

Last Fight: 11/29/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #1 Tyson Fury

Next Fight: Unknown

Chisora apparently doesn’t want to leave the bad taste in his mouth from his last performance, as he is reportedly planning to fight again on February 28. He is also said to be splitting from trainer Don Charles.

8) Bermane Stiverne (29-33-95)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: 1/17/2015- vs. #12 Deontay Wilder

Stiverne-Wilder is finally set for January 17 at the MGM Grand in Vegas, it would appear.

9) Steve Cunningham (29-105-105)

Last Fight: 10/18/2014- W (RTD7) vs. Natu Visinia (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/14/2015- vs. #3 Vyacheslav Glazkov

See Glazkov’s notes, above.

10) Tony Thompson (29-40-239)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: 1/24/2015 – vs. #11 Odlanier Solis

Maybe the third time will be the charm. Thompson-Solis II gets its 3rd intended date on January 24.

11) Odlanier Solis (7-239)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: Unknown

See Thompson’s notes, above.

12) Deontay Wilder (7-87)

Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/17/2015 – vs. #8 Bermane Stiverne

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

13) Chris Arreola (7-68)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

Next Fight: Unknown

Arreola advised Boxingscene.com that he’s likely back in late January or February, and called out Antonio Tarver, as well.

14) Malik Scott (7-16)

Last Fight: 10/31/2014- UD10 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: Unknown

After an apparently dominant win over Leapai, Scott is probably back in the mix for some sort of big fight.

15) Erkan Teper (7-69)

Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)

Next Fight:Unknown

16) Antonio Tarver (2-2)

Last Fight: 12/11/2014- TKO7 Johnathon Banks (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver has recently challenged a comebacking David Haye.

17) Bryant Jennings (1-22)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jennings is once again said to be in the running for a Klitschko shot. After barely and perhaps undeservedly getting by Mike Perez, I’m not sure that’s a natural fit at this stage.

18) Artur Szpilka (1-7)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- W (UD10) vs. #11 Tomasz Adamek

Next Fight: 1/31/2015- vs. Unknown Opponent

Szpilka returned to camp just a week after the Adamek fight, as he is planning a return for January 31 in Torun, Poland.

19) Mike Perez (1-22)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Perez looks like he’s on his way to a fight with Povetkin.

20) Alex Leapai (1-1)

Last Fight: 10/31/2014- L (UD10) vs. #20 Malik Scott

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Merry Christmas!

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Heavyweight: 2014, Dec 15-21

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alexander Ustinov, Andy Ruiz, Antonio Tarver, Dominic Breazeale, Gerald Washington, Johnathon Banks, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Mariusz Wach on January 13, 2016 by danboxing

In what has to be considered an upset, 46 year old Antonio Tarver easily handled whatever is left of the briefly relevant Johnathon Banks. To Tarver’s credit, he chose his shots well and set them up nicely, and it was the best he looked since he was campaigning at light heavyweight. On the other hand, Banks put forth a pathetic joke of a performance. He only threw about 2 punches the whole fight that had any sort of intent behind them, and was dropped by Tarver before the fight was stopped on the ropes in the 7th.

Unbeaten prospect Gerald Washington needed less than half a round to knock out journeyman Mike Sheppard, a Tarver knockout victim from 2013. Sheppard was down twice in the 86 seconds the fight lasted.

Meanwhile, fellow undefeated American prospect Dominic Breazeale took *gasp* over a full minute longer to get rid of his own journeyman opponent, Epifanio Mendoza of Colombia. This can be attributed to the fact that Mendoza is a generally competent operator in the ring, having spent some time in the top 50 at 175 and below. He’s just a lot smaller, and thus similarly had no chance. Like the bigger and less skilled Sheppard, though, Mendoza fell twice in the short fight.

Earlier that day in Moscow, 38 year old one loss…prospect…Alexander Ustinov kinda wasted a significant portion of what little time might be left for him to make a move in the division by fighting morbidly obese journeyman Chauncy Welliver. The only video I could find of it was edited significantly, but even if I assume Welliver did well in the parts that were cut out, it’s hard to imagine he won a round. But an 8-round decision over a guy like Welliver is no great accomplishment, especially for a guy looking to presumably make one last push toward a title. As for his performance, I guess it might be about as expected. He’s obviously very big- enough so to keep his opponent domesticated and timid- but his hands are slow and his technique robotic enough to prevent him from putting together combinations to any effect, or even generating the concussive power necessary to stop a relatively durable guy like Welliver. I can’t say I was overly impressed.

6’7″ Polish steroid cheat Mariusz Wach is evidently looking to make up for lost time after his suspension and accompanying 2 year layoff, as he stepped into the ring for the second time since October, this time scoring a stoppage in 6 over faded former gatekeeper Travis Walker, who has now lost 6 in a row.

Tarver makes his debut in the heavyweight rankings at #16. Banks would have been ranked around #20 at the time of the fight if not ineligible for inactivity, but the loss prevents him from returning to the list. Unfortunately for the division, he’s probably still in the top 25, though. At 46, it may be that Tarver is the oldest fighter to ever make his debut in the top 20 of a given division. I don’t have data to back that up, though. Alex Leapai is bumped from the rankings after 55 consecutive weeks, and everyone else ranked #16 and below drops a slot.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (286-499-499)

Last Fight: 11/15/2014- KO5 #5 Kubrat Pulev

Next Fight: Unknown

Klitschko plans to make his next defense on April 25. Bryant Jennings appears likely. That sounds undeserved, until you hear the other name that was being mentioned- Shannon Briggs. Fury now has a mandatory position at some point, as well.

1) Tyson Fury (44-44-44)

Last Fight: 11/29/2014- RTD10 #6 Dereck Chisora

Next Fight: Unknown

Fury’s win over Chisora was stunningly easy. Frankly he dominated by a lot more than did Vitali Klitschko when he met Chisora, and so the now eventually mandatory match-up with Wlad is looking more and more intriguing. Anthony Joshua is also being discussed, though Fury himself seems to strongly prefer the former.

2) Alexander Povetkin (29-373-373)

Last Fight: 10/24/2014- KO10 #7 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: Unknown

Povetkin’s finishing skills were quite impressive, but it might be a bit worrisome that he was clearly getting outboxed by Takam for a good chunk of the fight. With the win, he now figures to eventually become the mandatory for the winner of Wilder-Stiverne. His team seems to want Tyson Fury, though, which would be amazing.

3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (29-40-104)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- TKO7 Darnell Wilson (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/14/2015- vs. #9 Steve Cunningham

With Main Events behind both fighters, you could almost see this one coming. Glazkov will take on Steve Cunningham, likely on NBC Sports, in March.

4) Amir Mansour (37-37-37)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- KO7 Fred Kassi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Mansour’s power was brought to bear on the mediocre Kassi, who did a good job of hanging in there- perhaps for longer than most expected while losing every round.

5) Kubrat Pulev (44-137-214)

Last Fight: 11/15/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Back to the drawing board for the Bulgarian. He at least mounted an attack. That’s more than some challengers can say.

6) Carlos Takam (3-28-48)

Last Fight: 10/24/2014- L (KO10) vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin

Next Fight: Unknown

Takam found the ceiling on his rise to the top in #2 Povetkin. He actually appeared more than a match for the Russian early in the fight, but couldn’t hang in the later rounds.

7) Dereck Chisora (3-159-222)

Last Fight: 11/29/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #1 Tyson Fury

Next Fight: Unknown

Chisora apparently doesn’t want to leave the bad taste in his mouth from his last performance, as he is reportedly planning to fight again on February 28. He is also said to be splitting from trainer Don Charles.

8) Bermane Stiverne (28-32-94)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: 1/17/2015- vs. #12 Deontay Wilder

Stiverne-Wilder is finally set for January 17 at the MGM Grand in Vegas, it would appear.

9) Steve Cunningham (28-104-104)

Last Fight: 10/18/2014- W (RTD7) vs. Natu Visinia (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/14/2015- vs. #3 Vyacheslav Glazkov

See Glazkov’s notes, above.

10) Tony Thompson (28-39-238)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: 1/24/2015 – vs. #11 Odlanier Solis

Maybe the third time will be the charm. Thompson-Solis II gets its 3rd intended date on January 24.

11) Odlanier Solis (6-238)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: Unknown

See Thompson’s notes, above.

12) Deontay Wilder (6-86)

Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/17/2015 – vs. #8 Bermane Stiverne

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

13) Chris Arreola (6-67)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

Next Fight: Unknown

Bad news for Arreola fans- he’s reportedly pulled out of a planned December 11 return due to an elbow injury. Elbow surgery is what he was trying to come back from in the first place.

14) Malik Scott (6-15)

Last Fight: 10/31/2014- UD10 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: Unknown

After an apparently dominant win over Leapai, Scott is probably back in the mix for some sort of big fight.

15) Erkan Teper (6-68)

Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)

Next Fight:Unknown

16) Antonio Tarver (1-1)

Last Fight: 12/11/2014- TKO7 Johnathon Banks (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

I doubted Tarver’s ability to succeed at heavyweight, let alone at his age. So far, so good, though. It will be interesting to see how he shows against someone psychologically capable of throwing a punch now and then.

17) Andy Ruiz (1-56)

Last Fight: 10/25/2014- TKO1 Kenny Lemos (UNR)

Next Fight: 12/20/2014- vs. Sergei Liakhovich (UNR)

Ruiz has rescheduled his planned October fight with faded former contender Liakhovich for December 20.

18) Bryant Jennings (1-21)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jennings is once again said to be in the running for a Klitschko shot. After barely and perhaps undeservedly getting by Mike Perez, I’m not sure that’s a natural fit at this stage.

19) Artur Szpilka (1-6)

Last Fight: 11/8/2014- W (UD10) vs. #11 Tomasz Adamek

Next Fight: 1/31/2015- vs. Unknown Opponent

Szpilka returned to camp just a week after the Adamek fight, as he is planning a return for January 31 in Torun, Poland.

20) Mike Perez (1-21)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Perez is reportedly working with famed trainer Robert Garcia.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Thursday

Kyotaro Fujimoto vs. Daniel Radeff; Tokyo, Japan; TV Unknown

Fujimoto is a borderline top 50 fighter, but pretty clearly the best heavyweight in Japan for what that’s worth. His key accomplishment was outpointing pumped up, light hitting middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida in April. Before that, he took a TKO loss in 2012 to fairly mediocre Kiwi slugger Solomon Haumono. Opponent Radeff, to be perfectly blunt, is a French nobody. Not only does he sport a 5-8-2 record, but he’s also a small cruiserweight in reality. Fujimoto is probably not a world beater by any stretch, but Radeff’s only practical hope in this one is if the Japanese fighter breaks his leg tripping over his fallen opponent.

Saturday

#17 Andy Ruiz vs. Sergei Liakhovich; Phoenix, Arizona; Unimas (US)

Ruiz will finally, I assume, get around to his long anticipated (for lack of a better term) fight with shopworn former contender Liakhovich. It was delayed from an original date in September for a family issue. Liakhovich is a sight better than Ruiz’s lone opponent in the interim, Kenny Lemos, but he’s a shell of his former self, to be sure, and I’m not sure he’ll last much longer than did the morbidly obese Lemos.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Sep 15-21

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alexander Povetkin, Anthony Joshua, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Lateef Kayode, Luis Ortiz, Tyson Fury, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Wladimir Klitschko on December 24, 2015 by danboxing

Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan’s best heavyweight, Kyotaro Fujimoto, took care of business against journeyman Kotatsu Takahara in a defense of his national title, winning every round and stopping his man in the 5th. This was a rematch of an apparently close unanimous decision win from last year.

The following night in Vegas, big but aging Cuban prospect Luis Ortiz blew out former Cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode, who just couldn’t handle the power or size. Kayode looked intimidated from the jump, and especially considering he was the smaller guy, his footwork was slow, stiff, and frankly terrible. The fight was over with a TKO within one round.

Saturday in Manchester, England, unbeaten Englishman Anthony Joshua continued to impress, totally dominating an overwhelmed Konstantin Airich to a 3rd round stoppage. I’m pretty sure Airich didn’t land a single punch. Though he’s been slipping of late, Airich is generally the kind of guy who can give a pretender a bad night. Anthony Joshua is no pretender. He’s still only in the lower half of the top 50 in terms of accomplishment, but it’s plain to see this guy is headed for the top 10 sooner rather than later.

I considered Ortiz for a ranking, but Kayode is his only truly significant win, and was only proven at cruiserweight, and some time ago, at that. The big Cuban is certainly in the queue now, and might ascend based on this performance alone if a couple of higher-ranked fighters. For now, he’s in the low-20s but just a couple spots out of the rankings. No changes.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (273-486-486)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: 11/15/2014- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev

The Pulev defense has now been rescheduled for November 15.

1) Tyson Fury (31-31-31)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/29/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora

Fury-Chisora II has been moved back a week, to November 29.

2) Alexander Povetkin (16-360-360)

Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #7 Carlos Takam

Povetkin will attempt to halt the meteoric rise of rugged slugger Carlos Takam when the two meet in Russia on October 24.

3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (16-27-91)

Last Fight: 8/9/2014- W(MD10) vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Glazkov didn’t exactly earn any style points for his lazy showing against big underdog Rossy, but a win’s a win, I suppose…

4) Amir Mansour (24-24-24)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham had the more sympathetic story and a legitimately great comeback attempt, but Mansour had the better collection of rounds legitimately won. Mansour was robbed even though the fight was close, and deserves Cunningham’s former position in the rankings for his effort.

5) Kubrat Pulev (31-124-201)

Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/15/2014- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

See Klitschko’s notes, above.

6) Dereck Chisora (31-146-209)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/29/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury

See Fury’s notes, above.

7) Carlos Takam (15-15-35)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin

Takam looks to go from contender to international superstar when he looks to topple Povetkin in Russia in late October.

8) Bermane Stiverne (15-19-81)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: Unknown

The September 12 purse bid for the expected Stiverne-Wilder fight has been inexplicably bumped back to October 1. Still no deal.

9) Steve Cunningham (15-91-91)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)

Next Fight: 10/18/2014 – vs. Natu Visinia (UNR)

Cunningham gets what, at least on paper, looks like a stay-busy fight in October against Natu Visinia. Visinia is unbeaten at 10-0, but has fought nobody. He’s a big boy, though. The Samoan typically tips the scales in the 260s or 270s.

10) Tony Thompson (15-26-225)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #12 Odlanier Solis

Thompson will be giving Odlanier Solis a well-deserved rematch in October, it would appear.

11) Tomasz Adamek (15-230)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov

Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)

Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.

12) Odlanier Solis (15-225)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #10 Tony Thompson

After taking a tough loss and a heap of excessive criticism in a fight he frankly deserved to win, Solis will get a chance to avenge the slight with an October rematch with Tony Thompson.

13) Deontay Wilder (19-73)

Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

14) Chris Arreola (19-54)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

Next Fight: Unknown

Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.

15) Erkan Teper (24-55)

Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Teper’s effort in his last fight- and perhaps especially in the gym leading up to it- was awful, and he got lucky when his opponent turned out to be almost as out of shape as him, in addition to being an apparent quitter.

16) Alex Leapai (24-43)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #20 Malik Scott

After intended fights with Shannon Briggs and Sam Peter fell through, Leapai will have an interesting matchup with Malik Scott.

17) Andy Ruiz (24-43)

Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Ruiz’s fight with Sergei Liakhovich was cancelled about a week in advance of the September 20 date when Ruiz withdrew for “family reasons.”

18) Bryant Jennings (2-8)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Reasonable minds can disagree on the correct result of Jennings-Perez. What’s clear, though, is that Jennings is not nearly ready for Klitschko, a fight some of his supporters have been proposing for a while now. He himself appears to want the Wilder-Stiverne winner, which might be more within his competency.

19) Mike Perez (2-8)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/?/2014 – vs. Unknown Opponent

Perez, who calls Cork, Ireland home, will return to his home base in November when he headlines a card there. Details TBD.

20) Malik Scott (2-2)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (KO1) vs. #13 Deontay Wilder

Next Fight: 10/24/2014 – vs. #16 Alex Leapai

See Leapai’s notes, above.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

No meaningful Heavyweight action on tap for this week.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Sep 8-14

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Anthony Joshua, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Lateef Kayode, Luis Ortiz, Malik Scott, Seth Mitchell, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko on December 19, 2015 by danboxing

Last week’s only potentially significant fight- Ian Lewison vs. Gary Cornish, was rendered insignificant for my purposes when Lewison- a member of my top 50- was replaced as opponent to the unproven Cornish by the not-so-great Larry Olubamiwo, whom Cornish outpointed over 8.

Seth Mitchell, #18 last week, has now been inactive for over a year. I think a lot of people saw that coming practically the second he lost to Arreola. In any case, he’s removed from the rankings, at least until he gets around to resuming his career.

Mike Perez and Bryant Jennings each move up a spot due to Mitchell’s ouster, and Malik Scott returns at #20 for the first time since those two fellas combined to force him out on July 28. Francesco Pianeta may have appeared to be next in line since he was ahead of Scott back then. Unfortunately for the German-based Italian, his best career win over Matt Skelton is now only days away from being five years old and, therefore, irrelevant.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (272-485-485)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: 11/15/2014- vs. #5 Kubrat Pulev

The Pulev defense has now been rescheduled for November 15.

1) Tyson Fury (30-30-30)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora

After saying he was no longer interested in fighting Chisora after his rival withdrew from a scheduled fight, the fight is now rescheduled for November 22.

2) Alexander Povetkin (15-359-359)

Last Fight: 5/30/2014- TKO7 Manuel Charr (UNR)

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #7 Carlos Takam

Povetkin will attempt to halt the meteoric rise of rugged slugger Carlos Takam when the two meet in Russia on October 24.

3) Vyacheslav Glazkov (15-26-90)

Last Fight: 8/9/2014- W(MD10) vs. Derric Rossy (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Glazkov didn’t exactly earn any style points for his lazy showing against big underdog Rossy, but a win’s a win, I suppose…

4) Amir Mansour (23-23-23)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

5) Kubrat Pulev (30-123-200)

Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/15/2014- vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

See Klitschko’s notes, above.

6) Dereck Chisora (30-145-208)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/22/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury

See Fury’s notes, above.

7) Carlos Takam (14-14-34)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- UD12 #9 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #2 Alexander Povetkin

Takam looks to go from contender to international superstar when he looks to topple Povetkin in Russia in late October.

8) Bermane Stiverne (14-18-80)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- TKO6 #13 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: Unknown

Stiverne had been looking at November for a big fight with Wilder. Purse bids are scheduled for 9/12.

9) Steve Cunningham (14-90-90)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There are unconfirmed reports of a potential fight with Bryant Jennings in the works. It would make sense, as both guys are Main Events fighters.

10) Tony Thompson (14-25-224)

Last Fight: 6/6/2014- L (UD12) vs. #12 Carlos Takam

Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #12 Odlanier Solis

Thompson will be giving Odlanier Solis a well-deserved rematch in October, it would appear.

11) Tomasz Adamek (14-229)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov

Next Fight: 11/8/2014- vs. Artur Szpilka (UNR)

Originally penciled in for October 18 in Lodz, it now appears that Adamek-Szpilka is destined for November 8 in Krakow.

12) Odlanier Solis (14-224)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 10/?/2014- vs. #10 Tony Thompson

After taking a tough loss and a heap of excessive criticism in a fight he frankly deserved to win, Solis will get a chance to avenge the slight with an October rematch with Tony Thompson.

13) Deontay Wilder (18-72)

Last Fight: 8/16/2014- W(RTD4) vs. Jason Gavern (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

14) Chris Arreola (18-53)

Last Fight: 5/10/2014- L (TKO6) vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

Next Fight: Unknown

Arreola had elbow surgery, but is expected back in the ring in October.

15) Erkan Teper (23-54)

Last Fight: 6/13/2014- RTD6 Newfel Ouatah (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

16) Alex Leapai (23-42)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: 10/24/2014- vs. #20 Malik Scott

After intended fights with Shannon Briggs and Sam Peter fell through, Leapai will have an interesting matchup with Malik Scott.

17) Andy Ruiz (23-42)

Last Fight: 5/17/2014- TKO2 Manuel Quezada (UNR)

Next Fight: 9/20/2014- vs. Sergey Liakhovich (UNR)

Ruiz will headline a Solo Boxeo card from Phoenix on September 20 against former contender and current journeyman Sergey Liakhovich.

18) Bryant Jennings (1-7)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- W* (SD12) vs. Mike Perez (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

19) Mike Perez (1-7)

Last Fight: 7/26/2014- L* (SD12) vs. Bryant Jennings (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/?/2014 – vs. Unknown Opponent

Perez, who calls Cork, Ireland home, will return to his home base in November when he headlines a card there. Details TBD.

20) Malik Scott (1-1)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (KO1) vs. #13 Deontay Wilder

Next Fight: 10/24/2014 – vs. #16 Alex Leapai

See Leapai’s notes, above.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Wednesday

Kyotaro Fujimoto vs. Kotatsu Takehara; Tokyo, Japan; TV Unknown

The not-so-internationally-prestigious Japanese Heavyweight title is on the line as fringe-top-50 one-loss prospect and national Champion Fujimoto defends against Takahara, who is a mid-level journeyman in a worldwide context. Fujimoto is best known for outpointing pumped-up middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida back in April.

Thursday

Luis Ortiz vs. Lateef Kayode; Las Vegas, Nevada; Fox Sports 1 (US)

Kayode at one point was closing in on a top 5 ranking at cruiserweight. He moved up to heavyweight following his draw with a steroid-aided Antonio Tarver, but hasn’t fought a significant fighter since. Enter Ortiz. He’s a former top Cuban amateur, who really hasn’t fought anyone of serious note at any point, aside from maybe an old Monte Barrett. Like many Cubano pro fighters, he got a late start, and is just now ready to make a potential splash at the age of 35. Kayode, who you might reasonably still view as a prospect, is 31 himself.

Saturday

Anthony Joshua vs. Konstantin Airich; Manchester, England; Sky (UK)

This is a matchup of the next big thing versus a journeyman who has occasionally broken through to the lower part of the top 50. Airich appears very much on the downside of his already relatively modest career, having lost to his last 5 half-decent opponents since his huge upset win over Ondrej Pala in 2012. If nothing else, a victory for Joshua would elevate him to the status of a clearly proven top 50 fighter, as opposed to merely a somewhat proven top 50 fighter. If he’s able to stop Airich (which seems very likely), he will be ready to move up about 2 levels and make a run towards the top 10.

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Heavyweight: 2014, May 5-11

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alexander Povetkin, Bermane Stiverne, Chris Arreola, Eric Molina, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Tyson Fury, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Wladimir Klitschko on October 5, 2014 by danboxing

Former junior middleweight and middleweight fringe contender Nobuhiro Ishida attempted a move up to heavyweight to fight the national champion and fringe top 50 member Kyotaro Fujimoto, whose bright pink hair can probably be seen from space. He fell just short. In a fairly low-action fight, both men had their moments, but the telling blows, what few there were, tended to come from Fujimoto, particularly in the last half of the fight. Ishida controlled stretches of the fight with his jab, but it wasn’t always especially effective. I had it 77-75 Fujimoto, as did 2 of the 3 judges. The other had it virtually the same, but with one even round to narrow the gap. My score, in terms of what I could justify, would have room for another round to either man. I haven’t been following the Japanese heavyweight scene for more than a few years to say for sure, but this strikes me as possibly the most consequential meeting of Japanese big men in perhaps the history of the sport.

This is a tricky fight to rate. Taking Ishida’s top 25 middleweight ranking into account and penalizing him 8% the equivalent boxrec points for every class he jumped, he’s still roughly a top 40 heavyweight. I don’t know if that’s really accurate in such an extreme case, but that’s how I’ve always reconciled inter-divisional weight jumping. The win over a top 50 heavyweight, then, makes Fujimoto rateable, but only technically. His loss to Solomon Haumono from December 2012 holds him back, and he remains on the fringes of the top 50. No changes.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (254-467-467)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: Unknown

Klitschko easily handled Leapai, and it seems he’ll probably get his long-delayed mandatory with Pulev next.

1) Tyson Fury (12-12-12)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)

Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora

Fury-Chisora has been made. July 26, in Manchester. The winner will become one of Wlad’s mandatories.

2) Vyacheslav Glazkov (8-8-72)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD12 #4 Tomasz Adamek

Next Fight: Unknown

Glazkov reports that negotiations for a fight with Povetkin have failed, and that Povetkin would likely be fighting Manuel Charr, instead.

3) Alexander Povetkin (8-341-341)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: 5/30/2014- vs. Manuel Charr (UNR)

Povetkin, who could have faced Glazkov, will instead take on the less proven Manuel Charr in Moscow on May 30.

4) Amir Mansour (5-5-5)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

5) Kubrat Pulev (12-105-182)

Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s sounding increasingly likely that Pulev will get a long awaited shot at Klitschko next.

6) Dereck Chisora (12-127-190)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)

Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury

See Fury’s notes, above.

7) Steve Cunningham (5-72-72)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

I hope you’ll all pray for his daughter to recover from her life-threatening health condition, and the guy had guts to come back from the 2 knockdowns. But he didn’t win the fight.

8) Tony Thompson (5-7-206)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- W* (SD12) vs. #8 Odlanier Solis

Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. #11 Carlos Takam

Thompson- no stranger to the road- will visit France for a fight with tough customer Carlos Takam on June 6.

9) Tomasz Adamek (5-211-211)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov

Next Fight: Unknown

I’d have to think Adamek would at least consider retirement after being brutalized for 12 rounds by a guy that had looked like he might top out around the top 15. He’s recently announced his candidacy for the European parliament elections in May, so that may be a sign that he’s leaning that direction.

10) Odlanier Solis (5-59-206)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: Unknown

The Solis haters are out in force, claiming a clear loss in a fight that Solis deserved to win. You might not like his physique or his training habits or his style, but if he outfights the other guy, he still deserves to be respected as a winner at least as much as a disappointment. A loss to Thompson is not that embarrassing, especially when you ought to have won it.

11) Carlos Takam (5-16)

Last Fight: 1/18/2014- Robbery Draw (W) vs. #11 Mike Perez

Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. #8 Tony Thompson

See Thompson’s notes, above.

12) Bermane Stiverne (5-62)

Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: 5/10/2014- vs. #13 Chris Arreola

ESPN has landed the fight- their biggest score in a while on that front. May 10 in Los Angeles.

13) Chris Arreola (5-35)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- TKO1 #12 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: 5/10/2014- vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

14) Deontay Wilder (5-54)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO1 #19 Malik Scott

Next Fight: Unknown

With the win over Scott, Wilder appears poised to fight the Stiverne-Arreola winner for an alphabet title and probably near-universal recognition as the best American heavyweight. If that falls through for some reason, Andy Ruiz wants to step in to fight him.

15) Erkan Teper (5-36)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO1 Martin Rogan (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

16) Alex Leapai (5-24)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Leapai is reportedly interested in fighting Shannon Briggs in the wake of his total non-performance against the Champ.

17) Andy Ruiz (5-24)

Last Fight: 11/24/2013- RTD3 Tor Hamer (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/17/2014- vs. Manuel Quezada (UNR)

Ruiz was scheduled to fight on the Marquez-Alvarado undercard on May 10, but has been bumped back a week to a fight in Fresno against Manuel Quezada.

18) Seth Mitchell (5-48)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Mitchell’s chin is so fragile that he might want to consider calling it a career. Golden Boy’s CEO says he’s advised Mitchell to do just that, though he reports that Mitchell seems to have no such intention.

19) Johnathon Banks (5-9)

Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

There is some buzz about Banks potentially entering an 8-man tournament in Auckland, which already includes Sam Peter, Kali Meehan, Martin Rogan, and Michael Sprott. This would take place on June 4, and would be similar to Britain’s Prizefighter concept.

20) Francesco Pianeta (5-8)

Last Fight: 12/6/2013- TKO2 Robert Teuber (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/30/2014- vs. Mickael Vieira (UNR)

Pianeta makes his 2014 debut in Dresden on May 30 against lower-mid-level journeyman Mickael Vieira of France.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Saturday

#12 Bermane Stiverne vs. #13 Chris Arreola; Los Angeles, California; ESPN (US)

Stiverne had a fair amount too much for Arreola the first time, and I see little reason to think this will be much different. My belief is that Arreola is not concise enough in his punches to be consistently effective while avoiding the heavy artillery of Stiverne, whose only problem is his often sparing punch output- a problem Arreola emphatically does not suffer from. Still, Arreola can be hurt, and I think he will be. The one ray of hope from the first fight is that Arreola was fighting with a broken nose from early in the fight. Perhaps he has more for Stiverne than he was able to show that night. The winner will claim the alphabet belt Vitali vacated, but will be far from a true champion or even the top contender that the previous holder was at the time of his retirement.

Eric Molina vs. Davarryl Williamson; Los Angeles, California; Off TV

Molina is a two-loss fringe prospect whose lone loss since his first pro fight came against Arreola in 2012. He crashed the top 50 by defeating gatekeeper Tony Grano in his last fight a little over a year ago. Williamson was once a notable name in the division, but he last beat a top 50 fighter in 2005, last fought in 2012, and last won in 2011. He’s very much a journeyman at present.

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Heavyweight: 2014, Apr 28- May 4

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alex Leapai, Alexander Povetkin, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Lucas Browne, Nobuhiro Ishida, Tyson Fury, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Wladimir Klitschko on September 30, 2014 by danboxing

The Champ got one of his easier title defenses on Saturday in Oberhausen, Germany, stopping Australia-based Samoan upstart Alex Leapai in 5, having encountered very little resistance on the way. Leapai was trying to work his way in a little bit in the first round, but simply lacked the talent to do so. He paid for the little boldness he showed with a clean knockdown, and was apparently completely domesticated by the experience. If it was survival mode he was aiming for, however, he did a terrible job of that, as well. After the first round, he basically just hung around in prime punching range for the rangy Klitsckho, allowing the Champion to punish him more and more with each passing round. It was the most non-competitive of many non-competitive fights, or perhaps second only to the Mormeck whitewash.

Lucas Browne won the Commonwealth title with a knockout over high-level Quebec journeyman Eric Martel Bahoeli Saturday in Sheffield, England. Browne is simultaneously everything we love and everything we hate about today’s heavyweight boxing. He’s got raw power of legendary proportions, and can seemingly knock anyone out if he can get a shot in. But the guy is clearly not committed to becoming a champion or even a true professional. From all appearances, he hasn’t bothered to develop any boxing skill whatsoever. I mean not even enough to pass a test of basic competency. He looks like just some big strong dude from the street got hired to fight for one night. Literally the only times that Bahoeli didn’t look like Mohammed Ali by comparison was when he was hurt or on the canvas. Luckily for Browne, that was enough. Browne admitted after the fight that he relies on his power, but also said that his fitness and technique are getting better. I’ve only seen him a couple times, and in fairness he did look better overall against a gun-shy Richard Towers, but it’s terrifying, if this is what progress looks like, to imagine the fitness and technique of Browne when making his debut 5 years ago. The wasted potential is immense. The guy has the raw power of a prime David Tua or Sam Peter, but he’s also tall enough at 6’4″ to avoid being automatically held at bay by the 6’6″+ champion and others like him. My advice to Browne, as if it means anything, would be NOT to rely on your power. You say your fitness and technique is getting better, but you need to truly commit. The gut is not helping anything. As he said in the same interview, his power will always be there…but if he can gain some semblance of learned skill, it will allow him to deliver that power against real contenders, something I very much doubt he could consistently do now. And with the level of fitness that would come with simply treating his body like that of an athlete, he could afford to let his bombs fly more than once every round or two.

One story is that I’ve skipped so far is that Browne was badly cut in the 3rd from an accidental clash of heads. The fight was at risk of being stopped at any moment, and frankly it was looking as if the smart thing for Browne to do at the point in the 4th in which the doctor was taking a serious look would have been to beg out of the fight and sneak away with a no contest. The fight was clearly even after three, and Bahoeli had been controlling the 4th to that point. But to his credit, Browne realized the urgency, and rather than quitting, he determined to win the fight. He summoned a burst of aggression, and dropped the Quebec fighter for the second time in the fight, giving himself a two point working margin heading into the 5th round of a fight that could be stopped at any moment. Not content to rest on that lead for a moment, he came out and ended it with a continued assault in the 5th. Bahoeli appeared overwhelmed, and was ready to submit at that point, and stayed down for the count. Nevertheless, his stock may have gone up in the fight, if only because of the exposure and the fact that he outboxed Browne for perhaps the majority of the fight.

Obviously Wlad retains his crown. Leapai doesn’t lose any ground. He looked awful, granted, but I don’t rate based on aesthetics. The truth is, a TKO5 loss to Klitschko is probably about the best that most would-be #16 contenders could ever hope for. Despite the wipeout, he hardly proved himself any less worthy than those behind him, who would likely suffer a similar fate. As for Browne, he’s now beaten his 3rd top 50 fighter (though none were much better than just that), and that quantity is enough for him to graduate to the fringe contender level, aka the top 25 in my parlance. I’ve got him unofficially at #25 even. No changes to the top 20, though.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (253-466-466)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- TKO5 #16 Alex Leapai

Next Fight: Unknown

Klitschko easily handled Leapai, and it seems he’ll probably get his long-delayed mandatory with Pulev next.

1) Tyson Fury (11-11-11)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- TKO4 Joey Abell (UNR)

Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #6 Dereck Chisora

Fury-Chisora has been made. July 26, in Manchester. The winner will become one of Wlad’s mandatories.

2) Vyacheslav Glazkov (7-7-71)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD12 #4 Tomasz Adamek

Next Fight: Unknown

Glazkov reports that negotiations for a fight with Povetkin have failed, and that Povetkin would likely be fighting Manuel Charr, instead.

3) Alexander Povetkin (7-340-340)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

See Glazkov’s notes, above.

4) Amir Mansour (4-4-4)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery L (UD10) vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

5) Kubrat Pulev (11-104-181)

Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD3 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s sounding increasingly likely that Pulev will get a long awaited shot at Klitschko next.

6) Dereck Chisora (11-126-189)

Last Fight: 2/15/2014- UD12 Kevin Johnson (UNR)

Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Tyson Fury

See Fury’s notes, above.

7) Steve Cunningham (4-71-71)

Last Fight: 4/4/2014- Robbery W (UD10) vs. Amir Mansour (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

I hope you’ll all pray for his daughter to recover from her life-threatening health condition, and the guy had guts to come back from the 2 knockdowns. But he didn’t win the fight.

8) Tony Thompson (4-6-205)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- W* (SD12) vs. #8 Odlanier Solis

Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. #11 Carlos Takam

Thompson- no stranger to the road- will visit France for a fight with tough customer Carlos Takam on June 6.

9) Tomasz Adamek (4-210-210)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- L (UD12) vs. #18 Vyacheslav Glazkov

Next Fight: Unknown

10) Odlanier Solis (4-58-205)

Last Fight: 3/22/2014- L* (SD12) vs. #13 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: Unknown

11) Carlos Takam (4-15)

Last Fight: 1/18/2014- Robbery Draw (W) vs. #11 Mike Perez

Next Fight: 6/6/2014- vs. #8 Tony Thompson

See Thompson’s notes, above.

12) Bermane Stiverne (4-61)

Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: 5/10/2014- vs. #13 Chris Arreola

ESPN has landed the fight- their biggest score in a while on that front. May 10 in Los Angeles.

13) Chris Arreola (4-34)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- TKO1 #12 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: 5/10/2014- vs. #12 Bermane Stiverne

See Stiverne’s notes, above.

14) Deontay Wilder (4-53)

Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO1 #19 Malik Scott

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Erkan Teper (4-35)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO1 Martin Rogan (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

16) Alex Leapai (4-23)

Last Fight: 4/26/2014- L (KO5) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Eh…nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose.

17) Andy Ruiz (4-23)

Last Fight: 11/24/2013- RTD3 Tor Hamer (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/17/2014- vs. Manuel Quezada (UNR)

Ruiz was scheduled to fight on the Marquez-Alvarado undercard on May 10, but has been bumped back a week to a fight in Fresno against Manuel Quezada.

18) Seth Mitchell (4-47)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

19) Johnathon Banks (4-8)

Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Francesco Pianeta (4-7)

Last Fight: 12/6/2013- TKO2 Robert Teuber (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/30/2014- vs. Mickael Vieira (UNR)

Pianeta makes his 2014 debut in Dresden on May 30 against lower-mid-level journeyman Mickael Vieira of France.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Wednesday

Kyotaro Fujimoto vs. Nobuhiro Ishida; Tokyo, Japan; TV Unknown

Fujimoto is a shaky-looking top 50 fighter, but has cobbled together enough journeyman wins to claim that status on boxrec, at least. If Ishida, who is moving up drastically in weight from his last fight at middleweight, is ever going to beat a top 50 heavyweight, he could scarcely have picked a better opportunity. Fujimoto is the Japanese champion, though for some reason this is an 8 round non-title fight. I’m almost certain this is the first heavyweight fight I’ve ever reported on between two Japanese fighters, and to the best of my admittedly limited knowledge on this particular subject, this might be the most important fight ever contested between to Japanese heavyweight boxers. Besides moving up to a nearly unprecedented degree, Ishida also hasn’t had much success recently in his career. Nevertheless, his upset knockout of James Kirkland a few years ago still gives him enough quality on his resume to be ranked in the top 25 middleweights currently. It’s a big projection, but I would say that makes him a top 50 heavyweight too, give or take.

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Heavyweight: 2013, Dec 2-8

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alexander Povetkin, Antonio Tarver, Dereck Chisora, Francesco Pianeta, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Lateef Kayode, Steve Cunningham, Wladimir Klitschko on January 21, 2014 by danboxing

Czech journeyman Ondrej Pala was actually having a fair amount of success in London against #5 Dereck Chisora on Saturday, visibly bothering Chisora with clean straight shots from the outside. But it could only last so long. Chisora kept the pressure up, intelligently utilizing the double jab to get in, landing power shots to shake Pala up, and then stopping him in the 3rd when Pala turned his back in the corner after a combination.

Tuesday night in Sunrise, Florida, Antonio Tarver began a comeback attempt at a very advanced age after nearly 18 months of steroid-related inactivity. He didn’t look that great, but got a great result anyway. He looked generally sluggish and his knees looked stiff, but yet he had probably won all three rounds when the first was stopped before the 4th. Tarver began the three-knockdown onslaught that ended the fight when he caught Sheppard on the end of a perfectly timed, perfectly placed uppercut from the outside.

And Monday in Tokyo, one-loss prospect Kyotaro Fujimoto won a surprisingly close unanimous decision over 9-8 journeyman Kotatsu Takehara, defending his Japanese title, but winning by just a one-round margin on one card, and three points on a second. This probably indicates that he’s significantly overrated by his inclusion in Boxrec’s top 50.

No changes this week.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (232-445-445)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- UD12 #3 Alexander Povetkin

Next Fight: Unknown

While the order is unclear at least to me, Klitschko’s current mandatory obligations include Alex Leapai and Kubrat Pulev. In the WBA, it looks like the spot would be filled by an eliminator at some point, either between Povetkin and Luis Ortiz, or whatever other fighters in their rankings would be available. The technically retired Tyson Fury also called Wlad out right before his retirement.

1) Alexander Povetkin (2-319-319)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Povetkin is calling for a rematch. He would probably need to become the WBA mandatory by winning an eliminator (possibly against Luis Ortiz) in order to get that shot. His promotional ties expire at the end of the year, and he says he’ll announce his next move in early 2014.

2) Steve Cunningham (2-50-50)

Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L (KO7) vs. #6 Tyson Fury

Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent

Cunningham will appear on a December 14 card in Atlantic City.

3) Tomasz Adamek (2-189-189)

Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kathy Duva, who promotes both fighters, says she will reschedule the cancelled Adamek-Glazkov fight. Adamek shot down rumors that he wants to fight Bryant Jennings in January, saying he’s fighting Glazkov in March.

4) Kubrat Pulev (2-83-160)

Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 #11 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Sherman Williams (UNR)

The reported match with Ondrej Pala was always a tenuous proposition. Pulev will now be fighting Sherman Williams on December 14, instead.

5) Dereck Chisora (2-105-168)

Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO3 Ondrej Pala (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Chisora looks likely to return in February, and David Price and Tyson Fury are apparently in the running.

6) Odlanier Solis (2-37-184)

Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO7 Yakup Saglam (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Solis was briefly set to fight Kevin Johnson on November 26, but quickly withdrew due to an IBF mandate that he fight Carlos Takam, instead. Reportedly that fight will now happen in January, though it’s not finalized yet.

7) Bermane Stiverne (2-24-40)

Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: Unknown

Stiverne is currently fighting his promoter Don King, in court, for the right to possibly fight Vitali in February. But Klitschko has been given until December 15 to decide what he wants to do with his alphabet title, so the situation is very unclear at present.

8) Chris Arreola (2-13-13)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- TKO1 #12 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

Arreola may be a candidate for Wilder, or could fight for a vacant title in a rematch with Stiverne, should Vitali retire. Fury has also named him as someone he’d like to replace David Haye with for February 8.

9) Tony Thompson (2-3-184)

Last Fight: 8/24/2013- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev

Next Fight: Unknown

Thompson is now actively seeking a fight with Povetkin, Fury, Adamek, or Wilder.

10) Erkan Teper (2-2-14)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO1 Martin Rogan (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Teper might have scored the heavyweight knockout of the year, and probably retired Martin Rogan in the process.

11) Mike Perez (2-5)

Last Fight: 11/2/2013- UD10 Magomed Abdusalamov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Perez will have to do what many great fighters have had to do in the past- get over the psychological difficulty of having beaten a man to within an inch of his life, just by doing his job.

12) Deontay Wilder (2-32)

Last Fight: 10/26/2013- TKO4 Nicolai Firtha (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

In the immediate aftermath of the Haye-Fury fallout, Wilder apparently agreed verbally to fight Fury on February 8. But a couple days later, Wilder’s promoter revealed that Fury’s management wasn’t returning phone calls, and Fury announced his retirement around that same time. The fight looks dead.

13) Alex Leapai (2-2)

Last Fight: 11/23/2013- UD10 #20 Denis Boytsov

Next Fight: Unknown

Leapai, in Rocky-like fashion, now stands as one of Wlad’s two mandatory challengers, and should get his shot in the early part of 2014.

14) Robert Helenius (3-184)

Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W*(UD10) vs. Michael Sprott (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

If there was a fatal rift between Helenius and Sauerland, it appears to have been quietly repaired, as Helenius’ team now claims there is no plan to buy out his contract. Helenius is reportedly back in fighting condition after a wrist injury in his last fight, and intends to return in early 2014.

15) Andy Ruiz (2-2)

Last Fight: 11/24/2013- RTD3 Tor Hamer (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Ruiz has called out Tyson Fury, whose team says he’s out until at least March.

16) Seth Mitchell (3-26)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

17) Alexander Dimitrenko (2-151)

Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Dimitrenko is rumored at least to be fighting Sam Sexton in the first round of the WBC World Cup, but that tournament appears to be in limbo for the time being, at least.

18) Vyacheslav Glazkov (2-50)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD10 Garrett Wilson (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Adamek’s notes, above.

19) Malik Scott (2-41)

Last Fight: 7/20/2013- L (KO6*) vs. #8 Dereck Chisora

Next Fight: Unknown

Scott is getting serious buzz for a fight with Wilder.

20) Johnathon Banks (2-55)

Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

Banks apparently dinged his hands up pretty good in the Mitchell fight- an alternate explanation for those who, like me, thought his inexplicable failure to follow up on his early success was a bit suspicious. He’s been doing physical therapy, and is about ready to get back in the ring. He’d like a rematch with Mitchell, but unfortunately a trilogy probably isn’t of much benefit to the fragile young contender at this point. He’s penciled-in for the second round of the WBC World Cup, against the winner of Sam Sexton and Alexander Dimitrenko, but as noted above, that whole tournament is delayed and in doubt.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Fringe contender Francesco Pianeta sees the inside of a ring for the first time since his TKO loss to Wladimir Klitschko in May on Friday, testing untested German undefeated prospect Robert Teuber in Brandenburg.

The same night in Santa Ynez, California, former cruiserweight contender Lateef Kayode returns from 18 months’ inactivity, and debuts at heavyweight against low-level journeyman Travis Fulton.

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Heavyweight: 2013, Nov 25- Dec 1

Posted in Heavyweight, Rankings with tags Alex Leapai, Andy Ruiz, Antonio Tarver, Denis Boytsov, Dereck Chisora, Kyotaro Fujimoto, Tor Hamer, Tyson Fury on January 18, 2014 by danboxing

The Hernandez-Alekseev undercard in Bamberg, Germany featured a pretty significant upset. #20 Denis Boytsov, who was probably in line for a shot at Wlad in his next fight, having been considered among the best available options for years, was soundly outpointed by Samoan gatekeeper Alex Leapai. Boytsov appeared to be in mediocre shape, having cruised to easy victories against weak opponents for years. Leapai’s punches seemed to have more steam at the start, and to have held that steam better down the stretch. Leapai also appeared to want the win a lot more than the Russian.

We almost saw another upset in Macau on Sunday (Saturday US time), where undefeated Mexican prospect Andy Ruiz looked to be rather outclassed against gatekeeper Tor Hamer, getting out-hustled and out-punched, while looking very easy to hit. But Hamer had a rough third and took some shots, and promptly quit before the 4th. This is unfortunately Hamer’s M.O., as he did very much the same thing against Vyacheslav Glazkov.

I agonized a bit over this news, because frankly I think in the end it will just be a case of posturing and attention-seeking, but #1 Tyson Fury retired this week. He couldn’t have been more clear about it, stating on Twitter that he is “officially” retired, and even after his promoter and his uncle/trainer vehemently denied the retirement, Fury himself confirmed it, clarifying that he is, in fact, a million percent retired. Fury is very undisciplined in his use of Twitter, and is prone to blurt out dramatic sound bytes based on however he’s feeling at the moment, and I suspect this is little different, but ultimately if I started ignoring unequivocal statements from fighters regarding their statuses, there wouldn’t really be any effective way for a fighter to retire from the rankings at all. That being the case, and even though I think the result is rather artificial and silly in this case, I am forced to take Fury at his word and remove him from the rankings. He won’t be eligible until he fights again, since he is essentially inactive now, and can’t change that until he actually enters the ring. Everyone ranked #2-13 last week moves up a spot, allowing Erkan Teper to make his debut in the top 10.

Both of the week’s fights prompt a shakeup in the division this week, as well. Leapai is naturally going to benefit from clearly beating a top 20 contender. He does have one inconsistent loss on his record- a fairly dominant TKO loss to Kevin Johnson- but that loss is far enough in the past (over 18 months) that it can detract from his resume without leading to the conclusion that he’s proven to be that kind of fighter in the present day. He’s also got a 2009 6-round draw to a complete nobody, but that has to be treated as a fluke, since he has destroyed many much better fighters since then. While comparing resumes as a whole without respect to timing would not allow this result, when weighting recent results more, it’s clear that Leapai belongs ahead of Robert Helenius. Helenius has had two consecutive inconclusive fights with clearly non-top-20 opposition and a clear loss to Chisora before that. One of those opponents was not even top 50. Leapai just beat a top 20 guy, and I think it would be hard to say that Helenius is currently capable of doing that with any degree of confidence. Obviously injury has played a major part in that, but the Nordic Nightmare has been fighting with injury for so long now that it’s become a part of who he is as a fighter. For these reasons, Leapai debuts at #13.

Ruiz’s opponent Hamer, meanwhile, was not quite as good as Boytsov. Hamer made a name for himself by- perhaps ironically- beating Kevin Johnson on Prizefighter. Johnson was a borderline top 20 guy at the time, and so that got Hamer near that level. But it was a non-shutout decision in a 3-round fight. You’ve gotta take that into account, especially after he straight up quit against Glazkov. He also had a loss to an unheralded prospect in Kelvin Price earlier on. I had Hamer as roughly the #29 heavyweight in the world going in. Not bad, but not Boytsov, who if anything was viewed as underrated at #20. When comparing Ruiz to Helenius, a different result emerges. While I’m not willing to give Helenius credit for wins over Sprott and Williams (I scored both fights as draws), he also didn’t lose. When I treat a fight as a draw, I generally imagine a midpoint between the status of the two fighters, and act as if both guys showed a level right around that point. Even as lowly as Sherman Williams was in the ranks at the time of their fight, Helenius was high enough that the midpoint still was around the fringe contender level. Even after Helenius was diminished by that fight, the Sprott fight had him roughly at the same level, since Sprott himself was nearly a fringe contender after beating Gerber. So I’ve yet to see anything to suggest that Helenius has fallen so far that he can’t compete at around the level of the top 25, and the aging wins over Peter, Brewster, and Bidenko still justifiably buoy him to a great extent. Ruiz’s win over Hamer was at a level just below what I’d call the fringe contender level…roughly equivalent to Sprott. So even taking only the most recent performances into account, it’s not a slam dunk. The fact that Helenius has beaten a #6 contender and one or two more guys roughly equivalent to Hamer- even if it was in the fairly distant past- is dispositive in this case.

Ruiz does, however, surpass Seth Mitchell in a close call. Mitchell got a win over #19 Ibragimov to give him the advantage, but then got stopped by a guy only a shade more credible than Hamer in Johnathan Banks. Technically Mitchell then beat a #10 contender by winning his rematch with Banks, but you’ve gotta discount that for the most part, since essentially he had created that #10 contender himself by the first fight. So he beat #19, and then lost and won against a guy ranked between 20-25 on his own merits. That means he had probably proved himself pretty much in his element around the 19-25 range, which is a notch better than Ruiz has done in the one relevant fight. But unfortunately for Mitchell, his last fight was a demolition at the hands of Chris Arreola, who was ranked in the low-mid 20’s, and just a couple spots ahead of Hamer at the time. That’s a pretty compelling case that Ruiz has proven himself at the higher level of late.

Accordingly, Ruiz debuts at #15. Helenius holds firm at #14. Mitchell remains at #16. Alexander Dimitrenko, with his win over Luan Krasniqi now over 5 years old, takes a dive from #15 to #17. Glazkov and Scott each fall two places to #18 and 19, respectively, and Banks hangs on at #20. Boytsov doesn’t need the help to make his own exit. I must say that the heavyweight division is getting more exciting overall with all of this new blood, though the top of the division is greatly diminished by the removal of the top two contenders in the past two weeks.

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20)

Champ: Wladimir Klitschko (231-444-444)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- UD12 #3 Alexander Povetkin

Next Fight: Unknown

1) Alexander Povetkin (1-318-318)

Last Fight: 10/5/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Wladimir Klitschko

Next Fight: Unknown

Povetkin is calling for a rematch. He would probably need to become the WBA mandatory by winning an eliminator (possibly against Luis Ortiz) in order to get that shot.

2) Steve Cunningham (1-49-49)

Last Fight: 4/20/2013- L (KO7) vs. #6 Tyson Fury

Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent

Cunningham will appear on a December 14 card in Atlantic City.

3) Tomasz Adamek (1-188-188)

Last Fight: 8/3/2013- UD10 Dominick Guinn (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kathy Duva, who promotes both fighters, says she will reschedule the cancelled Adamek-Glazkov fight.

4) Kubrat Pulev (1-82-159)

Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 #11 Tony Thompson

Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Ondrej Pala (UNR)

Pulev will be fighting on December 14 while waiting for a shot at Wlad. His opponent is reported to be, interestingly, Ondrej Pala. Pala is scheduled to fight Dereck Chisora this weekend, so there’s a lot that can happen on the way to that fight, obviously, if true.

5) Dereck Chisora (1-104-167)

Last Fight: 9/21/2013- TKO5 Edmund Gerber (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Ondrej Pala (UNR)

Chisora has secured Ondrej Pala as a replacement opponent for this weekend- an upgrade from the original opponent. This begins what could be a heck of a 3-weekend span for Pala, who according to Bulgarian media has also agreed to fight Kubrat Pulev on 12/14.

6) Odlanier Solis (1-36-183)

Last Fight: 7/27/2013- TKO7 Yakup Saglam (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Solis was briefly set to fight Kevin Johnson on November 26, but quickly withdrew due to an IBF mandate that he fight Carlos Takam, instead. Reportedly that fight will now happen in January, though it’s not finalized yet.

7) Bermane Stiverne (1-23-39)

Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12 #15 Chris Arreola

Next Fight: Unknown

Stiverne is currently fighting his promoter Don King, in court, for the right to possibly fight Vitali in February.

8) Chris Arreola (1-12-12)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- TKO1 #12 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Tony Thompson (1-2-183)

Last Fight: 8/24/2013- L (UD12) vs. #8 Kubrat Pulev

Next Fight: Unknown

Thompson is now actively seeking a fight with Povetkin, Fury, Adamek, or Wilder.

10) Erkan Teper (1-1-13)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO1 Martin Rogan (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Teper might have scored the heavyweight knockout of the year, and probably retired Martin Rogan in the process.

11) Mike Perez (1-4)

Last Fight: 11/2/2013- UD10 Magomed Abdusalamov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Perez will have to do what many great fighters have had to do in the past- get over the psychological difficulty of having beaten a man to within an inch of his life, just by doing his job.

12) Deontay Wilder (1-31)

Last Fight: 10/26/2013- TKO4 Nicolai Firtha (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Alex Leapai (1-1)

Last Fight: 11/23/2013- UD10 #20 Denis Boytsov

Next Fight: Unknown

Leapai, in Rocky-like fashion, now stands as one of Wlad’s two mandatory challengers, and should get his shot in the early part of 2014.

14) Robert Helenius (2-183)

Last Fight: 3/23/2013- W*(UD10) vs. Michael Sprott (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Andy Ruiz (1-1)

Last Fight: 11/24/2013- RTD3 Tor Hamer (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

I’m not sure we got a good picture of Ruiz’s ability against Hamer, as he really needed just one solid round to make the mentally fragile New Yorker submit.

16) Seth Mitchell (2-25)

Last Fight: 9/7/2013- L (TKO1) vs. Chris Arreola (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

17) Alexander Dimitrenko (1-150)

Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Ivica Perkovic (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Dimitrenko is rumored at least to be fighting Sam Sexton in the first round of the WBC World Cup, but that tournament appears to be in limbo for the time being, at least.

18) Vyacheslav Glazkov (1-49)

Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD10 Garrett Wilson (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Adamek’s notes, above.

19) Malik Scott (1-40)

Last Fight: 7/20/2013- L (KO6*) vs. #8 Dereck Chisora

Next Fight: Unknown

Scott is getting serious buzz for a fight with Wilder.

20) Johnathon Banks (1-54)

Last Fight: 6/22/2013- L (UD12) vs. #20 Seth Mitchell

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: Monday features a rare occurrence in Tokyo. No, not Godzilla, but rather a boxrec top-50 heavyweight in action. Kyotaro Fujimoto is his name. He’s a one-loss prospect. Not a great prospect, I’ll admit, having lost to Solomon Haumono within the last year, but his back-to-back stoppage wins over fairly low-level journeymen since then have nevertheless given him the rankings points necessary. For what it’s worth, he’s the Japanese Champion- the best of 5 currently active Japanese heavyweights.

The next night in Sunrise, Florida, Antonio Tarver returns from a steroid suspension to fight journeyman Mike Sheppard in a heavyweight match from Sunrise, Florida, to be televised by Fox Sports 1.

Saturday in London, #5 Derek Chisora takes on reasonably solid Czech journeyman Ondrej Pala, who does have a few decent wins over arguably top 50 opposition in his career.

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