Archive for Marcus Johnson

Super Middleweight: 2012, Apr 30- May 6

Posted in Rankings, Super Middleweight with tags , , , , , , , on June 2, 2012 by danboxing
#5 Thomas Oosthuizen won a close fight over American prospect/fringe contender Marcus Johnson on Friday, though in fairness the South African did close well down the stretch.  His ranking is not affected one way or the other.

 

In Donetsk, Ukraine, local fringe contender Stanislas Kashtanov stopped Uruguayan journeyman Jorge Rodriguez in the 7th of scheduled 8.  No change in the rankings from this fight, either.

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Andre Ward (20-154-154)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- UD12 #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: Unknown
Light Heavyweight Champ Chad Dawson called Ward out immediately after his victory over Hopkins.  Dawson said he’d even dip down to 168 to make the fight- very interesting possibility there.  In fact, I can’t think of a time in history where a reigning champion at one weight has fought for the championship of a lower weight class.
1) Lucian Bute (20-316-316)
Last Fight: 11/5/2012- UD12 #13 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Despite Showtime rejecting the fight, Bute will face Froch in Nottingham on May 26.  Epix will likely televise in the US.
2) Carl Froch (20-307-307)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #1 Lucian Bute
See Bute’s notes, above.
3) Mikkel Kessler (20-386-386)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/19/2012- vs. Allan Green (UNR) (at LHW)
I’m still not clear on why Kessler and Stieglitz is off, but Kessler is now set to fight Allan Green at 175 for some reason.  The fight will be in Copenhagen.
4) Robert Stieglitz (20-140-140)
Last Fight: 1/14/2012- UD12 Henry Weber (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stieglitz has now been canceled on twice in a row, as the Kessler fight was deep-sixed for still-unclear reasons, and now George Groves has withdrawn with an injury.
5) Thomas Oosthuizen (20-48-96)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- UD10 Marcus Johnson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
In the wake of Oosthuizen’s victory over Johnson, Adonis Stevenson has expressed interest in fighting him.
6) Arthur Abraham (20-132-132)
Last Fight: 3/31/2012- UD12 Piotr Wilczewski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Abraham has proven that he’s still above the fringe contender level despite his struggles late in the Super Six.  It might be time for him to start fighting top-10 types again, even if they are carefully chosen.
7) Adonis Stevenson (11-21-21)
Last Fight: 4/20/2012- TKO2 Noe Gonzalez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevenson has worn out every fringe contender he can find, and is now looking to fight Ward or Bute, though he might have an opportunity for a shot at some random vacant title against Anthony Dirrell.
8) Peter Quillin (2-53-53)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Craig McEwan (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Winky Wright (UNR) (at MW?)
After it originally appeared a no-go, Quillin’s proposed fight with inactive former champ Winky Wright is now on for the Tarver-Kayode undercard on Showtime.
9) Sakio Bika (2-20-265)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- RTD3 Alfredo Contreras (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Avoided removal by the skin of his teeth, but he’s going to start plummeting any month now if he doesn’t beat someone decent.
10) Andy Lee (2-2-60)
Last Fight: 3/10/2012- TKO2 Saul Duran (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/16/2012- vs. MW #? Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (at MW)
Lee gets the fight he’s been waiting for, against the best opponent of his career in Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.  The fight will be in El Paso in mid-June.
11) Karoly Balzsay (2-2)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO12 #8 Dimitri Sartison
Next Fight: Unknown
Took advantage of a diminished version of Sartison, which leaves him knocking on the door of the top 10 despite being outfought by unproven prospect Kashtanov.
12) Anthony Dirrell (20-22)
Last Fight: 12/2/2011- TKO4 Renan St. Juste (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBC has ridiculously made Andre Ward “champion in recess” and ordered an awful vacant title fight between Dirrell and Nikola Sjekloca, who may not even be a top 25 fighter.
13) Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye (20-25)
Last Fight: 11/11/2011- TKO12 Andrea Di Luisa (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Ndiaye will be back in action in late May.  No opponent yet.
14) Glen Johnson (20-78)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- L(UD12) vs. #3 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
The Bute fight was the only one of Johnson’s recent career that wasn’t really close.  Bute is certainly a top fighter, but it could be that the Road Warrior is starting to wind down a bit.
15) Dimitri Sartison (2-96)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- L(TKO12) vs. Karoly Balzsay (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison is taking a step back up to the fringe contender level in April.  If his knee isn’t close to 100% (which it didn’t appear to be against journeyman Kulikauskis), Balzsay is the right level of opponent to capitalize.
16) Bryan Vera (2-65)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD8 Taronze Washington (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Vera will fight no-name journeyman Taronze Washignton on April 21.
17) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (20-52)
Last Fight: 12/10/2011- L(TKO9) vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Well, it’s clear that he can’t play with at least one of the big boys.  Every division needs fringe contenders, though, and that looks like Pryor’s lane for the time being.
18) Jesus Gonzales (20-43)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L(KO1) vs. #9 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
19) James DeGale (20-29)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO4 Cristian Sanavia (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy pickings for a European defense against the faded Sanavia.
20) George Groves (20-20)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO2 Paul Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Groves is starting to earn himself a reputation as an unreliable opponent.  He withdrew from a scheduled fight back in December with injury.  Then he scheduled a fight for March that he withdrew from in order to fight for Robert Stieglitz’s belt.  But now he has withdrawn with that bout with a new injury.

 

The Week Ahead: #4 Robert Stieglitz takes on Australian gatekeeper Nader Hamdan- a late replacement for George Groves-in Erfurt, Germany on Saturday.

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Super Middleweight: 2012, Apr 23-29

Posted in Rankings, Super Middleweight with tags , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2012 by danboxing
After 18 long weeks of a stable top 20, we have practical armageddon this week.  In order of the importance of the fights, here we go:

 

In Schwerin, Germany on Saturday, Dimitri Sartison proved my fears justified.  Still hampered, it would seem, by his surgically-repaired knee, he engaged in a close but generally losing fight with a fringe contender in Balzsay who likely is not quite on a healthy Sartison’s level.  Balzsay capped off the fight impressively with a fine display of power punching that led the referee to quite appropriately stop the fight in the final round.  I honestly can’t say that Sartison’s wheels were his most obvious problem, though.  He lacked head movement almost completely, and his punches were noticeable less sharp than were Balzsay’s.

 

#16 Librado Andrade appeared in what was supposed to be a relaxing stay-busy fight at light heavyweight on the Showtime Extreme undercard on Saturday, but was shockingly and emphatically upset by low-profile one-loss prospect Rowland Bryant.  Bryant was more athletic, had better timing, and hit with more power than the faded contender, and took him out in the third round.  The stoppage may have been premature given Andrade’s proven toughness, but he definitely appeared way outgunned, and it seemed like only a matter of time.

 

Friday in Montreal, #7 Adonis Stevenson picked up a 2nd round TKO over one-loss fringe contending prospect Noe Gonzalez.  The stoppage was definitely quick.  Stevenson had definitely started to consistently land his power shots and had definitely hurt Gonzalez, but the Uruguayan fighter was still showing plenty of awareness with which to defend himself.  Definitely a hometown stoppage.  But on the other hand, Stevenson appears nearly unstoppable when he is on the attack, and so I suspect that we were only seconds away from a legitimate and potentially devastating one.

 

In other action on Saturday, #19 James DeGale stopped Spanish contender-turned-journeyman Cristian Sanavia in the 4th round to successfully defend his European title in Denmark, and #15 Bryan Vera won a solid decision over journeyman Taronze Washington in a stay-busy fight in Fort Worth.

 

Balzsay moves from obscurity up to the #11 spot.  Had it not been for what should have been his clear loss to an unproven Stanislas Kashtanov last year, he would have easily cracked the top 10 with this win, even with the very serious questions about Sartison’s fitness for action lingering.  Sartison, despite these questions, falls only to #15 due to his overall resume.  Last week’s #16, Librado Andrade, falls from the rankings for the first time since he resumed activity at Super Middle 34 weeks ago.  In perhaps most cases, a loss a division north of the one in which a fighter is ranked will in no way affect his ranking, but since Bryant had lost to a bad opponent and never beaten a good one prior to fighting Andrade, and considering that he was in general not on the map, it just wouldn’t make sense to rank the rugged Mexican former contender in any division at this time.  Stevenson’s win, while nice, is not at the level required to dislodge the more proven Arthur Abraham.  And none of the other fights could affect the rankings by any stretch of the imagination.  It feels like Stas Kashtanov should get some love now that the guy he was robbed of beating is highly-ranked, but unfortunately Balzsay’s status at that time didn’t warrant it, and it would be a difficult precedent to set to become that retrospective.  Quillin, Bika, and Lee each move up a spot.  Lee enters the top 10 for the first time.

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Andre Ward (19-153-153)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- UD12 #2 Carl Froch
Next Fight: Unknown
A little bit of a disappointing batch of initial rhetoric coming out of the Ward camp.  While Bute says he is willing to travel to Oakland to fight Ward, Ward himself seems more interested in Kessler.  Normally I wouldn’t knock a Champ-#3 contender matchup, but we’ve already got that one figured out.  He’s also said he’s willing to fight J.C. Chavez in Mexico.
1) Lucian Bute (19-315-315)
Last Fight: 11/5/2012- UD12 #13 Glen Johnson
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #2 Carl Froch
Despite Showtime rejecting the fight, Bute will face Froch in Nottingham on May 26.  Epix will likely televise in the US.
2) Carl Froch (19-306-306)
Last Fight: 12/17/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Andre Ward
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #1 Lucian Bute
See Bute’s notes, above.
3) Mikkel Kessler (19-385-385)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- TKO6 Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/19/2012- vs. Allan Green (UNR) (at LHW)
I’m still not clear on why Kessler and Stieglitz is off, but Kessler is now set to fight Allan Green at 175 for some reason.  The fight will be in Copenhagen.
4) Robert Stieglitz (19-139-139)
Last Fight: 1/14/2012- UD12 Henry Weber (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stieglitz has now been canceled on twice in a row, as the Kessler fight was deep-sixed for still-unclear reasons, and now George Groves has withdrawn with an injury.
5) Thomas Oosthuizen (19-47-95)
Last Fight: 3/3/2012- TKO6 Serge Yannick (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/27/2012- vs. Marcus Johnson (UNR)
Prospective opponent Maxim Vlasov was injured in a car accident, and so Oosthuizen will be fighting fringe contender/prospect Marcus Johnson, instead.  April 27, on ShoBox.
6) Arthur Abraham (19-131-131)
Last Fight: 3/31/2012- UD12 Piotr Wilczewski (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Abraham has proven that he’s still above the fringe contender level despite his struggles late in the Super Six.  It might be time for him to start fighting top-10 types again, even if they are carefully chosen.
7) Adonis Stevenson (10-20-20)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- KO1 #18 Jesus Gonzales
Next Fight: 4/20/2012- vs. Noe Gonzalez (UNR)
Stevenson has worn out every fringe contender he can find, and is now looking to fight Ward or Bute, though he might have an opportunity for a shot at some random vacant title against Anthony Dirrell.
8) Peter Quillin (1-52-52)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Craig McEwan (UNR) (at MW)
Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Winky Wright (UNR) (at MW?)
After it originally appeared a no-go, Quillin’s proposed fight with inactive former champ Winky Wright is now on for the Tarver-Kayode undercard on Showtime.
9) Sakio Bika (1-19-264)
Last Fight: 12/3/2011- RTD3 Alfredo Contreras (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Avoided removal by the skin of his teeth, but he’s going to start plummeting any month now if he doesn’t beat someone decent.
10) Andy Lee (1-1-59)
Last Fight: 3/10/2012- TKO2 Saul Duran (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/16/2012- vs. MW #? Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (at MW)
Lee gets the fight he’s been waiting for, against the best opponent of his career in Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.  The fight will be in El Paso in mid-June.
11) Karoly Balzsay (1-1)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO12 #8 Dimitri Sartison
Next Fight: Unknown
Took advantage of a diminished version of Sartison, which leaves him knocking on the door of the top 10 despite being outfought by unproven prospect Kashtanov.
12) Anthony Dirrell (19-21)
Last Fight: 12/2/2011- TKO4 Renan St. Juste (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Dirrell will likely get an opportunity to fight for a belt vacated by Andre Ward- essentially for being too good- against Adonis Stevenson.
13) Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye (19-24)
Last Fight: 11/11/2011- TKO12 Andrea Di Luisa (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent
Ndiaye will be back in action in late May.  No opponent yet.
14) Glen Johnson (19-77)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- L(UD12) vs. #3 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
The Bute fight was the only one of Johnson’s recent career that wasn’t really close.  Bute is certainly a top fighter, but it could be that the Road Warrior is starting to wind down a bit.
15) Dimitri Sartison (1-95)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- L(TKO12) vs. Karoly Balzsay (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sartison is taking a step back up to the fringe contender level in April.  If his knee isn’t close to 100% (which it didn’t appear to be against journeyman Kulikauskis), Balzsay is the right level of opponent to capitalize.
16) Bryan Vera (1-64)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(UD10) vs. #15 Andy Lee
Next Fight: 4/21/2012- vs. Taronze Washington (UNR)
Vera will fight no-name journeyman Taronze Washignton on April 21.
17) Aaron Pryor, Jr. (19-51)
Last Fight: 12/10/2011- L(TKO9) vs. Adonis Stevenson (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Well, it’s clear that he can’t play with at least one of the big boys.  Every division needs fringe contenders, though, and that looks like Pryor’s lane for the time being.
18) Jesus Gonzales (19-42)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L(KO1) vs. #9 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
19) James DeGale (19-28)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- TKO4 Cristian Sanavia (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy pickings for a European defense against the faded Sanavia.
20) George Groves (19-19)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO2 Paul Smith (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Groves is starting to earn himself a reputation as an unreliable opponent.  He withdrew from a scheduled fight back in December with injury.  Then he scheduled a fight for March that he withdrew from in order to fight for Robert Stieglitz’s belt.  But now he has withdrawn with that bout with a new injury.

 

The Week Ahead: #5 Thomas Oosthuizen fights prospect/fringe contender Marcus Johnson on ShoBox from Miami, Oklahoma on Friday.  On Sunday, Stanislas Kashtanov- who easily deserved a win over new #11 Karoly Balzsay last summer- fights journeyman Jorge Rodriguez of Uraguay in Kashtanov’s hometown of Donetsk, Ukraine.

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Light Heavyweight: 2011, Nov 21-27

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on December 25, 2011 by danboxing
#20 Marcus Johnson fought a stay-busy 6-rounder against journeyman Billy Bailey in Houston Saturday, scoring a shutout and apparently a knockdown, too, as all 3 judges had it 60-53.  Friday, Enzo Maccarinelli was back in action for the first time in over a year, in a fight that was supposed to represent the first in his move to light heavyweight.  In reality, neither he nor undefeated/untested Hungarian prospect Gyorgi Marosi made 175, with both being 2-3 pounds over.  In any case, the former cruiserweight contender wasted no time- winning by a first round TKO in London.  Also on Saturday, undefeated Australian prospect Blake Caparello kept up his career-long winning streak by stopping 5-1 fellow Australian Michael Van Nimwegen in 7.  And in Saturday’s other action, French gatekeeper Nadjib Mohammedi knocked out low-level Ghanaian journeyman Ayitey Powers in the final round of an 8-rounder in Algeria.

 

No changes in the rankings.

 

For comparison, here are the current Ring Magazine Ratings:
Champ: Bernard Hopkins
1) Jean Pascal
2) Tavoris Cloud
3) Chad Dawson
4) Nathan Cleverly
5) Adrian Diaconu
6) Zsolt Erdei
7) Beibut Shumenov
8) Karo Murat
9) Gabriel Campillo
10) Ismayl Sillakh

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Bernard Hopkins (27-285-285)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
The first official blow against Pat Russell’s bad TKO decision has been struck, as the WBC announced that its title would stay with Hopkins despite the call.
1) Jean Pascal (27-127-127)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson wants Pascal, but a Dawson-Hopkins rematch may supersede that before it’s all said and done.
2) Chad Dawson (49-286-286)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
See Hopkins’ notes, above.
3) Tavoris Cloud (49-117-117)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- TKO8 #8 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #14 Zsolt Erdei
Cloud looks to close out the year in fine fashion by beating arguable lineal title claimant Zsolt Erdei as the ball drops on 2011.
4) Gabriel Campillo (6-74-74)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #14 Karo Murat
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo had my sympathy after being robbed against Shumenov, but hasn’t helped his case with a long stretch of inactivity against good fighters followed by a back-and-forth draw with Murat.
5) Nathan Cleverly (6-94-94)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W*(MD12) vs. Tony Bellew (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has ordered him to fight Dmitri Sukhotski in 2012.
6) Karo Murat (8-8-29)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
I never thought this would happen, but I now rate the long-overrated Murat even higher than does Ring Magazine.
7) Tony Bellew (6-6-6)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- L*(MD12) vs. #4 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: Unknown
Deserved better than a majority decision loss against Cleverly.  I thought he won the fight or deserved, at worst, a draw.
8) Eduard Gutknecht (6-29-29)
Last Fight: 7/16/2011- UD12 Lorenzo Di Giacomo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ho-hum victory over Di Giacomo.  Hopefully he steps back up soon.
9) Beibut Shumenov (6-70-74)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
10) Yusaf Mack (6-38-74)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L(TKO8) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
Mack looks a little too small to compete with the top guys at this weight, but still has a good enough resume to avoid dropping too far.
11) Dmitri Sukhotski (6-56)
Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Cleverly’s notes, above.
12) Adrian Diaconu (6-237)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
A quality fighter, Diaconu is nevertheless slipping in the rankings simply because he never wins against anyone above the journeyman level.  He ought to try and find some kind of mid-range fringe contender just to get a decent win, because fighting journeymen or top contenders isn’t working out for him.
13) Ismayl Sillakh (6-45)
Last Fight: 11/4/2011- TKO4 Ali Ismailov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Zsolt Erdei (6-53)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (UNR)
See Cloud’s notes, above.
15) Danny McIntosh (6-74)
Last Fight: 5/7/2011- L(TKO8) vs. Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Significantly diminished by his loss to Gutknecht, but still has a better win in Thierry Karl than the two guys rated immediately below him: Karo Murat and…well…Thierry Karl.
16) Yordanis Despaigne (6-17)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- W(DQ5) vs. Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There was talk immediately after the Miranda fight of a rematch taking place, but no new news on that.
17) Jesus Gonzales (6-20)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
His present and future are probably both at 168, but he beat a good enough light heavyweight to earn this ranking, nevertheless.
18) Thierry Karl (6-74)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- KO1 Mile Nikolic (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Karl is a threat to be removed in late January if he doesn’t schedule a light heavyweight fight soon.
19) Dyah Davis (3-35)
Last Fight: 10/21/2011- UD6 Darnell Boone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Marcus Johnson (3-3)
Last Fight: 11/19/2011- UD6 Billy Bailey (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown

 

The Week Ahead: Undefeated Cuban Luis Garcia- who was removed from his #19 spot in the rankings 3 weeks ago for inactivity- is scheduled for fight against an unannounced opponent.  This fight was made too late to save him from losing his ranking, but will likely get him a spot back if he avoids losing.

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Light Heavyweight: 2011, Nov 14-20

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on December 25, 2011 by danboxing
Not a big week for the little big guys this go ’round.

 

For comparison, here are the current Ring Magazine Ratings:
Champ: Bernard Hopkins
1) Jean Pascal
2) Tavoris Cloud
3) Chad Dawson
4) Nathan Cleverly
5) Adrian Diaconu
6) Zsolt Erdei
7) Beibut Shumenov
8) Karo Murat
9) Gabriel Campillo
10) Ismayl Sillakh

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Bernard Hopkins (26-284-284)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
The first official blow against Pat Russell’s bad TKO decision has been struck, as the WBC announced that its title would stay with Hopkins despite the call.
1) Jean Pascal (26-126-126)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson wants Pascal, but a Dawson-Hopkins rematch may supersede that before it’s all said and done.
2) Chad Dawson (48-285-285)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
See Hopkins’ notes, above.
3) Tavoris Cloud (48-116-116)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- TKO8 #8 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #14 Zsolt Erdei
Cloud looks to close out the year in fine fashion by beating arguable lineal title claimant Zsolt Erdei as the ball drops on 2011.
4) Gabriel Campillo (5-73-73)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #14 Karo Murat
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo had my sympathy after being robbed against Shumenov, but hasn’t helped his case with a long stretch of inactivity against good fighters followed by a back-and-forth draw with Murat.
5) Nathan Cleverly (5-93-93)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W*(MD12) vs. Tony Bellew (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has ordered him to fight Dmitri Sukhotski in 2012.
6) Karo Murat (7-7-28)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
I never thought this would happen, but I now rate the long-overrated Murat even higher than does Ring Magazine.
7) Tony Bellew (5-5-5)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- L*(MD12) vs. #4 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: Unknown
Deserved better than a majority decision loss against Cleverly.  I thought he won the fight or deserved, at worst, a draw.
8) Eduard Gutknecht (5-28-28)
Last Fight: 7/16/2011- UD12 Lorenzo Di Giacomo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ho-hum victory over Di Giacomo.  Hopefully he steps back up soon.
9) Beibut Shumenov (5-69-73)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
10) Yusaf Mack (5-37-73)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L(TKO8) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
Mack looks a little too small to compete with the top guys at this weight, but still has a good enough resume to avoid dropping too far.
11) Dmitri Sukhotski (5-55)
Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Cleverly’s notes, above.
12) Adrian Diaconu (5-236)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
A quality fighter, Diaconu is nevertheless slipping in the rankings simply because he never wins against anyone above the journeyman level.  He ought to try and find some kind of mid-range fringe contender just to get a decent win, because fighting journeymen or top contenders isn’t working out for him.
13) Ismayl Sillakh (5-44)
Last Fight: 11/4/2011- TKO4 Ali Ismailov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Zsolt Erdei (5-52)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (UNR)
See Cloud’s notes, above.
15) Danny McIntosh (5-73)
Last Fight: 5/7/2011- L(TKO8) vs. Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Significantly diminished by his loss to Gutknecht, but still has a better win in Thierry Karl than the two guys rated immediately below him: Karo Murat and…well…Thierry Karl.
16) Yordanis Despaigne (5-16)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- W(DQ5) vs. Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There was talk immediately after the Miranda fight of a rematch taking place, but no new news on that.
17) Jesus Gonzales (5-19)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
His present and future are probably both at 168, but he beat a good enough light heavyweight to earn this ranking, nevertheless.
18) Thierry Karl (5-73)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- KO1 Mile Nikolic (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Karl is a threat to be removed in late January if he doesn’t schedule a light heavyweight fight soon.
19) Dyah Davis (2-34)
Last Fight: 10/21/2011- UD6 Darnell Boone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Marcus Johnson (2-2)
Last Fight: 4/8/2011- L*(UD10) vs. #19 Dyah Davis
Next Fight: 11/19/2011- vs. Billy Bailey (UNR)

 

The Week Ahead:  There are three scheduled fights of note on Friday and one on Saturday.  Friday first:  Gatekeeper Nadjib Mohammedi of France stays busy against very poor Ghanaian journeyman Ayitey Powers in Algeria of all places.  Undefeated Australian Blake Caparello will treat his native country to a likely beatdown of his 5-1 countryman Michael Van Nimwegen, and former cruiserweight contender Enzo Maccarinelli of Wales finally makes his long-awaited debut at 175 when he battles undefeated but totally untested Hungarian prospect Gyorgi Marosi in London.

 

Saturday’s lone notable in action is #20 Marcus Johnson, who fights journeyman Billy Bailey in a stay-busy 6-rounder in Houston.

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Light Heavyweight: 2011, Nov 7-13

Posted in Light Heavyweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on December 24, 2011 by danboxing
I made a bit of a mistake last week in advertising Sillakh-Ismailov.  Evidently the fight was never going to be fought at 175, which I should have known based on Ismailov’s history of never having fought below cruiserweight.  I’ve already published my cruiserweight update and the fight is inconsequential to the rankings, so I’ll just mention here.  Suffice it to say Sillakh continued Ismailov’s streak of stoppage losses with a 4th round TKO.

 

Allan Green won a comfortable decision over local favorite Sebastian Demers in Quebec City on Saturday.  Demers came in just a shade over 168, and while he was probably still a top-50 fighter at that weight, I’m not sure he does a ton for Green’s resume at 175.

 

 Undefeated prospect Marcus Oliveira, who has been fighting infrequently against poor opposition, stopped Chris Eppley- a 10-1 fighter who has fought exclusively bums- in four rounds.

 

In a fight that was announced very late, #18 Thierry Karl fought the awful Mile Nikolic at cruiserweight, knocking him out in 1.

 

All of this action, however, pales in comparison to non-action on behalf of prospect and #19 contender Luis Garcia, who has been inactive for a year, doesn’t have a fight scheduled, and accordingly is bounced from the rankings due to inactivity.  Marcus Johnson returns to the rankings at #20 after three weeks away.

 

For comparison, here are the current Ring Magazine Ratings:
Champ: Bernard Hopkins
1) Jean Pascal
2) Tavoris Cloud
3) Chad Dawson
4) Nathan Cleverly
5) Adrian Diaconu
6) Zsolt Erdei
7) Beibut Shumenov
8) Karo Murat
9) Gabriel Campillo
10) Ismayl Sillakh

 

Dan’s Top 20
Champ: Bernard Hopkins (25-283-283)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
The first official blow against Pat Russell’s bad TKO decision has been struck, as the WBC announced that its title would stay with Hopkins despite the call.
1) Jean Pascal (25-125-125)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson wants Pascal, but a Dawson-Hopkins rematch may supersede that before it’s all said and done.
2) Chad Dawson (47-284-284)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- NC* vs. Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
See Hopkins’ notes, above.
3) Tavoris Cloud (47-115-115)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- TKO8 #8 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #14 Zsolt Erdei
Cloud looks to close out the year in fine fashion by beating arguable lineal title claimant Zsolt Erdei as the ball drops on 2011.
4) Gabriel Campillo (4-72-72)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #14 Karo Murat
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo had my sympathy after being robbed against Shumenov, but hasn’t helped his case with a long stretch of inactivity against good fighters followed by a back-and-forth draw with Murat.
5) Nathan Cleverly (4-92-92)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- W*(MD12) vs. Tony Bellew (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has ordered him to fight Dmitri Sukhotski in 2012.
6) Karo Murat (6-6-27)
Last Fight: 10/1/2011- Draw (SD12) vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
I never thought this would happen, but I now rate the long-overrated Murat even higher than does Ring Magazine.
7) Tony Bellew (4-4-4)
Last Fight: 10/15/2011- L*(MD12) vs. #4 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: Unknown
Deserved better than a majority decision loss against Cleverly.  I thought he won the fight or deserved, at worst, a draw.
8) Eduard Gutknecht (4-27-27)
Last Fight: 7/16/2011- UD12 Lorenzo Di Giacomo (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ho-hum victory over Di Giacomo.  Hopefully he steps back up soon.
9) Beibut Shumenov (4-68-72)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- TKO9 Danny Santiago (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
10) Yusaf Mack (4-36-72)
Last Fight: 6/25/2011- L(TKO8) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
Mack looks a little too small to compete with the top guys at this weight, but still has a good enough resume to avoid dropping too far.
11) Dmitri Sukhotski (4-54)
Last Fight: 10/8/2011- TKO2 Nadjib Mohammedi (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Cleverly’s notes, above.
12) Adrian Diaconu (4-235)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
A quality fighter, Diaconu is nevertheless slipping in the rankings simply because he never wins against anyone above the journeyman level.  He ought to try and find some kind of mid-range fringe contender just to get a decent win, because fighting journeymen or top contenders isn’t working out for him.
13) Ismayl Sillakh (4-43)
Last Fight: 11/4/2011- TKO4 Ali Ismailov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Zsolt Erdei (4-51)
Last Fight: 6/4/2011- KO6 Byron Mitchell (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/31/2011- vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (UNR)
See Cloud’s notes, above.
15) Danny McIntosh (4-72)
Last Fight: 5/7/2011- L(TKO8) vs. Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Significantly diminished by his loss to Gutknecht, but still has a better win in Thierry Karl than the two guys rated immediately below him: Karo Murat and…well…Thierry Karl.
16) Yordanis Despaigne (4-15)
Last Fight: 7/29/2011- W(DQ5) vs. Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There was talk immediately after the Miranda fight of a rematch taking place, but no new news on that.
17) Jesus Gonzales (4-18)
Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD12 Francisco Sierra (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
His present and future are probably both at 168, but he beat a good enough light heavyweight to earn this ranking, nevertheless.
18) Thierry Karl (4-72)
Last Fight: 11/5/2011- KO1 Mile Nikolic (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Karl is a threat to be removed in late January if he doesn’t schedule a light heavyweight fight soon.
19) Dyah Davis (1-33)
Last Fight: 10/21/2011- UD6 Darnell Boone (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
20) Marcus Johnson (1-1)
Last Fight: 4/8/2011- L*(UD10) vs. #19 Dyah Davis
Next Fight: 11/19/2011- vs. Billy Bailey (UNR)

 

The Week Ahead:  Nothing doing.

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