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Middleweight: 2014, Jul 14-20

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on December 10, 2014 by danboxing
In a fight I’ll discuss in detail at 154, #1 light middleweight Canelo Alvarez clearly and convincingly beat #3 Erislandy Lara, but was cast in a light of ridiculous controversy by commentators like Paulie Malignaggi, who somehow believes that running like a jackrabbit in a totally defensive manner is somehow equal to or greater than coming forward and throwing meaningful punches.

 

The fight was contested, for no apparent reason, at a catchweight of 155.  This creates a quandry for me.  The boxing rankings blog equivalent of a constitutional crisis.  In light of all of my prior decisions in similar cases, it’s very difficult to make a case for what I’m about to say as a matter of consistency.  I can’t rank Canelo as a middleweight.  Frankly, if I did, I’d have to rank him easily in the top 10.  To do anything else would be arbitrary, at best.  But everyone knows that Lara and Canelo are both light middleweights in both their past and present.  The extra pound was superfluous.  Granted, that was the case in the barely-super middleweight fight that got Ryota Murata ranked there while being ineligible at middleweight.  That makes it hard to make a rule based on this, but let me give it a shot.  In cases where a fight barely within a given division could affect the rankings in that division, it will only be allowed to do so under one of the following circumstances: a) the fighter has proven himself against a fighter who was in the top 50 of that division at the time he fought him, or b) the fighter is ineligible for a ranking in his more natural home division.  That accounts for Murata and super middleweight Andy Lee from days past, as well as this outcome. 

 

No changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Miguel Cotto (6-6-6)
Last Fight: RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto is the Champion.  The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance.  His thoughts seem to be more in the direction of Canelo.
1) Gennady Golovkin (31-98-161)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (7-31-31)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely.  Soliman himself says he wants the winner of Golovkin-Geale.  On the other hand, the winner of N’Dam-Stevens will become his mandatory.
3) Sergio Martinez (6-222-222)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury?  If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time.  If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen.  His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose.  That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked.  A big soccer fan, he says he’ll determine his future after the World Cup.
4) Felix Sturm (6-565-565)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm passed on an eliminator with Curtis Stevens, right after David Lemieux passed on an eliminator with Sturm.  Apparently nobody wants the IBF title.
5) Daniel Geale (6-265-265)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
6) Martin Murray (4-137-137)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- UD12 #15 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
Murray wants Cotto, in what would be his second shot at the lineal Championship.  I thought he won the first one pretty clearly, and I’d favor him in this one.
7) Peter Quillin (4-91-112)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has ordered Quillin-Korobov.
8) Matthew Macklin (6-160-251)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/30/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Macklin is back on August 30 in Dublin.
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (6-31-31)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #19 Curtis Stevens
N’Dam-Stevens is set for September 30, with the winner getting a shot at Soliman’s belt.
10) Sergio Mora (6-55-55)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin.
11) Osumanu Adama (6-24)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
12) Dmitry Chudinov (6-16)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Mehdi Bouadla (UNR)
Russian Chudinov will be in action in Sevastopol- a city his country is currently occupying in the Ukraine- against decent French journeyman Mehdi Bouadla on August 9.
13) Marco Antonio Rubio (6-181)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio wants a shot at Cotto.
14) Matt Korobov (3-3)
Last Fight: 6/28/2014- UD10 Jose Uzcategui (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Quillin’s notes, above.
15) Jarrod Fletcher (3-24)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR)
Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on August 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title.
16) Max Bursak (3-181)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- L (UD12) vs. #7 Martin Murray
Next Fight: Unknown
Monte Carlo isn’t kind to Bursak.  He lost a debatable decision to Jarrod Fletcher there, and then was more or less dominated by Martin Murray.
17) David Lemieux (3-8)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.  In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm.
18) Caleb Truax (6-43)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Derek Ennis (UNR)
Truax has a new opponent for 7/25, with a slight downgrade to Derek Ennis.
19) Curtis Stevens (6-50)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 9/30/2014- vs. #9 Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam
The winner of Stevens-N’Dam will get a shot at Soliman’s belt.
20) Andrey Meryasev (6-36)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.

 

The Week Ahead: No action to report this week.
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Middleweight: 2014, Jul 7-13

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 22, 2014 by danboxing
Saturday in Tokyo, fringe contender Akio Shibata got a decision win over high-level journeyman Hikaru Nishida to defend his Japanese title.  It was apparently at least a fairly close fight, with one judge having it 7 rounds to 5 at 115-113, another at 116-112, and the third a more comfortable 118-110.  As is often the case with Japanese fights, though, no video is apparently available.  The best summary of the action I can find is here.

 

No changes this week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Miguel Cotto (5-5-5)
Last Fight: RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto is the Champion.  The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance.  His thoughts seem to be more in the direction of Canelo.
1) Gennady Golovkin (30-97-160)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (6-30-30)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely.  Soliman himself says he wants the winner of Golovkin-Geale.
3) Sergio Martinez (5-221-221)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury?  If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time.  If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen.  His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose.  That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked.  A big soccer fan, he says he’ll determine his future after the World Cup.
4) Felix Sturm (5-564-564)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm passed on an eliminator with Curtis Stevens, right after David Lemieux passed on an eliminator with Sturm.  Apparently nobody wants the IBF title.
5) Daniel Geale (5-264-264)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
6) Martin Murray (3-136-136)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- UD12 #15 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
Murray wants Cotto, in what would be his second shot at the lineal Championship.  I thought he won the first one pretty clearly, and I’d favor him in this one.
7) Peter Quillin (3-90-111)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has ordered Quillin-Korobov.
8) Matthew Macklin (5-159-250)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: 8/30/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Macklin is back on August 30 in Dublin.
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (5-30-30)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the first 3 of the first 4 guys offered the shot having turned it down already, the 4th- Curtis Stevens- is now in talks for an IBF eliminator with N’Dam.  The winner would earn a shot at Soliman’s belt.
10) Sergio Mora (5-54-54)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin.
11) Osumanu Adama (5-23)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
12) Dmitry Chudinov (5-15)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov’s promoter has verbally offered Sam Soliman a fight on August 8.
13) Marco Antonio Rubio (5-180)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio wants a shot at Cotto.
14) Matt Korobov (2-2)
Last Fight: 6/28/2014- UD10 Jose Uzcategui (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
See Quillin’s notes, above.
15) Jarrod Fletcher (2-23)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR)
Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on August 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title.
16) Max Bursak (2-180)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- L (UD12) vs. #7 Martin Murray
Next Fight: Unknown
Monte Carlo isn’t kind to Bursak.  He lost a debatable decision to Jarrod Fletcher there, and then was more or less dominated by Martin Murray.
17) David Lemieux (2-7)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.  In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm.
18) Caleb Truax (5-42)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Derek Ennis (UNR)
Truax has a new opponent for 7/25, with a slight downgrade to Derek Ennis.
19) Curtis Stevens (5-49)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens will likely fight N’Dam for a shot at Soliman’s alphabet belt.
20) Andrey Meryasev (5-35)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
#1 JMW Saul Alvarez vs. #3 JMW Erislandy Lara; Las Vegas, Nevada; Showtime PPV (US)
This is basically a junior middleweight fight, but will be contested, for no apparent reason, at a 155 pound catchweight.  I’ll mostly consider it at 154, but it could come into play here, as well.

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Middleweight: 2014, Jun 30- Jul 6

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 20, 2014 by danboxing
Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska, undefeated prospects Jose Uzcategui of Colombia and Matt Korobov of Russia met up in a key showdown.  It was a pretty solid fight, with the 7th round looming large on my card, at least.  Korobov dropped Uzcategui twice in that round to seize control of a fight that I had scored even to that point.  My final score was 96-92, a score judge Denny Nelson agreed with.  Levi Martinez and Jeff Sinnett each had it a round wider at 97-91, which is entirely reasonable.  The lanky Uzcategui simply didn’t maintain control enough on the outside, and his punches became less and less concise as he tired late in the fight.  Korobov, for his part, had some lulls in his activity, but was aggressive just often enough to get the job done.

 

Mark Heffron’s scheduled fight on Saturday didn’t end up happening, so that’s all she wrote for the week.

 

Last week’s #17 Grzegorz Proksa is removed, having no fights scheduled and none on his resume in the past year.  Korobov gets a sudden boost not only from his present win, but also from his impressive knockout of Ossie Duran last year that didn’t qualify to rank him on its own because it was fought at 162, but which is a big factor on his overall resume at this point.  He debuts at #14, forcing Fletcher, Bursak, and Lemieux to recede one position each.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Miguel Cotto (4-4-4)
Last Fight: RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto is the Champion.  The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance.  His thoughts seem to be more in the direction of Canelo.
1) Gennady Golovkin (29-96-159)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (5-29-29)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman dominated Sturm in the rematch after getting a very fortunate decision the first time before a banned stimulant incident led to a no contest.  So far as we know so far, he was clean this time, too, though he did look extremely energetic. His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely.
3) Sergio Martinez (4-220-220)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury?  If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time.  If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen.  His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose.  That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked.  A big soccer fan, he says he’ll determine his future after the World Cup.
4) Felix Sturm (4-563-563)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm passed on an eliminator with Curtis Stevens, right after David Lemieux passed on an eliminator with Sturm.  Apparently nobody wants the IBF title.
5) Daniel Geale (4-263-263)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
6) Martin Murray (2-135-135)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- UD12 #15 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
Murray wants Cotto, in what would be his second shot at the lineal Championship.  I thought he won the first one pretty clearly, and I’d favor him in this one.
7) Peter Quillin (2-89-110)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.  There continues to be talk of an endlessly-theorized all-Golden Boy showdown with Daniel Jacobs, though, and perhaps a fight with Lemieux after that.  Sergio Mora has also indicated interest.
8) Matthew Macklin (4-158-249)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin is reportedly hoping to fight in Dublin soon.  He’s suggested Soliman and Murray as possible opponents.
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (4-29-29)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the first 3 of the first 4 guys offered the shot having turned it down already, the 4th- Curtis Stevens- is now in talks for an IBF eliminator with N’Dam.  The winner would earn a shot at Soliman’s belt.
10) Sergio Mora (4-53-53)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin.
11) Osumanu Adama (4-22)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
12) Dmitry Chudinov (4-14)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov’s promoter has verbally offered Sam Soliman a fight on August 8.
13) Marco Antonio Rubio (4-179)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio wants a shot at Cotto.
14) Matt Korobov (1-1)
Last Fight: 6/28/2014- UD10 Jose Uzcategui (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Korobov has finally started to make good on his talent and prior hype, and with his undefeated record still very much intact, the sky is theoretically the limit.  I would assume he’s getting close to a big fight.
15) Jarrod Fletcher (1-22)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: 8/9/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR)
Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on August 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title.
16) Max Bursak (1-179)
Last Fight: 6/21/2014- L (UD12) vs. #7 Martin Murray
Next Fight: Unknown
Monte Carlo isn’t kind to Bursak.  He lost a debatable decision to Jarrod Fletcher there, and then was more or less dominated by Martin Murray.
17) David Lemieux (1-6)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.  In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm.
18) Caleb Truax (4-41)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Rogelio Medina (UNR)
Truax fights the very serviceable Porky Medina, who comes off a split decision loss to to Jonathan Gonzalez that could have gone the other way.  He’s on a similar level to Duran, who gave Truax all he could handle.
19) Curtis Stevens (4-48)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens will likely fight N’Dam for a shot at Soliman’s alphabet belt.
20) Andrey Meryasev (4-34)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
Akio Shibata vs. Hikaru Nishida; Tokyo, Japan; TV Unknown
Shibata is a fringe contender  who would certainly be ranked if he hadn’t lost to Olympic Gold Medalist Ryota Murata in Murata’s pro debut.  Nishida is a high-level journeyman.

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Middleweight: 2014, Jun 16-22

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 8, 2014 by danboxing
After a choc-full slate a week ago, the division took a break this past week.  No changes.

 

 
Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Miguel Cotto (2-2-2)
Last Fight: RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto is the Champion.  The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance.  His thoughts seem to be more in the direction of Canelo.
1) Gennady Golovkin (27-94-157)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (3-27-27)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman dominated Sturm in the rematch after getting a very fortunate decision the first time before a banned stimulant incident led to a no contest.  So far as we know so far, he was clean this time, too, though he did look extremely energetic. His trainer wants Cotto, but Martin Murray looks more likely, assuming he gets by Bursak.
3) Sergio Martinez (2-218-218)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury?  If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time.  If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen.  His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose.  That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked.
4) Felix Sturm (2-561-561)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm might be on his way out, with his rematch performance head and shoulders below his effort in the first fight with Soliman.  Nevertheless, he has denied any thoughts of retirement.  He’s still in position for an alphabet eliminator.  Lemieux turned down a crack at him, and now it seems Curtis Stevens is in line for that shot.
5) Daniel Geale (2-261-261)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
6) Peter Quillin (2-87-108)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.  There continues to be talk of an endlessly-theorized all-Golden Boy showdown with Daniel Jacobs, though, and perhaps a fight with Lemieux after that.  Sergio Mora has also indicated interest.
7) Martin Murray (2-133-133)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #15 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
8) Matthew Macklin (2-156-247)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card, and Geale has bailed on the fight altogether in favor of a shot at GGG.
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (2-27-27)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam’s team is trying to get a shot at Soliman.
10) Sergio Mora (2-51-51)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin.
11) Osumanu Adama (2-20)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
12) Dmitry Chudinov (2-12)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov’s promoter has verbally offered Sam Soliman a fight on August 8.
13) Marco Antonio Rubio (2-177)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio wants a shot at Cotto.
14) Jarrod Fletcher (2-20)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: 8/?/2014- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR)
Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on either August 2 or 9 for a trumped up (aka WBA) title.
15) Max Bursak (2-177)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #7 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
16) David Lemieux (2-4)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.  In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm.
17) Grzegorz Proksa (2-166)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Proksa has just a couple weeks to schedule a fight before he’s removed for inactivity.
18) Caleb Truax (2-39)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Rogelio Medina (UNR)
Truax fights the very serviceable Porky Medina, who comes off a split decision loss to to Jonathan Gonzalez that could have gone the other way.  He’s on a similar level to Duran, who gave Truax all he could handle.
19) Curtis Stevens (2-46)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens is backed by the IBF to fight Sturm in an eliminator, should both men so choose.
20) Andrey Meryasev (2-32)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.

 

The Week Ahead: 
Saturday
#7 Martin Murray vs. #15 Max Bursak; Monte Carlo, Monaco; PolSat Sport (Poland)
Murray was a borderline robbery away from being Middleweight Champion a little over a year ago, but his recent performances have allowed others to pass him by pretty clearly.  If he’s still hanging over, he might get upset this week.  Max Bursak is a solid operator, and probably a hair better than his current ranking.  He most likely deserved at least a draw in his February fight with Jarrod Fletcher, for which he took an upset loss.

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Middleweight: 2014, Jun 9-15

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on November 3, 2014 by danboxing
I’ll start my discussion of this very eventful week at middleweight with far and away the most important fight of the lot: the World Championship fight between Champ Sergio Martinez and challenger Miguel Cotto.  It was a sad ending to the already diminishing reign of what I must confess has long been one of my favorite fighters in Martinez.  The Champion went down three times in the first.  He either re-injured his knee early in that round, or else just had no bounce left in them for another reason.  Either way, his chin also was not all that impressive, and Cotto, while being the smaller man, just came out and destroyed him.  Whether literal or somewhat figurative, Sergio’s handicap and the resulting action conjured up images of Cotto’s cringeworthy beating of Yuri Foreman.  Martinez held on gamely, not going down again and even coming close to winning a round or two in the first half of the fight, but in the 9th he was charged with an incorrect knockdown by referee Michael Griffin where his body plunged downward, but where his knee and no other part of him besides the soles of his feet touched the canvas.  This was the beginning of the end either way, as Maravilla’s corner stopped the fight after that round.  Cotto is now a legitimate Champion of the World, a credential he never achieved even during his heyday at 147 and thereabouts.  That being said, he’s instantly a vulnerable one, having fought the right Champion at the right time.  Can you picture him even being competitive with Golovkin, for example?  I can’t.

 

On Friday’s ShoBox broadcast from Indio, California, prospect Hugo Centeno pitched a clear shutout over 10 rounds with laughably unproven undefeated prospect Gerardo Ibarra.  Raul Caiz, Sr. and Tony Crebs somehow found a round to give Ibarra, but that’s nonsense.  It was total domination, with only two rounds that were even kinda close.  Centeno boxed well, but it should be noted that while he had his guy hurt several times, he didn’t seem to flash much in the vein of killer instinct.  As for Ibarra, he was a late replacement and out of shape as a result.  This led to his fighting at a sub-par pace that gave him no chance to do anything but go the distance.  He did have moments when he showed he had some pop, particularly since he seems to be the more natural middleweight of the two, with Centeno typically competing at or around 154.

 

Saturday in Townsville, Australia, gatekeeper Les Sherrington dominated low-level Japanese journeyman Kazuyuki Fukuyama over the 8-round distance, bookending his performance with 2 knockdowns in the first and one in the 8th, and winning every round in between according to the judges.  I can’t find a video, but this one seems pretty cut and dry, and also pretty inconsequential.

 

In other non-televised Saturday action, prospect Michel Soro- who would be undefeated if not for a very questionable decision loss to currently-ranked Zaurbek Baysangurov- scored a 5-round knockout over the occasionally formidable Bulgarian journeyman Alexey Ribchev.  He’s known for his upset win over Matthew Hall in 2011, but doesn’t usually do nearly that well when he mixes with legitimate prospects.  This apparently was no different, though the result is really all I know about the fight in the absence of video.

 

The Chris Eubank two-man clown show continued in full force on Saturday in Newcastle, England.  The elder Eubank handled the corner work (such as it was), and barely said a word all night, instead choosing to pose in the corner the way Eubank all too often poses in the ring.  Speaking of which….there’s no denying Jr’s talent.  He can- and ultimately did- blast a guy out of there anytime he feels like it, at least at this level.  I understand trying to get rounds, but when you’re just standing there with a really sub-par opponent, you’re doing nothing but making yourself look bad.  The over-the-top cockiness of this guy and this team are really insufferable.  If you were easily handling a Carl Froch or Gennady Golovkin- or, hell, even a Marco Antonio Rubio or something like that, then fine.  Enjoy yourself, if that’s the type of guy you are.  You’ve earned it, at least.  But to clown a guy like Stepan Horvath?  A guy that everyone already knows doesn’t belong in the same ring with you?  You’re showing a lower level of class as a human being than Horvath ever has as a fighter, and that’s saying something.  Just do your job and spare us the 6 rounds of unwatchable boxing, please.  You know a guy is underachieving when a fight with 5 knockdowns is crushingly boring overall.  All of those knockdowns were clustered in round 5 and 6, when I can only hope Eubank got as tired of his own antics as everyone forced to watch them already were.

 

Mexican prospect Marco “Dorado” Reyes failed to impress in Cuauhtemoc, Mexico on Saturday, settling for a unanimous decision (the scores were somewhat fishily not announced) against a lower-mid-level journeyman in Octavio Castro that had been stopped by several decent fighters that you wouldn’t necessarily call feared contenders.  Overall, Castro had been stopped no less than 7 times in his career.  It’s not just that Reyes didn’t get the stoppage, though.  He also failed to really separate himself.  While I gave him 9 of the 10 rounds, I felt the majority of those were debatable, or close at the very least.  Reyes did suffer a fairly serious cut- from a punch as far as I could tell- in the 4th, but he hadn’t been lighting it up to that point, either.  On the basis of this one fight, I’d say that if you’re looking forward to Reyes being a dynamic contender or future champion, you will be waiting forever.

 

Cotto naturally assumes the title of Champion, while Martinez returns the the realm of mere mortals for the first time since his win over Champion Kelly Pavlik more than 4 years ago.  He settles in at #3 behind Golovkin and Soliman.  His actual in-ring performance and, to a lesser extent, his previous one against Murray would indicate that he belongs much lower than that, but his overall resume still can’t be totally ignored.  Sergio’s deposition bumps everyone ranked #3 and below last week down a spot, including Osumanu Adama, who exits the top 10 after 18 consecutive weeks, and Daniel Jacobs, who exits the rankings after 41.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Miguel Cotto (1-1-1)
Last Fight: RTD10 Champ Sergio Martinez
Next Fight: Unknown
Cotto is the Champion.  The only question now is whether he will risk that Championship against the dominant #1 contender against whom he probably would have very little chance.
1) Gennady Golovkin (26-93-156)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #5 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (2-26-26)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman dominated Sturm in the rematch after getting a very fortunate decision the first time before a banned stimulant incident led to a no contest.  So far as we know so far, he was clean this time, too, though he did look extremely energetic. His trainer wants Cotto.
3) Sergio Martinez (1-217-217)
Last Fight: 6/7/2014- L (RTD10) vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto
Next Fight: Unknown
When assessing Maravilla’s viability as a contender at this point, it really comes down to one question: is his base athletic level and chin as bad as his performance against Cotto, or can it be blamed on a knee or other sort of leg injury?  If the latter, he might stand some chance to come back given enough recuperation time.  If the former, then he’s one of the most obviously finished fighters I’ve ever seen.  His manager ominously said after the fight that his only injury was a broken nose.  That’s incredible, if true, considering how bad his legs looked.
4) Felix Sturm (1-560-560)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm might be on his way out, with his rematch performance head and shoulders below his effort in the first fight with Soliman.  Nevertheless, he has denied any thoughts of retirement.
5) Daniel Geale (1-260-260)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
6) Peter Quillin (1-86-107)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.  There continues to be talk of an endlessly-theorized all-Golden Boy showdown with Daniel Jacobs, though, and perhaps a fight with Lemieux after that.  Sergio Mora has also indicated interest.
7) Martin Murray (1-132-132)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #15 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
8) Matthew Macklin (1-155-246)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card, and Geale has bailed on the fight altogether in favor of a shot at GGG.
9) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (1-26-26)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
10) Sergio Mora (1-50-50)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin or Golovkin.
11) Osumanu Adama (1-19)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
12) Dmitry Chudinov (1-11)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov’s promoter has verbally offered Sam Soliman a fight on August 8.
13) Marco Antonio Rubio (1-176)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
14) Jarrod Fletcher (1-19)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. Daniel Jacobs (UNR)
Fletcher will fight fringe contender Daniel Jacobs on an unknown date for a trumped up (aka WBA) title.
15) Max Bursak (1-176)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #7 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
16) David Lemieux (1-3)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.  In the meantime, he’s reportedly turned down an eliminator with Sturm.
17) Grzegorz Proksa (1-165)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Caleb Truax (1-38)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: 7/25/2014- vs. Rogelio Medina (UNR)
Truax fights the very serviceable Porky Medina, who comes off a split decision loss to to Jonathan Gonzalez that could have gone the other way.  He’s on a similar level to Duran, who gave Truax all he could handle.
19) Curtis Stevens (1-45)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
20) Andrey Meryasev (1-31)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.

 

The Week Ahead: Nothing major to report for next week.

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Middleweight: 2014, Jun 2-8

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 29, 2014 by danboxing
I’m going to make this point one time, and then set aside my bias against the obfuscation and cheating that has typified #8 Sam Soliman’s public persona for the last year.  Soliman looked great against #2 Felix Sturm on Saturday, and at 40 years old appeared to have a boundless reserve of energy.  He was much better than he was a year ago, when he was busted for a banned stimulant.  Frankly, he looked like he was on a banned stimulant.  But I have no special reason to believe that except that he has been before and looked really good, so I can only report my impressions.  I’m going to treat him as if he was clean this time around except to mention my unfounded suspicion that he was not.  

 

Now on to the fight itself.  Soliman flashed a brilliant jab that was penetrating and stinging, and which landed almost at will throughout the fight.  He was also very awkward, and showed just enough frenetic movement to keep Sturm off balance and seemingly a bit confused.  Sturm was very repetitive in his tendency to walk to Soliman, but seldom let his hands go.  I only gave Sturm the first round, and only thought he had an argument in rounds six and nine besides that.  The judges did a solid job, scoring it 118-110 (Don Trella), 117-111 (Miroslav Brozio), and 118-110 (John Poturaj).

 

I could only dig up brief highlights, but to the extent those can be believed, #9 Sergio Mora fully had his way with Samuel Rogers, a moderately-unproven one-loss prospect from the Virgin Islands who was coming off his first career loss to a mid-level journeyman in Argentina.  I can’t accurately describe the overall flow of the 5 rounds, but I know that Rogers went down at least once, and that referee Russell Mora stepped in to stop it 5 seconds before the close of the 5th, with Mora pounding Rogers relentlessly on the ropes.

 

In a very excellent matchup of two fairly advanced undefeated prospects in Mytishchi, Russia on Sunday, #20 Dmitry Chudinov frankly had a much easier time of it than I would have expected with Patrick Nielsen.  Nielsen simply wasn’t willing to engage earlier in the fight.  That’s not merely to say he was trying to box, though he was, but rather that he wasn’t committing to his punches even when he would counter, apparently out of fear of the aggressive and harder-hitting Chudinov.  I had it 119-109 for the Russian, and thought it could legitimately have swung a round in either direction.  The judges apparently saw a different fight for some reason, with Ignacio Robles scoring it a generous 117-111, Carlos Sucre having it a head-scratching 116-112, and Glenn Feldman turning in a preposterous 115-113.  Even so, the right guy won.

 

Soliman’s win over Sturm is the best win either man has between him and Golovkin, but while Sturm is narrowly more highly-ranked than was Proksa when Golovkin beat him, Golovkin’s 2nd-best was #5 Macklin, while Soliman’s was much less impressive: #15 Garth Wood.  That, coupled with greater activity against top 20, top 25, and top 50 fighters, makes it easy to choose Golovkin to retain his position as #1 contender.  Soliman does obviously supplant Sturm at #2, who is still able to hold off Geale at #3 due to his recent win over Barker and Geale’s recent loss to same.  Chudinov’s win puts him in a much more comfortable position, just outside the top 10 at #11.  This naturally forces everyone #11-19 last week to fall one spot.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (216-216-216)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
If there was any lingering doubt, Martinez-Cotto is now on for June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
1) Gennady Golovkin (25-92-155)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #4 Daniel Geale
Golovkin-Geale is official for July 26 in New York.
2) Sam Soliman (1-25-25)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- UD12 #2 Felix Sturm
Next Fight: Unknown
Soliman dominated Sturm in the rematch after getting a very fortunate decision the first time before a banned stimulant incident led to a no contest.  So far as we know so far, he was clean this time, too, though he did look extremely energetic.
3) Felix Sturm (1-559-559)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- L (UD12) vs. #8 Sam Soliman
Next Fight: Unknown
Sturm might be on his way out, with his rematch performance head and shoulders below his effort in the first fight with Soliman.
4) Daniel Geale (1-259-259)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
See Golovkin’s notes, above.
5) Peter Quillin (1-85-106)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.  There continues to be talk of an endlessly-theorized all-Golden Boy showdown with Daniel Jacobs, though, and perhaps a fight with Lemieux after that.  Sergio Mora has also indicated interest.
6) Martin Murray (1-131-131)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #14 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
7) Matthew Macklin (1-154-245)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card, and Geale has bailed on the fight altogether in favor of a shot at GGG.
8) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (1-25-25)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
9) Sergio Mora (20-49-49)
Last Fight: 5/31/2014- TKO5 Samuel Rogers (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Mora wants Quillin.
10) Osumanu Adama (18-18-18)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
11) Dmitry Chudinov (1-10)
Last Fight: 6/1/2014- UD12 Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chudinov got a shocking lack of love from an international judging panel in his own back yard, but still got the win and can rightly claim to have dominated a solid undefeated prospect in Nielsen.
12) Marco Antonio Rubio (1-175)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
13) Jarrod Fletcher (1-18)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBA randomly ordered Golovkin to fight Fletcher, but then apparently relented in favor of Daniel Geale.
14) Max Bursak (1-175)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #6 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
15) David Lemieux (1-2)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.
16) Grzegorz Proksa (1-164)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
17) Caleb Truax (1-37)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Truax’s status as a promising prospect has been derailed somewhat by the very tough Ossie Duran.
18) Curtis Stevens (1-44)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
19) Andrey Meryasev (1-30)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
20) Daniel Jacobs (1-41)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO1 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy work for Jacobs against Nunez.  He’s looking for a title fight- probably against Quillin- at the earliest opportunity.
 

 

The Week Ahead:  
Friday
Hugo Centeno vs. Gerardo Ibarra; Indio, California; Showtime (US)
Centeno is technically an undefeated prospect, but was pretty badly beaten by Julian Williams in what ended up as a no contest probably a matter of seconds before Williams would have gone on to stop him.  Still, he’s much more advanced than Ibarra, who is also unbeaten, but has never fought anyone really at all.  Ibarra is from Houston, while Centeno hails from Oxnard, CA.  Centeno is more of a light middleweight really, while Ibarra seems to be more of a middleweight.

 

Saturday
Les Sherrington vs. Kazuyuki Fukuyama; Townsville, Australia; TV Unknown
Sherrington is a perennial gatekeeper who will have no trouble with a low-level and inexperienced journeyman like Japan’s Fukuyama, barring an injury like the broken leg that led to a stoppage loss against the awful Kashif Mumtaz in 2011.

 

Michel Soro vs. Alexey Ribchev; Villeurbanne, France; Off TV
Soro is a French prospect who was robbed of his biggest win in 2012 against currently-ranked Zaurbek Baysangurov at 154.  He’s probably still a 154-pounder, but will be tuning up against mid-level Bulgarian journeyman Alexey Ribchev.  Ribchev is nothing special by any means, but he has played an effective spoiler before, upsetting the decent Matthew Hall in England back in 2011.

 

Chris Eubank, Jr. vs. Stepan Horvath; Newcastle, England; BoxNation (UK)
Eubank is a very talented guy with a minimalist style (that is to say he poses as often as he punches) and an annoying personality reminiscent of Adrien Broner.  Horvath is a low-level Czech journeyman who doesn’t stand the slightest chance.

 

Marcos Reyes vs. Octavio Castro; Chihuahua, Mexico; Fox Deportes (US)
Reyes is a one-loss prospect from Chihuahua.  He avenged his lone loss, which occurred 18 fights ago in 2010.  That’s a lot of activity in that time period, if you’re keeping count.  Castro is a 31 year-old lower-mid-level journeyman from Sonora who has lost 7 of his last 9 fights that reached conclusion, and shouldn’t pose much of a problem for his younger countryman.

 

Champ Sergio Martinez vs. #8 JMW Miguel Cotto; New York, New York; HBO (US)
Martinez is bigger and faster, and maybe more powerful, as well.  The odds would be long on Cotto winning if you could assume a healthy outing from the Champ.  You simply can’t do that, though.  Sergio injured his knee and hand and should have lost his fight with Martin Murray in 2013.  Before that, he suffered a similar set of injuries in his previous fight- a dominant win with a scary ending against Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.  Cotto looked dynamic in his last fight, a stoppage of Delvin Rodriguez, but Rodriguez didn’t look like much in his subsequent outing.  Before that, he was easily handled by Austin Trout, who, while a quality boxer, is smaller and less dynamic than Maravilla.  I truly think that a healthy Martinez probably dominates and maybe stops Cotto, but that Cotto easily wins against a compromised Sergio.  The chances of a fight that is competitive from bell to bell is very small, I think.  It’ll be one extreme or the other.

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Middleweight: 2014, May 26- Jun 1

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 21, 2014 by danboxing
In a battle of fallen prospects on Saturday, David Lemieux got his career back on the right track by destroying Fernando Guerrero, who went down in every round and twice in the 3rd, for a 3rd-round knockout.  Lemieux reminded us why he has a lot of fans despite his inconsistent results over the past few years, as he was ridiculously explosive in the fight, and walked right through a reasonably decent opponent.  Guerrero simply could not keep the much stronger Lemieux off of him, and it probably didn’t help that he suffered a bad and extremely bloody cut on his eyelid in the 2nd round.  It was a total wipeout, and it gets Lemieux to heights he never (legitimately) reached, even as an undefeated prospect.  

 

Combined with the win over Jose Miguel Torres that he scored a couple pounds over the limit during a period I considered him inactive at 160, Lemieux makes what I’m pretty sure is his debut in any of my rankings, at #14.  This forces everyone ranked #14 and below last week down a spot, including Akio Shibata, who exits the rankings after 6 weeks back in.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (215-215-215)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
If there was any lingering doubt, Martinez-Cotto is now on for June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
1) Gennady Golovkin (24-91-154)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Golovkin will fight July 26 in New York, and the Chavez fight looks dead.  All signs point to Daniel Geale as the opponent.  He renewed his stated desire to fight the Martinez-Cotto winner after that.
2) Felix Sturm (24-558-558)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO2 #3 Darren Barker
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #8 Sam Soliman (UNR)
Soliman has obfuscated his clear banned stimulant violation to the point that he has perhaps most people thinking he was totally clean.  He wasn’t.  And he didn’t win that fight even if he had been.  Sturm got screwed all the way around, and now he’s forced to rematch the Australian, who deserves the opportunity much less than would Macklin, Murray, or Geale.  But that’s what we’ve got.  May 31 in Krefeld.
3) Daniel Geale (14-258-258)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It looks extremely likely that Geale will get a shot at Golovkin on July 26.
4) Peter Quillin (6-84-105)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.  There continues to be talk of an endlessly-theorized all-Golden Boy showdown with Daniel Jacobs, though, and perhaps a fight with Lemieux after that.  Golovkin also wants a piece of him.
5) Martin Murray (6-130-130)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #13 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
6) Matthew Macklin (6-153-244)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card, and Geale has bailed on the fight altogether in favor of a shot at GGG.
7) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (19-24-24)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
8) Sam Soliman (19-24-24)
Last Fight: 12/11/2013- TKO9 Les Sherrington (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #2 Felix Sturm
Soliman cheated with a stimulant, won by ridiculous robbery before being stripped of the victory, and now he gets what I would argue is an undeserved chance at a do-over.
9) Sergio Mora (19-48-48)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO5 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. Samuel Rogers (UNR)
I missed the memo about the date for Mora-Rogers.  I originally read that it was going to be on Arreola-Stiverne II in LA, but at some point it was moved to HBO2’s May 31 card in Vegas.
10) Osumanu Adama (17-17-17)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (17-174)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio likely will rather embarrassingly take on the still-existing Ricardo Mayorga in late July.  Anytime the early fight hype involves talk of extensive medical tests to ensure fighter safety, you know the fight shouldn’t be happening.
12) Jarrod Fletcher (7-17)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBA randomly ordered Golovkin to fight Fletcher, but then apparently relented in favor of Daniel Geale.
13) Max Bursak (7-174)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #5 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
14) David Lemieux (1-1)
Last Fight: 5/24/2014- KO3 Fernando Guerrero (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Lemieux’s eye-popping domination of Guerrero has fueled idle speculation of a potential shot at Peter Quillin, who is short on options for high-level opponents due to the ongoing Showtime-HBO feud.
15) Grzegorz Proksa (1-163)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
16) Caleb Truax (1-36)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Truax’s status as a promising prospect has been derailed somewhat by the very tough Ossie Duran.
17) Curtis Stevens (1-43)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
18) Andrey Meryasev (1-29)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
19) Daniel Jacobs (1-40)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO1 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy work for Jacobs against Nunez.  He’s looking for a title fight- probably against Quillin- at the earliest opportunity.
20) Dmitry Chudinov (1-9)
Last Fight: 12/21/2013- TKO6 Juan Camilo Novoa (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/1/2014- vs. Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Chudinov will fight promising Danish prospect Patrick Nielsen in a very interesting clash on June 1 in Moscow.

 

The Week Ahead:  
Saturday
#2 Felix Sturm vs. #8 Sam Soliman; Krefeld, Germany; SAT1 (Germany)
This is a rematch of a fight from last year that Sturm pretty clearly won, but in which he was pretty clearly robbed.  Soliman then tested positive for a banned stimulant, causing the bout to be declared a no contest.  I view it as a Sturm win…I pretty much did all along.  Soliman’s public relations team has done a great job obfuscating the test results.  He tested positive under local commission protocols, and then insisted that his B-sample be opened by an independent lab in the US, but under protocols that expressly do not test for the substance that he tested positive for.  He now claims to have been clean, under the flawed rationale that the substance he tested positive for (which, by the way, he’s never claimed he didn’t take, to my knowledge) was not banned by the alphabet organization whose title he was seeking, nor by the bout contract.  That’s a preposterous strawman argument, though.  It was banned by the local German commission, and if you’re going to fight there, you obviously are bound by their rules.  Maybe the IBF and and the bout contract didn’t include a “no baseball bats” clause either, but I’m pretty sure the German authorities would have had every authority to deny Soliman the use of one, had he brought one with him.  Same principle applies.  The largely weak-minded and uninquisitive boxing media, along with the IBF, has given Soliman a pass and accepted his narrative blindly, by and large.  I will not.  He is a dirty fighter, and the fact that he’s getting this shot is a real shame, especially after Sturm already handled him the first time.  He’s ranked in the top 10 independently of the first meeting, based mostly on a 2012 decision over 15th-ranked Garth Wood, along with three other gatekeeper-level wins for which he did not test dirty.  As for Sturm, he can’t catch a break on the cards lately, after having benefited from biased judging in his favor for years.

 

#9 Sergio Mora vs. Samuel Rogers; Las Vegas, Nevada; Off TV
Mora continues to wait for a big fight after converting on a huge upset against fringe contender, and ultimately shooting star, Grzegorz Proksa back in June.  He comes off a 5th round knockout over low level journeyman Milton Nunez.  Rogers, of the Virgin Islands, comes off a decision loss- the first of his career- against veteran journeyman Carlos Jerez.  I wouldn’t rule him out as a legitimate prospect despite that loss, but it’s a pretty big ask to expect him to be competitive with a top 10 contender after losing to a journeyman.

 

Sunday
#20 Dmitry Chudinov vs. Patrick Nielsen; Mytishchi, Russia; Boytsovskiy Klub (Russia)
This is one of those fights you love to see.  Two blue-chip undefeated prospects on their way up meeting in a high-stakes matchup.  I’ve seen both guys, and both have had occasional struggles with opponents far below this level.  Nielsen seems to be the better technical fighter to me, but still only narrowly outpointed a guy named Jamel Bakhi at one point.  Chudinov had perhaps even greater trouble with journeyman Patrick Mendy not that long ago.  He has apparent power- probably more than Nielsen, but he tends to club with his punches, and has a tendency to headhunt.  I’ve seen him tire himself out from all the heavily-thrown misses.  On neutral ground, I think I’d give a narrow edge to Nielsen, but maybe in Russia you’d have to give Chudinov a slight edge if you were betting, particularly since Nielsen is not much of a knockout threat.

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Middleweight: 2014, May 19-25

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 16, 2014 by danboxing
Colombian gatekeeper Jose Miguel Torres was scheduled to fight Jhonatan Ricar over the weekend, but that fight fell through.  No action to report, and no changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (214-214-214)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
If there was any lingering doubt, Martinez-Cotto is now on for June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
1) Gennady Golovkin (23-90-153)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/26/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Golovkin will fight July 26 in New York, and the Chavez fight looks dead.  All signs point to Daniel Geale as the opponent, though the WBA has ordered him to fight Jarrod Fletcher.
2) Felix Sturm (23-557-557)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO2 #3 Darren Barker
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #8 Sam Soliman (UNR)
Soliman has obfuscated his clear banned stimulant violation to the point that he has perhaps most people thinking he was totally clean.  He wasn’t.  And he didn’t win that fight even if he had been.  Sturm got screwed all the way around, and now he’s forced to rematch the Australian, who deserves the opportunity much less than would Macklin, Murray, or Geale.  But that’s what we’ve got.  May 31 in Krefeld.
3) Daniel Geale (13-257-257)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It looks extremely likely that Geale will get a shot at Golovkin on July 26.
4) Peter Quillin (5-83-104)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBO has mandated Quillin to fight British prospect Billy Joe Saunders next.
5) Martin Murray (5-129-129)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #13 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
6) Matthew Macklin (5-152-243)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card, and Geale has bailed on the fight altogether in favor of a shot at GGG.
7) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (18-23-23)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
8) Sam Soliman (18-23-23)
Last Fight: 12/11/2013- TKO9 Les Sherrington (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #2 Felix Sturm
Soliman cheated with a stimulant, won by ridiculous robbery before being stripped of the victory, and now he gets what I would argue is an undeserved chance at a do-over.
9) Sergio Mora (18-47-47)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO5 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. Samuel Rogers (UNR)
I missed the memo about the date for Mora-Rogers.  I originally read that it was going to be on Arreola-Stiverne II in LA, but at some point it was moved to HBO2’s May 31 card in Vegas.
10) Osumanu Adama (16-16-16)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (16-173)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio likely will rather embarrassingly take on the still-existing Ricardo Mayorga in late July.  Anytime the early fight hype involves talk of extensive medical tests to ensure fighter safety, you know the fight shouldn’t be happening.
12) Jarrod Fletcher (6-16)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
The WBA randomly ordered Golovkin to fight Fletcher, but then apparently relented in favor of Daniel Geale.
13) Max Bursak (6-173)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #5 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
14) Grzegorz Proksa (6-162)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
15) Caleb Truax (6-35)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Truax’s status as a promising prospect has been derailed somewhat by the very tough Ossie Duran.
16) Curtis Stevens (6-42)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
17) Andrey Meryasev (6-28)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
18) Daniel Jacobs (6-39)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO1 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy work for Jacobs against Nunez.  He’s looking for a title fight- probably against Quillin- at the earliest opportunity.
19) Dmitry Chudinov (6-8)
Last Fight: 12/21/2013- TKO6 Juan Camilo Novoa (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/1/2014- vs. Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Chudinov will fight promising Danish prospect Patrick Nielsen in a very interesting clash on June 1 in Moscow.
20) Akio Shibata (6-6)
Last Fight: 3/1/2014- UD12 Daisuke Nakagawa (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/5/2014- vs. Hikaru Nishida (UNR)
Shibata takes on his second consecutive domestic gatekeeper in Hikaru Nishida in early July in Tokyo.

 

The Week Ahead:  
Saturday
David Lemieux vs. Fernando Guerrero; Montreal, Quebec; Showtime (US)
Lemieux is a two-loss prospect who makes fun fights.  Guerrero could be best described as a two-loss fringe prospect.  He’s still probably top 50 despite losses to Grady Brewer and Peter Quillin, but he came dangerously close to becoming a full-on busted prospect when he narrowly outpointed Ray Gatica in life-or-death fashion.  Guerrero’s losses have been narrowly more forgivable (Lemieux’s loss to Alcine was particularly unexpected) perhaps, but Lemieux looks more impressive when he’s winning.  This fight is very much a toss-up based on levels, and both guys really need it to maintain their viability.  I lean toward Lemieux coming out on top.  He’s the home fighter for one, and he’s a power guy.  Guerrero was overwhelmed by power in both of his losses, as well as in the difficult moments of the Gatica fight.  Good style matchup for Lemieux, I think.
 

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Middleweight: 2014, May 12-18

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 13, 2014 by danboxing
Saturday in Niort, France, gatekeeper Karim Achour defended his French national title with a comfortable 10-round decision over mid-level journeyman Davy Armand.  I can’t find video, but Achour won by margins of 5, 6, and 6.  

 

Last week, I foolishly opined that Robert Swierzbinski might somehow give Chris Eubank, Jr. some trouble if Eubank looked past him.  I was painfully wrong.  Robert Swierzbinski couldn’t give Chris Eubank, Jr. any trouble if he brought a baseball bat.  Eubank, as usual, posed constantly and barely threw, but it’s a testament to the roundness of the Pole’s heels to note that Eubank still dropped him 7 times officially, and another clear time that was ludicrously called a slip.  It was probably the easiest-won fight I’ve ever seen.

 

No changes.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (213-213-213)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
If there was any lingering doubt, Martinez-Cotto is now on for June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
1) Gennady Golovkin (22-89-152)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
With the Chavez fight possibly dead, lots of names are being floated to fill the void in GGG’s schedule.
2) Felix Sturm (22-556-556)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO2 #3 Darren Barker
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #8 Sam Soliman (UNR)
Soliman has obfuscated his clear banned stimulant violation to the point that he has perhaps most people thinking he was totally clean.  He wasn’t.  And he didn’t win that fight even if he had been.  Sturm got screwed all the way around, and now he’s forced to rematch the Australian, who deserves the opportunity much less than would Macklin, Murray, or Geale.  But that’s what we’ve got.  May 31 in Krefeld.
3) Daniel Geale (12-256-256)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Geale-Macklin is off due to an injury to one of the card’s headliners, Mike Perez.  In the wake of that disappointment, Geale’s name is among those being mentioned as a possible Golovkin opponent.
4) Peter Quillin (4-82-103)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin is trying to float the idea of him fighting Mayweather, with whom he shares a hometown.  He also wants a Golovkin fight.
5) Martin Murray (4-128-128)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #13 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
6) Matthew Macklin (4-151-242)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Macklin’s fight with Geale is off due to an injury on the card.
7) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (17-22-22)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
8) Sam Soliman (17-22-22)
Last Fight: 12/11/2013- TKO9 Les Sherrington (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #2 Felix Sturm
Soliman cheated with a stimulant, won by ridiculous robbery before being stripped of the victory, and now he gets what I would argue is an undeserved chance at a do-over.
9) Sergio Mora (17-46-46)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO5 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. Samuel Rogers (UNR)
I missed the memo about the date for Mora-Rogers.  I originally read that it was going to be on Arreola-Stiverne II in LA, but at some point it was moved to HBO2’s May 31 card in Vegas.
10) Osumanu Adama (15-15-15)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (15-172)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio likely will rather embarrassingly take on the still-existing Ricardo Mayorga in late July.  Anytime the early fight hype involves talk of extensive medical tests to ensure fighter safety, you know the fight shouldn’t be happening.
12) Jarrod Fletcher (5-15)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
Fletcher was among the candidates for a fight with Chudinov on June 1, but the Russian opted for Patrick Nielsen, instead.
13) Max Bursak (5-172)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #5 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
14) Grzegorz Proksa (5-161)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
15) Caleb Truax (5-34)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Truax’s status as a promising prospect has been derailed somewhat by the very tough Ossie Duran.
16) Curtis Stevens (5-41)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
17) Andrey Meryasev (5-27)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
18) Daniel Jacobs (5-38)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO1 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy work for Jacobs against Nunez.  He’s looking for a title fight- probably against Quillin- at the earliest opportunity.
19) Dmitry Chudinov (5-7)
Last Fight: 12/21/2013- TKO6 Juan Camilo Novoa (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/1/2014- vs. Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Chudinov will fight promising Danish prospect Patrick Nielsen in a very interesting clash on June 1 in Moscow.
20) Akio Shibata (5-5)
Last Fight: 3/1/2014- UD12 Daisuke Nakagawa (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/5/2014- vs. Hikaru Nishida (UNR)
Shibata takes on his second consecutive domestic gatekeeper in Hikaru Nishida in early July in Tokyo.

 

The Week Ahead:  
Friday
Jose Miguel Torres vs. Jhonatan Ricar; Puerto Colombia, Colombia; TV Unknown
Torres is a Colombian gatekeeper best known for exposing hot prospect Patrick Majewski in 2011 before getting beaten up by a resurgent David Lemieux in 2013.  He’s probably a bit overrated by the Majewski win, but still clearly qualifies as a top 50 fighter in my book.  Ricar, not so much.  He’s a low-level journeyman who hasn’t fought in over a year.

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Middleweight: 2014, May 5-11

Posted in Middleweight, Rankings with tags , , , , , , , on October 8, 2014 by danboxing
No significant combat to report from last week.

 

Dan’s Top 20 (Weeks in Current Position-Weeks in Top 10 if applicable-Weeks in Top 20)
Champ: Sergio Martinez (212-212-212)
Last Fight: 4/27/2013- UD12* #9 Martin Murray (Robbery- draw at best)
Next Fight: 6/7/2014- vs. # 8 JMW Miguel Cotto
If there was any lingering doubt, Martinez-Cotto is now on for June 7 at Madison Square Garden.
1) Gennady Golovkin (21-88-151)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- TKO7 Osumanu Adama (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It’s not clear that the fight is dead, but delays related to a cloudy promotional situation on the part of Chavez have left that superfight very much in doubt, as Golovkin is looking for other options.
2) Felix Sturm (21-555-555)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- TKO2 #3 Darren Barker
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #8 Sam Soliman (UNR)
Soliman has obfuscated his clear banned stimulant violation to the point that he has perhaps most people thinking he was totally clean.  He wasn’t.  And he didn’t win that fight even if he had been.  Sturm got screwed all the way around, and now he’s forced to rematch the Australian, who deserves the opportunity much less than would Macklin, Murray, or Geale.  But that’s what we’ve got.  May 31 in Krefeld.
3) Daniel Geale (11-255-255)
Last Fight: 2/19/2014- RTD6 Garth Wood (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #6 Matthew Macklin
Geale is apparently set to fight Macklin in an intriguing fight on May 24 in the US, on HBO.
4) Peter Quillin (3-81-102)
Last Fight: 4/19/2014- UD12 Lukas Konecny (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Quillin is trying to float the idea of him fighting Mayweather, with whom he shares a hometown.
5) Martin Murray (3-127-127)
Last Fight: 4/23/2014- RTD6 Ishmael Tetteh (UNR) at SMW
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #13 Max Bursak
Murray hasn’t looked at all special since nearly and probably deservedly knocking off the Champ last April, but he’ll need to be in some kind of form in June if he hopes to handle the always tough Max Bursak.
6) Matthew Macklin (3-150-241)
Last Fight: 12/7/2013- UD10 Lamar Russ (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #3 Daniel Geale
See Geale’s notes, above.
7) Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (16-21-21)
Last Fight: 4/16/2014- UD10 Fulgencio Zuniga (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
N’Dam says he wants Rosado next, and then Golovkin.
8) Sam Soliman (16-21-21)
Last Fight: 12/11/2013- TKO9 Les Sherrington (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. #2 Felix Sturm
Soliman cheated with a stimulant, won by ridiculous robbery before being stripped of the victory, and now he gets what I would argue is an undeserved chance at a do-over.
9) Sergio Mora (16-45-45)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- KO5 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/31/2014- vs. Samuel Rogers (UNR)
I missed the memo about the date for Mora-Rogers.  I originally read that it was going to be on Arreola-Stiverne II in LA, but at some point it was moved to HBO2’s May 31 card in Vegas.
10) Osumanu Adama (14-14-14)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Gennady Golovkin
Next Fight: Unknown
Not the most pleasant entry into the rankings we’ve ever seen, but his resume stacks up pretty well as long as he’s active and on weight.
11) Marco Antonio Rubio (14-171)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- KO10* Domenico Spada (UNR)
Next Fight:Unknown
Rubio likely will rather embarrassingly take on the still-existing Ricardo Mayorga in late July.  Anytime the early fight hype involves talk of extensive medical tests to ensure fighter safety, you know the fight shouldn’t be happening.
12) Jarrod Fletcher (4-14)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- W* (UD12) vs. #12 Max Bursak
Next Fight: Unknown
Fletcher was among the candidates for a fight with Chudinov on June 1, but the Russian opted for Patrick Nielsen, instead.
13) Max Bursak (4-171)
Last Fight: 2/1/2014- L* (UD12) vs. Jarrod Fletcher (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/21/2014- vs. #5 Martin Murray
Bursak will get a big opportunity before Jarrod Fletcher, who outpointed him in a moderately controversial decision in February, as he has been tapped by Martin Murray for a June 21 fight in Monte Carlo.
14) Grzegorz Proksa (4-160)
Last Fight: 6/28/2013- L (UD10) vs. Sergio Mora (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
15) Caleb Truax (4-33)
Last Fight: 1/3/2014- Draw (UD10) vs. Ossie Duran (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Truax’s status as a promising prospect has been derailed somewhat by the very tough Ossie Duran.
16) Curtis Stevens (4-40)
Last Fight: 4/4/2014- TKO10* Tureano Johnson (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Stevens’ haplessness for all but the last few seconds of his prematurely-stopped bout with Tureano Johnson has got to raise questions about his ability to rise any higher than he finds himself now.  Johnson has respectfully pushed for a rematch.
17) Andrey Meryasev (4-26)
Last Fight: 4/26/2014- UD10 Carlos Baldomir (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Meryasev dominated in pedestrian fashion against the now-retired Baldomir.
18) Daniel Jacobs (4-37)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- TKO1 Milton Nunez (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Easy work for Jacobs against Nunez.  He’s looking for a title fight- probably against Quillin- at the earliest opportunity.
19) Dmitry Chudinov (4-6)
Last Fight: 12/21/2013- TKO6 Juan Camilo Novoa (UNR)
Next Fight: 6/1/2014- vs. Patrick Nielsen (UNR)
Chudinov will fight promising Danish prospect Patrick Nielsen in a very interesting clash on June 1 in Moscow.
20) Akio Shibata (4-4)
Last Fight: 3/1/2014- UD12 Daisuke Nakagawa (UNR)
Next Fight: 7/5/2014- vs. Hikaru Nishida (UNR)
Shibata takes on his second consecutive domestic gatekeeper in Hikaru Nishida in early July in Tokyo.

 

The Week Ahead:  
Saturday
Karim Achour vs. Davy Armand; Niort, France; TV Unknown
Achour holds the French national title, and is a gatekeeper who finds himself at the pinnacle of his career to this point, having defended that title 3 times now, including a career-best win over countryman Julien Marie Sainte in November.  Armand is a mid-level journeyman looking to follow in Achour’s footsteps and take his career to the next level.

 

Chris Eubank, Jr. vs. Robert Swierzbinski; Liverpool, England; BoxNation
Eubank, Jr. is England’s answer to Adrien Broner.  He is, at least to my tastes, utterly insufferable, and doesn’t like to overly exert himself in the ring from what I’ve seen.  Still, he’s got undeniable talent, and has inherited a popular name. Swierzbinski is a Polish journeyman and/or fringe prospect whose only two losses came against recognizable names in David Lemieux and Maciej Sulecki.  He’s coming off an upset win over an undefeated prospect, and although Eubank is at a manifestly higher level than that guy, you never know what could happen if the Brit overlooks his opponent.   

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