What might have otherwise been a competitive fight in Rostock, Germany on Saturday was compromised by the utter destruction of Enzo Maccarinelli’s eye inside of one round by #12 Juergen Braehmer. Maccarinelli’s defense was leaky as a sieve, and Braehmer scored at will. Braehmer’s hands reaped grotesque swelling on Maccarinelli’s right eye just a matter of seconds before the end of the initial round, after the Welshman had opened a small cut over the German’s eye. Maccarinelli still couldn’t break Braehmer’s rhythm in the second, as his eye ballooned to full closure. In the third, though, he began to hold his own. I don’t know if it was because Braehmer was focusing too intently on the eye as a target or if Maccarinelli’s own focus simply sharpened due to the dire straights in which he found himself. But whatever the reason, Maccarinelli clearly won the 3rd, and I thought he may have edged both the fourth and the 5th, as well. But having exhorted their charge to give everything he had in each of the rounds since the 3rd in hopes of scoring a stoppage, and seeing that his eye was in desperately bad shape, Maccarinelli’s trainer pulled the plug after the 5th, a decision the Welshman didn’t seem to mind too terribly much. I must say that Maccarinelli’s corner let him down at least a little bit in one respect. There was no endswell. When the swelling needed initial treatment after the first, the best Maccarinelli’s corner could summon was a rag that I charitably assume was filled with ice. Now I’m no cutman, so it is possible there’s a school of thought among such practitioners that holds an ice-filled rag in greater esteem than an endswell, but if that is true, I’ve never heard that opinion. To the best of my knowledge, the lack of an endswell is a universal sign of unpreparedness. I can’t say that an endswell could have controlled the swelling any better in this instance, but it would have been worth finding out.
The fight was essentially even in rounds, which means I wouldn’t want to go so far as to treat Braehmer’s win as the type of unequivocal triumph that other forms of stoppages would deserve. In these instances, I’ve reserved by precedent the ability to differentiate cut/injury stoppages based on the course of the action. For fights 4 rounds or longer, I look at the scorecards, artificially flip a round to the winner, and if that score favors the winner, I treat it as a decision win for the winner at the least. If he was winning convincingly, I can treat it like a regular KO. If he wasn’t winning even after the extra round is given him, I’m more likely to treat it as more of a non-event. In this case, 2 of the 3 Maccarinelli rounds were toss-ups, and if one of them were flipped to Braehmer, he would have been ahead. I’ll treat it similarly to a close decision win for the German.
Braehmer, if he ever beat a top 20 contender in the past 5 years, did so 4 1/2 years ago against Kuziemski. He’s therefore unable to eclipse Isaac Chilemba, who has beaten a #16 in Edison Miranda and a #9 (or should have) in Tony Bellew. As a result, there are no changes.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (83-83-83)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- UD12 #15 Edwin Rodriguez (as SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev’s promoter has zeroed in on the inactive Ward as an “inevitable” future opponent.
1) Adonis Stevenson (44-44-44)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO6 #6 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #6 Andrzej Fonfara
In something of a coup, Stevenson-Fonfara will be carried by Showtime. This not only further diminishes HBO’s stable of top fighters, but also puts in serious doubt the plausibility of what appeared to be an upcoming megafight with Kovalev.
2) Bernard Hopkins (83-409-409)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/19/2014- vs. Beibut Shumenov (UNR)
Hopkins will fight Shumenov in mid-April at the D.C. Armory in Washington.
3) Jean Pascal (12-12-12)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD12 #16 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Bob Arum has floated the possibility of a July fight with Julio Cesar Chavez. Perhaps toward that end, Pascal has split from his previous promoter, Yvon Michel.4) Sergey Kovalev (12-64-64)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- KO7 #15 Cedric Agnew
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev had some choice words for Stevenson after the Haitian defected to Showtime and, apparently, scuttled their much hyped matchup for later this year. No news yet on what Kovalev’s next move will be after the development.
5) Chad Dawson (12-410-410)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson has signed a deal with manager Al Haymon, which certainly brightens his career prospects. He says he is interested in a Stevenson rematch. Prospects for another occasionally-discussed rematch- with Jean Pascal- increased recently with word that Pascal’s trainer offered Dawson a contract.
6) Andrzej Fonfara (12-34-91)
Last Fight: 12/6/2013- KO2 Samuel Miller (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/24/2014- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
See Stevenson’s notes, above.
7) Tony Bellew (12-130-130)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- KO12 Valery Brudov (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bellew is campaigning at cruiserweight now, but he’ll keep his ranking here until he schedules a fight there for after November 30, or until after November 30 itself. BJ Flores wants to fight him, but it sounds like he’ll fight Cleverly before the year is out.
8) Gabriel Campillo (12-198-198)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: 5/9/2014- vs. Ibrahim Lopez (UNR)
Campillo will reportedly fight unproven one-loss Spanish prospect Ibrahim Lopez on May 9 in Madrid.
9) Tavoris Cloud (12-241-241)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
10) Nathan Cleverly (12-218-218)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: 5/17/2014- vs. Unknown Opponent
Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut is once again on the scheduled. This time for May 17 in Cardiff.11) Isaac Chilemba (12-114)
Last Fight: 3/15/2014- UD10 Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba looked very very sharp in dominating a game Denis Grachev, and might soon be in line for a shot at Adonis Stevenson.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (12-103)
Last Fight: 4/5/2014- RTD5 Enzo Maccarinelli (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Braehmer certainly didn’t look spectacular after inflicting a gruesome eye injury on Maccarinelli, and the closeness of the fight thereafter has emboldened the Welshman to demand a rematch- one I, for one, would be interested to see.13) Karo Murat (11-24)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat is a free agent after his contract with Sauerland recently expired.
14) Thomas Williams, Jr. (11-11)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- TKO1 #13 Cornelius White
Next Fight: Unknown
Williams has been well-matched against vulnerable guys with good resumes.
15) Cedric Agnew (12-52)
Last Fight: 3/29/2014- L (KO7) vs. #4 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
After taking a risk against Kovalev and coming up short, I can only assume that his prospects for a regional title bout against Dudchenko and a IBF eliminator against Sukhotsky might both be out the window at least for the moment.
16) Edwin Rodriguez (12-39)
Last Fight: 11/16/2013- L (UD12) vs. Champ Andre Ward
Next Fight: Unknown
Rodriguez’s trainer Ronnie Shields opines that a fight against a top-15 level light heavyweight would be a good jumping-off point for his anticipated permanent move up. Before that happens, he’ll need to recover from minor elbow surgery he had in December.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (24-41)
Last Fight: 11/30/2013- TKO5 Bartlomiej Grafka (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Cornelius White (11-121)
Last Fight: 1/24/2014- L (TKO1) vs. Thomas Williams, Jr. (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Never blessed with big-time promotional or managerial ties, White has risked becoming a permanent opponent with his last two losses.
19) Eleider Alvarez (11-63)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- UD10 Andy Gardiner (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Alvarez may have been suffering from a letdown after Oosthuizen withdrew from what could have been the Colombian’s biggest fight ever, and almost let it effect him to the point of losing to an unheralded undefeated prospect in Gardiner.
20) Lucian Bute (11-75)
Last Fight: 1/18/2014- L (UD12) vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bute wants his contractually-guaranteed rematch with Pascal. He recently parted ways with his long-time trainer.
The Week Ahead:
FridayIgor Mikhalkin vs. Mohamed Belkacem; Berlin, Germany; Eurosport
Mikhalkin is a one-loss Russian who has been defeated only by the solid Aleksy Kuziemsky in 2010. He comes off a split decision over Doudou Ngumbu, who himself was fresh off an upset over Vyacheslav Uzelkoff. Belkacem is a mid-level journeyman from Algeria who has lost 3 of his last 5, including close decisions to both Uzelkoff and Ngumbu.
Vyacheslav Uzelkoff vs. Geard Ajetovic; Brovari, Ukraine; Boytsovskiy Klub (Russia)
Uzelkoff is a Ukrainian gatekeeper who was once a top prospect. He has been stumbling of late. Ajetovic is a Serbian mid-level journeyman who at one point over 5 years ago could have been called something like a fringe contender, but since suffering his second loss to Daniel Geale in 2008, he’s lost as often as won, and hasn’t beaten anyone better than a low-level journeyman in that time span.
Oleksandr Cherviak vs. Artem Redko; Brovari, Ukraine; Off TV
Cherviak is a gatkeeper coming off a loss by TKO to fringe contender Nadjib Mohammedi after derailing the career of undefeated Dustin Dirks. Redko is, well, merely an opponent. He comes off back-to-back draws to low and lower-mid-level journeymen, followed by a 6 round destruction at the hands of Maxim Vlasov. He already fought Cherviak once, though, in 2009, and lost a close decision. For that reason and that reason alone, the fight has some intrigue.
Erik Skoglund vs. Danilo D’Agata; Esbjerg, Denmark; BoxNation (UK)
Skoglund is an undefeated Swede whose best wins thus far were so-so decisions over journeyman Lolenga Mock and untested undefeated prospect Luke Blackledge. D’Agata of Sicily is a one-loss prospect, having lost a split decision to Orial Kolaj, a journeyman on a similar level to Mock, after having beaten the same fighter earlier in his career, and he’s never faced anyone else at that level or above. Neither fighter has really excelled above the mid-level of journeyman/prospects, and so there is plenty of room to imagine different outcomes for this fight. Skoglund has earned the right to be considered a mild or perhaps moderate favorite, though. I’m not sure if this one will make the TV portion of the card.
Sean Monaghan vs. Joe McCreedy; Las Vegas, Nevada; Off TV
Monaghan is an undefeated prospect who has been featured on HBO pay-per-view undercards in the past, with hope that he would become the next Mickey Ward or perhaps Arturo Gatti. This is because his style is fairly crude and aggressive. Whether or not he has enough talent to really merit the kind of long-term TV exposure that could keep him in the limelight remains to be seen. It won’t be seen- at least not too widely or clearly- on Saturday, for a couple reasons. First, because McCreedy is a fairly low-level operator who shouldn’t be able to test a guy like Monaghan on any level. Second, because the fight is not expected to be carried on the PPV broadcast this time around.
Vyacheslav Uzelkoff had his hands full in the Ukraine on Saturday. Jaidon Codrington appeared to have recaptured much of his old form from his glory days in 2007, where he was a legitimate fringe contender and famously gave Sakio Bika all he could handle after knocking out Bryan Vera. Codrington displayed a sharp jab, smooth boxing, an effective rhythm, and sharp, accurate body punching. This all led up to a 49-46 lead on my card (a score I’d find hard to compromise) after 5. But Uzelkoff- who by comparison appeared to be plodding, frequently off balance, and tentative- was able to establish his power (the only real advantage he had) in the 4th, momentarily hurting Codrington with what appeared to be a body shot along the ropes. Codrington righted the ship to take the 5th, but Uzelkoff mounted a vicious assault in the 6th, wobbling Codrington’s legs after catching him on the way out, and then jumping all over him until he was able the club him to the canvas with a left the the ribs a few seconds later. Codrington arose at the count of 8. He appeared to be bothered by the events to be sure, but I think it would be quite a stretch to say that he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself. Referee Volodymyr Dyachuk made a hometown call in stopping it, and in doing so probably actually did a disservice to Uzelkoff, who looked capable of finishing the job.
Undefeated Atlanta prospect Michael Seals got no trouble from sub-.500 journeyman Steve Walker in Norcross, Georgia later that night, as the up-and-comer was able to stop hs man inside the first frame.
No changes this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (62-62-62)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. #15 Edwin Rodriguez (at SMW)
After tons of posturing, Ward-Rodriguez is now done for 11/16 in Ontario, California.
1) Adonis Stevenson (23-23-23)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- TKO7 #8 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #6 Tony Bellew
Stevenson is set to fight Tony Bellew on November 30 in a quick turnaround from his fight two months earlier.
2) Bernard Hopkins (62-388-388)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Apparently a Hopkins-Ward battle is not as remote a possibility as it once appeared, as Ward’s camp seems very interested, at least.3) Sergey Kovalev (22-43-43)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO4 #8 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)
Kovalev will fight Ismayl Sillakh on a twin bill with Stevenson-Bellew on HBO November 30.
4) Chad Dawson (22-389-389)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
5) Andrzej Fonfara (13-13-70)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- KO9 #6 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: 12/6/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Fonfara will return on December 6, on the Chicago undercard of Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni III.
6) Tony Bellew (13-109-109)
Last Fight: 5/25/2013- UD12 #7 Isaac Chilemba
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Bellew will fight Stevenson on his November 30 birthday.
7) Gabriel Campillo (13-177-177)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo might be on his way to deserved obscurity after being robbed of deserved prominence for so much of his career. He still has plenty of boxing skill, but his will might be fading just a bit.
8) Tavoris Cloud (13-220-220)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
9) Nathan Cleverly (13-197-197)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Daniel Ammann (at CW)
Cleverly will move up to cruiserweight and immediately challenge for the Commonwealth title at that weight against gatekeeper Daniel Ammann.
10) Isaac Chilemba (13-33-93)
Last Fight: 5/25/2013- L (UD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Michael Gbenga (UNR)
Chilemba has recently signed with Main Events, the Northeastern US-based promotional outfit whose NBC affiliation has them solidly in the 2nd tier of American promotional firms, behind Golden Boy and Top Rank. They’ll have him back in the ring on November 16 in New York against oft-recycled journeyman Michael Gbenga.
11) Cornelius White (13-100)
Last Fight: 6/14/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #5 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
White was blasted out by Kovalev, but at least he has good company in that regard.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (12-82)
Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 Stefano Abatangelo (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Marcus Oliveira (UNR)
Since getting dominated in your title fight, fighting journeymen, and then taking two years off is the required resume for becoming a WBA Super Champion, Beibut Shumenov has now assumed that dubious title. Braehmer will now fight prospect Marcus Oliveira for the “regular” title on December 14 in Neubrandenburg, Germany.
13) Karo Murat (3-3)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Cedric Agnew (3-31)
Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
Agnew was approved by HBO as a potential November 30 opponent for Kovalev, but reportedly turned down the opportunity.
15) Edwin Rodriguez (3-18)
Last Fight: 7/13/2013- TKO1 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
See Ward’s notes, above.
16) Lucian Bute (3-54)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Bute-Pascal has been pushed back to January 18.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (3-20)
Last Fight: 10/17/2013- TKO1 Raimonds Sniedze (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Eleider Alvarez (3-42)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- UD10 Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/18/2013- vs. #6 SMW Thomas Oosthuizen
Alvarez is tentatively scheduled to fight Oosthuizen in January, and I have no new information to suggest whether or not Oosthuizen’s shaky performance and bad cut against Maderna will affect that.19) Enzo Maccarinelli (3-13)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO11 Ovill McKenzie (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Maccarinelli has revitalized his career to an extent with the gutsy McKenzie win.
20) Denis Grachev (3-81)
Last Fight: 7/13/2013- L (TKO1) vs. #13 SMW Edwin Rodriguez
Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: Undefeated Miami-based Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez meets 7-1 fringe prospect Jinner Guerrero in Hollywood, Florida, on a card that is oddly only televised in Brazil, of all places. That’s on Tuesday.
Friday features Argentine gatekeeper Roberto Feliciano Bolonti against low-level journeyman Manuel Banquez in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Hard-hitting Kiwi gatekeeper Robert Berridge is in reasonably tough with journeyman Daniel MacKinnon on Saturday in Hamilton, New Zealand. If MacKinnon isn’t top 50, he’s not far off, having shocked gatkeeper Mark Flanagan earlier this year before dropping a decision to Blake Caparello.
Later that night, #10 Isaac Chilemba makes his debut as a member of the Main Events stable, fighting low-level journeyman Michael Gbenga at the Turning Stone in Verona, New York.
Two-division Champion Andre Ward also defends his title Saturday night against #15 Edwin Rodriguez, but that will be at 168, the weight at which both men typically compete.
Alejandro Berrio got a measure of revenge against Colombian countryman/gatekeeper Fulgencio Zuniga. Zuniga upset Berrio by TKO about 15 months ago, but this time Berrio won an apparently comfortable 10-round decision on Friday in Cartagena, though no video can be found. Since the only reason that Zuniga was even on the radar was because he had defeated Berrio, Berrio shouldn’t really be ranked any higher than the 40s based on the win.
No changes this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (61-61-61)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. #15 Edwin Rodriguez (at SMW)
After tons of posturing, Ward-Rodriguez is now done for 11/16 in Ontario, California.
1) Adonis Stevenson (22-22-22)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- TKO7 #8 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #6 Tony Bellew
Stevenson is set to fight Tony Bellew on November 30 in a quick turnaround from his fight two months earlier.
2) Bernard Hopkins (61-387-387)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- UD12 Karo Murat (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Due to the effort and strategy of Murat, I think Hopkins proved more in that fight than he did against higher-rated fighters like Cloud and Pascal.
3) Sergey Kovalev (21-42-42)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO4 #8 Nathan Cleverly
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Ismayl Sillakh (UNR)
Kovalev will fight Ismayl Sillakh on a twin bill with Stevenson-Bellew on HBO November 30.
4) Chad Dawson (21-388-388)
Last Fight: 6/8/2013- L(TKO1) vs. SMW #6 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Dawson may be returning sometime in November.
5) Andrzej Fonfara (12-12-69)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- KO9 #6 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: 12/6/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Fonfara will return on December 6, on the Chicago undercard of Wlodarczyk-Fragomeni III.
6) Tony Bellew (12-108-108)
Last Fight: 5/25/2013- UD12 #7 Isaac Chilemba
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Bellew will fight Stevenson on his November 30 birthday.
7) Gabriel Campillo (12-176-176)
Last Fight: 8/16/2013- L (KO9) vs. #14 Andrzej Fonfara
Next Fight: Unknown
Campillo might be on his way to deserved obscurity after being robbed of deserved prominence for so much of his career. He still has plenty of boxing skill, but his will might be fading just a bit.
8) Tavoris Cloud (12-219-219)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- L (TKO7) vs. #1 Adonis Stevenson
Next Fight: Unknown
Cloud should probably get himself back in the win column at some point.
9) Nathan Cleverly (12-196-196)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- L (TKO4) vs. #3 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: 11/30/2013- vs. Daniel Ammann (at CW)
Cleverly will move up to cruiserweight and immediately challenge for the Commonwealth title at that weight against gatekeeper Daniel Ammann.10) Isaac Chilemba (12-32-92)
Last Fight: 5/25/2013- L (UD12) vs. #9 Tony Bellew
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Michael Gbenga (UNR)
Chilemba has recently signed with Main Events, the Northeastern US-based promotional outfit whose NBC affiliation has them solidly in the 2nd tier of American promotional firms, behind Golden Boy and Top Rank. They’ll have him back in the ring on November 16 in New York against oft-recycled journeyman Michael Gbenga.11) Cornelius White (12-99)
Last Fight: 6/14/2013- L (TKO3) vs. #5 Sergey Kovalev
Next Fight: Unknown
White was blasted out by Kovalev, but at least he has good company in that regard.
12) Jürgen Brähmer (11-81)
Last Fight: 8/24/2013- UD12 Stefano Abatangelo (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/14/2013- vs. Marcus Oliveira (UNR)
Since getting dominated in your title fight, fighting journeymen, and then taking two years off is the required resume for becoming a WBA Super Champion, Beibut Shumenov has now assumed that dubious title. Braehmer will now fight prospect Marcus Oliveira for the “regular” title on December 14 in Neubrandenburg, Germany.
13) Karo Murat (2-2)
Last Fight: 10/26/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
14) Cedric Agnew (2-30)
Last Fight: 4/12/2013- UD12 #14 Yusaf Mack
Next Fight: Unknown
Agnew was approved by HBO as a potential November 30 opponent for Kovalev, but reportedly turned down the opportunity.
15) Edwin Rodriguez (2-17)
Last Fight: 7/13/2013- TKO1 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 11/16/2013- vs. Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
See Ward’s notes, above.
16) Lucian Bute (2-53)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 1/18/2014- vs. Jean Pascal (UNR)
Bute-Pascal has been pushed back to January 18.
17) Hadillah Mohoumadi (2-19)
Last Fight: 10/17/2013- TKO1 Raimonds Sniedze (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
18) Eleider Alvarez (2-41)
Last Fight: 9/28/2013- UD10 Edison Miranda (UNR)
Next Fight: 1/18/2013- vs. #6 SMW Thomas Oosthuizen
Alvarez is scheduled to fight Oosthuizen in January, but likely only if Oosthuizen gets past Maderna in November.
19) Enzo Maccarinelli (2-12)
Last Fight: 8/17/2013- TKO11 Ovill McKenzie (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Maccarinelli has revitalized his career to an extent with the gutsy McKenzie win.
20) Denis Grachev (2-80)
Last Fight: 7/13/2013- L (TKO1) vs. #13 SMW Edwin Rodriguez
Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: Jaidon Codrington has done absolutely nothing since losing one of the best fights of the last 10 years against Sakio Bika on the Contender. He will get an opportunity in the Ukraine to change that on Saturday against Vyacheslav Uzelkoff, who is on a shorter but still significant skid himself, having lost his last three significant fights to Beibut Shumenov, Eddy Gutknecht (though I felt he won), and Doudou Ngumbu. My opinion of his performance in the Gutknecht fight is actually the only thing that makes him eligible for rankings consideration at this point, and I have him in the mid-30s. Even so, he’s got to be a big favorite over Codrington, who is not even really known to be a serious fighter at this point.
Undefeated prospect Michael Seals gets a minor showcase against experienced but untalented sub-.500 journeyman Steve Walker in Norcross, Georgia later that night.
Friday in Hollywood, Florida, undefeated Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez made good on his first step up to top 50 competition, knocking out Rowland Bryant- best known as the man who effectively ended the career of Librado Andrade back in April- in the 8th round.
In a shocking upset, France-based Congolese gatekeeper Doudou Ngumbu dominated #14 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff in Uzelkoff’s back yard of Kiev. Ngumbu worked beautifully, using movement and sharp combinations to pepper the comparatively slow-footed Ukranian. Uzelkoff tried to walk in without jabbing and land clubbing shots on the inside- a bad strategy to be sure against a more agile and active opponent. Ngumbu’s win is even more impressive when you consider that it was Sofiane Sebihi that was scheduled to fight Uzelkoff just a week ago.
Normally Ngumbu’s win would propel him into the top 20, and in fact it would have if his had been the only significant win of the weekend. What holds him back is the fact that he has anything but a clean record of success overall. The most important fight to that analysis was his stoppage loss 9 months ago to gatekeeper Nadjib Mohammedi, who himself has never been ranked here. He also has 3 other losses that hurt him, though at least two of them were apparently arguable, and all came before his prior significant win over Alexei Kuziemski. Despite all this, Ngumbu would fit in at #20 compared to last week’s rankings. Unfortunately for him, Yunieski Gonzalez’s win was nearly as big as his own, while he has none of the baggage in terms of red ink that Ngumbu brings with him.
Uzelkoff falls from the rankings, allowing everyone ranked #15 and below to advance. Gonzalez debuts at #20, while Ngumbu is probably next in line should somebody drop out. One more note- I hinted in recent weeks at the possibility that I would remove Jean Pascal from the rankings for inactivity if he did indeed bail on Chad Dawson in favor of Lucian Bute. Pascal hasn’t fought at 175 in nearly 2 years, and so he is obviously living on borrowed time. But since before he hit the one year mark in May 2012, he’s continuously had a fight scheduled. He has postponed, canceled, or come in heavy for some of those scheduled dates, but he always has the next option finalized before failing to make good on the last. For this reason, he’s been able to float with his ranking intact. After signing and then postponing a fight with Dawson, he has now canceled on him. I would have LOVED to have removed him for that, but he waited until he had a fight with Lucian Bute well in hand. I considered removing him anyway just for playing too many games, but upon reflection I realized I would be doing so entirely out of spite. We know he’s planning to fight, even if it’s not the matchup that non-Canadian fans were hoping for, and so the removal would be temporary and would not reflect the true state of the division. It would also make a somewhat unintuitive alteration to a system that has served me and my rankings pretty well to this point. So Pascal remains.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (28-28-28)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
After taking some seemingly unsolicited smack talk from Mayweather, Ward said he’d drain down to 160 to fight him. Probably just talk, since neither man has ever fought that high/low.1) Chad Dawson (28-355-355) Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
After Pascal pulled out of their excellent rematch, Dawson is searching for a new opponent. Word is he might fight Adonis Stevenson on June 8.2) Bernard Hopkins (28-354-354) Last Fight: 3/9/2012- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
It sounds like Hopkins-Cleverly is likely in the cards for later this year.
3) Jean Pascal (28-196-196)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #16 Lucian Bute
Pascal bailed on Dawson for a less internationally compelling fight with Lucian Bute on the same date. 4) Sergey Kovalev (9-9-9)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- TKO3 #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev is hoping to return in Moscow in April.
5) Gabriel Campillo (9-143-143)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L(TKO3) vs. Sergey Kovalev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It remains to be seen whether we’ve seen Campillo rapidly decline, have a bad night, or just run into a world-beater. But he’s still going to be highly ranked because he recently beat the guy ranked right below him.
6) Tavoris Cloud (9-186-186)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
The division is as weak in terms of talent as it’s ever been, and Cloud can’t beat a 48 year old contender in it. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a champion.
7) Cornelius White (9-36-66)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Otis Griffin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
White snuck in an under-the-radar 8-rounder against Otis Griffin. It was a pound over the limit, but will buy him some more time to stay active at 175, at least.
8) Nathan Cleverly (9-163-163)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)
Cleverly’s long-lingering and mostly pointless fight against gatekeeper Robin Krasniqi has been moved to April 20.
9) Tony Bellew (9-75-75)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- UD12 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba
Bellew has a mandatory shot at the European title against Braehmer waiting for him if he gets by Chilemba, but that may never happen since Bellew would also become the challenger-in-waiting for Chad Dawson, and might even get that opportunity on May 25 if Pascal does pull out.
10) Jürgen Brähmer (7-7-48)
Last Fight: 2/2/2013- UD12 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/27/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Braehmer defends his European title in Hamburg on April 27. No opponent yet.
11) Karo Murat (7-98)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat last made 175 on October 1, 2011. He’s fought once slightly over the limit since then, giving him until April 1 to schedule a fight here. This is partly Cloud’s fault for essentially standing him up, but that’s way too little activity to draw sympathy from me. Murat remains the mandatory challenger for Hopkins, but the old man may have a more lucrative fight to consider with Cleverly.
12) Beibut Shumenov (7-143)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
13) Isaac Chilemba (7-59)
Last Fight: 9/29/2012- UD8 Rayco Saunders (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. #9 Tony Bellew
Up-and-coming African star Chilemba takes a high-risk, high-reward fight on March 30 in Tony Bellew’s hometown of Liverpool.
14) Andrzej Fonfara (1-36)
Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fonfara aggravated a previous injury to his right hand and had to withdraw from his ESPN2 fight with Nicholson Poulard. He will hope that it heals on its own in a month, but if not he will need surgery that would keep him out for an additional 3-6 months.
15) Yusaf Mack (1-143)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- L(KO3) vs. #1 SMW Carl Froch (at SMW)
Next Fight: 4/12/2013- vs. Cedric Agnew (UNR)
After I rather thought he should retire after his showing against Carl Froch, Mack is instead back in the ring on April 12 against undefeated prospect Cedric Agnew.
16) Lucian Bute (1-20)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #3 Jean Pascal
Bute will look to prove what I have long believed- that the 168 pound division is much better man-for-man than 175, by fighting his larger peer in Montreal on May 25.17) Denis Grachev (1-47)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- L(UD12) vs. SMW #4 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR)
Grachev will fight inactive former champ Zsolt Erdei in Monaco on March 30, with the winner to fight there against the winner of Edwin Rodriguez vs. Ezequiel Maderna in July.
18) Dmitri Sukhotski (1-125)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sukhotski was originally rumored for the Monaco tourney, but he is not one of the 4 scheduled.
19) Eleider Alvarez (1-8)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- KO8 Danny McIntosh (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 3/22/2013- vs. Nicholson Poulard (UNR)
Alvarez will fight in Montreal on March 22, and will take over the spot opposite Nicholson Poulard that was vacated by an injured Andrzej Fonfara on the FNF broadcast.
20) Yunieski Gonzalez (1-1)
Last Fight: 3/15/2013- KO8 Rowland Bryant (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Gonzalez took a huge step up in competition and made good, knocking out strong fringe contender Bryant.
The Week Ahead: Friday in Montreal, #19 Eleider Alvarez of Colombia takes on Jean Pascal’s brother, solid journeyman Nicholson Poulard.
In far and away the biggest fight of the week in any division, #2 Bernard Hopkins defied father time again, capturing a unanimous decision over #6 Tavoris Cloud in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday. I do have some qualms, though. I preface this by saying that I did score the fight for Hopkins 115-113. So naturally I don’t have a problem with giving him full credit for a win. But it seems to me that both the commentary and the judges demonstrated a fair amount of bias. They made a Hopkins win seem like a clear and foregone conclusion on HBO before the decision was read, and the decision itself reinforced their cheerleading. Judges Poturaj and Stewart scored it 116-112, while Schreck went even further at 117-111. Despite being as little as 1 round difference from my own score, I do not consider any of the cards particularly reasonable. I feel that I gave Hopkins every round he had any claim to. Despite believing that Hopkins did just enough to win, I would buy a 119-109 Cloud card before a 117-111 Hopkins one. The Cloud rounds- of which there were no fewer than 5- were generally the clearest rounds.
Nevertheless, Cloud has every reason to be embarrassed with himself. At 48 years old, the one and only chance Hopkins had to win the fight was to slow the pace and fight a tactical and cerebral fight. If things got physical or in any way gruelling, Cloud would win easily. So what did Cloud do? He hung back. He was cautious even against an opponent that hasn’t won by stoppage since 2000. He let it become, by and large, a jab and move kind of fight. He followed Hopkins around carefully, allowing himself to be kept off balance and out of punching range. He didn’t need to try and match Hopkins’ boxing ability. He needed to go all out to get inside and try to rough the old man up. He did nothing of the kind- at least not for more than about a minute of the fight. So while I believe the fight easily could have gone in his favor, I don’t really think that he deserved success based on his effort.
American prospect Marcus Oliveira was scheduled for a fight with a bad opponent named Junior Ramos in the Dominican Republic, but it appears the fight may not have come off. Even if it did and the reports are just late in coming, it is barely worth mentioning unless there is a major upset.
#7 Cornelius White also managed to sneak in a fight that wasn’t even on Boxrec a week before it happened. He won what appears to have been a reasonably comfortable 8-round decision over quality journeyman Otis Griffin.
And backtracking to Wednesday, fringe contender Roberto Bolonti knocked out mid-level Uruguayan journeyman Jorge Rodriguez in Santa Clara, Argentina in the latter half of round 3.
Although by all laws of reason and the physical world Cloud should have been expected to beat Hopkins, the result is actually very much in line with what you’d expect from a generic #2 and #6 contender. Hopkins is unable to advance past Dawson because Dawson beat him in his previous fight- the fact that Dawson lost a fight in the meantime notwithstanding. As for Cloud, he hasn’t won an honest fight in nearly 2 years, but he has still both won and lost at a significantly higher level than #7 Cornelius White, and thus stays put, as well.
So a bit surprisingly, no changes this week.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (27-27-27)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Ward’s surgery is complete. He’s expected to be out until at least Summer, though he is already in the gym.
1) Chad Dawson (27-354-354) Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #3 Jean Pascal
The Pascal fight was signed, and there hasn’t been any official word that it’s off. So for now I’ll leave it on the schedule. But a recent interview I saw of Dawson indicates that he seems at least pessimistic and at most resigned to the fact that Pascal will pull out or has effectively done so already. It sounds like Dawson will save the date anyway, though.
2) Bernard Hopkins (27-353-353) Last Fight: 3/9/2012- UD12 #6 Tavoris Cloud
Next Fight: Unknown
It sounds like Hopkins-Cleverly is likely in the cards for later this year.3) Jean Pascal (27-195-195)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. #1 Chad Dawson
As mentioned in Dawson’s notes, there is some intrigue involving a Pascal fight with Bute, either after or instead of the scheduled fight with Dawson. If Pascal does ditch Dawson and scheduleds the Bute fight for any date after May 25, I believe I will be forced to take the long-overdue step of removing Pascal for inactivity, since he’s been stringing together scheduled fights that either don’t happen or for which he comes in heavy. 4) Sergey Kovalev (8-8-8)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- TKO3 #4 Gabriel Campillo
Next Fight: Unknown
Kovalev is hoping to return in Moscow in April.
5) Gabriel Campillo (8-142-142)
Last Fight: 1/19/2013- L(TKO3) vs. Sergey Kovalev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It remains to be seen whether we’ve seen Campillo rapidly decline, have a bad night, or just run into a world-beater. But he’s still going to be highly ranked because he recently beat the guy ranked right below him.
6) Tavoris Cloud (8-185-185)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- L (UD12) vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: Unknown
The division is as weak in terms of talent as it’s ever been, and Cloud can’t beat a 48 year old contender in it. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a champion.7) Cornelius White (8-35-65)
Last Fight: 3/9/2013- UD8 Otis Griffin (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
White snuck in an under-the-radar 8-rounder against Otis Griffin. It was a pound over the limit, but will buy him some more time to stay active at 175, at least.8) Nathan Cleverly (8-162-162)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/20/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)
Cleverly’s long-lingering and mostly pointless fight against gatekeeper Robin Krasniqi has been moved to April 20.9) Tony Bellew (8-74-74)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- UD12 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. #13 Isaac Chilemba
Bellew has a mandatory shot at the European title against Braehmer waiting for him if he gets by Chilemba, but that may never happen since Bellew would also become the challenger-in-waiting for Chad Dawson, and might even get that opportunity on May 25 if Pascal does pull out.
10) Jürgen Brähmer (6-6-47)
Last Fight: 2/2/2013- UD12 Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Next Fight: 4/27/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Braehmer defends his European title in Hamburg on April 27. No opponent yet.11) Karo Murat (6-97)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Murat last made 175 on October 1, 2011. He’s fought once slightly over the limit since then, giving him until April 1 to schedule a fight here. This is partly Cloud’s fault for essentially standing him up, but that’s way too little activity to draw sympathy from me. Murat remains the mandatory challenger for the Hopkins-Cloud winner, but either man could have a more lucrative fight to consider should he win, and Hopkins always seems a decent bet to retire at his age.
12) Beibut Shumenov (6-142)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
13) Isaac Chilemba (6-58)
Last Fight: 9/29/2012- UD8 Rayco Saunders (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. #9 Tony Bellew
Up-and-coming African star Chilemba takes a high-risk, high-reward fight on March 30 in Tony Bellew’s hometown of Liverpool.
14) Vyacheslav Uzelkoff (6-58)
Last Fight: 12/15/2012- TKO1 Giorgi Marosi (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/16/2013- vs. Sofiane Sebihi (UNR)
Uzelkoff will be in on short notice against Algerian journeyman Sofiane Sebihi in Kiev.15) Andrzej Fonfara (6-35)
Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Fonfara aggravated a previous injury to his right hand and had to withdraw from his ESPN2 fight with Nicholson Poulard. He will hope that it heals on its own in a month, but if not he will need surgery that would keep him out for an additional 3-6 months.
16) Yusaf Mack (6-142)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- L(KO3) vs. #1 SMW Carl Froch (at SMW)
Next Fight: 4/12/2013- vs. Cedric Agnew (UNR)
After I rather thought he should retire after his showing against Carl Froch, Mack is instead back in the ring on April 12 against undefeated prospect Cedric Agnew.17) Lucian Bute (8-19)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: 5/25/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
It originally appeared that Bute would be fighting Bika for a shot at Ward, but now he seems to have reached a deal to fight the seemingly otherwise-engaged Jean Pascal, instead. Not sure of the timeline of the latter fight, or how it affects the Bika fight.
18) Denis Grachev (8-46)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- L(UD12) vs. SMW #4 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: 3/30/2013- vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR)
Grachev will fight inactive former champ Zsolt Erdei in Monaco on March 30, with the winner to fight there against the winner of Edwin Rodriguez vs. Ezequiel Maderna in July.
19) Dmitri Sukhotski (8-124)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Sukhotski was originally rumored for the Monaco tourney, but he is not one of the 4 scheduled.
20) Eleider Alvarez (7-7)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- KO8 Danny McIntosh (UNR) (at CW)
Next Fight: 3/22/2013- vs. Nicholson Poulard (UNR)
Alvarez will fight in Montreal on March 22, and will take over the spot opposite Nicholson Poulard that was vacated by an injured Andrzej Fonfara on the FNF broadcast.
The Week Ahead: On Thursday, fringe contender Ismayl Sillakh is slated to fight an opponent to be determined in Hollywood, California.
In the Florida version of Hollywood, strong gatekeeper Rowland Bryant looks to swat down the challenge of undefeated but totally untested Cuban prospect Yunieski Gonzalez on Friday.
And Saturday in Kiev, #14 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff takes on mid-range Algerian journeyman Sofiane Sebihi.
#3 Jean Pascal shook off the rust by dominating Alexei Kuziemski in Montreal on Saturday, but his shoulder troubles re-emerged in the process, as he re-injured it in the 4th round. Nevertheless, he coasted to victory. Surprisingly to me, the fight was contested several pounds over the 175 pound limit. Normally this would prompt me to remove Pascal, who hadn’t fought at all since May 2011, but he already has a fight scheduled against Chad Dawson that will definitely be at light heavyweight since it’s for a belt. If that fight is called off- even if it’s due to Pascal’s legitimate injury- he will be promptly removed.
On the same card, Eleider Alvarez and Danny McIntosh also both came in heavy, with Alvarez scoring an impressive 8th round knockout. Alvarez has an excellent argument for a rating simply based on the import of the win, but there is some case to be made that Averlant’s deserved win over Gutknecht (ranked #12 at the time) supersedes it even despite the Frenchman’s earlier struggles. That, coupled with the fact that I’ve never given a fighter credit for winning in another division before, keeps Alvarez just on the outside of the top 20 for now.
#12 Vyacheslav Uzelkoff was in action, somewhat surprisingly, and easily stopped journeyman Giorgi Marosi in the first round.
No changes to the rankings.
Dan’s Top 20 (weeks in current position-weeks in top 10 (if applicable)-weeks in top 20) Champ: Andre Ward (15-15-15)
Last Fight: 9/8/2012- TKO10 Champ Chad Dawson (at SMW)
Next Fight: 2/23/2012- vs. SMW #8 Kelly Pavlik (at SMW)
A Ward injury has postponed his scheduled fight with Kelly Pavlik until February 23.
1) Chad Dawson (15-342-342) Last Fight: 9/8/2012- L(TKO10) vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Next Fight: 3/23/2013- vs. #3 Jean Pascal
According to Gary Shaw, who promotes Dawson, the Pascal deal is done.
2) Bernard Hopkins (15-341-341) Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: 3/9/2012- vs. #5 Tavoris Cloud
Hopkins appeared likely to fight Nathan Cleverly, but instead opted for Tavoris Cloud. The fight will take place in Brooklyn.3) Jean Pascal (15-183-183)
Last Fight: 12/14/2012- UD10 Alexei Kuziemski (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/23/2013- vs. #1 Chad Dawson
Pascal is scheduled to re-match #1 Chad Dawson, but his shoulder injury from the Kuziemski fight could be a complication. 4) Gabriel Campillo (15-130-130)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: 1/19/2013- vs. Sergei Kovalev (UNR)
Campillo will now officially fight hot prospect Sergei Kovalev on January 19, in Bethlehem, PA, on NBC Sports.
5) Tavoris Cloud (15-173-173)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: 3/9/2013- vs. #2 Bernard Hopkins
Perhaps Cloud’s reasoning for pulling out of the Murat fight had something to do with his apparently better-than-expected chances of landing a much more lucrative Hopkins battle- a fight that now appears set for March.6) Cornelius White (15-23-53)
Last Fight: 7/14/2012- UD12 #10 Dmitri Sukhotski
Next Fight: Unknown
White is on a tear. Is he really top-5 good? I wouldn’t think so, but he proves me wrong every time I feel I might be overrating him.
7) Nathan Cleverly (15-150-150)
Last Fight: 11/10/2012- TKO8 Shawn Hawk (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/16/2013- vs. Robin Krasniqi (UNR)
Cleverly will be fighting a long-rumored fight with fringe prospect Robin Krasniqi on March 16 in the UK.8) Tony Bellew (23-62-62)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- UD12 Roberto Feliciano Bolonti (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Bellew wants Chad Dawson, but Dawson is apparently otherwise occupied with Pascal.
9) Karo Murat (15-64-85)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
No idea what’s next for Murat after Cloud left him at the proverbial altar.
10) Beibut Shumenov (15-126-130)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Isaac Chilemba (5-46)
Last Fight: 9/29/2012- UD8 Rayco Saunders (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Chilemba came in a bit heavy, but performed as expected, shutting out journeyman Rayco Saunders.
12) Vyacheslav Uzelkoff (5-46)
Last Fight: 7/21/2012- W(MD12) vs. Mohamed Belkacem (UNR)
Next Fight: 12/15/2012- TKO1 Giorgi Marosi (UNR)
Uzelkoff easily dispatched Marosi, in a fight so last-minute that I didn’t even know about it a week in advance.13) Andrzej Fonfara (5-23)
Last Fight: 11/16/2012- TKO7 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: 3/22/2013- vs. Unknown Opponent
Fonfara is scheduled to be in action on March 22 in Chicago. No opponent yet.14) Yusaf Mack (5-130)
Last Fight: 11/17/2012- L(KO3) vs. #1 SMW Carl Froch (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
It’s no shame to lose to Carl Froch, but Mack’s showing was bad enough that you’ve got to wonder if he’s finished.
15) Jürgen Brähmer (15-35)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD10 Vikapita Meroro (UNR)
Next Fight: 2/2/2013- vs. Eduard Gutknecht (UNR)
Braehmer has reportedly rescheduled his fight with Gutknecht for early February. We’ll see if he follows through this time- always a big “if” with him.
16) Lucian Bute (7-7)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- UD12 #16 Denis Grachev
Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. SMW #1 Carl Froch (at SMW)
Bute barely beat Grachev, and even more barely did so at light heavyweight, but I’ve still got to rate him. He’ll now fight a rematch with Froch in March or April.
17) Denis Grachev (7-34)
Last Fight: 11/3/2012- L(UD12) vs. SMW #4 Lucian Bute
Next Fight: Unknown
Grachev put forth a valiant effort against a heavy favorite in Bute, even after presumably draining almost all the way to 168. As a result, his ranking remains mostly intact.
18) Dmitri Sukhotski (7-112)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO1 Vladimir Borovsky (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
19) Mikkel Kessler (7-31)
Last Fight: 12/8/2012- TKO3 Brian Magee (UNR) (at SMW)
Next Fight: Unknown
Kessler dismantled Brian Magee, but that was at 168. I don’t know if Kessler plans to compete at light heavy again anytime soon.
20) Tony Averlant (7-38)
Last Fight: 11/9/2012- UD6 Lubo Hantak (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
It looks like Averlant’s profile hasn’t benefited much from what should have been a victory over a fringe contender from back in March, as he’s back to fighting awful opponents in 6-rounders.
The Week Ahead: #13 Super Middleweight Will Rosinsky moves up to fight journeyman Otis Griffin, who was ranked as recently as May 2011.
Former middleweight contender Fulgencio Zuniga- inactive since his December 2010 decision loss to Tavoris Cloud- scored the biggest win of at least the last 5 years of his career with a 7th round knockout of Colombian countryman and more-or-less equally inactive former 168 contender Alejandro Berrio on Thursday.
Friday in Australia, undefeated local prospect Blake Caparello predictably stopped gimme opponent Dante Craig, disposing of the journeyman in 2 rounds.
Finally, on Saturday in Odessa, Ukraine, #12 Vyachelsav Uzelkoff (whose name I’m changing to that from “Uzelkov” because he’s spelled it the former way on his trunks in at least his last two fights) got all he could handle from unheralded Swiss-based Algerian journeyman Mohamed Belkacem. The fight legitimately could have gone either way- I had it for Uzelkoff 115-113- which is not something you want to hear if you’re part of Uzelkoff’s team. Speaking of said team: I’m no trainer nor really an expert on the technical aspects of boxing, but I’ve sure as hell watched enough of it to know that Uzelkoff either doesn’t listen to his trainer or badly needs a new one. The guy looked like he was a full weight class or two larger than Belkacem, was clearly the stronger puncher, and yet he fought extremely light. That can be good if you’re sticking and moving, showing superior handspeed, etc. Not so for Uzelkoff. He simply bounced around like an rank amateur, and showed the kind of awful footwork you’d expect from a no-account club fighter. Belkacem was able to pick him apart for long stretches and, I think clearly, won the overall fight even if he didn’t necessarily take 7 of the rounds. He made Belkacem- who has lost to decent and mediocre competition alike in the past- look like Sugar Ray Leonard as often as not. In Uzelkoff’s defense, he did close the fight strong- clearly winning the final round to nick the fight on my card.
No changes to the rankings.
Dan’s Top 20Champ: Chad Dawson (13-321-321) Last Fight: 4/28/2012- W (MD12) Champ Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. SMW Champ Andre Ward (at SMW)
Wow- it really is happening! Dawson will reportedly drop down to 168 to challenge Andre Ward for the World Championship at Super Middle. For my money, it will also be an opportunity for Ward to capture Dawson’s light heavyweight title. He’s fighting the 175 champion under the 175 limit. I’m not sure this scenario has ever played out in the history of boxing…and it’s pretty exciting- even if the fight itself may not be.
1) Bernard Hopkins (13-320-320) Last Fight: 4/28/2012- L(MD12) vs. #2 Chad Dawson
Next Fight: Unknown
Hopkins might be looking to return- likely for his last fight- around the end of the year. 2) Jean Pascal (13-162-162)
Last Fight: 5/21/2011- L(UD12) vs. #1 Bernard Hopkins
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #4 Tavoris Cloud
Showtime has kindly provided the date of August 11 for the Pascal-Cloud tilt. That’s more than 14-months since Pascal’s last fight…just sayin’. 3) Gabriel Campillo (23-109-109)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- L*(UD12) vs. #3 Tavoris Cloud (Robbery)
Next Fight: 9/21/2012- vs. Sergei Kovalev (UNR)
With Cloud otherwise occupied and Shumenov no doubt wanting nothing to do with him, Campillo will fight Russian prospect Sergei Kovalev in late September on NBC Sports.
4) Tavoris Cloud (23-152-152)
Last Fight: 2/18/2012- UD12* vs. #4 Gabriel Campillo (Robbery)
Next Fight: 8/11/2012- vs. #2 Jean Pascal
It appeared certain that Cloud would fight Murat next, but now he’s fighting Pascal instead.
5) Cornelius White (2-2-32)
Last Fight: 7/14/2012- UD12 #10 Dmitri Sukhotski
Next Fight: Unknown
White is on a tear. Is he really top-5 good? I wouldn’t think so, but he proves me wrong every time I feel I might be overrating him.
6) Nathan Cleverly (2-129-129)
Last Fight: 2/25/2012- UD12 Tommy Karpency (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
There is talk of a fight with Shumenov in October, with Hopkins as a second possibility.7) Karo Murat (2-43-64)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- TKO7 Sandro Siproshvili (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
8) Tony Bellew (2-41-41)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO5 #20 Danny McIntosh
Next Fight: 9/8/2012- vs. Edison Miranda (UNR)
Bellew will fight another halfway decent matchup with Edison Miranda in early September.9) Beibut Shumenov (2-105-109)
Last Fight: 6/2/2012- UD12 Enrique Ornelas (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
After embarrassing both Enrique Ornelas and himself (merely for taking the fight), Shumenov has already been approached for fights with Hopkins, Cleverly, and Kessler. That being the case, he won’t have much of an excuse left if he ends up fighting his 4th consecutive journeyman.
10) Yusaf Mack (2-73-109)
Last Fight: 7/7/2012- UD6 Sabou Ballogou (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
11) Isaac Chilemba (25-25)
Last Fight: 2/3/2012- UD10 #16 Edison Miranda
Next Fight: 9/29/2012- vs. Zsolt Erdei (UNR)
Chilemba will fight former (I guess arguably current) lineal Champion Zsolt Erdei in late September on HBO.12) Vyacheslav Uzelkoff (17-25)
Last Fight: 7/21/2012- W(MD12) vs. Mohamed Belkacem (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Got a bit of a scare from the mediocre Belkacem.13) Andrzej Fonfara (2-2)
Last Fight: 7/13/2012- UD10* SMW #14(?) Glen Johnson
Next Fight: Unknown
I don’t think he landed enough clean blows to have cleanly beaten Johnson, but since I could have pictured a draw being a fair result, I am compelled to rate him anyhow.
14) Jürgen Brähmer (2-14)
Last Fight: 4/21/2012- UD10 Vikapita Meroro (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
Braehmer has showed up for his last two fights, which at least feels like a record for him.
15) Denis Grachev (2-13)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- TKO8 #15 Ismayl Sillakh
Next Fight: 11/3/2012- vs. SMW #3 Lucian Bute
Grachev will fight Lucian Bute at a 170 pound catchweight in November.16) Dmitri Sukhotski (2-91)
Last Fight: 7/14/2012- L(UD12) vs. #16 Cornelius White
Next Fight: Unknown
The White loss must be a bitter disappointment for Sukhotski, who had been in line for a shot at an alphabet strap held by Cleverly for some time, but with Cleverly blatantly ducking him to great effect.
17) Mikkel Kessler (2-10)
Last Fight: 5/19/2012- TKO4 Allan Green (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
A Froch fight in the fall now looks extremely likely, at 168, though Pavlik is acting like an October fight with Kessler is a distinct possibility, too.
18) Tony Averlant (2-17)
Last Fight: 3/31/2012- L*(SD12) vs. #12 Eduard Gutknecht (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
Averlant is probably closer to the journeyman he was on 3/30 than the solid fringe contender he became on 3/31, but a win is a win…even when it’s a loss (in Germany).
19) Ismayl Sillakh (2-80)
Last Fight: 4/27/2012- L(TKO8) vs. Denis Grachev (UNR)
Next Fight: Unknown
I didn’t see that coming at all. I trust Sillakh will bounce back from the upset loss to Grachev. But wow.
20) Eduard Gutknecht (2-9)
Last Fight: 3/31/2012- W*(SD12) vs. Tony Averlant (UNR) (Robbery)
Next Fight: Unknown
The Week Ahead: No action in the division this week, with the start of the Olympics taking center stage.
