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Cruiserweight: 2012, May 14-20

danboxing — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:32:01 +0000

The major fight of the week was #12 Alexander Alekseev vs. #19 Firat Arslan in Germany. And it was yet another pathetic robbery in Germany. Two judges had it a draw, which is pretty indefensible. I had it 117-111 Arslan, and there’s no way it was closer than 115-113. But the real outrage was the third judge: Juergen Langos. Langos had a disgustingly awful card at 116-113 Alekseev, and to compound matters further, it turns out he’s facebook friends with Alekseev. I would say I’m surprised the commission didn’t vet Langos well enough to know his apparent bias ahead of time, but German officials have sat idly by while witnessing outrage after outrage for years. Anyway, Arslan won the fight, and will be treated as such. It’s a pretty remarkable achievement for a 41-year-old that had been all but written off after passing out in the corner late in a close fight with Steve Herelius a couple years ago.

In other action on the card, up-and-coming Russian Rakhim Chakhkiev stopped normally durable trial horse Zack Page in 6.

#19 Arslan moves up 10 spots and back into the top 10 for the first time in years on the strength of his should-be win over Alekseev. Alekseev drops down below Mateusz Masternak to #17, just above his own recent victim, Enad Licina. This forces B.J. Flores out of the top 10 after 2 consecutive months at #10.

And just a quick note- you may have noticed that I’ve started referring to the Russian as Alekseev rather than Alexeev as I had before. The reasoning is this: since the Cyrillic alphabet doesn’t necessarily translate 1 to 1 to our own, I make value judgments when in doubt. Most of the time I choose an “x” over a “ks” for the sake of aesthetics and efficiency. In this case, I’ve noticed that the fighter renders his own name with a “ks” on his trunks, on his facebook page, etc., and that’s good enough for me.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (15-99-99)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (15-119-119)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris.

3) Antonio Tarver (15-43-43)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Steve Cunningham (2-413-413)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

5) Marco Huck (2-284-284)

Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Next Fight: Unknown

A summary of where Huck is at: Afolabi understandably wants a third fight with him- this time in the UK. Huck wants a rematch with Povetkin. Meanwhile, Huck is laying the groundwork for hyping a potential fight with Alekseev following the Russian’s poor performance against Arslan.

6) Ola Afolabi (2-166-166)

Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #4 Marco Huck

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi would like a third fight with Huck, this time in the UK.

7) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (2-360-360)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

8) Guillermo Jones (24-85-85)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

With all of his possible mandatories tied up with other fights, Jones has made renewed noises about moving up to face a Klitschko. In the meantime, he continues to train in Miami for a fight that has yet to materialize.

9) Firat Arslan (1-1-44)

Last Fight: 5/11/2012- Draw* (MD12) vs. #12 Alexander Alekseev (Robbery)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan clearly beat Alekseev and didn’t get full credit for it from the judges (including one who was manifestly corrupt). I’ve heard whispers of a rematch, but there are also indications that Alekseev might fight Huck or Masternak next.

10) Danny Green (1-128-128)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end, except that he’s trying to goad the much, much smaller Anthony Mundine into a rematch.

11) B.J. Flores (1-99)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

12) Francisco Palacios (1-59)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk has since chased fights with Roy Jones and Antonio Tarver, neither of which seem to be currently on the table.

13) Lateef Kayode (9-78)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (9-183)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Branco.

15) Silvio Branco (9-9)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (7-7)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/19/2012- vs. Hari Miles (UNR)

Masternak’s opponent for this weekend will be very underwhelming Welsh journeyman Hari Miles.

17) Alexander Alekseev (1-70)

Last Fight: 5/11/2012- Draw*(MD12) vs. #19 Firat Arslan (robbery- should have been L)

Next Fight: Unknown

Huck has randomly been talking smack, which seems like a contrived attempt at hyping a pretty pointless fight between the two of them. A rematch with Arslan would seem like a pretty natural move.

18) Enad Licina (1-99)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

19) Troy Ross (1-15)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

20) Grigory Drozd (7-14)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR)

After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.

THE WEEK AHEAD: #16 Mateusz Masternak stays busy against low-level Welsh journeyman Hari Miles in Denmark on the Kessler-Green undercard Saturday.

Cruiserweight: 2012, May 7-13

danboxing — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:42:01 +0000

Marco Huck is a roller-coaster ride in boxer form. Not that long ago, he was an extremely active and fairly dominant contender whose only rival in the division appeared to be Steve Cunningham, close decision over Ola Afolabi notwithstanding. But then he fought Denis Lebedev and got bullied around the ring, only to win a completely bogus decision. That made him nothing more than a borderline top 5 cruiserweight. But then he moved up to heavyweight and put forth what almost definitely should have been a winning effort against that division’s clear #2 fighter. So when he announced he was returning to cruiser to clarify the result of the Afolabi fight, we all kind of assumed quietly that this new version of Huck- the freshly unstoppable heavyweight conqueror- would walk through Afolabi the way he couldn’t quite do the first time around. Not so. Huck appeared to have a very real conditioning issue, as he took as much as 5/6 of several rounds off and just absorbed Afolabi’s attack- predominantly to the body. It would be easy to blame this on his brief move to heavyweight, but I’m not buying that. Huck as a heavyweight was under 210. He probably weighs as much on a cruiserweight fight night as he did when he fought Povetkin. So it’s not like he had to kill himself shedding excessive bulk. But with help from Afolabi’s body work, he tired as noticeably as Povetkin had in their meeting.

That being said, the fight was wild and closely contested. Huck did great work in spurts and Afolabi tired every bit as much in the late rounds, and could legitimately have gone either way. I had it 115-113 Afolabi, but the majority draw verdict- including the 115-113 Huck card- were entirely legitimate.

Steve Cunningham, who does own a win over Huck, moves back ahead of him to #4 as Huck falls to #5 with the draw. Afolabi moves up to #6 with the best result of his career to this point, swapping places with Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.

Just to update last week’s post, the result of the April 29 Brazilian and South American title bout between undefeated prospect William Fernando Souza Bezerra and Fernando de Oliveira finally showed up on Boxrec. The prospect stopped his journeyman opponent (the best opponent of his career so far) by knockout late in round 1. Souza Bezerra has had 29 fights, and has never seen a scorecard (28 knockouts, 1 DQ). I look forward to seeing him on the intercontinental level in the near future.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (14-98-98)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (14-118-118)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris.

3) Antonio Tarver (14-42-42)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Steve Cunningham (1-412-412)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

5) Marco Huck (1-283-283)

Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Next Fight: Unknown

After the draw with Afolabi, it appears that Huck may be a better heavyweight than a cruiserweight.

6) Ola Afolabi (1-165-165)

Last Fight: 5/5/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #4 Marco Huck

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi had his second painfully close fight with Huck, and still can’t quite get over the hump for a win.

7) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (1-359-359)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

8) Guillermo Jones (23-84-84)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (42-127-127)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (8-8-98)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (8-58)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (8-69)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (8-77)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (8-182)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (8-8)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (6-6)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/19/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent

Masternak is back in action May 19 in Denmark on the Kessler-Allan Green undercard, opponent yet to be announced.

17) Enad Licina (6-98)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (6-14)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (6-43)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (6-13)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR)

After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Universum places a few of its top cruiserweights in action Friday in Goeppingen, Germany. #12 Alexander Alexeev meets #19 Firat Arslan in a good crossroads fight, while impressive undefeated prospect Rakhim Chakhkiev is back to work just 20 days after he made quick work of former super middleweight fringe contender Jaidon Codrington. Chakhkiev is in against decent journeyman Zack Page.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 30- May 6

danboxing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:35:02 +0000

Friday in Kiev, local undefeated prospect Dmitro Kucher knocked out Argentine journeyman Walter Cabral in 2. A couple nights later in Donetsk (which is essentially across the Ukraine from Kiev), another unbeaten- Georgian Iago Kiladze- earned the exact same result against a possibly somewhat better journeyman in France’s Julien Perriaux.

There was also supposed to be a South American and Brazilian title fight on Sunday between the undefeated William Fernando Souza Bezerra and journeyman Fernando de Olivera, but the bout is still listed as pending on Boxrec, and I can find absolutely no evidence online that it actually happened. Souza Bezerra was also originally scheduled to fight last weekend.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (13-97-97)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (13-117-117)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris.

3) Antonio Tarver (13-41-41)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (13-282-282)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (13-411-411)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (22-358-358)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (22-164-164)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR)

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (22-83-83)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (41-126-126)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (7-7-97)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (7-57)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (7-68)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (7-76)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (7-181)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (7-7)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (5-5)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly.

17) Enad Licina (5-97)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (5-13)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (5-42)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (5-12)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR)

After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Saturday in Erfurt, Germany, #4 Marco Huck battles #7 Ola Afolabi in the rematch of their close fight from late 2009. Apparently this one isn’t going to be visible even on Epix, despite being part of a big-time German card.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 23-29

danboxing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:47:34 +0000

On the Sartison-Balzsay undercard Saturday in Schwerin, undefeated Russian prospect and top 25 contender Rakhim Chakhkiev saw action against short-notice opponent Jaidon Codrington. Codrington is best known for his fight of the year candidate in a losing effort against Sakio Bika in the 2007 Super Middleweight Contender finale. Codrington had fought just twice since then, and had been inactive for over 18 months coming in to this fight. He was also more than 25 pounds lighter for the Bika fight. It showed. Codrington was sluggish and had the look of an opponent all over his face. He went away very quickly, taking the 10 count on one knee following a body shot from Chakhkiev- the second knockdown of the first round. I don’t want to take anything away from Chakhkiev. His body attack was truly impressive. But Codrington at 195.5 pounds is not a legit challenge, and that was obvious. No changes to the rankings.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (12-96-96)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (12-116-116)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The deal isn’t done yet, but contingent upon a final agreement, Lebedev and Mormeck have chosen a date and location for their prospective fight: June 29 in Paris.

3) Antonio Tarver (12-40-40)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (12-281-281)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (12-410-410)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (21-357-357)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (21-163-163)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR)

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (21-82-82)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (40-125-125)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (6-6-96)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (6-56)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (6-67)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (6-75)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (6-180)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (6-6)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (4-4)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly.

17) Enad Licina (4-96)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (4-12)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (4-41)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (4-11)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: 6/2/2012- vs. Cesar Crenz (UNR)

After a scheduled matchup with washed-up William Joppy thankfully fell through, Drozd is now scheduled for an interesting matchup with fringe contender Cesar Crenz of Argentina in early June.

THE WEEK AHEAD:

Friday: Undefeated local prospect Dmitro Kucher takes on Argentine journeyman Walter Cabral in Kiev.

Sunday: From Donetsk, Ukraine, Georgian prospect Iago Kiladze battles French journeyman Julien Perriaux. Later that night in Sao Paolo, undefeated local product William Fernando Souza Bezerra (I’m sure there’s a shorter way to render his name, but until I see him on TV I have to go with what is on boxrec) fights journeyman Fernando De Oliveira for the Brazilian and South American titles.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 16-22

danboxing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 02:50:02 +0000

In last week’s entry, I said that by this week, 6-0 Kiwi prospect David Aloua could be 7-0 with an argument for a ranking this week. Half of that statement has come true. Aloua is 7-0, but he got there via a shockingly bad decision in his opponent’s native Australia. That opponent, Anthony McCracken, is a rugged gatekeeper who is better than the 14-5 record he brought to the table. I can’t explain how any judge could have Aloua ahead in that fight. Not even close. The only area in which Aloua had any advantage in more than 3 rounds was cuts. Whether from a butt or a punch, McCracken had a gruesome gash under his eye for the latter part of the fight. They say judges score blood- a statement that is shameful, if true, at any rate- and to get to an Aloua win in this fight, that had to be about all the judges scored. Forget clean effective punching. Forget effective aggressiveness. Forget ring generalship. The judges robbed the home fighter based on a cut. Sad but true. Worse yet, the fight was not televised and is available only via a single-angle video, as it was held at a private social club, so very few people have even witnessed the debacle that was the judges’ decision. Adrian Cairns and Steve Marshall earn a spot on the wall of shame for their 96-94 cards in favor of Aloua, while Adam Height at 96-94 McCracken didn’t exactly distinguish himself, either.

Fringe contender Garrett Wilson of Philadelphia scored a knockdown in both the first and final round- both with left hooks- en route to a knockout win over prospect Andres Taylor with just 10 seconds left in what was otherwise a fairly competitive scrap.

No changes to the rankings, as two top 50 guys defeated (or at least beat) relatively unestablished opponents.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (11-95-95)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (11-115-115)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Has-beens and novices are all that seems to be on the wishlist for Lebedev, as he’s now reportedly working on a fight with Mormeck at cruiser.

3) Antonio Tarver (11-39-39)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (11-280-280)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (11-409-409)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (20-356-356)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (20-162-162)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR)

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (20-81-81)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (39-124-124)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (5-5-95)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (5-55)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (5-66)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (5-74)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (5-179)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (5-5)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (3-3)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly.

17) Enad Licina (3-95)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (3-11)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (3-40)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (3-10)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd was scheduled to fight William Joppy on April 4, but that fight appears to have been canceled with little fanfare. Good riddance.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Undefeated Russian prospect and current t0p 25 cruiserweight Rakhim Chakhkiev fights an opponent to be announced in Schwerin, Germany on Saturday.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 9-15

danboxing — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:19:21 +0000

Prospect Shawn Cox- not a great prospect at all before knocking out Wayne Braithwaite recently- came up WAY short in Russia last week, getting iced by #2 Denis Lebedev in the second round.

Eric Fields was on Boxrec’s schedule to fight in Oklahoma City, but it’s still showing up as pending as I write this on Monday, and google isn’t turning up any mention of a fight having occurred. I’m going to assume for now that this one didn’t come off, and I’ll mention it next week and/or adjust the rankings as necessary if it turns out the results are just late in being reported.

Cox wasn’t really a great challenge for someone as highly-ranked as Lebedev, so the rankings don’t change.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (10-94-94)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (10-114-114)

Last Fight: 4/4/2012- KO2 Shawn Cox (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Has-beens and novices are all that seems to be on the wishlist for Lebedev, as he’s now reportedly working on a fight with Mormeck at cruiser.

3) Antonio Tarver (10-38-38)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (10-279-279)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (10-408-408)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (19-355-355)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (19-161-161)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #4 Marco Huck (UNR)

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (19-80-80)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (38-123-123)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (4-4-94)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (4-54)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (4-65)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (4-73)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (4-178)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (4-4)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (2-2)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly.

17) Enad Licina (2-94)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (2-10)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (2-39)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (2-9)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd was scheduled to fight William Joppy on April 4, but that fight appears to have been canceled with little fanfare. Good riddance.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Undefeated Kiwi prospect David Aloua battles Aussie gatekeeper Anthony McCracken in Brisbane in what should be an intriguing fight on Friday, and Philly phringe contender Garrett Wilson fights prospect Andres Taylor in Atlantic City on Saturday. Aloua is only 6-0, but is further along in his progression as a pro in terms of opposition than most guys. He could be 7-0 and have an argument for a ranking next week.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Apr 2-8

danboxing — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:14:11 +0000

In Tampa on Friday, gatekeeper Nick Iannuzzi kept the gate with a decision over totally unproven 8-1 fringe prospect Dan Biddle.

Saturday in Kiel, Germany, Polish undefeated prospect Mateusz Masternak dominated fringe contender Felipe Romero to a 10th round TKO. Romero, the Mexican champion and a solid gatekeeper-type on an international level, won the first round, but Masternak took over the fight completely from the opening bell of the second round onward. Sprinkled in were a couple knockdowns. In round 4, Masternak used clever footwork to get himself in perfect position after a stumble by Romero and then dropped the Mexican with a quick right hand. In round 6, the Polish prospect caught Romero with a clever counter uppercut that landed with perfect timing and precision, dropping Romero hard for roughly a 9-count. By the 10th and final round, Masternak was mostly chasing Romero around the ring, although the Mexican managed to fit in a moment or two. Midway through the 10th, Masternak began pounding Romero on the ropes, prompting the mouthpeice to go flying. The ref stepped in and stopped it- a little prematurely, I think, although there was no doubt that Masternak was on his way to at least a dominant decision.

Masternak returns to the rankings in much stronger position this time around, checking in at #16, just behind a guy in Silvio Branco who recently drew with a 10th-ranked contender. This forces everyone rated #16 or below last week down a spot each, including Matt Godfrey, who at long last exits the rankings after 28 consecutive weeks in.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (9-93-93)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (9-113-113)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: 4/4/2012- vs. Shawn Cox (UNR)

After reportedly being close to signing a fight with French gatekeeper Rachid El Hadak, Lebedev has instead opted for a bout with Shawn Cox. This seems like a very low-reward fight for Lebedev, and if Cox happens to be for real after demolishing former contender Wayne Braithwaite, it might carry some risk, too. I don’t understand the matchmaking from Lebedev’s team.

3) Antonio Tarver (9-37-37)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #13 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (9-278-278)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (9-407-407)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (18-354-354)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (18-160-160)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (18-79-79)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (37-122-122)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Shane Cameron is hoping to fight Green if he beats Monte Barrett in May. No major news from Green’s end.

10) B.J. Flores (3-3-93)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (3-53)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (3-64)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #19 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (3-72)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (3-177)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (3-3)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Mateusz Masternak (1-1)

Last Fight: 3/31/2012- TKO10 Felipe Romero (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak beat the best opponent of his career in Romero, and did so convincingly.

17) Enad Licina (1-93)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

18) Troy Ross (1-9)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

19) Firat Arslan (1-38)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

20) Grigory Drozd (1-8)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd was scheduled to fight William Joppy on April 4, but that fight appears to have been canceled with little fanfare. Good riddance.

THE WEEK AHEAD: #2 Denis Lebedev takes on fringe contender Shawn Cox in the suburbs of Moscow on Wednesday. Cox was a mid-level prospect until quite recently, when he knocked out former top contender Wayne Braithwaite.

Eric Fields, a recently-ranked pr0spect from Oklahoma, is scheduled for a fight in Oklahoma City on Saturday, but so far no opponent has been announced.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Mar 19-25

danboxing — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 23:36:05 +0000

A pretty major upset went down this week in Pavia, Italy. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni was somewhat befuddled by the superior movement and precision of the 45-year-old Silvio Branco. Fragomeni came forward for most of the fight and threw the harder shots, but even when he got Branco backed to the ropes, it was often Branco who calmly landed straight counters, while Fragomeni missed or cuffed Branco with looping shots. The judging was solid, and the result was a majority draw.

Meanwhile, in Poland, local undefeated prospect Pawel Kolodziej defeated Romanian journeyman Giulian Ilie by a fair margin.

The Fragomeni-Branco result naturally throws the rankings into a bit of flux. Fragomeni really had to be ranked #10 due to his win over 10th-ranked Rudolph Kraj and draw with Krzyzstof Wlodarczyk- both pretty old fights at this point- but I think it’s been a general consensus that, at 42, he was no longer as good as his ranking. He proved that against the even older Branco. Branco has a couple losses against good competition at light heavyweight a couple years or so ago, but this was his first significant fight at 200, giving him essentially a clean slate. A draw against a top ten contender isn’t exactly a bad way to start filling that slate. Fragomeni slides down to #14 since his draw with Branco reveals him to be at a significantly lower level than he occupied when he fought Kraj and Wlodarczyk. Branco, with the good mark on his resume, debuts at #15, ahead of Enad Licina, who has been losing lately. Fragomeni’s fall makes way for B.J. Flores to re-enter the top 10 for the first time in about 18 months, I believe. Everybody else ranked 11-14 last week moves up a spot, as well. Meanwhile, Branco’s debut forces everyone ranked 15 or below down a notch, including Eric Fields, who exits the rankings for the time being after 22 consecutive weeks.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (7-91-91)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (7-111-111)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: 4/4/2012- vs. Shawn Cox (UNR)

3) Antonio Tarver (7-35-35)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #14 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (7-276-276)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: 5/5/2012- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Huck will fight Afolabi May 5 in Erfurt, Germany, fresh off his near victory over Povetkin at heavyweight.

5) Steve Cunningham (7-405-405)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (16-352-352)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (16-158-158)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (16-77-77)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones has come to Miami for the purpose of training for a fight with either Lateef Kayode or Denis Lebedev. The only problem is that both of those guys signed other fights almost immediately thereafter.

9) Danny Green (35-120-120)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green says he would like a rematch with Anthony Mundine- something that’s unlikely at best now that Mundine is fighting about 4 divisions to the south of him. I do not believe retirement has been ruled out for Green.

10) B.J. Flores (1-1-91)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has said he might fight the Fragomeni-Branco winner. Not sure how that will be affected by the fact that there is no winner.

11) Francisco Palacios (1-51)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Alexander Alexeev (1-62)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #18 Firat Arslan

Alexeev will fight Firat Arslan in an interesting crossroads-type fight on May 11 in Germany.

13) Lateef Kayode (1-70)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

14) Giacobbe Fragomeni (1-175)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fragomeni appears to be showing his age after nearly losing to an even older man in Brnaco.

15) Silvio Branco (1-1)

Last Fight: 3/17/2012- Draw (MD12) vs. #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni

Next Fight: Unknown

45 year old veteran Silvio Branco got what may have been his final hurrah with a close-fought draw with top 10-ranked Giacobbe Fragomeni.

16) Enad Licina (1-91)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

17) Troy Ross (1-7)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

18) Firat Arslan (1-36)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/11/2012- vs. #12 Alexander Alexeev

See Alexeev’s notes, above.

19) Grigory Drozd (1-6)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: 4/4/2012- vs. William Joppy (UNR)

Drozd is following up a nice win over Richard Hall with what will probably a slightly less nice win over badly faded former middleweight contender William Joppy in Russia.

20) Matt Godfrey (1-27)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

THE WEEK AHEAD: On Friday in England, Enzo Maccarinelli returns to the cruiserweight division after never really leaving (he fought a few fights at a contract weight just over the light heavyweight limit) when he fights for the British Cruiserweight title against fringe prospect Shane McPhilbin. If he takes care of business, he may return to the rankings just by returning to activity.

The following night, South Africa plays host to a fight between prospect Ilunga Makubu of the Congo and Nigerian journeyman Michael Gbenga. Finally, gatekeeper Willie Herring of Florida takes on undefeated Colombian prospect Santander Silgado in Brooklyn.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Mar 12-18

danboxing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:23:27 +0000

Nothing to report this week.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (6-90-90)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (6-110-110)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: 4/4/2012- vs. Shawn Cox (UNR)

3) Antonio Tarver (6-34-34)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #14 Lateef Kayode

Tarver criticized Kayode on ShoBox, and Kayode took exception. So now we have a grudge match. I don’t think the Nigerian is ready for this, but perhaps Tarver will finally show his age.

4) Marco Huck (6-275-275)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #7 Ola Afolabi

Denied a well-deserved rematch with Alexander Povetkin, Huck is dropping back to cruiser, where he’ll fight a rematch of his close fight with Ola Afolabi at a date to be determined.

5) Steve Cunningham (6-404-404)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s notes, above.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (15-351-351)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (15-157-157)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

See Huck’s notes, above.

8) Guillermo Jones (15-76-76)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

9) Danny Green (34-119-119)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (34-174-174)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Fragomeni will fight fellow Italian Silvio Branco for some silly color-coordinated “world title” on St. Patrick’s day. The combined age of the two combatants: 87.

11) B.J. Flores (22-90)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has been accused by Afolabi of ducking, but Flores claims he was given only 3 weeks notice for an offered fight.

12) Francisco Palacios (22-50)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Alexander Alexeev (6-61)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: Unknown

If his record is any indication, he has probably reached just about the ranking he currently tops out at.

14) Lateef Kayode (6-69)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 5/26/2012- vs. #3 Antonio Tarver

Kayode has snubbed a mandatory shot at Guillermo Jones’ alphabet belt for a shot at an even better fighter, the aging but still very capable Antonio Tarver.

15) Enad Licina (5-90)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

16) Troy Ross (5-6)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

17) Firat Arslan (5-35)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan is 41 and not getting any younger. Unless he’s already decided to call it a day, expect a better opponent in his next fight than Farias.

18) Grigory Drozd (5-5)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd hasn’t been doing badly whatsoever when he steps into the ring. The only problem? He has averaged less than 1 fight per year since the start of 2009.

19) Matt Godfrey (6-26)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

20) Eric Fields (6-22)

Last Fight: 1/28/2011- UD8 Derrick Brown (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Fields is the latest in a fairly long line of iffy candidates to enter in the rankings. He’s a one-loss prospect with a win over marginal gatekeeper Danny Batchelder back in June. What separates him from the 2 or 3 guys he beat out for this spot is the fact that his loss- in 2008 against current #6 Ola Afolabi- is a lot more forgivable than the losses of his competitors.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Two notable fights go down on Saturday. In Pavia, Italy, two Italian graybeards battle it out to see which one is the least geriatric when #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni takes on gatekeeper-level Silvio Branco. Combined age of the two fighters: 87, with Branco claiming the largest share at 45. Meanwhile, in Poland, undefeated local prospect Pawel Kolodziej takes on solid Romanian journeyman Giulian Ilie.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Mar 5-11

danboxing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:11:13 +0000

On the Klitschko-Mormeck undercard in Dusseldorf, Russian gatekeeper Valery Brudov was the victim of a comprehensive beating at the hands of #7 Ola Afolabi of England. The fight was halted after completion of a 5th round that saw Brudov suffering his second knockdown of the fight. This fight was for the “interim WBO title,” or in practical terms, the right to face either Marco Huck (should he return to cruiser), or perhaps Denis Lebedev. No changes to the rankings, as Afolabi has basically just been treading water with borderline opponents while waiting around for a fight with Huck.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (5-89-89)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (5-109-109)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There appears to be a deal in the works for Lebedev to fight French gatekeeper Rachid El Hadak in Moscow on April 4. If true, this would be a strangely weak and low-profile opponent for a contender of Lebedev’s stature.

3) Antonio Tarver (5-33-33)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

After it appeared Tarver would likely fight Wlodarczyk, there is now serious buzz that he might accept a challenge from Lateef Kayode in late May, instead.

4) Marco Huck (5-274-274)

Last Fight: 2/25/2012- L*(MD12) vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Next Fight: Unknown

After a shockingly strong showing against Povetkin that he probably deserved to win, Huck’s immediate future as a cruiserweight is uncertain. Povetkin is ducking an immediate rematch, but Huck has previously stated a desire to fight one of the Klitschkos.

5) Steve Cunningham (5-403-403)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s notes, above.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (14-350-350)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

The Tarver fight now appears unlikely, and I’ve found no news on what plan B is for Wlodarczyk.

7) Ola Afolabi (14-156-156)

Last Fight: 3/3/2012- RTD5 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Having won an interim title with the win over Brudov, Afolabi is now set to fight for the full WBO belt against Huck should the latter drop back to 200.

8) Guillermo Jones (14-75-75)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones is still in talks with his mandatory Kayode at last check, but the latest buzz has the Nigerian fighting Tarver, instead.

9) Danny Green (33-118-118)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (33-173-173)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Fragomeni will fight fellow Italian Silvio Branco for some silly color-coordinated “world title” on St. Patrick’s day. The combined age of the two combatants: 87.

11) B.J. Flores (21-89)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has been accused by Afolabi of ducking, but Flores claims he was given only 3 weeks notice for an offered fight.

12) Francisco Palacios (21-49)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk appears poised for a fight with Antonio Tarver.

13) Alexander Alexeev (5-60)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: Unknown

If his record is any indication, he has probably reached just about the ranking he currently tops out at.

14) Lateef Kayode (5-68)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

WBA titlist Guillermo Jones has been ordered to fight Kayode, but Kayode is currently deep into talks with Antonio Tarver, as well.

15) Enad Licina (4-89)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

16) Troy Ross (4-5)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

17) Firat Arslan (4-34)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan is 41 and not getting any younger. Unless he’s already decided to call it a day, expect a better opponent in his next fight than Farias.

18) Grigory Drozd (4-4)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd hasn’t been doing badly whatsoever when he steps into the ring. The only problem? He has averaged less than 1 fight per year since the start of 2009.

19) Matt Godfrey (5-25)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

20) Eric Fields (5-21)

Last Fight: 1/28/2011- UD8 Derrick Brown (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: Nothing of note going on at cruiser this week.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Feb 20-26

danboxing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:54:36 +0000

Nothing doing this week.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (3-87-87)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (3-107-107)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been speculation that Lebedev might fight Steve Cunningham next.

3) Antonio Tarver (3-31-31)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

The latest word is that there is a 75% chance that Tarver will fight Wlodarczyk on Showtime, April 28.

4) Marco Huck (3-272-272)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

5) Steve Cunningham (3-401-401)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s notes, above.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (12-348-348)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Tarver’s notes, above.

7) Ola Afolabi (12-154-154)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi claims that BJ Flores is ducking him. He is of course also in line for a shot at the alphabet title currently held by Marco Huck.

8) Guillermo Jones (12-73-73)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

After discussions with Lebedev fell apart, it now appears that his mandatory obligation against Kayode is the most probable next fight for Jones.

9) Danny Green (31-116-116)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-171-171)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Fragomeni will fight fellow Italian Silvio Branco for some silly color-coordinated “world title” on St. Patrick’s day. The combined age of the two combatants: 87.

11) B.J. Flores (19-87)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has been accused by Afolabi of ducking.

12) Francisco Palacios (19-47)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk appears poised for a fight with Antonio Tarver.

13) Alexander Alexeev (3-58)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: Unknown

If his record is any indication, he has probably reached just about the ranking he currently tops out at.

14) Lateef Kayode (3-66)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

WBA titlist Guillermo Jones has been ordered to fight Kayode.

15) Enad Licina (2-87)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

16) Troy Ross (2-3)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

17) Firat Arslan (2-32)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan is 41 and not getting any younger. Unless he’s already decided to call it a day, expect a better opponent in his next fight than Farias.

18) Grigory Drozd (2-2)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd hasn’t been doing badly whatsoever when he steps into the ring. The only problem? He has averaged less than 1 fight per year since the start of 2009.

19) Matt Godfrey (3-23)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

20) Eric Fields (3-19)

Last Fight: 1/28/2011- UD8 Derrick Brown (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: This is a pretty busy week in the division.

Things get started on Friday, when former Light Heavyweight fringe contender Thierry Karl of France fights Georgian journeyman Sandro Siproshvili for a title so inconsequential that even the WBF admits it’s not a world title.

Saturday sees the return of former top contender Wayne Braithwaite, who returns from a long layoff against Shawn Cox- a one-loss fringe prospect from Barbados- in Braithwaite’s native Guyana. Later in the evening, fringe contender Garrett Wilson of Philadelphia takes on former Expos and Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez in an eight rounder. Wait. Maybe it’s a different Pedro Martinez, but this one is probably not any better at boxing than the future hall of fame pitcher, judging by the skimpy 6-4 record against entirely nondescript opposition.

The week’s action wraps up on Sunday, when undefeated Ukrainian prospect Dmitro Kucher fights serviceable Czech journeyman Lubos Suda in Kiev.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Feb 13-19

danboxing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:52:24 +0000

A pair of top 50 cruisers met in Moscow on Wednesday. Jamaica’s Richard Hall- a one-time fringe contender- had settled into a role as the kind of challenge you might put your undefeated prospect in with for his first fight against a solid opponent, but he recently cemented his credentials as a bona fide gatekeeper when he slammed the door on former champion O’Neil Bell, effectively vetoing his countryman’s attempt at a comeback. Russian Grigory Drozd rated somewhere between a prospect and a fringe contender. At 32, he is maybe on the old side for a prospect, but his only career loss came against the fairly credible Firat Arslan, now over 5 years ago. So this shaped up to be a pretty intriguing fight. In the end, it was the Russian winning on cuts after the 9th round, and now that Drozd has won his last 3 fights against top 50 opponents, he as certainly earned a ranking. His best win is not really nearly as good as Matt Godfrey’s, but Godfrey has not won in a very long time, and has looked very ordinary (to be charitable) in his last couple outings. Drozd therefore surpasses him in a somewhat close call. It’s very possible that Drozd has a better resume overall than Arslan, but even with the fight being back in what amounts to irrelevant dinosaur times, the prior head-to-head victory for Arslan tips the scales in his favor when all is said and done.

Last week’s #15 Steve Herelius exits for inactivity, and that allows the recently-defeated Enad Licina to reclaim his old position. The recently re-activated Troy Ross edges up to claim the #16 spot. Arslan advances to #17. Drozd debuts at #18, while Godfrey and Fields stand pat at #19 and #20, respectively.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (2-86-86)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #4 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Erased any doubt as to the better fighter between him and Cunningham. A fight with Lebedev now would be huge.

2) Denis Lebedev (2-106-106)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been speculation that Lebedev might fight Steve Cunningham next.

3) Antonio Tarver (2-30-30)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

The latest word is that there is a 75% chance that Tarver will fight Wlodarczyk on Showtime, April 28.

4) Marco Huck (2-271-271)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

5) Steve Cunningham (2-400-400)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s notes, above.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (11-347-347)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Tarver’s notes, above.

7) Ola Afolabi (11-153-153)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi claims that BJ Flores is ducking him. He is of course also in line for a shot at the alphabet title currently held by Marco Huck.

8) Guillermo Jones (11-72-72)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

After discussions with Lebedev fell apart, it now appears that his mandatory obligation against Kayode is the most probable next fight for Jones.

9) Danny Green (30-115-115)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (30-170-170)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: 3/17/2012- vs. Silvio Branco (UNR)

Fragomeni will fight fellow Italian Silvio Branco for some silly color-coordinated “world title” on St. Patrick’s day. The combined age of the two combatants: 87.

11) B.J. Flores (18-86)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO6 Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Flores has been accused by Afolabi of ducking.

12) Francisco Palacios (18-46)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, but that seems almost forgotten as Wlodarczyk appears poised for a fight with Antonio Tarver.

13) Alexander Alexeev (2-57)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD12 #15 Enad Licina

Next Fight: Unknown

If his record is any indication, he has probably reached just about the ranking he currently tops out at.

14) Lateef Kayode (2-65)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

WBA titlist Guillermo Jones has been ordered to fight Kayode.

15) Enad Licina (1-86)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- L(UD12) vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Next Fight: Unknown

May be getting a little shopworn. He’s not a pushover by any means, but you’d have to be crazy to imagine him as a top-10-type guy.

16) Troy Ross (1-2)

Last Fight: 2/4/2012- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Inactivity combined with poor competition are killing the career of top-level talent Ross, but at least he’s technically an active cruiserweight again, and thus eligible to remain in the rankings.

17) Firat Arslan (1-31)

Last Fight: 1/28/2012- TKO2 Orlando Farias (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan is 41 and not getting any younger. Unless he’s already decided to call it a day, expect a better opponent in his next fight than Farias.

18) Grigory Drozd (1-1)

Last Fight: 2/8/2012- RTD9 Richard Hall (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Drozd hasn’t been doing badly whatsoever when he steps into the ring. The only problem? He has averaged less than 1 fight per year since the start of 2009.

19) Matt Godfrey (2-22)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

20) Eric Fields (2-18)

Last Fight: 1/28/2011- UD8 Derrick Brown (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: After a few consecutive weeks of heavy activity and/or major ratings shakeups, the cruisers take a well-deserved breather this week.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Jan 23-29

danboxing — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:42:04 +0000

I gotta admit that I’ve become a little cynical about this sport. I saw the result for the fight between gatekeeper Juho Haapoja (pronounced Yoo-Ho Hah-poy-ya) of Finland and untested prospect Ian Tims of Ireland- which took place in Finland- and when I saw that it was a close decision, my immediate reaction is that there must have been a robbery involved. So I went way out of my way to get a copy of the Finnish broadcast, watched all 4 fights on the card, and was surprised to learn that the judges were remarkably unbiased and that they got it exactly right. How refreshing! To be fair, a sad-sack Latvian with a losing record earned a draw with a garbage undefeated Finn named Jarno Rosberg on the undercard, but got screwed. As a result, I think my general cynicism about judging will remain intact for another week.

In other action, Israeli prospect Ran Nakash bounced back from his first career loss last spring to Marco Huck by shutting out decent journeyman Derek Bryant in New York.

Neither of these wins carries enough weight to affect the rankings.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (27-103-103)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Guillermo Jones appears to be Lebedev’s mostly likely next opponent, but there is no deal yet.

2) Antonio Tarver (17-27-27)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

There is talk of a showdown with Wlodarczyk in March on Showtime.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (17-83-83)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (17-397-397)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (17-268-268)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (8-344-344)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Wlodarczyk has a alphabet obligation to give a rematch to Francisco Palacios who probably deserved the win against Wlodarczyk, and is being challenged by Tarver, as well. But the Polish contender appears less interested in these fights than in a disgusting execution of the oft-executed Roy Jones. And he, like Lebedev before him, should be ashamed of himself. There are also talks of a Tarver fight in March.

7) Ola Afolabi (8-150-150)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.

8) Guillermo Jones (8-69-69)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Reportedly there is a fight in discussion between Jones and Lebedev for March or April. The WBA also just ordered a fight between Jones and Lateef Kayode.

9) Danny Green (27-112-112)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (27-167-167)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (15-83)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Flores chose to fight the one opponent from his list of stated candidates that was so weak that I didn’t bother to mention him- Hugo Pineda.

12) Francisco Palacios (15-43)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.

13) Lateef Kayode (15-62)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

WBA titlist Guillermo Jones has been ordered to fight Kayode.

14) Steve Herelius (13-82)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (13-83)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (13-28)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Orlando Farias (UNR)

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card, against journeyman Orlando Farias.

17) Alexander Alexeev (13-54)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (13-19)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (13-15)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (13-13)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. Michael Simms (UNR)

Masternak will fight journeyman Michael Simms on the Hernandez-Cunningham undercard on February 4.

THE WEEK AHEAD: The division really kicks into high gear this week, with four significant bouts on Saturday. The best match of the four is in Rotherbaum, Germany, when undefeated Russian prospect Rakhim Chakhkiev fights gatekeeper and countryman Alexander Kotlobay. In a shallow division, this fight could very easily earn the winner a ranking next week. 41-year old #16 contender Firat Arslan takes on Argentine journeyman Orlando Farias on the same card.

In the US, #11 B.J. Flores is in very light in a showcase fight in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri when he likely pummels 40-year-old mid-90s-era junior welterweight contender Hugo Pineda.

Finally, #19 Eric Fields gets what should be an easy night with low-level journeyman Derrick Brown in Verona, New York.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Jan 16-22

danboxing — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:47:57 +0000

Another quiet week at 200.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (26-102-102)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

If Marco Huck loses his alphabet title due to his move to heavyweight, we might see Lebedev-Afolabi for that vacant title. Jones and Tarver remain possibilities, as well. Huck also may drop back down for a rematch.

2) Antonio Tarver (16-26-26)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

There is talk of a showdown with Wlodarczyk in March on Showtime.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (16-82-82)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (16-396-396)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (16-267-267)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (7-343-343)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (7-149-149)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.

8) Guillermo Jones (7-68-68)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Reportedly there is a fight in discussion between Jones and Lebedev for March or April. The WBA also just ordered a fight between Jones and Lateef Kayode.

9) Danny Green (26-111-111)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-166-166)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (14-82)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Hugo Pineda (UNR)

Flores chose to fight the one opponent from his list of stated candidates that was so weak that I didn’t bother to mention him- Hugo Pineda.

12) Francisco Palacios (14-42)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.

13) Lateef Kayode (14-61)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

WBA titlist Guillermo Jones has been ordered to fight Kayode.

14) Steve Herelius (12-81)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (12-82)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (12-27)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.

17) Alexander Alexeev (12-53)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (12-18)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (12-14)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (12-12)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. Michael Simms (UNR)

Masternak will fight journeyman Michael Simms on the Hernandez-Cunningham undercard on February 4.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Finally, we have our first 2 significant cruiserweight bouts of 2012! In some town I can’t pronounce in Finland, local fringe prospect Juho Haapoja fights 9-0 but totally untested Ian Tims of Dublin. Later in the evening, Israeli prospect Ran Nakash looks to bounce back in his first fight since his spring loss to Marco Huck when he takes on decent journeyman Derek Bryant in New York.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Jan 9-15

danboxing — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:29:53 +0000

No action worth mentioning this week, but one side note. The Ring has made its rankings silly and irrelevant by arbitrarily dropping Marco Huck from its rankings for the sole purpose of setting up the Hernandez-Cunningham fight as a Ring title fight. And that’s ignoring the fact that the 1-2-3 lineup was pretty far off the mark in the first place. As a result of this shameful deviation from the magazine’s once solid integrity, I will no longer give the magazine’s ratings any credence on this blog. That’s right, folks- if you’re looking for honest, well considered divisional rankings, I’m now the only game in town.

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (25-101-101)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

2) Antonio Tarver (15-25-25)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver has laid out his ideal 2012 plan. First, he wants to fight Lebedev (!) or Wlodarczyk. Second, David Haye at Madison Square Garden. Finally, Wladimir Klitschko, anywhere in the world.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (15-81-81)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (15-395-395)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (15-266-266)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (6-342-342)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (6-148-148)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.

8) Guillermo Jones (6-67-67)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Reportedly there is a fight in discussion between Jones and Lebedev for March or April.

9) Danny Green (25-110-110)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (25-165-165)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (13-81)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent

Flores will keep up his streak of fighting in his hometown of Springfield, MO when he fights for a regional title in late January. Several names have been mentioned, including Ed Perry (who put up a spirited but clearly losing effort against Lateef Kayode on ShoBox not long ago) and Jeremiah Graziano, a Kansas City-based undefeated prospect who impressed me when I saw him fight a no-hoper.

12) Francisco Palacios (13-41)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.

13) Lateef Kayode (13-60)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode recently vacated his NABF title rather than fight BJ Flores. It’s starting to become apparent that Kayode might not be the can’t-miss prospect most assumed he was about a year ago.

14) Steve Herelius (11-80)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (11-81)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (11-26)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.

17) Alexander Alexeev (11-52)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (11-17)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (11-13)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (11-11)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. Michael Simms (UNR)

Masternak will fight journeyman Michael Simms on the Hernandez-Cunningham undercard on February 4.

THE WEEK AHEAD: We still are left waiting for 2012′s first notable cruiserweight fight.

Cruiserweight: 2012, Jan 2-8

danboxing — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:14:32 +0000

This division declined to ring in the New Year with any notable action.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Antonio Tarver

7) Giacobbe Fragomeni

8) Ola Afolabi

9) Guillermo Jones

10) Lateef Kayode

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (24-100-100)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

If Marco Huck loses his alphabet title due to his move to heavyweight, we might see Lebedev-Afolabi for that vacant title. Jones and Tarver remain possibilities, as well. Huck also may drop back down for a rematch.

2) Antonio Tarver (14-24-24)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver has laid out his ideal 2012 plan. First, he wants to fight Lebedev (!) or Wlodarczyk. Second, David Haye at Madison Square Garden. Finally, Wladimir Klitschko, anywhere in the world.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (14-80-80)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (14-394-394)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (14-265-265)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (5-341-341)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (5-147-147)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.

8) Guillermo Jones (5-66-66)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko, but also has the equally suicidal willingness to fight Marco Huck…in Germany.

9) Danny Green (24-109-109)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (24-164-164)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (12-80)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent

12) Francisco Palacios (12-40)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.

13) Lateef Kayode (12-59)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode recently vacated his NABF title rather than fight BJ Flores. It’s starting to become apparent that Kayode might not be the can’t-miss prospect most assumed he was about a year ago.

14) Steve Herelius (10-79)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (10-80)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (10-25)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.

17) Alexander Alexeev (10-51)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (10-16)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (10-12)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (10-10)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent

Sauerland has Masternak slated for a fight on February 4, with the opponent to be announced.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Another slow week.

Cruiserweight: 2011-2012, Dec 26 - Jan 1

danboxing — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:01:33 +0000

No fights. Only Christmas.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Antonio Tarver

7) Giacobbe Fragomeni

8) Ola Afolabi

9) Guillermo Jones

10) Lateef Kayode

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (22-98-98)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

If Marco Huck loses his alphabet title due to his move to heavyweight, we might see Lebedev-Afolabi for that vacant title.

2) Antonio Tarver (12-22-22)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver wants Wlodarczyk next, then would like to move back to heavyweight. Too bad, because the Lebedev offer would have crowned a champion here.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (12-78-78)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (12-392-392)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (12-263-263)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/25/2011- vs. HW #2 Alexander Povetkin (at HW)

Povetkin vs. Huck is now set a division to the north.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (4-339-339)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Ola Afolabi (4-145-145)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi might get a shot at Huck’s alphabet title despite Huck’s moving up to Heavyweight, as there may be a fight with Denis Lebedev offered for the vacant title.

8) Guillermo Jones (4-64-64)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko, but also has the equally suicidal willingness to fight Marco Huck…in Germany.

9) Danny Green (22-107-107)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (22-162-162)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (10-78)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2012- vs. Unknown Opponent

12) Francisco Palacios (10-38)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The WBC has mandated a rematch with Wlodarczyk, who has made noises about ducking that fight and losing his belt in favor of a joke fight with Roy Jones.

13) Lateef Kayode (10-57)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode recently vacated his NABF title rather than fight BJ Flores. It’s starting to become apparent that Kayode might not be the can’t-miss prospect most assumed he was about a year ago.

14) Steve Herelius (8-77)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (8-78)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (8-23)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.

17) Alexander Alexeev (8-49)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (8-14)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (8-10)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (8-8)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Happy New Year!

Cruiserweight: 2011, Dec 19-25

danboxing — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:45:22 +0000

Undefeated Ukrainian prospect Dmitro Kucher won a solid 8-round decision over journeyman Ismail Abdoul in a Ukrainian city whose name I can’t spell. That’s all she wrote this week.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Antonio Tarver

7) Giacobbe Fragomeni

8) Ola Afolabi

9) Guillermo Jones

10) Lateef Kayode

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (21-97-97)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (11-21-21)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver wants Wlodarczyk next, then would like to move back to heavyweight. Too bad, because the Lebedev offer would have crowned a champion here.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (11-77-77)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #4 Steve Cunningham

Hernandez will give Steve Cunningham a much-deserved rematch after their cut-shortened and highly controversial October fight.

4) Steve Cunningham (11-391-391)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #3 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

See Hernandez’ comments above.

5) Marco Huck (11-262-262)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Huck now appears very likely to move up for a fight with Alexander Povetkin.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (3-338-338)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

May have a fight with Tarver looming once his broken hand heals.

7) Ola Afolabi (3-144-144)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Afolabi is accusing Huck of ducking him now that Huck appears to be moving up for a fight with Povetkin.

8) Guillermo Jones (3-63-63)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko, but also has the equally suicidal willingness to fight Marco Huck…in Germany.

9) Danny Green (21-106-106)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (21-161-161)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (9-77)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

It was assumed that Flores was in line to fight Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones, but King apparently thinks he can make more money fighting at home in Springfield and then taking on one of the other alphabet titlists.

12) Francisco Palacios (9-37)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (9-56)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (7-76)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (7-77)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (7-22)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Unknown Opponent

Arslan will be featured on Universum’s big January 28 card.

17) Alexander Alexeev (7-48)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (7-13)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (7-9)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: 1/28/2011- vs. Derrick Brown (UNR)

20) Mateusz Masternak (7-7)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Merry Christmas!.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Dec 12-18

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:09:57 +0000

Roy Jones, Jr. fought a complete nobody named Max Alexander in Atlanta and won a shutout decision this week. The fight was for a regional belt of some organization called the IBS. So having no doubt left the ring with the belt around his waist or over his shoulder, it’s safe to say that Jones left the ring with the end result of IBS all over him. Personally, I probably would have crapped myself if Jones hadn’t left the building with some serious IBS shit. No changes to the ratings.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Antonio Tarver

7) Giacobbe Fragomeni

8) Ola Afolabi

9) Guillermo Jones

10) Lateef Kayode

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (20-96-96)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (10-20-20)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Tarver wants Wlodarczyk next, then would like to move back to heavyweight. Too bad, because the Lebedev offer would have crowned a champion here.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (10-76-76)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (10-390-390)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (10-261-261)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Huck may be literally getting too big for his britches, as he has been publicly agitating for a fight with heavyweight #1 contender Vitali Klitschko. Vitali seems to have some interest, and there are talks that the fight might happen in February or March. He also says he wants to fight Guillermo Jones, and has a mandatory obligation with Ola Afolabi.

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (2-337-337)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

May have a fight with Tarver looming once his broken hand heals.

7) Ola Afolabi (2-143-143)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

May be in line for a fight with Huck in February or March.

8) Guillermo Jones (2-62-62)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko, but also has the equally suicidal willingness to fight Marco Huck…in Germany.

9) Danny Green (20-105-105)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

Green is undecided on a possible retirement after 2 consecutive stoppage losses.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (20-160-160)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (8-76)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

12) Francisco Palacios (8-36)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (8-55)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (6-75)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (6-76)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (6-21)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (6-47)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (6-12)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (6-8)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (6-6)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Undefeated Ukrainian prospect Dmitro Kucher is set to fight Belgian journeyman Ismail Abdoul in the Ukraine on Sunday in the division’s only notable action.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Dec 5-11

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:03:01 +0000

In a memorable fight in Australia this Wednesday, #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk had worked himself into a precarious situation on the scorecards against #9 Danny Green- down 4 points with 2 to go- when he took advantage of a broken nose he inflicted upon Green at the end of the 10th in order to pummel and drop the local favorite to a dramatic 11th round stoppage.

Wlodarczyk moves up to #6, displacing Ola Afolabi, whose opposition has regressed recently. It was a bit of a tough call whether to advance him past Marco Huck given Huck’s performance against Lebedev. However, I ultimately decided that since Lebedev is currently rated #1, that performance is somewhat forgivable. Additionally, Huck’s overall resume, being by far the deepest and longest in the division, helps him retain the #5 position. You would think that Green would fall based on a loss to someone only one position above him, but in this case he’s insulated against that movement by the fact that #10 Giacobbe Fragomeni hasn’t had a significant win since 2008 and that he’s already beat #11 B.J. Flores. I’m never one to force punishment upon a guy for losing to a good fighter, especially when his competition has done the same or has not even fought good fighters.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (19-95-95)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (9-19-19)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s comments above.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (9-75-75)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (9-389-389)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (9-260-260)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (1-336-336)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- TKO11 #9 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

7) Ola Afolabi (1-142-142)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

May be in line for a fight with Huck in February or March.

8) Guillermo Jones (1-61-61)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko.

9) Danny Green (19-104-104)

Last Fight: 11/30/2011- L(TKO11) vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: Unknown

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (19-159-159)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (7-75)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (7-35)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (7-54)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (5-74)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (5-75)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (5-20)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (5-46)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (5-11)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (5-7)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (5-5)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: Roy Jones, Jr. finds himself on a crappy online pay-per-view against not-so-great journeyman Max Alexander in Atlanta. This fight will reportedly be for an IBS regional title. Truth be told, even with IBS involved, most people just don’t give a crap.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Nov 28 - Dec 4

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:45:11 +0000

Nothing to report. I do have one note. Enzo Maccarinelli’s long-awaited move to 175 actually had an interesting wrinkle- it was fought at an apparent contract weight a few pounds north of that weight. Technically, that makes Maccarinelli an active cruiserweight again. But I’ve decided (and this will serve as precedent going forward) that he should not be re-rated. Maccarinelli has repeatedly declared his move to 175, and to keep him rateable for the next year based entirely on what is not much different than failing to make weight for a light heavyweight fight, and when he has no intention of competing at cruiser, just seems ridiculous and unwarranted to me.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (18-94-94)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (8-18-18)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s comments above.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (8-74-74)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (8-388-388)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (8-259-259)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Ola Afolabi (8-141-141)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

May be in line for a fight with Huck in February or March.

7) Guillermo Jones (18-60-60)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko.

8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (34-335-335)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #9 Danny Green

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

9) Danny Green (18-103-103)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- L(RTD9) vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (18-158-158)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (6-74)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (6-34)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (6-53)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (4-73)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (4-74)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (4-19)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (4-45)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (4-10)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (4-6)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (4-4)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: The big fight this week is on Wednesday between #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk and #9 Danny Green in Australia. Both guys have been backtracking a little in their careers lately, and this is a big opportunity for the winner to catapult himself to somewhere near the top again.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Nov 21-27

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:18:15 +0000

Four fights on two nights this past week:

On Friday, Australian undefeated prospect Brad Pitt made a statement by stopping Australian “Contender” TV show veteran Victor Oganov in 5. Oganov may or may not be the best opponent Pitt has beaten so far at this stage, but he is certainly the biggest name. Nevertheless, Oganov lacks the credentials at this weight to support a rating for Pitt. #17 Alexander Alexeev also managed to stop his opponent, solid journeyman Daniel Bruwer, in Germany. Wrapping up Friday, undefeated Cuban prospect Yunier Dorticos proved that just because you’re Livin doesn’t mean you have a pulse, as he stopped relative novice Livin Castillo in Miami. See what I did there?

Saturday, Garrett Wilson knocked out fringe prospect Chuck Mussachio in the 12th round in Atlantic City.

Most of these fights were halfway decent matchups, but none quite well-matched enough to provide a change in the rankings.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (17-93-93)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (7-17-17)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s comments above.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (7-73-73)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (7-387-387)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (7-258-258)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Ola Afolabi (7-140-140)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Guillermo Jones (17-59-59)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko.

8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (33-334-334)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #9 Danny Green

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

9) Danny Green (17-102-102)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- L(RTD9) vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (17-157-157)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (5-73)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (5-33)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (5-52)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (3-72)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (3-73)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (3-18)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (3-44)

Last Fight: 11/18/2011- TKO8 Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2012- vs. #15 Enad Licina

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (3-9)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (3-5)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (3-3)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Masternak recently signed with Sauerland, giving him lots of great opportunities for big fights in the near future.

THE WEEK AHEAD: No major fights at cruiser this week.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Nov 14-20

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:18:07 +0000

Undefeated prospect Pawel Kolodziej stopped ordinary journeyman Mauro Ordiales late in round 2 in Kolodziej’s native Poland. No changes to the rankings this week.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (17-93-93)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (7-17-17)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s comments above.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (7-73-73)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (7-387-387)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (7-258-258)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Ola Afolabi (7-140-140)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Guillermo Jones (17-59-59)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko.

8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (33-334-334)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #9 Danny Green

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

9) Danny Green (17-102-102)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- L(RTD9) vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (17-157-157)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (5-73)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (5-33)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (5-52)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (3-72)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (3-73)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (3-18)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (3-44)

Last Fight: 6/11/2011- TKO2 Damian Norris (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/18/2011- vs. Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (3-9)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (3-5)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (3-3)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: Lots of fights to talk about this week. Australian undefeated prospect Brad Pitt will fight Victor Oganov, a former Super Middleweight who was featured on Australian’s version of “The Contender” a few years ago. Don’t let the name of the show fool you, though. Oganov has been strictly relegated to journeyman status since the show, after which he took the big leap to cruiser. The following night in Germany, #17 Alexander Alexeev stays busy ahead of his second and more important scheduled fight with Enad Licina, when he faces journeyman Daniel Bruwer. Putting a cap on Friday, undefeated Cuban prospect Yunier Dorticos takes a bit of a step back from his career-best victory over Jose Luis Herrera this spring when he faces pretty non-threatening journeyman Livin Castillo in Miami.

Saturday begins and ends in the division with gatekeeper Garrett Wilson- who was originally scheduled for an eliminator with then-ranked Troy Ross- taking on one-loss fringe prospect Chuck Mussachio in Atlantic City.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Nov 7-13

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:54:43 +0000

#1 Denis Lebedev shut out 43-year-old former middleweight champion James Toney in Moscow on Friday. Maybe Lebedev will fight somebody with a pulse next.

In dual stay-busy fights on the same card in Hollywood, Florida, #12 Francisco Palacios shut out mediocre journeyman Joell Godfrey over 8 rounds, while #7 Guillermo Jones stopped an only slightly better journeyman in Michael Marrone, in what incredibly was for Jones’ WBA title.

No changes in the rankings.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (16-92-92)

Last Fight: 11/4/2011- UD12 James Toney (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

There has been buzz of a possible matchup with Tarver in February in England, but Tarver recently said he has no reason to fight Lebedev.

2) Antonio Tarver (6-16-16)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

See Lebedev’s comments above.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (6-72-72)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (6-386-386)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (6-257-257)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Ola Afolabi (6-139-139)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Guillermo Jones (16-58-58)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- TKO6 Michael Marrone (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Jones, a former welterweight, now says he wants a Klitschko.

8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (32-333-333)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #9 Danny Green

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

9) Danny Green (16-101-101)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- L(RTD9) vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (16-156-156)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (4-72)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (4-32)

Last Fight: 11/5/2011- UD8 Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

13) Lateef Kayode (4-51)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (2-71)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (2-72)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: 2/4/2011- vs. #17 Alexander Alexeev

Licina-Alexeev now has a date: February 4.

16) Firat Arslan (2-17)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (2-43)

Last Fight: 6/11/2011- TKO2 Damian Norris (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/18/2011- vs. Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (2-8)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (2-4)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (2-2)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: Polish undefeated prospect Pawel Kolodziej fights Argentine journeyman Mauro Ordiales in Poland on Saturday in the week’s only notable cruiserweight action.

Cruiserweight: 2011, Oct 31- Nov 6

danboxing — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:05:09 +0000

No notable fights occurred in the division this week, but #14 Troy Ross vanishes from the rankings since he has not fought since his frankly inconsequential win over Carl Handy a year ago. Polish undefeated prospect Mateusz Masternak is, to me, the clear choice to take over the #20 spot. Masternak was ranked for 5 months until he was forced out by Firat Arslan’s victory over Lubos Suda 4 months ago.

For Comparison, here are the Current Ring Magazine Cruiserweight Rankings:

Champ: None

1) Marco Huck

2) Yoan Pablo Hernandez

3) Steve Cunningham

4) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

5) Denis Lebedev

6) Troy Ross

7) Antonio Tarver

8) Giacobbe Fragomeni

9) Ola Afolabi

10) Guillermo Jones

Dan’s Top 20

Champ: None

1) Denis Lebedev (15-91-91)

Last Fight: 5/21/2011- TKO10 Roy Jones, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/4/2011- vs. James Toney (UNR)

Lebedev follows his ugly beat-down of washed-up legend Roy Jones, Jr. with a fight against…washed-up legend James Toney.

2) Antonio Tarver (5-15-15)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- RTD9 #7 Danny Green

Next Fight: Unknown

Wladimir Klitschko’s trainer Manny Steward wants his champion to defend his title against Tarver.

3) Yoan Pablo Hernandez (5-71-71)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- W(SD6) vs. #2 Steve Cunningham

Next Fight: Unknown

Hernandez’s mandatory for now appears to be Troy Ross. It seems possible that popular demand could lead to a rematch with Cunningham, though, too.

4) Steve Cunningham (5-385-385)

Last Fight: 10/1/2011- L(SD6) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

Cunningham was all but robbed in his last fight, but left just enough doubt by getting knocked down in the first to leave him behind his opponent in the rankings.

5) Marco Huck (5-256-256)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- KO5 Rogelio Rossi (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

6) Ola Afolabi (5-138-138)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- UD8 Lukasz Rusiewicz (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

7) Guillermo Jones (15-57-57)

Last Fight: 10/2/2010- TKO11 Valery Brudov (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Michael Marrone (UNR)

If it’s still possible to do so, Jones is making a mockery of his alphabet title. He hasn’t fought a mandatory defense in something like 3 years, injury-free, and is now set to fight a joke of a defense against Michael Marrone.

8) Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (31-332-332)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- W(SD12*) vs. Francisco Palacios (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #9 Danny Green

A really good matchup on tap between Wlodarczyk and Green- two contenders with a lot to prove.

9) Danny Green (15-100-100)

Last Fight: 7/20/2011- L(RTD9) vs. Antonio Tarver (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/30/2011- vs. #8 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

See Wlodarczyk’s comments, above.

10) Giacobbe Fragomeni (15-155-155)

Last Fight: 7/8/2011- UD6 Remigijus Ziausys (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

11) B.J. Flores (3-71)

Last Fight: 10/15/2011- UD10 Paul Jennette (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

The natural assumption is that Flores is in line for a shot at Don King stablemate Guillermo Jones.

12) Francisco Palacios (3-31)

Last Fight: 4/2/2011- L (SD12*) vs. #6 Krzysztof Wlodarczyk

Next Fight: 11/5/2011- vs. Joell Godfrey (UNR)

Palacios has a stay-busy fight scheduled on Saturday in Florida.

13) Lateef Kayode (3-50)

Last Fight: 9/9/2011- UD10 Felix Cora, Jr. (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Kayode has engaged in close fights with less-than-stellar opposition in 2 of his last 3 outings.

14) Steve Herelius (1-70)

Last Fight: 2/12/2011- L(KO7) vs. #6 Yoan Pablo Hernandez

Next Fight: Unknown

15) Enad Licina (1-71)

Last Fight: 10/22/2011- UD8 Hari Miles (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown Date- vs. #18 Alexander Alexeev

It appears that the EBU-mandated fight between Licina and Alexeev is essentially made for an unnamed date in January.

16) Firat Arslan (1-16)

Last Fight: 7/15/2011- TKO5 Lubos Suda (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

Arslan has finally got his comeback on the right track after the Herelius setback by destroying the decent Suda.

17) Alexander Alexeev (1-42)

Last Fight: 6/11/2011- TKO2 Damian Norris (UNR)

Next Fight: 11/18/2011- vs. Daniel Bruwer (UNR)

See Licina’s notes, above.

18) Matt Godfrey (1-7)

Last Fight: 6/10/2011- L(UD10) vs. #17 Lateef Kayode

Next Fight: Unknown

It’s a testament to the stagnation in the bottom half of the rankings that Godfrey- who last had a significant win over 3 years ago- continues to hang around the top 20.

19) Eric Fields (1-3)

Last Fight: 9/2/2011- TKO2 Rubin Williams (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

20) Mateusz Masternak (1-1)

Last Fight: 9/10/2011- TKO3 Carl Davis (UNR)

Next Fight: Unknown

THE WEEK AHEAD: #1 Denis Lebedev leads us off this week by taking on another old-time Middleweight Champion in James Toney. If Lebedev manages to knock out the 43-year-old Toney, I hope he’ll at least do so more quickly and humanely than the difficult-to-watch execution inflicted on Jones by Lebedev and referee Steve Smoger earlier in the year.

On Saturday, #12 Francisco Palacios fights so-so journeyman Joell Godfrey in Hollywood, Florida in an 8-round stay-busy fight, on the undercard of #7 Guillermo Jones’ stay-busy fight against the only slightly better Michael Marrone. Jones somehow still holds the WBA title despite this being only his second fight since he won the title in September 2008.