By Cliff Rold
Over the last two weeks, boxing has seen a pair of new titlist emerge, both of whom add energy to their weight classes. One did it by winning one of the year’s best fights. The other did simply by winning with the promise of excitement later on.
Yohnny Perez and Joseph Agbeko supplied boxing fans with arguably the finest chess match at bantamweight since the Johnny Tapia-Paulie Ayala classic in 1999. With the win, Perez moves up in the ratings while a rematch can be hoped for.
At Heavyweight, David Haye went from action star to stinker…and it worked. It was also probably the smartest thing he could do. Nicolay Valuev never had a chance to use his size against Haye and the Brit pulled out a close one. Haye added the WBA belt to a trophy case which already included the Cruiserweight crown and should make for better fights, with better fighters, down the road.
Even if he doesn’t, he’ll talk up some massive gates and get people to give a damn about the Heavyweights. No one else has done that in years.
And, at Light Heavyweight, Chad Dawson’s win over Glen Johnson moves youth to the forefront in a weight division which needs only for its elders to go away for excitement to kick in.
This is the BoxingScene Divisional Ratings and Results Update.
Heavyweight (201 lbs.-Unlimited)
Notable Recent Results
09/15: #8 Samuel Peter (32-3, 25 KO) TKO2 Ronald Bellamy (14-10-4, 9 KO)
09/26: #1 Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KO, WBC) RTD10 #7 Cristobal Arreola (27-1, 24 KO)
11/07: #6 David Haye (23-1, 21 KO) UD12 #5 Nicolay Valuev (50-2, 34 KO, WBA)
World Champion: Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KO, Lineal/Ring/IBF/WBO)
Lineage Descends From: W. Klitschko RTD9 Chagaev 06/20/2009
Top Ten Contenders
1. Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KO, WBC, 2 Defenses)
2. Alexander Povetkin (17-0, 12 KO)
3. Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KO)
4. Ruslan Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KO)
5. David Haye (23-1, 21 KO, WBA, 0 Defenses)
6. Nicolay Valuev (50-2, 34 KO)
7. Cristobal Arreola (27-1, 23 KO)
8. Samuel Peter (32-3, 25 KO)
9. Alexander Dimitrenko (29-1, 19 KO)
10. Kevin Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KO)
Rating Notes…Based on his victory, Haye trades spots with Valuev and adds some personality to a division sorely lacking. The Valuev victory wasn’t much fun to watch gut Haye usually makes good fights, making this a case of winning today and looking good tomorrow…Chambers and Povetkin are both due for shots at division leader Wladimir Klitschko but all is on hold while Wlad recovers from an injury…Arreola is coming back quickly from the loss to Vitali, already scheduled to fight again before the year is out…Vitali will be back as well with a defense against #10, Johnson...the biggest money would come in 2010 if the biggest names can clash, meaning either Klitschko versus Haye.
Previous Champion: Lennox Lewis (2001-03, Retired)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal or Other: Joe Louis - 25
Current Champion – Defenses: 0 – Lineal; 4 – IBF; 3 – IBF/WBO
Key Upcoming Heavyweight Contests
12/05: #7 Chris Arreola vs. Derric Rossy (22-2, 12 KO)
12/12: #1 Vitali Klitschko vs. #10 Kevin Johnson
Light Heavyweight (169-175 lbs.)
Notable Recent Results
09/25: #4 Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KO, WBC) TKO10 Silvio Branco (59-10-2, 36 KO)
11/07: #1 Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KO) UD12 #2 Glen Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KO); interim WBC title
World Light Heavyweight Champion: Zsolt Erdei (30-0, 17 KO, Lineal/WBO)
Lineage Descends From: Hill SD12 Maske, 11/23/1996
Top Ten Contenders
1. Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KO, WBC interim)
2. Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KO, WBC, 1 Defense)
3. Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO, IBF, 0 Defenses)
4. Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO)
5. Glen Johnson (49-13-2, 33 KO)
6. Antonio Tarver (27-6, 19 KO)
7. Adrian Diaconu (26-1, 15 KO)
8. Roy Jones Jr. (54-5, 40 KO)
9. Yusaf Mack (28-2-2, 17 KO)
10. Gabriel Campillo (19-2, 6 KO, WBA, 1 Defense)
Rating Notes…The long, and aesthetically silly, split between reality and the historical lineage of the title in this class may be over soon. Erdei is headed to Cruiserweight in a winnable fight…Previously #2, Hopkins slips to #5. He’s been inactive for over a year and has chosen a tune up with a Middleweight later this year (Enrique Ornelas). It’s par for the course at Light Heavyweight for a Hopkins who has not faced a single man rated at Light Heavyweight prior to the bout since defeating Tarver in June 2006. Time to reward fighters at Light Heavyweight who fight Light Heavyweights…Among active Light Heavyweights, Chad Dawson clearly stands as the best in class with matching wins over both Tarver and Johnson along with an emphatic decision a couple years ago over Tomasz Adamek. He is in line to demand the winner of Pascal-Diaconu II and either would make for a serious test…Roy Jones and Hopkins may or may not fight next year. Jones’s Cruiserweight bout with Danny Green later this year will factor large in that equation…It’s already been too long since Tavoris Cloud was in the ring. He needs to get active and stay that way.
Previous Champion: Julio Gonzalez (2003-04)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Bob Foster/Dariusz Michalczewski - 14
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Dariusz Michalczewski (WBO) - 23
Current Champion – Defenses: 10 - Lineal/11 - WBO
Key Upcoming Light Heavyweight Contests
12/11: #2 Jean Pascal vs. #7 Adrian Diaconu
Bantamweight (116-118 lbs.)
Notable Recent Results
09/12: #4 Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KO, WBO) Tech. Draw Alejandro Valdez (21-3-3, 15 KO)
09/12: #10 Nehomar Cermeno (18-0, 10 KO, WBA interim) UD12 Cristian Mijares (36-6-2, 15 KO)
10/09: #2 Anselmo Moreno (27-1-1, 9 KO, WBA) TKO6 Jorge Otero (10-10-2, 9 KO); non-title
10/31: #5 Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14 KO) UD12 #3 Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KO, IBF)
World Bantamweight Champion: Vacant
Top Ten Contenders
1. Hozumi Hasegawa (27-2, 11 KO, WBC, 9 Defenses)
2. Anselmo Moreno (27-1-1, 9 KO, WBA, 4 Defenses)
3. Yonnhy Perez (20-0, 14 KO, IBF, 0 Defenses)
4. Joseph Agbeko (27-2, 22 KO)
5. Wladimir Sidorenko (21-2-2, 7 KO)
6. Nehomar Cermeno (18-0, 10 KO, WBA interim)
7. Fernando Montiel (39-2-2, 29 KO, WBO, 0 Defenses)
8. Abner Mares (19-0, 12 KO)
9. Sasha Bakhtin (23-0, 10 KO)
10. Alejandro Valdez (21-3-3, 15 KO)
Ratings Notes…Yonnhy Perez climbs to number three after a compelling victory over Agbeko in a Fight of the Year candidate. Agbeko’s performance doesn’t lose him much in the ratings, but he’d certainly like a chance to get the IBF belt back…There is chatter about the best fighter in the division, Hasegawa, moving up to 122 lbs. Let’s hope against it. Bantamweight is hot right now and he can find plenty to do inside the class…Can Montiel rebound from what should have been a loss to Alejandro Vadez? Gerry Penalosa is probably still good enough to find out…This division needs some unification bouts. It’s interesting enough to merit them.
Previous Champion: Bernardo Pinango (1986-87, Vacated)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Manuel Ortiz - 15
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Orlando Canizales (IBF) – 16
Key Upcoming Bantamweight Contests
12/04: #2 Anselmo Moreno vs. Frederic Patrac (26-7-1, 13 KO)
12/18: #1 Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Alvaro Perez (18-1-1, 12 KO)
12/19: #7 Fernando Montiel vs. Gerry Penalosa (54-7-2, 36 KO)
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Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com