by Cliff Rold

It wasn’t pretty, but Richar Abril made his place among the titlists at 135 lbs. crystal this weekend with a rugged win over Sharif Bogere.  Abril, who has had at least an interim share of the WBA Lightweight belt since an October 2011 decision over former titlist Miguel Acosta, can finally begin to out a controversial loss to Brandon Rios behind him.

Whether he can do much going forward, in terms of U.S. airwaves, will be the purview of networks that must decide if he really appeals to their viewers.

The impact of the fight, and others, is seen in the latest ratings update.

Middleweight: Final resolution to the week’s late breaking news as pertains to Sam Soliman’s possible positive drug test, following a win over Felix Sturm, is outstanding.  What, if any, a fully confirmed result would have on the ratings will be determined later.

Lightweight: Both Abril and Bogere retain their places in the ratings. 

Featherweight: Previously unrated Evgeny Gradovich replaces Billy Dib in the top ten following his rousing upset win for the IBF strap at 126 lbs.

Bantamweight: Undefeated Paulus Ambunda cracks the top ten with a WBO title victory over Pungluang Sor Singyu.

Jr. Flyweight/Strawweight: After their spirited draw, both Donnie Nietes and Moises Fuentes remain rated as they were.  Consideration was given to rating the smaller Fuentes in both classes but we wait to see what his future campaigning will entail.

The full results of note and impact on the ratings are a click away.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com