Inside the Top Ten: The Light Heavyweight Division

By Jake Donovan/Cliff Rold

For large parts of boxing history, Light Heavyweight struggled to be a consistently great class because its greatest fighters had their eyes on another prize.  Gene Tunney and Ezzard Charles never got around to winning the title, instead capturing the honors up high when opportunity arose.  Billy Conn might have reigned for years but chose to chase “The Brown Bomber.”  Archie Moore spent more time in contention with the big men than defending his 175 lb. crown.  Bob Foster was as famous for Heavyweight disappointments as Light Heavyweight dominance.  Michael Spinks unified the titles and stuck around just long enough to catch the attention of Larry Holmes.

The money, and the glory, came at Heavyweight. Then along came Cruiserweight and the better Light Heavyweights suddenly stopped rising as often…at least when they were in condition to truly compete.  Virgil Hill posted twenty defenses over two WBA reigns and never challenged at Heavyweight.  Roy Jones rose just once, but for a belt versus John Ruiz rather than the kingpin in Lennox Lewis.  The gap between 175 and the unlimited class grew.

And Light Heavyweight has been the better for it.  Right now, it’s in a healthy transition period between a strong era and what appears to be another one.  After years of Jones of Dariusz Michalczewski choosing to stick with paydays in their home markets rather than competition with one another, the late Jones years saw a rash of top matches between he, Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson.  Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe also made their appearances.

Calzaghe is retired.  Jones is far removed from being Jones any longer.  Tarver and Johnson have been bested by the waves of youth and Hopkins may be on the verge of joining them.  Remove Hopkins and Johnson from these ratings and fight fans are left with nine men whose average age is just shy of 29 and everyone still has something to prove.

This is a class entering its prime with more youth coming and that makes it worthy of the rapt attention of the boxing audience.  Let’s go inside the top ten beginning with the newly crowned Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.

World Light Heavyweight Champion: Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO, Lineal/Ring/WBC)
Last Contest: August 14, 2010, TD11 #1 Chad Dawson (29-1, 17 KO)
Next Contest: December 18, 2010 vs. Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO)

Donovan: Welcome to the big time, Mr. Pascal. GYM Promotions did a wonderful job of bringing along the transplanted Haitian, developing him on their Saturday afternoon circuit (remember when we used to have that) before setting him loose against some of the best the sport has to offer. His all-out war with Carl Froch nearly two years ago showed that he’s far more steak than sizzle, as was previously suggested by his affinity for emulating his childhood hero and future Hall-of-Famer Roy Jones Jr. The amount of heart he possessed was further confirmed in his pair of wins over Diaconu, with his ring smarts to match in his career-best win over Chad Dawson last month. A rematch awaits somewhere down the road, though he’ll first have to get past another faded legend in Bernard Hopkins.

Rold: When Pascal was getting rocked by the likes of Omar Pittman, it looked like a bad sign.  It turned out the opposite.  Pascal was merely showing signs of what was to come.  He’s going to get rocked.  He’s going to fire back.  Because of both, he’s emerging as one of the more reliable action fighters in the game.  His awkward technique can obscure what makes him so effective, an explosive athleticism the envy of most who lace gloves.  Pascal may be proving an old adage.  Sometimes, fighters get better with a strap around their waist.  He showed growth against Diaconu; more of it versus Pascal.  If the trend holds, the best is yet to come.  Hopkins may be aged, but he has yet to be proven old.  It’s probably going to be ugly, but it will also be interesting.  If Pascal can get through with the duke, considering the tickets he can move in Montreal, Light Heavyweight will have the sort of validated, bona fide action star champion boxing can never get enough of.  The dream match, a showdown with fellow Montreal draw Lucian Bute at Olympic Stadium, will keep marinating for the time being.

1. Chad Dawson (29-1, 17 KO)
 Last Contest: August 14, 2010, L12 #2 Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO, WBC)
 Next Contest: TBA

Rold: Dawson looked like a future star on the way to Jean Pascal but a funny thing happened in Montreal.  Faced with someone faster than him for the first time at the world class level, Dawson froze far too often and went for broke too late.  The accidental headbutt and cut which sent Pascal-Dawson to the cards early was unfortunate.  Dawson was definitely coming on strong and, in defeat, we may now find out just how good Dawson is.  Will his coming up short, his finding that time is not always on one’s side, light a fire in Dawson as he goes forward?  It’s one thing to have skills, another to apply them with animated conviction in the pursuit of being the best.  Dawson possesses the talent to turn things around against Pascal in a rematch and is still formidable for everyone else in the class.  His wins over Tomasz Adamek, Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson didn’t happen by accident.  The next year should tell all about whether the represented a nice run or a preview of bigger things to come as he tackles the adversity of defeat.  

Donovan: Anyone who believes Dawson is still one of the best in the sport will most likely agree that more passionate performances need to come if he is to ever live up to the lofty predictions surrounding his career. Not the best of years for the CT native, who entered the Pascal fight having not fought in nine months and also went through a nasty split with longtime manager Mike Criscio. I still firmly believe he can prove to be the best light heavyweight in the world – but there is a huge difference between having the potential, and wanting to get there. Chad has boatloads of the former, but needs the latter in order to make something of his career. That’s the long and short of it.

2. Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KO, IBF, 1 Defense)
 Last Contest: August 7, 2010, UD12 #3 Glen Johnson (50-14-2, 34 KO)
 Next Contest: TBA

Donovan: What does it say of your career when you’re dependent on Don King to keep you more active than you’ve been in recent years? Cloud fights with all of the passion we complain about Dawson not possessing, but on the business side is quite possibly the dumbest top fighter in the game today. To think of how much more he could’ve accomplished in the past two years had he taken control of his own career rather than repeatedly listen to and follow blatantly bad advice. Boxing definitely needs fresh faces and youth. Cloud brings both – hopefully he brings it to the ring more than once a year. The win over Johnson was fun to watch, but fell way short of the Fight of the Year it could’ve been had Cloud fought with greater discipline. A fresher opponent takes advantage of Cloud opting to take rounds-long breaks in a fight – no place for that for a fighter in the prime of his career.

Rold: Give him activity, and Cloud is this scribe’s choice to emerge as the best in class.  Cloud has everything one can like so far.  He’s aggressive, has some pop (if not quite as much as his knockout rate suggests), genuine athleticism, and he meets escalating risk with authority.  In each of his last three bouts, he has faced the best opponent of his career to then.  Julio Gonzalez was a step up, Clinton Woods was another, and Johnson moved him to the brink of the elite.  Fights with Pascal and Dawson feel inevitable and the promise of a round robin between them, perhaps Bute, and the eventual winner and runners up of the Super Middleweight “Super Six,” make Light Heavyweight a potential hot spot not just for now but for the next few years.

3. Glen Johnson (50-14-2, 34 KO)
 Last Contest: August 7, 2010, L12 #2 Tavoris Cloud (21-0, 18 KO, IBF)
 Next Contest: TBA

Rold: Easily the stupidest criticism of Chad Dawson prior to his loss to Jean Pascal was that he had picked up wins over “40 year olds.”  One of those 40-something year old men was Johnson, and there are fighters in their 20s who wished they looked as good.  Still a fierce competitor despite age, wear, and disappointments in decision both close and criminal over the years, Johnson is a pro’s pro.  He is the preeminent case study in the old philosophy that fighting good competition is the only way to truly master one’s craft.  Johnson’s record is a who’s who of Middleweight through Light Heavyweight in the last thirteen years and he’s beaten his share of the best.  He gave Cloud hell all night and one suspects he’s got a few more long nights to dish out before he’s done.  He would be a great test for a young titlist like Beibut Shumenov.

Donovan: It may sound strange to say after dropping a close call against one of the division’s young guns, but I’d really love to see Johnson call it a day. Kudos to the old dog for continuing to give the young guns hell, but he seems to do well enough to fall just short at the top level and I’d rather see him go out somewhat on top rather than eventually become a steppingstone.

4. Bernard Hopkins (51-5-1, 32 KO)
 Last Contest: April 3, 2010, UD12 Roy Jones Jr. (54-7, 40 KO)
 Next Contest: December 18, 2010 vs. World Champion Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO)

Donovan: Wonderful for Bernard if he actually goes through with a Pascal fight in Quebec City later this year. If not, whatever. I really don’t have much to say. He’s a modern day legend and a physical freak of nature, but his performance in the Jones fight was disgusting, to put it bluntly. Call me cynical, but I find it amusing that after years of sidestepping a fight with Dawson, he’s all of a sudden eager to cross the border and fight Pascal. Honestly, the worst thing that can happen for the sport is if he wins – the division was held hostage in the two years between his win over Antonio Tarver and loss to Joe Calzaghe. We’re starting to once again get younger; why the hell would anyone want to see it return to the way things were?

Rold: There is a nightmare recurring in the imagination that sees Hopkins turning the exciting Pascal into a grappler for the night, a nightmare of lengthy breaks for fouls both occurring and imagined.  As noted, this fight could be interesting but it probably wasn’t the best available in terms of action.  The 45-year old Hopkins has earned the right to choose when he goes out but that didn’t mean Pascal had to choose him.  He did and it’s only a matter of months until we find out if Hopkins can still play “Executioner” or sees his days as one of the elite executed for good.

5. Adrian Diaconu (26-2, 15 KO)
 Last Contest: December 11, 2009, L12 Jean Pascal (26-1, 16 KO)
 Next Contest: October 15, 2010 vs. Omar Sheika (30-9. 21 KO)

Rold: A 2000 Romanian Olympian, Diaconu came up short twice against Pascal but both bouts were thrillers.  So too was his decision win over Chris Henry in 2008.  While the WBC belt he briefly held wasn’t of the high quality variety (picked up off a Dawson vacancy), Diaconu made the belt mean something with his efforts.  On the shelf for all of 2010 so far, the 32 year old would be welcome back sooner than later.  He mixes well with anyone in the top ten.  Heck, if Pascal winds up with someone other than Dawson in an immediate rematch, Dawson-Diaconu in Canada would be a heck of a way to build the gate on the eventual return. 

Donovan: The stocky Romanian needs a win – and a significant amount of time free of injuries – if he is once again be regarded as a major player, and not just a best of the rest type. A tune-up against Omar Sheika next month should help restore his confidence and shake off some rust in his first fight since losing to Pascal for the second time in as many tries last December. The bout comes on the undercard of a super middleweight title defense by Lucian Bute. It’s doubtful that a head-on collision immediately follows, if ever at all. But he at least gets back in the spotlight, which is always a good thing.

6. Juergen Braehmer (36-2, 29 KO, WBO, 2 Defenses)
 Last Contest: April 24, 2010, TKO5 Mariano Plotinsky (16-4, 8 KO)
 Next Contest: TBA

Donovan: Is Canada now the official host of all significant light heavyweight fights? If the rumor mill holds true, then the German southpaw will be leaving his corner of the world for the first time in his career, as plans having him traveling to Quebec City to face thrilling but limited Librado Andrade in December. Even better news is the fact that the bout would come on the undercard of Pascal’s proposed title defense against (ugh) Hopkins. Braehmer couldn’t ask for a better showcase (other than it appearing on a larger televised scale than what most likely winds up being a Golden Boy PPV). All he has to do… is survive the incoming.

Rold: Braehmer is the sort of steady, fundamentally sound type the German market supplies in abundance.  There’s nothing flashy but it’s hard to beat.  He is effective off the southpaw jab, throws the left hand true behind it, and lets the chips falls.  Braehmer’s losses to Hugo Garay and Mario Veit suggest that middle of the pack is his ceiling but he can certainly play spoiler with the right foe.  If Andrade happens, it could be intriguing.  Should he win, an eventual mandatory with former Lineal and WBO champion Zsolt Erdei (31-0, 17 KO) is likely.  Erdei would be a favorite there but is 36 now and could find Braehmer a tall order.

7. Karo Murat (22-0, 13 KO)
 Last Contest: May 1, 2010, UD12 Tommy Karpency (20-2-1, 13 KO)
 Next Contest: September 18, 2010 vs. Nathan Cleverly (19-0, 9 KO)

Rold: An Iraqi-born Armenian, Murat has made Germany his home and now stands on the verge of more global recognition.  A pair of wins over former titlist Cristian Sanavia, the second by stop, and a narrow decision over Gabriel Campillo point to a typical rise through the ranks.  Stylistically, Murat looks a bit like Super Middleweight Arthur Abraham but without the same thunder in his fists.  He’s got a chance to move into a WBO mandatory position his next time out and the talented Brit Cleverly is going to be a handful.  It could be a night where two potential futures are made in September.

Donovan: Assuming the Cleverly fight happens (the way the September 18 card is beginning to crumble, anything’s possible), Murat is given a great chance to really make a name for himself. Kudos to him for hitting the road for what is easily his biggest fight to date. Though it will read different in the knee-jerk circles, a loss doesn’t necessarily hurt him since – as mentioned by Cliff – he’s already proven his worth with notable wins against former titlists and challengers.

8. Gabriel Campillo (20-3, 7 KO)
 Last Contest: May 5, 2010, KO1 Luzimar Gonzaga (29-7, 23 KO)
 Next Contest: TBA

Donovan: In the wake of Shumenov’s dominant showing against Vyachaslav Uzelkov earlier this summer, the temptation is to rate Campillo’s pair of performances against the Kazakhstan native even better in retrospect… that is until you consider his own knockout loss to Uzelkov a few years prior. That in a nutshell, is what makes it to difficult to handicap the Spaniard. On the one hand, you can easily argue that he’s twice beaten Shumenov. On the other hand, the rest of his resume reads pretty thin, and figured to run out of Teflon the longer he fails to include himself among the best fights the division has to offer.

Rold: Campillo is a game guy with a decent skill set but as fighters like Nathan Cleverly get their sea legs against top competition his time in the top ten could draw quickly to a close.  A runner match with Shumenov is the best case scenario but Shumenov is getting better and yesterday’s robbery could easily become tomorrow’s clear win.  Without much power, Campillo has to work that much harder.

9. Chris Henry (25-2, 20 KO)
Last Contest: March 27, 2010, TKO1 Hugo Garay (33-5, 18 KO)
Next Contest: TBA
 
Rold: Henry is an interesting product out of Texas, a fighter whose occasional technical lapses make him more compelling.  His most recent win, over Garay, was impressive considering Garay had never been in such deep water before despite close battles with Campillo and Zsolt Erdei in his past.  Henry gave Diaconu all he could handle and overcame some vicious shots from Yusaf Mack in losing a split for his only other blemish.  He’s the sort of wild card which makes Light Heavyweight hard to predict because the results he’ll produce make Henry equally hard to handicap.
 
Donovan: Easily the most frustrating fighter in the division to rally around. Looks sensational one night; then looks like a rank amateur the next. A fight with Cloud has the potential to serve as nuclear holocaust. But Henry is an opportunist, and will presumably travel the path dictated to him by alphabet rankings. Network interest (other than ESPN2) would go a long way in helping him secure the type of thrilling bouts the division needs.

10. Beibut Shumenov (10-1, 6 KO, WBA, 1 Defense)
 Last Contest: July 23, 2010, UD12 Vyacheslav Uzelkov (22-1, 14 KO)
 Next Contest: TBA

Donovan: His dominance of Uzelkov helped more than a few fans forgive his less-than-stellar showings against Campillo, particularly the rematch in which many felt he should’ve suffered his second straight loss. You have to love his ambition, but it remains a question mark as to how much he can continue to grow and how far in the division he will go.

Rold: If fighting good competition is the best road map to getting better (and the career of Glen Johnson is evidence in that argument) than Shumenov could soon shock.  While the versions of former titlists Byron Mitchell and Montell Griffin were well faded, not many have names like that (and veterans Epifanio Mendoza and Donell Wiggins) to go with a Campillo and Uzelkov in their first eleven pro outings.  It’s the sort of matchmaking found more often among Asian Fly and Bantamweights than in the larger classes.  Shumenov is a dark horse in class as far as really making a run and, with an aggressive style, he’s worth keeping an eye on as he moves into real contention for Pascal.

Exclusions?

Rold: A case can be made that Nathan Cleverly is ready for the bottom of the top ten already but he’ll have his chance to prove it soon enough.  Where the intrigue really lies is not necessarily in the class but just below it.  The preliminary rounds of the “Super Six” Super Middleweight tournament will be resolved in the Fall and the two odd men out may find Light Heavyweight an inviting destination.  So too might IBF 168 lb. titlist Lucian Bute.  Perhaps the biggest exclusion is former WBO and Lineal champion Zsolt Erdei.  Erdei (31-0, 17 KO) vacated his claims on the Light Heavyweight division last year but, after winning and dropping a belt at Cruiserweight, has indicated a 175 lb. return.  It hasn’t happened yet, and he’s been inactive at Light Heavyweight for over a year, but Erdei could always make noise. 

Donovan: If Uzelkov’s fight with Shumenov was still scheduled and not already in the books, it’d be easier to plead his case for inclusion. But his poor showing over the summer makes you forget all about his earlier win against Campillo. Back-to-back losses against Top 10 fighters also deflate Hugo Garay’s claim, especially the manner in which he went out against Chris Henry. Then of course there’s Roy Jo… never mind.

Previously Inside The Top Ten

Super Middleweight: 2009

Welterweight: 2009

Jr. Welterweight: 2009

Featherweight: 2010

Bantamweight: 2010