Super Six Shake Ups: BScene Ratings and Results Update

Published Tue Oct 27, 2009, 4:00 AM

It took only one week for the “Super Six” tournament to shake up the ratings at 168 lbs. One man won to make a strong entry while another won and lost ground. Over the next two years, with big fights taking place both within and outside tournament play, expect shake ups to be a regular occurrence. Along with that action two weeks ago, the previous weekend gave us a successful trip up the scale for a champion who might be making a new home and a key division sees a living legend make a slip.

This is the BoxingScene Divisional Ratings and Results Update.

Cruiserweight (176-200 lbs.)

Notable Recent Results

08/29: #5 Marco Huck (26-1, 20 KO) vs. UD12 Victor Ramirez (15-2, 12 KO, WBO)
10/24: World Champion Tomasz Adamek (39-1, 27 KO) TKO5 Andrew Golota (41-7-1, 33 KO); heavyweight bout

World Cruiserweight Champion: Tomasz Adamek (39-1, 27 KO, Lineal/Ring/IBF)
Lineage Descends From: Adamek SD12 Cunningham 12/11/2008

Top Ten Contenders
1. Steve Cunningham (22-2, 11 KO)
2. Guillermo Jones (36-3-2, 28 KO, WBA, 0 Defenses)
3. Ola Afolabi (14-1-3, 6 KO, WBO Interim)
4. Giacobbe Fragomeni (26-1-1, 10 KO, WBC, 1 Defense)
5. Marco Huck (26-1, 20 KO, WBO, 0 Defenses)
6. Firat Arslan (29-4-1, 18 KO)
7. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (41-2-1, 31 KO)
8. Victor Ramirez (15-2, 12 KO)
9. Grigory Drozd (32-1, 24 KO)
10. BJ Flores (24-0-1, 15 KO)

Rating Notes…Could the lure of Heavyweight dollars, and the lack so far of a challenge from living legend Bernard Hopkins, mean Adamek will be permanently joining previous champion David Haye at Heavyweight for good? It wouldn’t be surprising. He’s given up the IBF belt so far…The best fight to make to fill his void, based on these ratings, would be Cunningham-Jones II. Cunningham won their 2005 encounter by split decision while Jones has been plagued by inactivity…Marco Huck showed again, in defeating Ramirez for the WBO belt, how quality a win he is for Cunningham…Fragomeni and Wlodarczyk needs a rematch. U.S. fans who’ve seen the first one know such a fight needs airing here.

Previous Champion: David Haye (2007-08, Vacated)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Carlos DeLeon - 4
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Johnny Nelson (WBO) - 13
Current Champion – Defenses: 2 – Lineal/Ring/IBF

Key Upcoming Cruiserweight Contests

10/24: World Champion Tomasz Adamek vs. Andrew Golota (41-7-1, 33 KO); heavyweight bout

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)

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 (28-0, 17 KO)
2. Glen Johnson (49-12-2, 33 KO)
3. Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KO, WBC, 1 Defense)
4. Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO, IBF, 0 Defenses)
5. Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 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…Dawson has given up the WBC and IBF belts in the past to make fights with some of the divisional elite. Now, his rematch with Johnson in November will be for an ‘interim’ WBC tag. It would be easy to comment on how stupid ‘interim’ labels are except, in this case, it could mean an eventual clash with WBC titlist Jean Pascal. Pascal versus Johnson or Dawson is worth drooling about…Tavoris Cloud’s thrilling performance against Clinton Woods gives him a big bump and Cloud versus Dawson or Johnson is worth more than drool. Built right, it could be worth an extra $49.95…Roy Jones is still hanging around, headed for Cruiserweight in the fall with Hopkins next year. We’ll see how Jones does with Danny Green.

Previous Champion: Julio Gonzalez (2003-04)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Dariusz Michalczewski - 15
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Dariusz Michalczewski (WBO) - 23
Current Champion – Defenses: 10 - Lineal/11 - WBO

Key Upcoming Light Heavyweight Contests

11/07: #1 Chad Dawson vs. #3 Glen Johnson; interim WBC title

Super Middleweight (161-168 lbs.)

Notable Recent Results

08/22: Robert Steiglitz (36-2, 22 KO) TKO11 #5 Karoly Balzsay (20-1, 14 KO, WBO)
09/12: #1 Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KO) TKO4 Gusmyl Perdomo (16-3, 10 KO)
09/12: #8 Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KO) TKO3 Shelby Pudwill (22-4-1, 9 KO)
10/17: #3 Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO) SD12 #7 Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO)
10/17: Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) KO12 #4 Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO)

World Super Middleweight Champion: Vacant

Top Ten Contenders
1. Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KO, WBA, 2 Defenses)
2. Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KO, IBF, 3 Defenses)
3. Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO)
4. Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO, WBC, 1 Defense)
5. Sakio Bika (27-3-2, 17 KO)
6. Librado Andrade (28-2, 21 KO)
7. Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KO)
8. Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO)
9. Robert Steiglitz (36-2, 22 KO, WBO, 0 Defenses)
10. Karoly Balszay (20-1, 14 KO)

Ratings Notes…The “Super Six” supplies its first shake up. Arthur Abraham’s dominant win, and concussive close against Taylor see him enter the ratings at number three…Froch won but didn’t look good doing it and slips a spot to four…Jermain Taylor fought well against Abraham. He fought well in all of the four losses he’s had in his last five. But three knockout ends see him exit the ratings. If he elects to continue his career, something which has to be in question, he will have his chances to return…Ward and Dirrell trade places for the time being…Kessler-Ward and Bute-Andrade II loom large in November and could seriously rattle the top of the class. This division is so good right now that fights like Bute-Andrade II can come a week after Ward-Kessler independent of the tournament.

Previous Champion: Joe Calzaghe (2006-08, Vacated)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Chong Pal Park - 10
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Tie – Joe Calzaghe (WBO)/Sven Ottke (IBF) - 21

Key Upcoming Super Middleweight Contests

11/21: #1 Mikkel Kessler vs. #8 Andre Ward
11/28: #2 Lucian Bute vs. #6 Librado Andrade

Jr. Middleweight (148-154 lbs.)

Notable Recent Results

08/30: Nobuhiro Ishida (21-5-2, 7 KO) UD12 Marco Avendano (27-7-1, 19 KO); interim WBA belt

World Jr. Middleweight Champion: Vacant

Top Ten Contenders
1. Paul Williams (37-1, 27 KO, WBO Interim)
2. Sergiy Dzinziruk (36-0, 22 KO, WBO, 5 Defenses)
3. Daniel Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO, WBA, 0 Defenses)
4. Sergio Martinez (44-1-2, 24 KO, WBC, 0 Defenses)
5. Cory Spinks (37-5, 11 KO, IBF, 0 Defenses)
6. Verno Phillips (42-11-1, 21 KO)
7. Kermit Cintron (31-2-1, 27 KO)
8. Alfredo Angulo (16-1, 13 KO)
9. DeAndre Latimore (20-2, 16 KO)
10. Yuri Foreman (27-0, 8 KO)

Ratings Notes…This division is a hot mess with almost no major fights this year and none on the horizon...Nothing of note has occurred so much as the legal troubles of James Kirkland require addressing…Sergio Mora, inactive for over a year, also exits the ratings while everyone else moves up…The death of Vernon Forrest leaves a void both in and out of the ring…the departure of Williams, should he ultimately challenge for and win the Middleweight crown, will be no favor either…Dzinziruk is making noise along the lines of his stable mate Felix Sturm about leaving German promoter Klaus Peter Kohl. Whether he gets out or not, let’s hope Dzinziruk can get some fights to show off how good he is, or isn’t, before it’s too late.

Previous Champion: Ronald "Winky" Wright (2004-05, Vacated)
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Lineal: Koichi Wajima - 6
Consecutive Title Defense Record, Other: Terry Norris (WBC) - 10

Key Upcoming Jr. Middleweight Contests

11/07: #8 Angulo vs. Harry Joe Yorgey (22-0-1, 10 KO)
11/14: #3 Daniel Santos vs. #10 Yuri Foreman

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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