The Future of 154... Who turned the light on?

[jcarr71]

Didn't it seem a few months ago that 154 was potentially the worst division in all of boxing? Now look at it:

There are the title holders, which are stronger than people think. Vernon Forrest (who you know), Daniel Santos (win over Margarito, Campas, and Zuniga), Sergiy Dzinziruk (win over Santos and Lujan), and Verno Phillips (win over Spinks).

There are also the established contenders. They are admittedly a weak bunch, but it isn't all bad. Cory Spinks, Joachim Alcine, and Sergio Mora are pretty good fighters no matter how much nyquil it feels like you've taken while you watch them. There area also De La Hoya and Mayorga, though I don't suspect you'll be seeing them clashing with the top of the division. They are attractions at this point. Don't forget the soon to be gate keepers either: Ishe Smith, Sechew Powell, Kassim Ouma, Andre Tsurkan, etc.

There are also the welters who have no qualms fighting at 154: i.e. Mosley, Margarito, and Paul Williams.

However, the real gems of this division are the prospects. Even the middling prospects like Ronald Hearns or the dropping down John Duddy bring something to the table. There's Chavez Jr and there is Mean Joe Greene. Don't forget Deandre Lattimore's big stoppage of Powell either. Eventually Yuri Foreman is going to have to fight someone too. This isn't even the cream of the crop of the youth at 154; there is still the big 3. Joel Julio, James Kirkland, and Alfredo Angulo. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to see those three against basically anyone I listed?

It seems overnight that this went from a division with a weak top and no depth to a division about ready to burst onto the scene as a top 3 division in boxing once these prospects unseat the status quo. What a revolution!

[Drunk Punch]

I think Duddy has a much better chance of a title at 154, a smart move to vacate 160. The division could get stronger but it's a shame people like Oscar choose to fight FWs instead of anyone in that list.

[sparked_85]

What about Jamie Moore.

I think he could have a crack at title, holds a win of Lujuan too.

Duddy vs Jamie Moore would be a nice fight.

[Eaner0919]

*waits for Team Vanes to see how he was excluded*

[Slotff]

There is also Sergio Gabriel Martinez.

[Silencers]

154 is a division to look out for, it has good talent.

[Ben_London.]

Another talented fighter at 154 is age 23 Zaurbek Baysangurov, who has a win over Rubio.

[VanesBoxing]

*waits for Team Vanes to see how he was excluded*

Doesnt matter... Dan Rafael from ESPN didn't miss Vanes...

Posted by Dan Rafael

Your weekly random thoughts …

• In an April blog, I wrote that I thought the worst division in boxing was junior middleweight. "People always ask me about which division I think is the worst. At the moment, I have to say that it is, without question, junior middleweight," I wrote. "There are four titleholders with no star power in Vernon Forrest, Joachim Alcine, Verno Phillips and Sergei Dzindziruk. None of the possible unification bouts between them is even all that interesting."

But what a difference six months makes. Although Daniel Santos knocked out Alcine to win one of the belts and the potential unification bouts still remain uninteresting, all of a sudden the division is booming with young, exciting talent. And all but one of the rising prospects and contenders are in their 20s.

Last week, we saw the arrival of Sergio Martinez, who is 33 and has been around for awhile, but he's very, very good. You can bet that even though he is Forrest's mandatory challenger, Forrest will never take that fight. On the same card as Martinez's coming out party against Alex Bunema, Alfredo Angulo (26) scored yet another impressive victory as he continues to improve and continues to make it hard to tell him apart from Antonio Margarito. Along with Angulo, the division boasts two other incredibly exciting fighters with outstanding power who are emerging as serious contenders, Joel "Love Child" Julio (23), who is only a few weeks from challenging Dzindziruk for a belt, and the ferocious James Kirkland (24).

Just a notch below them are several other 154-pounders you could mix and match and make a bunch of attractive fights: John Duddy (29), who is dropping down from middleweight; Ronald Hearns (29), the son of Thomas Hearns who will face Duddy on HBO in January in a sweet matchup; 2004 U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan (22), who keeps getting better with every fight; Joe Greene (22), who has as much talent as any of these guys; and Deandre Latimore (23), who scored a big summer upset by knocking out Sechew Powell. And then there is also Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (22), who may not be as talented as the rest of the prospects, but he makes exciting fights, has a strong fan base and generates dinero.

Oh, and don't forget that welterweight titleholder Paul Williams will eventually move into this division. The future is bright at junior middleweight.