Petros Ananyan deserves to be ranked at Super Lightweight.

Ananyan pulled off the biggest win of his career when he beat Subriel Matias on the Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder 2 undercard. Matias was mandatory for a world title and so you would think that beating him would get you a shot yourself or at least a high ranking in an organisation. Instead hes not ranked anywhere and Matias is still in the top 15 of the IBF. I don’t understand why he isn’t ranked at all at super lightweight when he beat a clear top 15 guy who was highly ranked. Its embarassing of the alphabet organisations to not give him a ranking and they should be ashamed.

Whats the point of taking hard fights a B side if you don’t get properly rewarded for being able to win that fight you were an underdog in. Matias is still in a better position for a world title shot than Ananyan which highlights how corrupt the sport can be. I’m not saying he should be a mandatory but he should be ranked in the top 15 off of a win like he got. Its annoying because it feels like unless you have a decent promoter behind you then the alphabet organisations won’t touch you with a barge pole.

Top 5 Cruiser weight prospects (april, 2020)

Cruiserweight is a division which is going through a transitional period right now. With big names such as Usyk, Gassiev and Hunter moving up to heavyweight plus long time staples of the division Lebedev retiring its left the weight class with few notable names.

The division does still have some good fighters such as Makubu, Dorticos, Briedis and Goulamirian but it doesn’t have any big names to attract the casual fans which is always a shame. It isn’t quite as stacked as it once was with a lot of the top talent of the division moving up. Within the next 12 or so months I think the landscape of the division will be completely different with many new names in the mix. I thought I’d name my top five prospects in this weight class and whether I think they will win a title or not.

The first prospect is Jai Opetaia who is currently 19-0 with 15 knockouts. Hes got good power and is also an excellent boxer. Hes only 24 which is very young for a cruiserweight as like heavyweight they often don’t hit their primes until their late 20’s or early 30’s. He has a good win over Mark Flanagan who he managed to stop which is impressive as one of the only other people to KO Flanagan is Goulamirian who is currently the WBA champ. I think that he can certainly win a title as long as he keeps learning as at 24 he has plenty of time to get there.

The second prospect is Evgeny Tishchenko. He was a very decorated amateur before turning pro which is always good as amateur success normally means you do well in the pro ranks. Hes very tall for the weight and uses his size well when he wants too. He can keep opponents at range but does look a bit uncomfortable when someone is able to pressure him. He has decent power as well and hasn’t really been pushed too hard by any of the opponents hes faced. I think he has the potential to win a world title but I’m not sure i’d back him against any of the current champions right now.

The third prospect is Aleksei Egorov who is 11-0 and also a good former amateur. Hes a decent boxer that carries good power at Cruiserweight but he did struggle in his last fight. Hes quite stocky but has good hand speed and throws his punches with purpose rather than wasting shots. He has a decent engine but is a bit muscle bound and lacks good head movement which may get him in trouble at the top level. On his day he could win a title.

The fourth prospect is Richard Riakporhe who is currently 11-0 with 8 knockouts. Hes had four hard back to back fights which I was impressed with even if his last two were very close fights. He has very good power but lacks the boxing skills of many others on this list. He also has a tendency to hold his opponent a lot and in his last fight looked tired before the sixth round. I think that he will have learn’t a lot from taking four hard fights back to back and could improve enough to potentially challenge for a world title which he would always have a chance of winning with his power.

The fifth prospect is Lawrence Okolie who is currently 14-0 with 11 knockouts. He has a lot of good wins for being only 14 fights in and is already going to challenge for a world title. Hes very big for the weight and uses that size well by wrapping his opponents up stopping them from getting their punches off. He can be awful to watch but he is very effective at what he does. I can see him winning a world title though it will be interesting too see if people at world level let him hold them constantly and also if referees will penalize him more for his style which involves a lot of holding.

I’m sure at least one of these fighters will win a world title and I wouldn’t be surprised if all 5 won titles though Riakporhe is a bit harder to imagine right now.

5 fighters Kenshiro Teraji can fight next

I’ve been watching a lot of Kenshiro’s fights recently so I thought I’d find 5 fighters he could realistically fight next. I think hes the best in his division right now and will likely stay that way for quite a few years.

The first fighter he could face is Jonathan Gonzalez. He just won a 10 round decision over Saul Juarez who Teraji beat in 2018. He also had a good fight with Kosei Tanaka and was ahead on points before being stopped to the body. I was very impressed with him in the Tanaka fight and with him moving down a weight class he could be even better. The only worry I have for this fight is if Gonzalez is weight drained as he was vulnerable to body shots the weight above so who knows what it would be like at Light Flyweight. He isn’t ranked in the WBC so its unlikely this fight happens but i’m sure if both fighters show interest the WBC would put him in over fighters who haven’t fought for over a year.

The second fighter he could face is Tibo Monabesa who is currently 20-1-2. Hes won two in a row versus ok opposition and is ranked in the top 15 by the WBC. His only loss is to fellow belt holder Hiroto Kyoguchi. If Teraji faced Monabesa then it could help build the Kyoguchi fight as they would have a common opponent.

The third fighter he could face is Hekkie Budler. I don’t think Budler has retired even though he hasn’t fought for over a year at this point. Hes a former champion who is very well known compared to many others in the division. Hes also ranked number one in the WBC so he might become mandatory anyway. I think hes one of the better people Teraji can fight as hes a former champion who is highly skilled and would hopefully still be a challenge at this point in his career.

The fourth fighter he could face is Agustin Mauro Gauto. Hes an Argentinian fighter who looks like he could be one of the best prospects in the division. Hes not washed up which is good as a lot of the people in the WBC rankings aren’t in their primes anymore to say the least. It may be a bit too early for Gauto but I think he can make it competitive and if he does lose he would learn a lot.

The fifth fighter that could face Teraji is Felix Alvarado. This is the fight I most want to see as it would be a unification and Alvarado is clearly one of the best fighters in the division. I think this would be a great fight and its one that can be made as they were actually scheduled to fight late last year but Alvarado had to pull out due to a sickness.

Hopefully we can see one of these fights once the Corona Virus starts to fade out though it may be many months before things return to normal.

Robin Zamora versus Ramiro Blanco and the weeks boxing

It looks like we will have one live boxing event this week from Nicaragua which will be televised in the USA but unlikely to be shown in the UK. Theres no major fights on the card but people are desperate for boxing and will watch any two people fight at this point.

The main event (I think) is a rematch between Robin Zamora and Ramiro Blanco. Zamora won the first fight by TKO in the second round but I presume it was controversial as they are rematching. Blanco has fought a huge list of good names such as Can Xu, Miguel Roman and Jhonny Gonzalez. Zamora isn’t as accomplished in the ring and may struggle to repeat what he did in the first fight.

Almost every other fight on the card are 50/50 club level fights. Gabriel Escalante is 12-0 though hasn’t faced any great competition. Hes only 22 and very active so he could perhaps be one for the future.

As always I hope all the fighters get home safely ad that you enjoy the fights. I hope everyone stays safe from the Corona Virus and I probably won’t write this next week as almost all boxing cards are cancelled.

5 realistic fights for Devin Haney’s voluntary defense.

Now that Haney has been reinstated as WBC champion (the whole situation is stupid) we can look at who he can fight next. Hes been given a voluntary defense so i’m going to go through a few fighters that he will realistically fight next. Its very unlikely that he will fight any big name next so i’ve looked through the WBC rankings and picked some fighters that might actually be picked.

The first potential fight is Yvan Mendy a very experienced fighter from France. He holds a record of 44-5-1 and has faced a lot of good fighters such as Luke Campbell and Viktor Postol. Hes highly ranked in the WBC and is on a good winning streak right now. Hes also 34 and isn’t that close to a title fight so I presume he would jump at the chance to fight for a title as a main event in America.

The next potential fight is Marcos Villasana Jr. He holds a record of 25-6 but hasn’t lost since 2015. Hes not a big name but he is Mexican which for US broadcasters is always a plus as theres a lot of Mexican-American fans which they always want to tap into. Hes also on a good win streak and is only a few fights away from a big fight anyway.

Another potential fight is Felix Verdejo who is currently 26-1. Before his one loss he was seen as a decent prospect and still holds a bit of a name in the USA. I think this would be a good fight as both are young and Verdejo is actually a bit underrated at this point.

Emmanuel Tagoe is also another potential fight for Devin Haney. He holds a record of 31-1 and is on a 31 fight win streak after losing his pro debut. I think he’d take the fight and it would be a decent fight as Tagoe has beaten a couple of good fighters who are now a bit past their prime.

The last potential fight for Devin Haney is Terry Flanagan who is currently fighting at super lightweight but he could still make 135. Hes a former champion and has fought good names in his career. Hes probably the best name on this list though I do think Flanagan is past his best even at the age of 30 and Haney beats him comfortably.

Top 15 fighters at 154 (April 2020)

Over the next few days i’m going to put together a top 15 list for every division and I thought i’d do Super Welterweight first because its currently one of the best divisions in boxing and I’ve watched all of the top 15 fight.

Number 15 is Abass Baraou a 9-0 prospect from Germany. I think he’ll go all the way to the top and I think he can challenge for titles within the next 12 to 18 months.

Number 14 is Kell Brook who could go on to do something good in the division but hasn’t faced any hard competition for a while and most likely isn’t the same fighter he once was.

At number 13 is Terrell Gausha whos only loss has come to Erislandy Lara. I think he can still win a title on the right night though he does need to get active once the lock down is over at his last fight was May last year.

Number 12 is Carlos Adames who I thought would go on to win a world title but he surprisingly fell short in his first attempt. While that is disappointing he still has the tools to go on to win a title or at least be a top contender.

Number 11 is Sergio Garcia who is now 31-0. Hes been steadily working his way through everyone on the European scene and will likely head to world level in his next fight or two. He doesn’t pack huge power but is a good boxer that can keep up a good work rate for 12 rounds.

Number 10 is Erickson Lubin a fighter who many were very high on before getting KO’d in a round by Jermell Charlo. I still think he will win a world title and we may see him fight for one sooner rather than later as he has rebuilt from his only defeat quite well.

At number 9 is Erislandy Lara who is a great fighter. Unfortunately he is starting to get up in age so only has one more title challenge in him. While he has the possibility of beating one of the current champions I think its more likely he loses in a competitive fight to all three though I wouldn’t be surprised if he beat Teixeira.

Number 8 is Brian Carlos Castano a 16-0-1 fighter from Argentina who is the dark horse of the division. Not many talk about him but he has some good wins on his resume and his draw with Lara proves hes at world level. He is expected to fight Teixeira next.

Number 7 is Tony Harrison who just lost his world title to Jermell Charlo in a close fight. Unfortunately for Harrison he was KO’d like he has been in all his losses even though hes normally winning the fight before getting stopped. It may take him a while to get another title shot but I’d like to see him versus the other top guys at 154.

Number 6 is Michel Soro who is on a good run of form after a close loss to Castano. I think he can beat a lot of the top 10 and could potentially beat the champions if he is on form.

Number 5 is Jarrett Hurd who was once regarded as the number one in the division. It looks like hes coming back to 154 where if he returns to form could win a title again.

Number 4 is Julian Williams who put on a great performance versus Hurd but was KO’d by Rosario in his first defense. Hes a very good fighter who is capable of winning a title again though not against Rosario in my opinion.

Number 3 is Patrick Teixeira who I was very surprised became world champion. He put on a great performance versus Carlos Adames to win his title but will be in tough when he fights Castano next.

Number 2 is unified champion Jeison Rosario who I rate very highly. He has good punch power and seems very big at the weight. His KO of Julian Williams was impressive and we’ll see if he can continue his good run of form.

The person I have at number one in the division is Jermell Charlo. He has a good resume at 154 and I was very impressed with how he regained his title from Tony Harrison. I think that hes hit his prime now and I’d favour him to beat anyone at 154 though the division is so good most of the fights would be competitive.

Anthony Fowler in CBD scandal again

For people that don’t know Anthony Fowler is a British boxer who participated in the 2016 Olympics. He currently holds a 12-1 record with 9 knockouts and before a shock loss last year was expected to get to at least European level before losing.

Hes very active on social media especially twitter and spends most of his time trying to sell his CBD oil to fans. Over time hes become disliked by many boxing fans for various reasons mostly resulting from his actions on social media. I’ve never been his biggest fan and I’ve never been hugely bothered by anything I’ve seen him put out until more recently. His previous posts while sometimes being arrogant or hypocritical weren’t especially harmful and mostly pissed people off rather than potentially hurt them.

A few weeks ago he said on twitter that his CBD oil would help prevent the Corona Virus which is incredibly irresponsible and down right greedy considering hes the one selling the CBD oil. In the middle of a pandemic he had the audacity to try and pass his CBD oil off as a potential cure to his followers just so he could profit more. This was utterly disgusting and thankfully people informed him that he was spreading misinformation including notable figures such as Lennox Lewis. He has since deleted the posts though we’ll never know what damage him spreading misinformation to his 64,000 followers has done.

This week he posted a video of a child having some sort of seizure and claimed that CBD oil had helped the childs seizure stop. Even if CBD had stopped the childs seizure (it didn’t) then it would be disgusting to use a video like that to promote and sell your CBD oil. The real problem with this tweet is that its factually incorrect in saying that CBD oil stopped the childs seizure. It was actually THC oil that was used and this has been confirmed by the childs parents who have also said that they didn’t give permission for Fowler to use a video of their son. Just to put this into writing , Fowler tweeted a video of a child he didn’t know having a seizure without the parents permission to promote his own brand of CBD oil while also lying about CBD stopping the boys seizure. This is an unbelievably horrible thing to do and perhaps shows just what sort of person Fowler is.

There need to be consequences for doing something so vile especially when you combine his earlier tweets about the Corona Virus with his new video. At the very least he should apologize instead of ignoring that he did anything wrong and blaming the parents by saying that the video was already out online like that excuses him using it to sell his CBD oil.

Hopefully this isn’t swept under the rug like so many things in boxing are and hes held accountable for his actions. I’d like to give credit to @lcd_b0xing on twitter who did some good journalistic work in reaching out to the parents and being the first person to put everything together.

We don’t need too see Wilder versus Fury 3

We’ve had two fights between them already and while the first fight was controversial it was resolved in the rematch where Fury dominated Wilder before stopping him in 7 rounds. The only reason this third fight is happening is because of money and contractual obligations. Fury should have won the first and won the second clearly so why as boxing fans do we have to watch a third one? We don’t want too see Fury V Wilder 3 while AJ fights Pulev and then Usyk. After Wilder Fury 3 we will have too see one of them face Whyte which delays the undisputed fight even more. We will have to wait at least another year before we see a potential undisputed fight and for me that pisses me off. We’ve already waited for a long time for an undisputed champion in this era so why do we have to keep delaying it. While we wait we are expected to pay for other fights that most people aren’t interested in.

This is why boxing can never truly be mainstream again. We don’t have enough big fights where the best fight the best and if we do its put behind a pay wall. In the last few years what fights have really captured the mainstream sports fans? Wilder versus Fury 1 and 2. Canelo versus Golovkin 1 and 2. Beyond those fights boxing doesn’t reach the mainstream sports fan anymore and its sad. We’ve had four or five big time fights where the whole world tries to watch in the last few years. We should be having 3 or four a year if people would actually fight each other.

Spence versus Crawford is a prime example. This is a fight that should have already been made but promoters would rather get as much value out a fighter as possible before putting him in the one 50/50 fight of his career.

We really don’t need too see a third fight between Fury and Wilder and I just feel sorry for all the Americans that are expected to pay 80+ dollars for it. I think after this pandemic people will be less willing to buy PPV’s and hopefully this means we only have to pay for the mega fights not Dubois versus Joyce etc.

Some boxers may not return after the lockdown ends.

After this lock down ends I think we may see a lot of boxers that don’t do it full time hang their gloves up because they decide it isn’t worth it. A lot of boxers who do it full time will struggle as well because if they aren’t fighting they won’t get paid. This may inspire many boxers to not return to the sport and try and get a more normal job.

We will have to see over the coming months just how many boxers are left when this whole situation ends. I think most will stick with it but for some they may not have a choice as they have to make ends meet for their family

Which Brit will win a world title next?

British boxing is currently going through a transitional stage where the old guard is retiring and the stars of tomorrow are getting close to world level. I think we have the potential too see lots of new world champions from this country in the next few years and I thought i’d list a few that I think will win them first.

The first British fighter that I think will win a world title soon is Lawrence Okolie. Hes supposed to be fighting for the WBO Cruiserweight title in his next fight and while Glowacki is a tough opponent I think that Okolies awkward style can get him the victory. I’m not sure he’ll be hugely celebrated when he eventually wins a title because he can be difficult to watch box sometimes but hes very effective and has a good chance of winning a world title.

The next Brit who I think could win a world title in the next few years is Joe Cordina. Hes one of the best talents that has come out of the 2016 GB Olympic squad and with his move down to Super Featherweight he should be even better. All of the champions are solid at Super Featherweight right now but I can see him winning a title there on the right night.

Archie Sharp is the third Brit who I think could win a world title in the next few years. He had a very good 2019 and is now ranked third in the WBO. The Current WBO champion is Jamel Herring who is a good champion who is scheduled to fight Carl Frampton next. Herring is certainly beatable and I think that with Sharp gaining experience that he could pull off the win though he would be an underdog.

Savannah Marshall is the fourth Brit who I think will win a world title. Shes scheduled to face the WBO Light heavyweight champ Geovana Peres on June 27th in Newcastle. While the fight will probably be rescheduled I am confident that she will win the fight whenever it happens.

The last fighter that I think could win a world title soon is Martin Joseph Ward who is a highly skilled operator who is rumored to be fighting for a title soon. As long as he doesn’t get KO’d I think he will win a decision against most of the super featherweight champions.