Srisaket Sor Rungvisai gave an impressive performance against Amnat Ruenroeng but he’ll have to beat a next-level foe to climb the list.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai had an unusual distinction: The Thai slugger was the first fighter on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list — he’s No. 14 — to see post-lockdown action.
Sor Rungvisai (48-5-1, 41 KOs) defeated 40-year-old countryman Amnat Ruenroeng by a unanimous decision on Saturday in Thailand.
The former two-time junior bantamweight champion gave an impressive performance but he’ll have to beat a next-level opponent to climb the list. He remains at No. 14.
Who on the list fights next? That’s hard to say because scheduling is in flux but, apparently, No. 11 Artur Beterbiev’s light heavyweight title defense against Meng Fanlong on Sept. 25 is the next fight involving a fighter in the Top 15.
The only other matchup that is concrete is No. 15 Leo Santa Cruz vs. Gervonta Davis on Oct. 24.
No. 3 Canelo Alvarez was planning to return on Sept. 12 but he has yet to announce an opponent, which means the date could be pushed back.
No. 1 Vasiliy Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez (honorable mention) had a target date of Oct. 3 but that fight appears to be in jeopardy of collapsing over money.
No. 4 Naoya Inoue is expected to fight in the fall but no date or opponent is set.
No. 6 Gennady Golovkin is expected to defend his middleweight title against Kamil Szeremeta as soon as next month but nothing has been announced.
Welterweight contender Shawn Porter, an honorable mention here, will beat Beterbiev and Santa Cruz into the ring. He is scheduled to face German Sebastian Formella on Aug. 22, which isn’t likely to have an impact on the list.
The others could surprise us and announce a fight in the near future. We’re waiting.
Here’s a look at our Top 15.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list hasn’t budged because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some fighters on the list have fights scheduled but most don’t as promoters, managers and matchmakers try to figure out how to get the best fighters into the …
The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list hasn’t budged because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some fighters on the list have fights scheduled but most don’t as promoters, managers and matchmakers try to figure out how to get the best fighters into the ring without fans in attendance or wait until until COVID-19 subsides enough to allow spectators.
Here is an updated look at our Top 15 and their immediate plans.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko — The latest target date for a fight with honorable mention Teofimo Lopez is Oct. 3 but nothing is set.
Terence Crawford — Promoter Bob Arum said he hopes to make an announcement soon. Sergey Lipinets? Kell Brook? Shawn Porter? Ray Robinson? Who the hell knows?
Canelo Alvarez — The best realistic choice is Callum Smith. Other options — John Ryder, David Lemieux, Anthony Dirrell, Tureano Johnson, Jason Quigley, et al — wouldn’t go over as well but might be more affordable.
Naoya Inoue — Expected to fight in the fall in the U.S. John Riel Casimero, his pre-COVID-19 opponent, is still an option.
Oleksandr Usyk — The plan is to fight Derek Chisora, probably in November. No official announcement has been made.
Gennadiy Golovkin — Triple-G seems intent on defending his title against Kamil Szeremeta as soon as September but, again, nothing is final.
Errol Spence Jr. — Danny Garcia appears to be the man. A date and site haven’t been announced.
Tyson Fury — Deontay Wilder has exercised the rematch clause in their contract for their second fight. The question is when.
Juan Francisco Estrada — There is talk about a rematch with Roman Gonzalez but that seems unlikely without fans in attendance. Otherwise, who knows?
Mikey Garcia — Seems to be the top choice for Pacquiao. Waiting for the announcement.
Artur Beterbiev — Reportedly scheduled to face Meng Fanlong on Sept. 25 in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Josh Taylor — Still tentatively scheduled to defend his title against Apinun Khongsong but the date and site aren’t set.
Manny Pacquiao — Mikey Garcia … we think.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai — Reportedly scheduled to face Amnat Ruenroeng on Aug. 1 in Thailand.
Leo Santa Cruz — Reportedly in talks with Gervonta Davis.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
Oleksandr Gvozdyk, the former light heavyweight titleholder, reportedly is retiring from boxing at 33 to pursue business opportunities.
Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s knockout loss to Artur Beterbiev in a title-unification bout this past October evidently was his last fight.
Gvozdyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, told ESPN that the former light heavyweight beltholder is retiring from boxing at 33 to pursue business opportunities.
The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine won his title by stopping Adonis Stevenson in 11 rounds in December 2018, successfully defended once and then lost it by a 10th-round stoppage against Beterbiev.
“He’s a very smart guy, so he thinks it’s going to be inconvenient for him to do that kind of business and box at the same time,” Klimas told ESPN Tuesday afternoon. “So he needs to give himself 100% to boxing or business. So he decided to do that.”
The loss to Beterbiev didn’t play a role in Gvozdyk’s decision, Klimas said. However, a rematch might be the only thing that could bring him back.
“Actually, what kept him from moving away from boxing, that motivation to go back into the ring, was Beterbiev,” Klimas explained. “That was the only one holding him because he wanted to get that rematch. There might be a possibility that someone will get him a rematch, he might change his mind.”
Trainer Teddy Atlas, who worked with Gvozdyk, thinks a lot of his former protégé.
“All you need to know is that I wasn’t planning on coming back [to train], just like I wasn’t with Timmy Bradley at the time. I only did it because of the kind of human being that he was, same as Timmy,” said Atlas, who reportedly spoke with Gvozdyk about his decision Monday.
“Obviously he was a tremendous fighter, a bronze medalist, won a world title. But again, it starts with me, my decision to train him, it was all based on visiting him for a few days and seeing the kind of person, the father, husband and man that he was.”
We wanted to remind you who comprises our Great Eight and present the single fighter we believe is the biggest threat to each man.
Who are the best boxers in each of the original eight weight classes? Check out Boxing Junkie’s new “Great Eight” feature.
***
Welcome back to the Great Eight, the best fighters in each of the original eight weight classes – heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight.
Our list has been frozen for lack of action as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but the boxing gears are turning and the sport is expected to restart next month.
With that in mind, we wanted to remind you who comprises our Great Eight and – for the purposes of this post – present the single fighter we believe is the biggest threat to each man on our elite-of-the-elite list.
Remember: The heavyweight division includes cruiserweights, light heavyweight includes super middleweights, middleweight includes junior middleweights … all the way down to flyweight, which includes junior flyweights and strawweights.
Here we go.
HEAVYWEIGHT
Anthony Joshua had reason to be pleased with himself after embarrassing Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch. Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Champion: Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs)
Biggest threat: Anthony Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs). The emphatic nature of Fury’s seventh-round knockout victory over Deontay Wilder in February seems to have eliminated Wilder as a serious threat, although one never knows because of his punching power. That leaves fellow Briton Anthony Joshua as the only man who could challenge Fury. Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world by stopping Joshua last June, raising questions about his toughness, but Joshua bounced back to easily outpoint Ruiz in their rematch in December. We would favor Fury to beat Joshua but the latter has the tools to give our champion some trouble. Oleksandr Usyk? Too small.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Dmitriy Bivol (left, against Lenin Castillo) could give Artur Beterbiev all kinds of trouble. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA
Champion: Artur Beterbiev (15-0, 15 KOs)
Biggest threat: Dmitry Bivol (17-0, 11 KOs). Beterbiev proved in his 10th-round knockout of Oleksandr Gvozdyk in October that his combination of ability and strength is likely to overwhelm even an elite opponent. The potential problem here is that Bivol seems to be better Gvozdyk. Beterbiev’s fellow Russian doesn’t have tremendous punching power but he has baffled one opponent after another with his special skill set. If he can handle Beterbiev’s unusual strength and ability to hurt his opponents – a big “if” – he might be able to take down the most dominating fighter among 175- and 168-pounders.
MIDDLEWEIGHT
Canelo Alvarez (left) would be favored to beat Gennadiy Golovkin if they met a third time. Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports
Champion: Canelo Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs)
Biggest threat: Gennadiy Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs). Triple-G might the only threat to Alvarez here. It’s difficult to imagine the Mexican star fighting anyone else at 160 pounds, as he seems to be transitioning into a super middleweight. And who knows? Even a third fight between them could take place at a catch weight between 160 and 168. Let’s assume that they’ll meet a third time at 160, though. Most knowledgeable observers say Golovkin is in decline at 38, an opinion based on so-so performances against Steve Rolls and Sergey Derevyanchenko. We would favor the younger, fresher Alvarez, too. However, we’re not willing to write off an old warrior who will be motivated to demonstrate that he remains formidable. Triple-G is a real threat.
WELTERWEIGHT
A fight between Errol Spence Jr. (right, against Shawn Porter) and Terence Crawford is necessary to determine the best welterweight. AP Photo / Ringo H.W. Chiu
Champion: Terence Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs)
Biggest threat: Errol Spence Jr. (26-0, 21 KOs). Will we ever see the dream welterweight matchup? The feeling here is that Crawford is the slightly better, more-dynamic fighter of the two but Spence makes up for that infinitesimal disadvantage with an edge in natural size, although Crawford might be stronger than many realize. This is essentially a 50-50 fight, meaning Spence would be a bona fide threat to Crawford’s position here. We can only hope that it happens soon. For the record: Others in a deep division – including Shawn Porter and Manny Pacquiao – also are a threat to Crawford, just not to the extent Spence is.
LIGHTWEIGHT
Teofimo Lopez (right, against Richard Commey) has the ability to push the great Vasiliy Lomachenko. Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Champion: Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-1, 10 KOs)
Biggest threat: Teofimo Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs). The beauty of this entry is that Lomachenko and Lopez are en route to a meeting before the end of the year. Lomachenko (our No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound) is the best boxer in the world. And while the Ukrainian has had only 15 pro fights, he had a zillion as a decorated amateur. That means he’d have an advantage over Lopez in terms of experience, too. The Honduran-American shouldn’t be overlooked, though. He has an impressive skill set built on his own solid amateur foundation, is an excellent athlete, has one-punch knockout power and has a killer’s mentality. He’s a genuine threat to the 32-year-old Lomachenko.
FEATHERWEIGHT
Does Shakur Stevenson have enough seasoning to challenge Gary Russell Jr.? Mikey Williams / Top Rank
Champion: Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 KOs)
Biggest threat: Shakur Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs). Russell hasn’t had what might be described as a defining victory even though he turns 32 on June 5, but we have a good idea of what he brings to the ring. The 2008 U.S. Olympic has a sound fundamental foundation and possibly the fastest hands in the sport, which can overwhelm his opponents. We’d favor Russell to beat anyone between 122 and 126 pounds. Stevenson might push him, though. He, too, is quick, athletic and a former U.S. Olympian. He won a silver medal in 2016. Stevenson’s obvious deficiency is a lack of experience. He’s only 22 and has never faced anyone near Russell’s level. We’d learn a great deal about Stevenson if this fight happened. Leo Santa Cruz? We think he’s finished at 126.
BANTAMWEIGHT
Juan Francisco Estrada (left, against Victor Mendez) is a threat to Naoya Inoue if he can handle his strength. John McCoy / Getty Images
Champion: Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16 KOs)
Biggest threat: Juan Francisco Estrada (40-3, 27 KOs). Nonito Donaire proved in defeat that the gifted Inoue is human, although he battled through injuries to beat the tough veteran by a unanimous decision in November and preserve his place among the best in the sport. Fellow 118-pounders Guillermo Rigondeaux and John Riel Casimero might have the ability to push Inoue but his biggest threat currently fights at 115. Estrada is a superb all-around boxer who has proven himself over and over again against elite opposition on big stages. He definitely has the ability to threaten Inoue. The question would be size. Could the Mexican move up to 118 and handle a beast like Inoue? That could determine the winner.
FLYWEIGHT
Moruti Mthalane (right, against Masayuki Kuroda) still has the goods at 37. Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
Champion: Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs)
Biggest threat: Moruti Mthalane (39-2, 26 KOs). Tanaka announced that he plans to move up to 115 pounds, which means he isn’t likely to fight again in our flyweight-junior flyweight-strawweight division. However, we’re going to wait for him to sign a contract to fight at 115 before removing him. The next best – and certainly the most proven – at 112 and below is Mthalane, the 37-year-old South African. Mthalane hasn’t lost since he was stopped by a prime Nonito Donaire 2008 and seems to be as good as ever even at an advanced age. We’d favor a gifted young fighter like Tanaka over Mthalane but one never knows when it comes to a crafty veteran. One could also make a case for unbeaten junior flyweight Ken Shiro as the best of the bunch.
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20 th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925. …
A boxing historian with the Twitter handle @BoxerJoeGrim, named for a turn-of-the-20th-century heavyweight who lost consistently but never gave up, posted a fascinating image of a newspaper column written by the legendary Grantland Rice in 1925.
The article (see below) demonstrates that the concept of pound-for-pound predates by many years Sugar Ray Robinson, for whom many seem to believe the term was coined.
“Who is the best fighter in the world for weight – pound for pound?,” Rice wrote. “Our vote goes to Jimmy Slattery – with Mickey Walker possibly in second place.”
Boxing writer Cliff Rold, an astute boxing historian, commented on Joe Grim’s post, Tweeting: “There were lists of the best overall fighters across divisions that used to appear in all sorts of big papers regularly, some using the expression and some not. All the same thought.”
The myth that boxing's "pound for pound" expression was coined for Sugar Ray Robinson is increasingly being replaced by a new, more subtle, myth – that he prompted writers to start formally ranking fighters on a P4P basis. This is also untrue – take this 1925 piece for example: pic.twitter.com/DBzKuO8cJC
Added another knowledgeable historian, Doug Fischer, Editor-in-Chief of The Ring Magazine: “The #P4P concept goes back to the late 1800s, as Bob Fitzsimmons was described by newspaper scribes as the best boxer ‘regardless of weight’ during his prime.”
To which Joe Grim responded: “At times they also used the exact ‘pound-for-pound’ expression to describe him as well. So many things trace back to Fitz. P4P got a foothold due to him (though not coined for him) as did ‘the bigger they are …,’ which he also popularized (but also not coined for or by him).”
So there you have it, a short lesson on the long life of the term “pound-for-pound.”
And one more thing: Jimmy Slattery? He received heady praise from Rice, who presumably knew what he was writing about.
Slattery, one of the top light heavyweights of the 1920s and early ’30s and a Hall of Famer, was a brilliant, graceful boxer who fought on even terms with some of the greatest fighters in history. He was a two-time 175-pound champ who finished with a record of 111-13 (14 KOs).
And as Rice pointed out, the product of Buffalo, New York, might’ve the best in the business at that moment.
TV commentator Max Kellerman chimed in on the Twitter thread by commenting: “Most interesting thing here is that Slattery is ranked #1. He left a big impression back then. I was asked to write something for Jeff Fenech’s HOF induction, & in the original draft referenced Slattery as an example, like Fenech, of fighter who at his best looked like ATG.”
Check out Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list below. And let us know what you think.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko
Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez
Naoya Inoue
Oleksandr Usyk
Gennadiy Golovkin
Errol Spence Jr.
Tyson Fury
Juan Francisco Estrada
Mikey Garcia
Artur Beterbiev
Josh Taylor
Manny Pacquiao
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
Leo Santa Cruz
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
Boxing Junkie’s fantasy series “Who Wins?” revealed some interesting things about the fighters who were featured.
Boxing Junkie’s “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pitted each of our Top 15 pound-for-pound fighters against five potential opponents and had our three staffers predict winners, is completed.
What did it reveal? A number of things.
The top fighters on our pound-for-pound list are there for a reason.
Nos. 1-3 Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez went a combined 43-1-1 in their fights (five fights with three predictions each). See below for the final standings.
The results depended heavily on the opposition.
Alvarez went 15-0 (6 KOs) in part because he’s a great fighter, as stated above, but also because the competition at super middleweight isn’t as deep as some other divisions.
Alvarez, who recently won a light heavyweight title was paired with 175-pounder Artur Beterbiev in one of the Russian’s five fights and all three Boxing Junkie staffers predicted Alvarez would lose.
One could argue that the records of Crawford (14-1, 3 KOs) and Errol Spence Jr. (13-2, 6 KOs) are as impressive as Alvarez’s given the inordinate number of quality welterweights compared to super middleweights.
Size matters.
The best example of this is Mikey Garcia, the four-division titleholder who now is a smallish welterweight. His ability stacks up against almost anyone’s but he is at a disadvantage against a full-sized, elite 147-pounder, as we saw when he was dominated by Spence. Garcia went 7-8 (0 KOs).
Age matters.
No one doubts the greatness of Manny Pacquiao, particularly after his victory over Keith Thurman. However, at 41, he can’t fight at the same pace he once did. Plus, he also is a small 147-pounder. Those are reasons the Boxing Junkie staffers gave the nod to Pacquiao’s opponents by a wide margin. Pacquiao went 3-12 (0 KOs), the worse record among the 15 fighters featured.
Gennadiy Golovkin, 37, suffered a similar fate. He’s a great fighter but also an aging one, which caught up with him in our feature. Triple-G went 9-6 (5 KOs).
Fury is clearly No. 1.
The heavyweight division isn’t deep but Fury’s opponents – Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte and Andy Ruiz Jr. – have had success. And Fury emerged with a record of 14-1 (8 KOs), losing only a close decision against Usyk in the opinion of staffer Sean Nam.
Even special fighters lose.
Two good examples are Srisaket Sor Rungvisai and Josh Taylor, who had records of 8-7 (5 KOs) and 7-6-2 (2 KOs), respectively. That has less to do with their abilities than the fighters we had them face.
Sor Rungvisai, a junior bantamweight, had to contend with a gauntlet of superb opponents – Juan Francisco Estrada (in a third fight), Roman Gonzalez (also for the third time), Nayoa Inoue (a bantamweight), Kazuto Ioka and Kosei Tanaka. No one could emerge from those tests unscathed.
And Taylor, a junior welterweight, faced Jose Ramirez, Regis Prograis (in a rematch), Maurice Hooker, Terence Crawford (a welterweight) and Teofimo Lopez (a lightweight). Again, tough assignments.
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create …
Boxing Junkie staffers are trying to have some fun while the sport is on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic.
One of the questions fans love to ask even amid a busy schedule is, “Who would win if …?” With that in mind, we decided to create our own “Who Wins?” feature, in which we pit a single fighter against each of five potential opponents and indicate who we believe would win the fights.
In this installment of Who Wins?, our staffers’ give their takes on how Beterbiev would do against Dmitry Bivol, Jean Pascal, Gilberto Ramirez, Badou Jack and Canelo Alvarez. We then tally Beterbiev’s record in those fights and present our standings.
Beterbiev has built a reputation as a capable boxer with uncommon strength, as his 100% knockout percentage suggests. He unleashed his full destructive power in his most-recent fight, breaking down and then brutally stopping then-unnbeaten Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the 10th round in October.
We want to acknowledge that the choice of possible opponents is subjective. We’re looking for the best possible but also realistic foes for our featured boxers. One caveat: We won’t consider promotional and managerial rivalries that often stand in the way of the best matchups. And we’re operating under the assumption that none of our featured boxers will fight with ring rust as result of their forced coronavirus-related layoff.
The plan is to work our way down our pound-for-pound list each day. That means our featured fighter tomorrow will be No. 12 Josh Taylor.
So here goes: Beterbiev vs. his five potential opponents.
***
BETERBIEV (15-0, 15 KOs) VS. BIVOL (17-0, 11 KOs)
Dmitriy Bivol (left, against Lenin Castillo) has a series of quality victories the past few years. Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA
Rosenthal: This could be Beterbiev’s most-difficult fight. Bivol has demonstrated his superior skill set against one quality opponent after another the past few years. He’s an excellent boxer, maybe good enough to expose whatever limitations Beterbiev might have. The question is whether he can weather the Beterbiev storm for 12 rounds. The guess here is he can’t. Beterbiev by late KO.
Frauenheim: Bivol is technically proficient. He knows his way around, moving across the ring on educated feet that take him in and out of harm’s way. But he lacks power, or at least enough of it to keep the heavy-handed Bertebiev off him. Beterbiev cuts off ring and wins by a late-round stoppage.
Nam: Dmitry Bivol has the discipline, conditioning and quickness to outpoint Beterbiev, which is what you need to do against a bruiser like Beterbiev. It won’t be an aesthetically pleasing fight, but Bivol’s effective in-and-out motion will see him win the majority of rounds. As long as he can wade through a few big punches, Bivol wins on points.
***
BETERBIEV VS. PASCAL (35-6-1, 20 KOs)
Jean Pascal resurrected his career as an elite fighter by beating Badou Jack. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
Rosenthal: Pascal deserves a lot of credit for beating Marcus Browne and Badou Jack in succession, which made him a major player again after many had written him off. That doesn’t mean the 37-year-old can compete with Beterbiev. He can’t. Pacal relies on his power to win fights and he simply doesn’t measure up to Beterbiev in that department. Beterbiev by sixth-round KO.
Frauenheim: Pascal fought his way back into the title mix with victories over Marcus Browne and Badou Jack. He’s athletic. But his record includes tough bouts against the best at 175 pounds, everybody from Sergey Kovalev to Bernard Hopkins. Wear and tear are evident, too much to withstand Beterbiev for 12 rounds. Beterbiev, late stoppage.
Nam: Pacal is riding an impressive two-fight win streak over top light heavyweight contenders Marcus Browne and Badou Jack, but against Beterbiev he will be fresh out of luck. The only chance is for Pascal to land his unorthodox overhand right. But if Beterbiev, whose chin has prompted some questions in the past, evades them, he will batter the veteran into submission before the sixth round.
***
BETERBIEV VS. RAMIREZ (40-0, 26 KOs)
Gilberto Ramirez (right, against Maxim Bursak) has some quality victories but hasn’t faced anyone like Artur Beterbiev. AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill
Rosenthal: Ramirez has a gaudy record, including a reign as a super middleweight titleholder. That’s impressive. However, the lanky Mexican — who has fought only once at 175 pounds — has neither neither the special skill set nor the punching power to cope with a beast like Beterbiev. Ramirez will have some success early but he’ll eventually wilt under the weight of Beterbiev’s punches and not reach the final bell.
Frauenheim: Ramirez, longtime super middleweight champ, has fought only once at light heavyweight. In April, he stopped Tommy Karpency, who came into the ring with seven losses. Ramirez hasn’t fought since. He looked comfortable in his debut. But his long upper-body is a big target for Beterbiev’s lethal right. Beterbiev, middle-round stoppage.
Nam: Ramirez is talented but his inactivity and inexperience at light heavyweight makes him a considerable underdog here. The southpaw is effective at both distance and range, but the latter will quicken his demise. Beterbiev will bully Ramirez en route to a late stoppage.
***
BETERBIEV VS. JACK (22-3-3, 13 KOs)
Badou Jack (right) fought Jean Pascal on even terms but came up short on the cards. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
Rosenthal: This could be Beterbiev’s toughest fight among the five here. Jack doesn’t have unusual punching power but he’s a clever boxer with a load of experience at the highest level. He might be good and resilient enough to give Beterbiev problems — for a while. Beterbiev will take firm control in the middle rounds, wear Jack down and win a clear decision.
Frauenheim: Jack is tough. He’s also scarred. He needed about 100 stitches for forehead gash suffered in loss to Browne. There was no rupture of the scar in a subsequent loss to Pascal. But Beterbiev’s right lands at higher velocity and with heavier impact than anything thrown by Pascal. Beterbiev wins a punishing, perhaps bloody decision.
Nam: Jack’s tendency to start slowly and waffle his way to split-decision losses and draws makes him especially vulnerable here. Beterbiev stops Jack before the final bell.
***
BETERBIEV VS. ALVAREZ (52-1-2, 36 KOs)
Canelo Alvarez (left) had trouble with Sergey Kovalev for much of their fight and Beterbiev would be a step up in opposition. Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Rosenthal: This fantasy fight would not end well for Alvarez. The Mexican superstar had enough trouble with a faded Kovalev before finally stopping him in the 11th round to win a light heavyweight title. Beterbiev is well-schooled, unusually strong 175-pounder in his prime. Alvarez was smart to move back down in weight. Beterbiev by eighth-round KO.
Frauenheim: A fight the public wants to see. For a while, it also sounded as if it were a fight that Canelo would do. But he quickly backtracked, relinquishing the light heavyweight belt he won by KO over Kovalev. Canelo sees in Beterbiev what everyone else has. Nobody at 175 pounds can beat him right now. Beterbiev, unanimous decision.
Nam: Don’t expect Alvarez to challenge Beterbiev anytime soon. The Russian is a bridge too far. Moreover, Alvarez is not a true light heavyweight despite his stoppage of Sergey Kovalev, who was, of course, washed up. Alvarez’s elite skills will only get him so far before Beterbiev mauls him to the canvas for a late stoppage.
Artur Beterbiev is feeling the adverse effects of the coronavirus after his March 28 fight against Fanlong Meng was canceled.
Artur Beterbiev took it in stride when he received word that his March 28 light heavyweight defense against Fanlong Meng in Quebec City had been canceled because of the coronavirus. He simply continued his workouts, says head trainer Marc Ramsay.
Make no mistake, though: Beterbiev’s wallet took a hit.
Fighters everywhere today are feeling the financial sting these days, especially those who had fights lined up this spring, as Beterbiev did, only to see them postponed or cancelled outright as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ramsay estimates that Beterbiev is out anywhere from $35,000- $52,000 ($50,000 to $75,000 in Canadian dollars) in training camp expenses. It’s money he won’t recover for the time being. Maybe not for a long time.
“It’s a true catastrophe,” Ramsay told the The Journal of Montreal. “In addition to not receiving his purse, Artur is going to absorb all the costs for his training camp.
“It’s a camp that had big expenses in terms of the salary for the six-man team, their allowances, flight tickets and housing.”
A possible silver lining is that promoter Top Rank is seriously looking at the option to stage Beterbiev-Meng in a closed studio shut off from the public. That would mean the card would take place in the U.S., which could be especially problematic for Ramsay, Beterbeiv, but also Ramsay’s other client Oscar Rivas, the Colombian heavyweight contender who was scheduled to appear on the undercard.
The U.S. and Canada recently agreed to close their borders to non-essential traffic.
“Oscar is in Canada on a renewable work permit. If he has to go to the U.S. for a fight, he wouldn’t be able to return to [Canada] but would have to go back to [his home in] Colombia,” Ramsay told The Journal. “For me and Artur, we would have to be quarantined upon our return. In short, we’d be taking a step backwards.”
Ramsay himself is feeling the adverse effects of the coronavirus on his own business. With the exception of Beterbiev and Rivas, Ramsay has closed off his Montreal gym to his regular clientele and has asked his amateur and professional boxers to stay home. Ramsay is trying to think of creative ways to maintain his stable, but with a public health crisis restricting so many aspects of daily life, good ideas are hard to come by.
“We could maybe do our training camp outside, but even that isn’t optimal,” Ramsay said. “In my opinion, we’re far from doing that. We’ll make plans as soon as we get some precise dates.”
Top Rank shelved all cards scheduled through April, including those featuring Artur Beterbiev and Naoya Inoue, because of coronavirus.
One more domino fell Monday.
Top Rank shelved all cards scheduled through April, including light heavyweight Artur Beterbiev’s title defense on March 28 and bantamweight champ Naoya Inoue’s Las Vegas debut on April 25 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The health and safety of our fighters, staff and ESPN’s incredible production team is the most important thing as we plan our next steps,” Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said hours after Premier Boxing Champions canceled its schedule through April and Matchroom Boxing canceled the Regis Prograis-Maurice Hooker junior welterweight bout.
“We look forward to the day when we can bring our loyal fans world-class boxing once again, but exercising caution is the most prudent thing to do at this moment.”
After canceling cards in New York featuring featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson on Saturday and Mick Conlan on Tuesday, Arum had talked about trying to stage boxing in a studio-like production. There would have been no fans. Only judges, referee, ringside physician, ESPN’s broadcast crew and other necessary personnel would have been there.
Then, however, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory Sunday, recommending that events with 50 people or more should not happen over the next eight weeks. On top of that, MGM announced that its casinos and hotels in Las Vegas would be closed for “the foreseeable future.’’
Inoue was scheduled for a title defense against John Riel Casimero at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay, an MGM property. Beterbiev was set to fight Fanlong Meng in Quebec City, Canada.
A number of the pound-for-pounders have fights scheduled but are waiting to see how the Coronavirus threat plays out.
The Boxing Junkie pound-for-pound list isn’t going to change anytime soon if our top stars don’t fight.
A number of them do have fights scheduled. The question at the moment is whether they will actually step into the ring because of the Coronavirus threat.
Many boxing cards worldwide have been postponed or canceled as a result of the pandemic.
Here is a look at our Top 15 and their immediate plans.
BOXING JUNKIE
POUND-FOR-POUND
Vasiliy Lomachenko — Tentatively scheduled to face Teofimo Lopez on May 30.
Terence Crawford — Scheduled to fight again on June 13, according to ESPN. His people are targeting the top welterweights but we’ve heard that before.
Canelo Alvarez — We’re waiting for an announcement that he’ll fight Billy Joe Saunders on May 2.
Naoya Inoue — Scheduled to fight John Riel Casimero on April 25 in Las Vegas but the pandemic could change that.
Oleksandr Usyk — Scheduled to fight Dereck Chisora on May 23 in London. As Usyk said, “I really hope that this fight will take place.”
Gennadiy Golovkin — Tentatively scheduled to return on June 6 against Kamil Szeremeta. A more tantalizing possibility is a third fight with Alvarez in September.
Errol Spence Jr. — Has nothing scheduled. Pacquiao has been reported to be a possible opponent.
Tyson Fury — Deontay Wilder has exercised the rematch clause in their contract for their second fight. The question is when.
Juan Francisco Estrada — Could fight Roman Gonzalez or Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, fighters with whom is familiar, but this is in the rumor stage.
Mikey Garcia — Nothing is scheduled. He might be the leading candidate to face Pacquiao late this summer.
Artur Beterbiev — Scheduled to face Meng Fanlong on March 28. Could it take place in an isolated studio?
Josh Taylor — Scheduled to face Apinun Khongsong on May 2 in Scotland.
Manny Pacquiao — Said he’ll be back this summer. The leading candidates are Mikey Garcia and Errol Spence Jr.
Srisaket Sor Rungvisai — Scheduled to face Amnat Ruenroeng on April 4 in Thailand.
Leo Santa Cruz — Reportedly in talks with Gervonta Davis for a fight in June.
Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Miguel Berchelt, Mairis Briedis, Teofimo Lopez, Shawn Porter and Kosei Tanaka
