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2024 Ring Ratings Review: Middleweight

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Denzel Bentley (left) and Janibek Alimkhanuly (right) trade punches during their WBO middleweight title fight at The Palms in Las Vegas. Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

The Ring first introduced its division rankings in 1925. Nearly a century later, it is no exaggeration to say that these independent rankings are the most respected and discussed in world boxing.

The Ring Ratings Panel consists of over a dozen experts from around the world. Opinions are shared, debate ensues, and the final decision on who should be ranked is made democratically every week. It sounds straightforward, but it can be a tedious and time-consuming process.

I will go through each division in reverse order, going from strawweight to heavyweight, and look at the performance of each fighter I evaluate. Then I will look into my crystal ball to see what may await me.

Next up is middleweight (160 pounds), which is one of boxing’s weakest divisions and is in dire need of a facelift.

As always, please enjoy the debate and respect other people’s opinions.

No. 1 – ŻANIBEK ALIMKHANUŁA

RECORD: 15-0 (10 KOs)

PAST: Alimkhanuly won gold at the 2013 World Championships before representing Kazakhstan at the 2016 Olympics, where he lost in the quarterfinals. As a professional, he moved quickly and scored impressive victories over Rob Brant (RTD 8) and Hassan N’dam (TKO 8). Alimkhanuly defeated Danny Dignum (KO 2) to win the vacant WBO interim title. When Demetrius Andrade did not return to middleweight, Alimkhanuly was promoted to full champion. The 31-year-old southpaw looked average in his match against Denzel Bentley (UD 12), but then returned to impressive form by defeating Steven Butler (KO 2). He stopped Vincenzo Gualtieri (TKO 6) to add an IBF unification title last October.

FUTURE: He was scheduled to defend his titles in July against Andrei Mikhailovich, but had to withdraw after he fainted while trying to gain weight. The fight ended in a bid, which Mikhailovich’s team won, and now Alimkhanuly will have to travel to Sydney, Australia to put his IBF title on the line on October 4.

No. 2 – HAMZAH SHEERAZ

RECORD: 21-0 (17 KOs)

PAST: Sheeraz became a professional turner at the age of 18 and apprenticed at home in the UK before seeking out Rocky Funez to work at the Ten Goose gym in Los Angeles. It’s no coincidence that since wrestling Bradley, Skeete has become a much more complete fighter. when he had to come on overdue and stop the game in the ninth inning. The towering boxer-puncher scored three early victories over River Wilson-Bent (TKO 2), Dymtro Mytrofanov (TKO 2) and former world title challenger Liam Williams (TKO 1). However, what attracted attention was the stoppage of the fight against undefeated Austin Williams (TKO 11) in June and the destruction of the usually sturdy Tyler Denny (TKO 2) in the fight for the European champion.

FUTURE: He may face Denzel Bentley for the WBO interim title later this year.

No. 3 – CARLOS ADAMES

RECORD: 24-1 (18 KOs)

PAST: Adames was first noticed in the junior middleweight division, where he defeated Frank Galarza (TKO 4) and Patrick Day (UD 10). Adames was upset with Patrick Teixeira (UD 12) as he tried to win the vacant WBO interim title. After returning to action, he won two fights, followed by the best victory in his career over Sergiy Derevyanchenko (UD 10). The powerhouse fighter from the Dominican Republic became the interim WBC title holder (unrecognized by The Ring) when he knocked out Juan Macias Montiel (KO 3) and defended his title by defeating former unified junior middleweight champion Julian Williams (TKO 9). The 30-year-old became the full champion and defended the title in a fight against Terrell Gausha (UD 12).

FUTURE: Next, he can defend his title against the hazardous Meiirim Nursultanov.

Erislandy Lara (left) entered the middleweight rankings following the TKO of Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan. Photo: Amanda Westcott-Showtime

No. 4 – ERISLANDY LARA

RECORD: 31-3-3 (19 KOs)

PAST: The Cuban amateur was the favorite to win Olympic gold in 2008, but he defected earlier. He became a cornerstone of the junior middleweight division, defeating Austin Trout (UD 12), Vanes Martirosyan (UD 12) and Terrell Gausha (UD 12). He was never convincingly defeated. Lara gave Paul Williams (L SD 12), Canelo Alvarez (L SD 12) and Jarrett Hurd (L SD 12) all they could handle in narrow points defeats. The 41-year-old southpaw moved up to middleweight and won four fights to claim the WBA title, most recently defeating former two-division champion Danny Garcia (RTD 9).

FUTURE: I fought recently, so I won’t fight for the rest of the year.

No. 5 – CHRIS EUBANK JR.

RECORD: 33-3 (24 KOs)

PAST: Eubank learned on the job as a professional before narrowly making the decision in favor of the much more experienced Billy Joe Saunders (UD 12). He moved up to 168 pounds and defeated Arthur Abraham (UD 12) and Avni Yildirim (KO 3) before taking a decision to George Groves (UD 12) in the World Boxing Super Series tournament. He bounced back with a win over James DeGale (UD 12) and has since dropped down to 160 pounds. The 35-year-old defeated Liam Williams four times en route to a 12-round unanimous decision and was shockingly stopped by Liam Smith (TKO 4), but returned in the rematch with a comprehensive victory (TKO 10).

FUTURE: On October 12 in Riyad, he will face former world title contender Kamil Szeremeta.

NO. 6 – MEIIRIM NURSULTANOW

RECORD: 20-0 (11 KOs)

PAST: Before he began his professional career in America in 2016, Nursultanov was a talented amateur. The 31-year-old boxer has since fought around the world and has victories over Andrey Sirotkin (RTD 5), former world title challenger Marcelo Coceres (UD 10), broke the record of Kazuto Takesako (TKO 8) and defeated Julio Alamosa (UD 12)

FUTURE: He is in talks with WBC champion Adames.

No. 7 – ETINOSA OLIHA

RECORD: 21-0 (9 KOs)

PAST: Oliha won his first 16 fights in his native Italy before impressing during a sparring session with William Scull and being captured by Agon. Now he fights for a German promoter. Since then, the 26-year-old has defeated the undefeated pair of Julio Alamos (UD 12) and Faton Vukshinaj (UD 12), and recently stopped Alexander Pavlov (TKO 3) in an IBF eliminator.

FUTURE: Oliha is fresh off his victory over Pavlov and will be monitoring the situation in the fight for the IBF title on Friday.

No. 8 – KYRONE DAVIS

RECORD: 19-3-1 (6 KOs)

PAST: The Delaware native has been a professional for ten years. He won his first 10 fights before losing to fellow undefeated Junior Castillo (UD 8). Four fights later he lost to Patrick Day (UD 10) in the junior middleweight division. He was offered a super middleweight fight against Anthony Dirrell and a surprise draw for the former titleholder. This result led to a fight with David Benavidez (L TKO 7). This defeat prompted him to return to middleweight, where he won three fights, including a upset victory over Elijah Garcia (SD 10).

FUTURE: He will be hoping to turn Garcia’s victory into something more significant.

Shane Mosley Jr. (right) forces D’Metrius Ballard into the ropes in round 7. Photo: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy Promotions

No. 9 – TROY ISLAND

RECORD: 13-0 (5 KOs)

PAST: Isley was a standout amateur who represented the U.S. at the 2017 World Championships, where he won bronze, and at the 2020 Olympics (postponed to 2021), where he reached the round of 16. In early 2021, he turned professional and rose through the ranks. The 26-year-old has notable wins over raw spoiler Vladimir Hernandez (UD 8) and most recently against fellow prospect Javier Martinez (UD 10).

FUTURE: Isley will face once-defeated Tyler Howard on November 8 in Norfolk, Virginia.

No. 10 – SHANE MOSLEY JR.

RECORD: 22-4 (12 KOs)

PAST: Mosley followed his legendary namesake father into boxing, and although he suffered a few losses along the way – to Brandon Adams (UD 10) and Jason Quigley (MD 10) – he continues to learn and improve, giving him a five-fight winning streak that has includes victories over crafty veteran Gabe Rosado (MD 10), once-beaten D’Metrius Ballard (7 KO), and most recently overshadowed former champion Daniel Jacobs (UD 10).

FUTURE: He recently made his goal clear on social media.

On the bend: Fyodor Cherkashin, Yoeneli Hernandez, Anauel Ngmissengue, Patrice Volny and Austin Williams

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The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Pound for Pound – The Ring (ringtv.com)

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The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Junior Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Flyweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Junior Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Bantamweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Junior Featherweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

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The Ring 2024 Review: Lightweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

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The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Welterweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

The Ring 2024 Ratings Review: Junior Middleweight – The Ring (ringtv.com)

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Boxing

Opetaia is not the next Usyk, says Chris Billiam-Smith

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56 mins ago

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October 2, 2024

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Image: Opetaia is Not the Next Usyk, Says Chris Billiam-Smith

Chris Billiam-Smith says IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia is not the next Oleksandr Usyk as some fans claimed. He says he never created any hype for Australia’s Opetai (25-0, 19 KO) and felt that “humanized” in his last fight against 39-year-old Mairis Briedis.

It is unclear who claimed Opetaia was the next Usyk, as the Australian rival was extremely delicate until he fought the aging Briedis. The opponent Opetaia faced were lower-level guys like Elias Zorro, Mark Flanagan, and Jordan Thompson.

Usyk on another level

Casual fans might have naively called Opetaia the next Usyk, but fans familiar with the sport saw him as a product of supple matchmaking. He fought bad opponents throughout his nine-year career. Usyk is the gold standard of what a cruiserweight should be, and Opetaia is far from it. It is a more coppery variety.

There is no comparison between Oleksandr Usyk’s talent when he fought in the cruiserweight division and Opertai’s talent. Usyk could do it all, showing incredible skills and beating a quality opponent. In contrast, Opetaia has only fought one good opponent in his entire career, and that was an older version of Briedis.

The first fight between the two made Opetaia look better than it actually was, as Briedis was returning after a long break. In the second fight last May, Briedis exposed Opetaia, putting him under constant pressure and showing he was not good at absorbing punishment.

Opetaia looked scared, dealing with the pressure, getting hurt on its beak, and facing Briedis’ withering fire. The fight showed that Opetaia is not built for combat combat and prefers to stay on the outside taking shots.

In the Riyad rematch, Opetaia looked like a bigger version of Shakur Stevenson against Briedis and it was a real eye opener.

Opetaia will defend his IBF cruiserweight title against recently defeated Jack Massey (22-2, 12 KO) in Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol on October 12 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

This is another example of Opetai fighting an underdog instead of a talented cruiserweight. Surprisingly, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh did not insist that Opetaia fight someone talented for him to appear at the October 12 event.

“He is extremely talented, Opetaia. It does a lot of things really well. He’s got quick hands, good feet, good shot selection and can hit,” said Chris Billiam-Smith. Second exit about IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetai.

“I think people say he’s like the next Usyk, which I don’t agree with. I think Usyk is a much, much better fighter than Opetaia,” Billiam-Smith said. “I think Briedis had a long break before the first fight [with Opetaia] and had a long layoff before his second fight near the end of his career, but he showed glimpses of what he was capable of.

Opetaia is just a one-dimensional pony who only throws potshots and doesn’t like to take difficult shots in her fights. Let me repeat: he has only fought one notable fighter in his entire career, Briedis, and in their second fight he did not look good.

By now, Opetaia should have fought the following cruiserweights:

– Chris Billiam-Smith
– Richard Riakporhe
– Lawrence’s setting
– Isaac Chamberlain
– Gilberto Ramirez
– Noel Mikaelyan

“I think hObadiah is humanized when it comes to hype. For me, I see fighters for who they are. I think Opetaia is a fantastic player, but I never believed he was unbeatable,” said Billiam-Smith.

Years ago, it was obvious that Opetaia was facing marginal opposition, and it was surprising that it was only now, in his slow thirties, that his managers finally briefly pitted him against quality opposition against Briedis. However, now they are bringing him back to the same destitute matchmaking by putting him face to face with Massey.

“He is a fantastic champion; Briedis was a good player, but he had a bit of an edge,” Billiam-Smith said. He knew it and that’s why he retired. He probably didn’t have the same thing in him. He fought many difficult fights. He had two Super Series back to back.

“Of course he lost to Usyk in the first one and won in the second one [against Yuniel Dorticos]. He had some tough fights during that time and he boxed everyone over the years, and that will wear you down.

“I was at his training camps and I think he overdid it. He had three sparring sessions a week, at one point 15 rounds. You won’t get the best rounds in these 15 rounds. He just kept going through it,” Billiam-Smith said of Briedis.

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Boxing

Zhilei Zhang impressed by British heavyweight

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3 hours ago

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October 2, 2024

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ZHILEI ZHANG wouldn’t be interested in how he could beat Daniel Dubois if they ever met, but the Chinese heavyweight fighter in a recent interview with .

Zhang’s career took a downturn in March, losing on points to Joseph Parker, but three months later she returned to winning ways with an emphatic fifth-round victory over Deontay Wilder.

The 41-year-old, who has an 81% knockout rate in 30 fights, has joined the ranks of rivals eager to face Dubois, who annihilated Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium last month.

Dubois, who has losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, is now the IBF heavyweight champion and is in the form of his life. Zhang was impressed by Daniel’s “Dynamte” and explained exactly why.

“People think he’s giving up, but I never see him as giving up,” he said.

“In his fight before Usyk (against Kevin Lerena), everyone said he had a knee injury, his knee was bothering him. This is what I see that people don’t see. He’s a very shrewd boxer and a very shrewd person. He knows how to protect himself so that he can come back.

“So when [his] broken eye socket (contrary to Joyce), in such a condition he applied the rule. He knelt down to protect himself against a better return. It’s a very shrewd move, it’s clever and everyone sees what happened. He’s back. Three fights in a row and he was at the top of the mountain.

“I’m very impressed with his mentality and the way he approaches things, but at the same time he’s confident, he’s hungry, he’s newborn – I think he’s basically a great player.”


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Manny Pacquiao proposed a melancholy alternative to fighting for the WBC title

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6 hours ago

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October 2, 2024

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Manny Pacquiao Shane Mosley 2024

Manny Pacquiao has been given the chance to share the ring with his former rival after missing out on the opportunity to fight Mario Barrios.

Pacquiao was in line to fight for the WBC welterweight title against Barrios until advisor Sean Gibbons informed World Boxing News that “the boxing legend’s ship has sailed.” The next target of the talks in London was Amir Khan, before Pacquiao’s intentions went tranquil again.

Pacquiao will celebrate his 46th birthday in a few weeks, and the man he defeated in 2011 has taken up the challenge. Shane Mosley, now 53, former Pound for Pound star, wants to do battle with “Pac-Man” after returning to action on the show.

Mosley took part in a “Celebrity Boxing” fight against a trainer from Philadelphia, dominating the competition from start to finish. He looked good for his age, but wasn’t at the level required to face Pacquiao, who is nine years younger.

“Pacquiao. I want to fight Pacquiao, man,” Mosley told Fight Hub TV after his victory over the unheralded Bob Kofroth. Mosley then focused all his attention on Oscar De La Hoya in a fight that never happened. The boss of Golden Boy has already ruled out a return to the ring.

“I would fight Oscar [De La Hoya]but Oscar doesn’t want to fight,” Mosley noted. “He was talking about this whole mess [about me coming back at 53]but he doesn’t want to fight. I don’t understand this. He should keep my name out of his mouth.

“I wasn’t even talking about him, but he came up and started talking about me. He’s just jealous because I beat him twice. But we might as well do it a third time while he talks about this whole mess. But he doesn’t want that smoke. He really doesn’t.

“Sugar” Shane is already showing signs of wear and tear when he speaks, so it would be best to avoid any notions of Pacquiao. The De La Hoya fight isn’t impressive in itself, but it still sparks debate about boxers fighting in their 50s.

WBN talked about this possibility ten years ago and the writing was on the wall then. Ten years later, it may still take some catastrophic incident before retired fighters fully understand the message.

The next fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul will take place on November 15.

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