SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

2 great HW Fights: #2 Parker vs. #5 Bakole; #7 Kabayel vs. #11 Zhang round-by-round scoring

Two great Heavyweight fights among the card in Riyahd today.

The top fight is #2 Joseph Parker vs. #5 Martin Bakole, a last-minute replacement for #4 Daniel Dubois. Bakole weighed in at 315 pounds roughly, to Parker's 267.

Parker vs. Bakole probably starts around 4:30 5:20 eastern time

Live update: Fighters entering ring. Fight is beginning

1. Fighters mostly stationary, at mid-distance. Good jab lunge by Parker. Body shot by Bakole. Very different fight than Kabayel-Zhang for sure. Decent body shot by Parker, who is more active, Bakole waiting for opening. Parker caught in corner so he clinches late in round. Bakole gets in a right uppercut but Parker did more work in a sparse first round. Parker 10-9.
2. Bakole moving in now instead of standing still. Parker good 1-2, Bakole gets hit coming in too. Now Parker coming forward gets countered by Bakole. Pretty even first half of round. Bakole getting stung by short shots in tight. Parker great right but Bakole takes it, but Parker hits Bakole with hook to top of head, Bakole wobbles and falls down, he can't get up to the ref's satisfaction and Parker wins by TKO!

Parker TKO 2 Bakole

Stoppage was maybe a little early for some tastes but Bakole got up facing the ropes. Would have to see that again at full speed to judge. Bakole was clearly overweight and only flew in at 2am the previous night, so minus 25 pounds and an actual training camp, the result would have been different—at least, Parker wouldn't have gotten a 2nd round TKO. I'm sure Bakole got paid a lot for his last-minute replacement.

Parker solidifies his hold on the #2 spot that he just took over from Tyson Fury this month. A fight with #1 Oleksander Usyk is certain to happen hopefully this year. Bakole will drop to the lower reaches of the top 15.

Undercard fight:

 #7 Agit Kabayel (25-0-0) vs. Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1) was early on the card. A great bout for an undercard fight.

Kabayel weighed in around 240, Zhang about 290. That's the big difference in this fight, as well as Zhang's age (41) vs. Kabayel (32).

Live update: Fighters are being introduced. Fight is starting.

Round-by-round scoring:

1. Zhang scores early, Kabayel increases his distance. Ring looks small with both guys in there. Zhang fires and Kabayel returns fire well. A lot of winging hooks from both guys. Zhang backs Kabayel up to the ropes. Awkward clinch near the end, another left from Zhang. Close round to Zhang 10-9
2. Agit goes to body early, a lot of activity, Zhang fires back, lots of back and forth in first minute. Rock'em sock'em robots right now. Zhang covering up mostly, firing back occasionally. Big right from Kabayel, Zhang takes it well. Volume this round is insane! Solid uppercut from Zhang, Kabayel throws 10 smaller punches. Agit close in to keep Zhang from stretching out punches. Good round for Kabayel; 19-19
3. Agit starts where he left off with high volume, big body punch from Zhang. Both focusing on body. Zhang tying up, wrestling. Big left from Zhang, no reacting from Agit. More body punches from Kabayel. Strong jab from Zhang, several punches from Agit. Agit moving forward as the aggressor, 2 solid upperuts from Agit, Zhang returns. Same crazy workrate as round 2. Kabayel's higher workrate takes another competitive round. Kabayel 10-9; 29-28
4. Kabayel right into close range with body shots once again, annoying Zhang. Zhang pushes him away and gets a warning from the ref. Uppercut from Agit has Zhang take notice, he looks tired. Zhang's return shots aren't affecting him. Another warning from the ref for pushing. Big punch from Zhang doesn't faze Agit. Agit's workrate relentless. Connecting at will, and Zhang's return shots don't have a lot on them, luckily for Kabayel. Kabayel 10-9; 39-37
5. Kabayel starts right back up again. Zhang's corner wanted him to step back and fire, and he finally does, with a left hook that sits Kabayel down on the canvas! He's right back up but Zhang is on him. Agit tries to re-assert control, he looks ok midway through the round. Round after the knockdown was mostly Agit, but he didn't get a knockdown. Zhang 10-8; 47-47
6. Agit right back on the horse, Zhang is very tired. Kabayel body shot leads to an almost knockdown? Ref pulled Agit away, but Zhang hadn't gone down, so he started it back up, and no knockdown is called. Weird. Zhang is barely hanging on to Agit in the clinch. Taking a lot of body shots, lots of cumulative punishment but still hasn't gone down, now he finally does. Zhang might not get up, he didn't! Agit Kabayel KO Zhilei Zhang round 6

Big win for Kabayel, who will move into the top 5 in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100. Zhang will drop into the lower reaches of the top 25.

 

 

 

UFC 300: How will fights impact the rankings?

UFC 300 features 6 fights that will impact our Weight Class Top 25 lists

• #13 BW Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt (BW #160)
  
  Cody Garbrandt has fallen far since holding the UFC belt, losing 5 of 6 in a five-year span before rebounding with a couple wins that didn't move him up much. But beating Figueiredo could help him regain a lot of ground. Figueiredo is making his Bantamweight debut and starts at #13. A win for Figueiredo would likely put him just inside in the top 10; Cody won't get in the top 25 if he wins but it would knock Figueiredo down leaving both fighters just outside the rankings.
  
  Result: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Cody Garbrandt by rear naked choke R2
  
  Deiveson Figueiredo will likely move to #9 in our Bantamweight rankings. Garbrandt will remain unranked.
  
  
• #3 BW Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar (FW #117)
  
  This is the weirdest fight in terms of our rankings. Former Bantamweight champion Sterling would be #1 if ranked at Featherweight right now, and this will be his qualifying fight. So if he wins—even though Kattar is only #117—he will have our FW belt! Seems a bit unfair, but that's what the points say. Sterling won 9 fights in a row prior to his loss to Sean O'Malley, amassing tons of point; meanwhile the top Featherweight Alexander Volkanovski lost twice to Islam Makhachev and then to Ilia Topuria, leaving the Featherweight rankings depleted at the very top. Aljo will be ranked as a Featherweight after his first FW fight is completed, so unless it's a No Contest he'll be somewhere at or near the top. 
  
  Kattar has fallen out of the top 100 at Featherweight (there are a lot of FW fighters!) due to losing 3 of his last 4 fights, as well as not winning a fight in over two years. He's much better than #117 of course, but in our rankings you have to prove it by winning fights. Beating Sterling would immediately put Kattar back in the top 10, probably around #5 at Featherweight.
  
  Result: Aljamain Sterling def Calvin Katter by UD
  
  Well there you, Aljo is our FW champ like it or not, and in a pretty boring way. He won't be that far ahead of Topuria, so the title might switch hands after Topuria's next fight.
  
  
• #6 LH Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic (LH #44)
  
  Ex-Light Heavyweight king Jiri Prochazka hopes to move into position to regain his title. If he beats Aleksandar Rakic he will get his first win in almost 2 years, and stop bleeding points. But it won't get him in the top five unless Jamahall Hill loses in the main event. Rakic has a lot more to gain, with a win putting him in the top 10.
  
  Result: Jiri Prochazka TKO Aleksandar Rakic R2
  
  Crazy fight, Jiri prevails and he'll be either #5 or stay at #6, either way he's back in the W column.
  
  
• #3 LW Charles Oliveira vs. #9 LW Arman Tsarukyan 
  
  A huge fight at Lightweight. Oliveira can move up to #2, and Tsarykyan can jump all the way to #3. The loser suffers a setback but will remain solidly in the top 25.
  
  Result: Arman Tsarukyan SD Charles Oliveira
  
  Tsarukyan wins a hard-fought decision, and he will be #3 in the May rankings. Oliveira will drop to around #6.
  
  
• #4 LW Justin Gaethje vs. #10 LW Max Holloway  
  
  Another huge fight at Lightweight. Gaethje can only advance one spot, and that's only if Charles Oliveira loses his fight. But he'll remain in line for a title fight. Max Holloway is moving up to Lightweight (for good, he says) and is already in the top 10; a win puts him at #5 or #6 depending on what happens in the other big LW fight.
  
  Result: Max Holloway KO 5 Justin Gaethje
  
  Amazing fight, amazing finish with 2 seconds to go. Apparently Holloway might want Topuria at FW, but he'll be near the top 5 in our LW rankings.
  
  
• #1 LH Alex Pereira vs. #3 LH Jamahal Hill  
  
  This is the only pure title fight of the night, where the winner is #1. Pereira can retain his title and put ore distance between himself and #2 Magomed Ankalaev. Hill can jump both of them and get our #1 ranking for the first time.
  
  Result: Alex Pereira KO 1 Jamahal Hill
  
  Pereira retains the #1 ranking and belt; Hill will drop to around #7

December 2023 Heavyweight Boxing lineup is stacked: Wilder-Parker, Joshua-Wallin, Dubois-Miller & more

December of 2023 is a very rare month for heavyweight boxing these days, and if all the fights go off as planned it will be one of the biggest months of this century so far.

Given the messy state of the heavyweight boxing world—the endless inability to make top fights to unify the heavyweight title, new MMA converts holding their own with the consensus #1 heavyweight in the world, and as seen below, five of our top ten being "inactive" that is, not having a win in the last year—we need a month like this to get things kickstarted!

SportsRatings Heavyweight Top Ten for December 2023

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Nov Rank	Dec Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	November results; •December schedule
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	55.93	21-0-1
24	2	2	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	42.10	5-0-0
5	3	3	3	3	ANDY RUIZ JR	23.78	15-2-0	--last rated win -14 months.
2	6	5	5	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	20.66	19-3-0	•12/23 vs. #20 OTTO WALLIN
12	5	4	4	5	FRANK SANCHEZ	20.63	7-0-0	--last rated win -13 months; •12/23 vs. #125 JUNIOR FA
40	83	9	6	6	ZHILEI ZHANG	20.17	7-1-1
10	27	18	8	7	EFE AJAGBA	18.74	13-1-0	TKO 4 #69 JOSEPH GOODALL
9	7	6	7	8	DILLIAN WHYTE	17.81	15-3-0	--last rated win -12 months.
3	8	7	9	9	DEONTAY WILDER	17.46	19-2-1	--last rated win -13 months; •12/23 vs. #15 JOSEPH PARKER
13	12	12	11	10	FILIP HRGOVIC	17.35	8-0-0	•12/23 vs. Mark De Mori

But as we can see, four of the top ten have a fight scheduled in December, with most of the action on December 23 in Saudi Arabia:

12/23	#4 ANTHONY JOSHUA	vs.	#20 OTTO WALLIN
12/23	#5 FRANK SANCHEZ	vs.	#125 JUNIOR FA
12/23	#9 DEONTAY WILDER	vs.	#15 JOSEPH PARKER
12/23	#10 FILIP HRGOVIC	vs.	Mark De Mori
12/23	#23 ARSLAN MAKHMUDOV	vs.	#59 AGIT KABAYEL
12/23	#54 JARRELL MILLER	vs.	#63 DANIEL DUBOIS

A total of 11 rated fighters are on the card, including 7 guys in the top 25.

The best fight is probably Deontay Wilder vs. Joseph Parker, a clash between guys who have both been in the top ten for years (in Wilder's case, most of that was in the top 5). A great opportunity for both to get their career back on track, the winner will move up to just outside the top five.

Not far behind that Is Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin. Joshua is continuing his comeback since losing twice to Oleksander Usyk, while Wallin needs a signature win on his résumé and this would be it for sure. He's most famous so far for almost getting a cut stoppage vs. Tyson Fury. A win would put Wallin into the top ten for the first time, while Joshua would fall out of the top ten for the first time in many years. Joshua needs a win to solidify his top five spot and set up a potential date with Tyson Fury. 

And Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Agit Kabayet is a battle of undefeated fighters. Makhmudov has been busy lately and has made his way up into the top 25 while Kabayel has played it safe with his "0", fighting only occasionally; beating Derek Chisora in 2017 is probably his most famous win. He could enter the top 25 win a win, while Mak is looking to make the top 15.

Is Daniel Dubois vs. Jarrell Miller only the 4th best fight on this card? A few years ago, this might have been a clash of top ten fighters but the stock of both has fallen a lot. Dubois due to his loss to Joe Joyce and shaky comeback since, and Miller because of multiple PED suspensions, the first before a scheduled title fight vs. Anthony Joshua. That was actually his 2nd PED incident as he had one in kickboxing, then had a 3rd incident in 2019. It's pretty remarkable that Miller is in a big fight again given all that, but apparently three strikes = a big fight!

 #5 Frank Sanchez and #10 Filip Hrgovic have overmatched opponents, and really should be facing each other. Sanchez hasn't done anything since beating Efe Ajagba, and he's taking on Junior Fa who hasn't been spectacular lately.

You can't win them all! I'm not complaining about this card which is probably the best of the year among the heavyweights.

But that's not everything this month.

12/09	#33 MARK PETROVSKY	vs.	#96 LUCAS BROWNE
12/09	#37 DAMIAN KNYBA	vs.	#138 MICHAEL P COFFIE
12/09	#44 CALVIN BARNETT	vs.	Juan Reyna

On the 9th, Mark Petrovsky is up against former top ten Lucas Browne in Dubai. In a different card, Damian Knyba faces Michael Polite Coffie (and Olympian Richard Torrez Jr is on that card too, hoping to debut in our ratings). And Calvin Barnett is active as well.

12/01	#51 MIHAI NISTOR	vs.	#145 NATHAN GORMAN
12/02	#39 KRIS TERZIEVSKI	vs.	Alphonse Mchumiatumbo
12/02	#47 TROY PILCHER	vs.	Louis Marsters
12/14	#71 KUBRAT PULEV	vs.	Andrzej Wawrzyk

And in the early part of the month, Mihai Nistor takes on Nathan Gorman tonight, two more top 100 fighters are active Saturday, and former top five Kubray Pulev sees action on the 14th.

We had a good set of fights among the top ten in August, and the Tyson Fury undercard in October was pretty good, but even combined they don't match this month. Hopefully all the fights happen (or Sanchez and Hrgovic lose their opponents and agree to fight).

#11 Zhan Kossobutskiy vs. #18 Efe Agagba Live Round-by-Round Scoring

On the Jared Anderson / Andrey Rudenko card, the co-main event is the more interesting fight. #11 Zhan Kossobutskiy is 19-0, #18 Efe Ajagba is 17-1. The winner of this fight will be firmly in the top ten.

Both fighters have been in the top ten; Kossobutskiy was #10 just a few months ago when he was supposed to fight #11 Jared Anderson (who moved to #10 after beating Charles Martin, Kossobutskiy's replacement after the latter had visa issues). Ajagba was in the top ten before suffering his first loss and only loss to #4 Frank Sanchez.

The two have a combined 30 KOs (18 for Kossobutskiy, 13 for Ajagba) so it should be a banger. Starts soon. Going to use these fighters first names only in the round-by-round summaries.

1. Zhan pushing into Efe early, Efe trying to keep him away with the jab. Lots of clinching early already less than a minute in. Jabs from Efe, to the body and head. Uppercut too. Zhan walks forward with combo. Good slugging inside from both. Zhan connects with a couple late left hands, his best work since early in the round. Lean Zhan but really too close to call for a first round. 10-10
2. Solid right by Efe. Feet get crossed with Zhan in southpaw; good uppercut by Efe. Good flurry by Zhan. They're trading big shots. Possible low blow by Efe, not called. Awkward hold leads to flip with both fighters ending up on the canvas. Efe has Zhan a bit hurt at the end of the round. Ajagba 10-9; 20-19
3. Big action early as a low blow hits Efe and Zhan pushes him down after they were separated. Two low blows, actually, and a push. Zhan is deducted a point for all of that, a huge development. Zhan landed another low blow! Another point deduction! Now both are really trading, and consciously keeping things high. Now Efe lands a low blow! This is nuts. He gets a warning. Zhan is getting lazy and frustrated. He gets in close, and then another low blow gets a warning this time for Zhan, rather than a DQ which he is flirting with. Efe won the round but I'm calling that one a draw and the two deductions make it 10-8 Ajagba; 30-27
4. Efe teeing off a bit early, Zhan returns with good counters. Then Efe is floored with a clear low blow. This is reminiscent of Andrew Golota. Ajagba wins by disqualification

Very disappointing fight but Efe Ajagba forced Zhan Kossobutskiy to quit, basically. Ajagba's body shots—a few a bit low—made Zhan respond but will full-fledged low blows. The fight still didn't go his way and the last one was inexcusable.

Ajagba will move into the top ten at about #8, with Kossobutskiy's first loss dropping him out of the top 25.

Joshua-Helenius, Hrgovic-McKean round-by-round scoring

Former HW champ #6 Anthony Joshua (25-3-0) takes on #66 Robert Helenius (32-4-0) in London, with Helenius a late replacement for Dillian Whyte. 

Because of the replacement, the more interesting fight could be #12 Filip Hrgovic (15-0-0) vs. #53 Demsey McKean (22-0-0).

Also on the undercard are #86 Derek Chisora (33-13-0) vs. #153 Gerald Washington (20-5-1) and #62 Johnny Fisher (9-0-0) vs. unrated Harry Armstrong (5-1-1).

In early results Fisher defeated Armstrong on a standing TKO as Armstrong's corner threw in the towel shortly following the fight's first knockdown in the 7th round. He remains undefeated at 10-0 but needs to work on his accuracy as he spent much of the fight winging huge punches that whiffed. Fisher tried to finish the fight in the first round and almost succeeded but Armstrong gave him trouble while hanging around for the next five rounds as Fisher's telegraphed bombs whiffed. To be fair he finally connected on one early in the 7th which left Armstrong hanging on the ropes which the referee correctly called a knockdown.

Oddly, Hrgovic vs. McKean is the next fight up.

I'm not "keen" on Demsey's chances but Hrgovic has been lackluster at times and recently underestimated another southpaw Zhelie Zhang and almost lost that fight. If he doesn't take McKean—who is unbeaten—seriously it could be a tougher bout than he probably expects and an upset isn't out of the question as McKean looks motivated.

#12 Hrgovic vs. #53 McKean round-by-round scoring:

1. Early feeling out by the two 6-6 fighters, Hrgovic sinking long lunging body shots early. Lots of the usual left-right pawing typical of orthodox-southpaw fights. McKean still looking for a way in. Right from Hrgovic, McKean finally gets a left in. Misses with another one. A lot of dancing and spinning that round, Hrgovic looked a bit more in control. Hrgovic 10-9
2. Hrgovic again lunging in for lengthy right hand body shots. McKean's left is coming up short. Neither fighter making the jab work due to the orthodox/southpaw clash. A right from Hrgovic, McKean comes back with combo; another right from Hrgovic. Left and right hook narrowly miss from Hrgovic, then Filip connects with some long shots but nothing big. A few good chopping shots in the clinch score for Hrgovic. Great straight right from Hrgovic, who is starting to take control a bit. Hrgovic10-9; 20-18.
3. Hrgovic looking a bit faster than McKean, who tries some straight left-right combos. Good shots again in the clinch from Hrgovic. McKean throwing from too far away most of the time. He has yet to land a really solid shot. McKean clinching more now. Decent body shots from McKean; he clinches again as Hrgovic comes in. Hrgovic slowed down the 2nd half of that round but threw a flurry at the end. Hrgovic 10-9; 30-27
4. More of the same this round, Hrgovic with the better work, McKean's shots falling short, but it's pretty even in terms of work rate. McKean isn't falling farther behind but isn't doing anything to catch up or change the dynamic of the fight. He holds on against the ropes to avoid Hrgovic's pressure. Big shot from McKean whiffs near the end. Closer maybe but still Hrgovic 10-9; 40-36.
5. Hrgovic winning handily but not dominating the minute by minute action, McKean is still in there despite having little effectiveness himself. Stiff straight left from McKean, and again. Body shot by Hrgovic. Another stiff jab from McKean. Wrestling a bit in the clinch. Pressure again from Filip and McKean clinches. Good shot by Hrgovic as McKean walks into it. McKean lands another frustrating jab and maybe he won that one. It was close anyway. McKean 10-9; Hrgovic 49-46.
6. McKean ducking under Hrgovic's punches and clinching. Good body shot from McKean. Decent shot by Hrgovic, who is being frustrated by McKean's clinches and can't get his rhythm. But McKean's not hurting him. Good exchange by both fighters near the end and wrestling against the ropes. Close round, really neither fighter did very well there or got hit too badly 10-10; Hrgovic 59-56
7. Fighters trade jabs. McKean looking more active early one, has Hrgovic in the corner, but he let him off the hook with a lame clinch and got turned around. Pushing Hrgovic against the ropes again but takes some counter shots for his trouble and the ref warns him. McKean giving good shots and taking a few in return. McKean very active this round if only moderately effective. Hrgovic looking a bit sloppy in his counters and McKean keeps the pressure up, though he doesn't look too spry himself. Did McKean take that round? Hard to say, Hrgovic countered fairly well but body language was bad. If it goes to "ring generalship" McKean wins. McKean 10-9; Hrgovic 68-66
8. Good uppercut from McKean against the ropes. Chopping counter from Hrgovic. He shakes off McKeans clinch with a flurry. A lot of clinching from McKean, just wandering into it. Good work from McKean at the end but he really just clinched a lot, Hrgovic's counters were better. Hrgovic 10-9; 78-75.
9. Hrgovic looks a little more alive at the start of the 9th, but soon McKean is holding the center of the ring. Good response from Hrgovic but McKean pushes forward. McKean is getting in there but not doing a whole lot, trying to clinch before throwing. Good exchange. Hrgovic connects solidly and McKean is just holding on late. Hrgovic 10-9; 88-84.
10. Key round for McKean if he is to go the distance. He looks tired but is still coming forward. Hrgovic playing defense, not wasting his own energy, countering. McKean's offense is just not getting through but he tries to make it as sloppy as possible. Hrgovic doing well but not really moving toward the stoppage. Hrgovic 10-9; 98-93
11. Big shot early from Hrgovic. McKean working hard in the first half of the round, not getting what he needs to turn the fight around but putting it all on the line. More and more Hrgovic looking like he'll be ok with the decision win. McKean has him in the corner, good counters from Hrgovic, more pressure from McKean. Another close round but McKean wins it on activity. McKean 10-9; Hrgovic 107-103
12. Hrgovic looks very active early to start the final round, but quickly slows down. Connects with huge right hook and McKean folds over the rings, ref starts the count and waves the fight off.
    
    Hrgovic TKO 12 McKean

Hrgovic gets the TKO win after all in an odd finish. But the questions about his stamina will remain as he looked sluggish for the entire 2nd half of the fight. McKean went all in trying to change the fight and couldn't, and left himself vulnerable to the big shot.

Chisora vs. Washington about to begin. Chisora wearing Barbie pink shorts and gloves.

Washington weathers Chisora's juggernaut style in the first round, no big damage done; better offense from Washington in the 2nd, gets a "push" knockdown at the end and probably evens the fight at 1-1; 3rd round a lot of clinch fighting as Chisora pushes forward; checking Chisora's eye between rounds, after clash of heads earlier, continues. Good work by Washington in 4th round evens the fight again; lots of pressure from Chisora in 5th; starting to take control in the 6th as Washington tires; 7th round Washington has nothing on his punches, but has good flurry at the end that might have stolen the round; 8th round pretty even on balance; Chisora throwing the right a lot in the 9th, looking for a big shot, didn't get it; both fighters active in 10th round which probably goes to Chisora.

I have it about 5-3 Chisora with 2 rounds close, which leaves a draw open to Washington, possibly a rogue judge going for him but probably a majority decision at least for Chisora.

Scores: 98-93, 97-94, 96-94 UD for Chisora

Ring walk for Joshua - Helenius right now

Joshua-Helenius Round-by-round scoring

1. Helenius starts aggressively. Good jab by Joshua. Fighters settle in at distance. Strong jab by Joshua. Another one. Body shot from Helenius. Right connects for Joshua, now another jab. Joshua wins on jabs Joshua 10-9
2. Tactical fight at distance settles in again. Joshua connecting again with light jabs. Helenius not pulling the trigger this round. Big right from Joshua, Helenius clinches. Now Helenius is throwing the jab out to keep Joshua away. Both fighters pretty tentative, especially Helenius. Joshua 10-9; 20-18
3. Joshua popping jab to Helenius' face, lands a right too. Now a body shot. Helenius unable to get offense going. Pressure from Joshua after body shot. Ducks a Helenius hook, returns fire. Joshua 10-9; 30-27
4. Joshua winning rounds so far without being impressive. Joshua lunges in for clinch oddly. Helenius pawing out the jab more, both fighters looking more active. Strong right from Joshua, no followup though as Helenius ties up. Awkward exchange with Helenius throwing body shots. Snapping jab from Joshua. Helenius just not doing enough. Joshua 10-9; 40-36
5. Joshua pushing forward a little more. Big body hook and followup right. Good jab from Helenius, return from Joshua draws a clinch. Two punches each connect. Solid right from Helenius, and again. Left hook too. Helenius standing right in front and doing pretty well. Another jab from Helenius, and another on a counter. Solid counter by Joshua. Helenius 10-9; Joshua 49-46
6. Better work from Joshua this round. Helenius starting to tire as punches add up midway. Cuts and tired look from Helenius, but Joshua bleeding too. Joshua 10-9; 59-55
7. Solid jabs from Joshua early force Helenius to tie up against the ropes. Joshua smells blood now, Helenius is tired. Joshua being careful as Helenius is still countering HUGE shot puts Helenius down and that's that. Helenius is not getting up, not even moving.

Joshua KO 7 Helenius

He took his time but he got it done.

Six (now 5) of Top Twelve Heavyweights Active in August including Usyk, Joshua, and (Update: not Whyte)

UPDATE: Dillian Whyte's "adverse finding" by VADA means the Joshua-Whyte rematch is OFF, with Joshua now facing late-notice replacement Robert Helenius (#66).

The heavyweight boxing world goes through many long droughts, more than even it seems since the pandemic. But every once in a while there's an oasis, and August of 2023 looks like one.

Six of the top twelve fighters in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Top 100 are active this month. [Update: Make that five of the top 12]

That includes #2 Oleksandr Usyk as well as a marquee rematch between #5 Anthony Joshua and #6 Dillian Whyte.

Two big dates account for all of this largess: August 12 in London, and August 26 in two separate locations: Wroclaw, Poland and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Below: Top 12 of SportsRatings Top 100 Heavyweight Boxers for August, 2023

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	July Rank	Aug Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	July results; •August schedule
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	55.93	21-0-1
39	2	2	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	41.55	4-0-0	•8/26 vs. #22 DANIEL DUBOIS
4	4	3	3	3	ANDY RUIZ JR	24.54	15-2-0
14	5	5	4	4	FRANK SANCHEZ	21.07	7-0-0
2	3	6	5	5	ANTHONY JOSHUA	19.74	18-3-0	•8/12 vs. #66 ROBERT HELENIUS
5	8	7	6	6	DILLIAN WHYTE	17.99	15-3-0	•8/12 vs. #5 ANTHONY JOSHUA
3	12	8	7	7	DEONTAY WILDER	17.83	19-2-1
--	10	9	8	8	JUSTIS HUNI	17.37	4-0-0
54	55	84	9	9	ZHILEI ZHANG	16.81	6-1-1
45	22	16	11	10	JARED ANDERSON	16.64	7-0-0	UD 10 #97 CHARLES MARTIN; •8/26 vs. #166 ANDREY RUDENKO
20	11	10	10	11	ZHAN KOSSOBUTSKIY	16.58	6-0-0	•8/26 vs. #18 EFE AJAGBA
12	14	12	12	12	FILIP HRGOVIC	15.85	7-0-0	•8/12 vs. #53 DEMSEY MCKEAN

The biggest name on the list is #2-ranked Oleksandr Usyk, who takes on #22 Daniel Dubois in Poland on the 26th. The undefeated Usyk wants to hold on to his ranking in hope of someday getting a shot worked out with #1 Tyson Fury. Until then, once-beaten Dubois stands in his way looking for a major upgrade in his ranking. An upset would launch Dubois into the #2 spot. The undercard for this fight is pretty sparse so far.

The biggest fight, however, has to be #5 Anthony Joshua vs. #6 Dillian Whyte on the 12th in London. The two met on the way up as undefeated contenders and Joshua (25-3-0) came away with the TKO win in the 7th round. Since then Joshua has become champion, lost his title to Andy Ruiz Jr, won it back from Ruiz, and lost consecutive bouts to Usyk. 

Meanwhile Whyte (29-3-0) campaigned for years for a rematch with Joshua, winning 11 straight to become everyone's #1 contender. A loss to Alex Povetkin threatened that status but he won the rematch, finally getting his title shot against #1 Tyson Fury; he lost in a 6th round TKO. The winner between Joshua and Whyte will jump into the top 5, leapfrogging current #4 Frank Sanchez.

[UPDATE: Obviously the fight vs. Whyte is off; he's been replaced by Robert Helenius]

The Joshua/Whyte undercard includes a clash of up-and-coming, undefeated boxers in #12 Filip Hrgovic (15-0-0) and #53 Demsey McKean (22-0-0). Hrgovic's rise may seem to have slowed in recent years but his UD win over Zhilei Zhang last August has certainly aged well—even if some think he should have lost. McKean hasn't had nearly the attention Hrgovic has garnered, mainly due to a less impressive résumé. He matches up in height with the 6-6' Hrgovic, though, as this will be a battle of giants.

Also on the undercard will be stalwart Derek Chisora, currently ranked #86, vs. #153 Gerald Washington in a recently-added bout.

[UPDATE: Hrgovic, McKean, Chisora, and Washington are possible replacements for Whyte. Given his history I'd bet on Chisora, who always gets a big fight regardless of how often he loses. Otherwise, McKean would have a good underdog story plus an undefeated record to help promote the card. Hrgovic would be ideal but is too high-risk, and Washington wouldn't create any interest]

On the Tulsa card, #10 Jared Anderson headlines against #166 Andrey Rudenko in what looks like a huge mismatch. To be fair it's a very quick turnaround for Anderson, who just beat Charles Martin last month. 

But the undercard has a better fight: #11 Zhan Kossobutskiy vs. #18 Efe Ajagba. Kossubutskiy was supposed to face Jared Anderson last month but had visa issues that prevented him from making the fight. Now he takes on a much bigger opponent in once-beaten Ajagba (17-1-0) who stands 6-6 to Zhan's 6-3. It will be Kossubutskiy's (19-0-0) toughest test yet, and Ajagba's toughest since his loss to #4 Frank Sanchez, who thoroughly outboxed Efe in October of 2021.

Both fighters have been in the top ten: Kossubutskiy just last month before Jared Anderson nudged him out; and Ajagba a few years ago, just prior to his lone loss. The winner will be firmly back in the top ten while the loser will drop from the top 25 (possibly the top 50 in Ajagba's case).

Two other fighters of note are on the Tulsa card: #45 Bakhodir Jalolov and #51 Jeremiah Milton. Jalolov (12-0-0) already has an Olympic gold medal and may be going back for another, but in the meantime he's conducting a very low-level pro campaign, this time facing the unheralded Onoriode Ehwarieme (20-2-0). Milton (10-0-0) has been much more active as a pro, with 5 fights in 2022 and 2 more already this year. He's taking on Craig Lewis, who has lately become a durable punching bag for mid-level heavyweights.

In a better world Jalolov and Milton would already be squaring off, but we can't really complain with this many good HW bouts this month. It's been a long dry spell the last few years, let's hope this is the start of more activity across the board.

2022: January 1st's Solid Heavyweight Boxing lineup: Sanchez vs. Hammer, Ortiz vs. Martin, and 3 more HW bouts

I don't recall January 1st being a big day for boxing...ever? And the month of January has been dreary for heavyweight boxing for some time now. For example, looking through our database for recent years, the month of January had exactly one significant HW bout this January (2021), and for the previous years the figures were: 1, 4, 3, 7, 11, 3, 8, 6, 9, 7, and 13. That's going back to 2010. The average month sees about 10 significant fights per month over this time period and January has matched that twice out of the last 12 years.

The total number of notable fights might not exceed 10 this January but certainly January 1st, as a particular day, will have a lot to offer and will pretty much redeem the entire month. There are five scheduled heavyweight bouts on New Year's Day so, even if 2022 isn't a great boxing year, it will at least kick off on a good note. Here's the rundown:

• #6 Frank Sanchez (19-0-0) vs. #155 Christian Hammer (26-8-0)
  Originally it was #100 Carlos Negron facing Sanchez, but Hammer stepped in on very short notice which might (or might not) make this fight more interesting than it seemed previously. The problem with Hammer, though, is that he hasn't beaten anyone noteworthy in three years since giving Michael Wallisch his first loss. Since then he's lost to Luis Ortiz, Tony Yoka, and Hughie Fury, with all three losses being essentially shutouts on the scorecards. Hammer retired with a bicep injury vs. Fury, but he was on his way to a 119-109 style decision loss. Sanchez is coming off a strong showing against Efe Ajagba and seems hungry to make quick progress, which makes us think a 100-90 card is in the works. If Hammer had been showing any signs of life we'd keep the prospect of an upset open, but these are fighters going in different directions in terms of their motivation.
  
  
• #58 Luis Ortiz (32-2-0) vs. #80 Charles Martin (28-2-1)
  This is the headliner, but in our rankings Ortiz has slumped due to inactivity and Martin has just stayed inside the top 100. Ortiz has only lost to Deontay Wilder, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but his quality wins are few and far between, especially now. You have to go back to March of 2019 where he beat Christian Hammer—now on the card vs. Frank Sanchez—to find a solid win, after which he suffered the 2nd Wilder KO. Since then he KO'ed Alexander Flores in the first round more than a year ago. At Ortiz's age—officially 42 but some believe him to be much older—there's always the question of when he starts to really slow down. Martin is younger by at least 7 years and is most famous for losing to Anthony Joshua in 2016. After that he lost a close fight to Adam Kownacki and only recently made a comeback with a solid win over Gerald Washington (also on this card). With Ortiz so inactive and Martin coming off his best win in at least 5 years, we see Martin as a live underdog, the result depending on whether Ortiz is still sharp at 42+. In terms of boxing skill there's no comparison, which is why Ortiz is about a 4 to 1 favorite.
  
  
• #59 Jonathan Rice (14-6-1) vs. #63 Michael Polite Coffie (12-1-0)
  This fight's a rematch of an upset, and you can tell by their records who upset who. Last July 31st Rice didn't take the journeyman fall, instead controlling the fight and winning in a 5th round stoppage over the previously unbeaten Coffie. Coffie had prepared for Gerald Washington (these same names keep popping up) until a week before and as we pointed out in the Hammer vs. Sanchez preview, substitutions often equals chaos. Rice's career until that point had been highlighted by a win over Rodney Hernandez and subsequent bigger paydays vs. Tony Yoka, Arslanbek Makmudov, Demsey McKean, and Efe Ajagba, all undefeated at the time. This certainly gave the impression that he was cashing in to be record-building fodder for stay-busy fights. But he went the distance with Yoka and Ajagba, and lasted until the 10th with McKean in a fairly close contest. Meanwhile Coffie's résumé is pretty thin: recent stoppage wins over Joey Abell and Darmani Rock were impressive, but he's clearly inexperienced after just 13 fights following a career in the Marines. Seeing how Rice dominated the first fight makes him the favorite to repeat it. It probably won't be as easy this time as Coffie will prepare for Rice and work to correct his mistakes from the first go-around, but he might lack the boxing experience to solve problems this quickly. Look for the fight to go the distance this time, but Rice to end up on top again. Coffie needs this one to keep his career going, but we've seen this before with johnny-come-latelies to the sport—it usually doesn't end well. Both fighters stand 6-5 so it's a battle of giants like many heavyweight bouts these days.
  
  
• #67 Ali Demirezen (14-1-0) vs. #126 Gerald Washington (20-4-1)
  Demirezen's sole loss was a wide UD to Efe Ajagba where he wasn't able to mount much of an attack against Ajagba's 85" reach. Washington isn't quite as imposing but still will have a bit of height and reach advantage. Demirezen, who had a solid Olympic-level amateur career, responded reasonably well to his loss with three wins including solid journeyman Kamil Sokolowski but Washington will be the Turk's toughest fight since his loss. Washington's up and down career saw him lose 3 out of 4 fights at one point—to Deontay Wilder, a PED-powered Jarell Miller, and Adam Kownacki—before he revived his career with an 8th round KO of Robert Helenius in July, 2019. His followup didn't go as well and he lost to Charles Martin vs. 6th round TKO last year. Washington is the wild card here, and Demirezen's methodical (some would say boring) style probably doesn't allow much room for an upset. Demirezen's a 2 to 1 favorite and we think it should be a bit wider. Demirezen doesn't look like he should be very good and he wins ugly but he wins, unless clearly outclassed. Can Washington rise to that challenge?
  
  
• #38 Victor Faust (8-0-0) vs. #154 Iago Kiladze (27-5-1)
  We normally use fighters real names but we're calling Victor Vykhryst by his nickname Victor Faust for obvious reasons (you try typing that one correctly). He's 8-0 with 6 KOs and taking on Iago Kiladze, whose best result is a split draw against the previously unblemished Robert Alfonso. Just previous to that he'd lost to Adam Kownacki, Michael Hunter, and Joe Joyce, so he's another example of a journeyman-in-the-works who upset the cart once and is getting good work in return. He lost to Efe Ajagba following the Alfonso bout, getting KOed in the middle rounds as he did in his other losses, but he had his most famous moment in that fight with a flash knockdown of Ajagba in the third round. Don't look for this one to go the distance; if Faust is going to live up to his billing as the next great Ukrainian heavyweight post-Klitschko brothers then we'll see a 4th or 5th round stoppage in the 8-round bout. But Kiladze has shown he can throw a few surprises into the mix here and there, so this will be some good early work for Faust's burgeoning career.

Between college football bowl games and some good basketball too, New Year's Day has a pretty full sports schedule so this card is probably a tough sell on Fox Sports PPV, but these are some pretty good fights. Back in the day this kind of stuff would be on free TV but alas, those days are gone and now every bout is for sale. Cards like this might help promote the sport back to its glory days if it were on regular cable but it seems like that ship has sailed. It is quite a bit cheaper than most fights ($39.99) but that's still quite a lot for non-title fights.

On a positive note, it's good to several ranked heavyweights willing to mix it up on the same card—that's the first step to getting the fans back.

Solid heavyweight boxing cards kick off December and January: Hunter, Arias, Sanchez, Ortiz in action

Good heavyweight fights have been few and far between for...about as long as you want to go back in this century. Every once in a while though the stars align and ranked contenders go against their inclinations and fight each other, and sometimes this occurs multiple times on a single card. Such is the case in the TrillerVerz IV card on Thursday, December 2, and the Fox Sports PPV event on January 1st, 2022.

The Triller event isn't quite as stacked but considering it's happening tomorrow it's safe to say its slate of fights is more likely to remain stable. Its fights include Michael Hunter vs. Jerry Forrest, George Arias vs. Cassius Chaney, and Mike Balogun vs. Trey Lippe

• #13 Michael Hunter (20-1-1) vs. #88 Jerry Forrest (26-4-1)
  Hunter has slipped out of the top ten due to inactivity but remains a top contender boasting a 6-1-1 record in significant fights; his best win is over current #28 Martin Bakole and he fought #7 Alex Povetkin to a draw. His sole loss is to #2 Oleksandr Usyk in a cruiserweight bout.
  
  Forrest was declining after losses to Jermaine Franklin and Carlos Takam but managed a draw against #50 Zhilei Zhang which propelled him back into the top 100. So ironically both fighters are best known for their performance in a fight that ended in a draw. Let's hope this one doesn't end in a draw.
  
  The two fighters have met before, in June of 2014 where Hunter took a unanimous 80-72 decision over 8 rounds. It was Hunter's fifth pro fight, just before he dropped down to campaign at Cruiserweight for a few years prior to his heavyweight return in 2018. Following that loss Forrest won 18 fights in a row against low-level competition, lost twice more, and then had the draw with Zhang. Needless to say, Hunter is a huge favorite to repeat his performance against Forrest.
  
  
• #30 George Arias (16-0-0) vs. #43 Cassius Chaney (21-0-0)
  This is a big fight—someone's "O" has got to go. Neither fighter has faced a very impressive slate however, so this will be a proving ground for both. Arias has a couple of rated wins over Keith Barr and Joe Caudle, while Chaney has also defeated Caudle along with three other rated wins including Shawndell Winters and Nick Jones who are still ranked. The winner will move closer to contender status near the top 20.
  
  
• #49 Mike Balogun (17-0-0) vs. #186 Trey Lippe (18-0-0)
  Another battle of undefeated fighters, but this one is a bit less impactful. In their combined 35 fights they have 4 noteable wins, with Balogun beating Mike Bissett and Keith Barr, and Lippe besting Richard Dawson and Ty Cobb. I'm sure you know all four of those guys. Lippe doesn't have a solid win in nearly five years where he's fought just 5 times, which gives the advantage to Balogun. Balogun needs a win to keep his momentum going while Lippe needs one to revive his stalled career. Balogun is more famous as an ex-college football player than a boxer, while Lippe is most famous for being one of Tommy Morrison's sons. This fight is a small step toward one of them making his name in the ring.

The Fox PPV has five fights all between rated fighters, with three intra-top 100 contests scheduled:

• #6 Frank Sanchez (19-0-0) vs. #100 Carlos Negron (25-3-0)
• #58 Luis Ortiz (32-2-0) vs. #80 Charles Martin (28-2-1)
• #59 Jonathan Rice (14-6-1) vs. #63 Michael Polite Coffie (12-1-0)
• #38 Victor Faust Vykhryst (8-0-0) vs. #154 Iago Kiladze (27-5-1)
• #67 Ali Demirezen (14-1-0) vs. #126 Gerald Washington (20-4-1)

We'll preview those fights later in the month in case more fights are added (or more likely, cancelled).

Fury-Wilder III undercard full of solid fights

When Fury-Wilder III was postponed a few months ago, the fear was that the great undercard would fall apart but that didn't happen. So now we have a total of three excellent heavyweight bouts and two more involving our Top 100.

First and foremost of course is the headliner, the trilogy between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

#1 Tyson Fury (30-0-1) 21KO vs. #5 Deontay Wilder (42-1-1) 41KO

For SportsRatings, this is only the 4th true heavyweight title fight since Fury upset Wlad Klitschko in November of 2015. By this we mean a fight where the winner would become our undisputed heavyweight champion. For example, with Fury inactive Klitschko, then #2,  took on Anthony Joshua (ranked #6) but that was only for the interim title. Likewise when Fury came back against #186 Francisco Pianeta, only Fury would capture the title with a win.

The other "true" title fights were:

• In November of 2018 #2 Anthony Joshua beat #3 Alex Povetkin and took over the #1 spot;
• December, 2019, #2 Andy Ruiz Jr lost to #4 Joshua, who captured the title;
• February, 2020, #1 Fury (inactive at the time) beat #4 Wilder to regain the title

The first Fury-Wilder in December 2018 wasn't a true title fight as only Fury had a chance to take the title (and the draw kept it from being a title fight for him). The first Joshua-Ruiz bout wasn't a title fight for Ruiz, who jumped to #2 behind Fury.

Most recently, Aleksandr Usyk's win over Joshua put him at the #2 spot—and enabled Saturday's fight to be a title fight for both Fury and Wilder.

With Fury at #1, any win over a rated heavyweight would capture the belt. Wilder has fallen to #5 and is also inactive, but a win over Fury would put him well past Usyk at #1.

What about a loss? Fury would drop to #3 behind Wilder and Usyk, but remain very slightly ahead of Joshua. It would be quite the logjam. If Wilder loses he'll fall to near the bottom of the top 10.

#9 Efe Ajagba (15-0-0) 12 KOs vs. #11 Frank Sanchez (18-0-0) 13KOs

This is a great undercard fight and could headline most heavyweight shows. Both are arguably top ten fighters, but this bout will put one fighter squarely in the top ten and the other will be firmly out, for now.

Ajagba has 10 rated wins to Sanchez' four, but their ratings are pretty similar with Ajagba only two rankings spots ahead. The fighter who wins will jump to around #7, the loser will fall to somewhere in the 20s.

A lot at stake here for momentum between the Nigerian fighter and the Cuban, one getting a big boost, the other taking a big step back.

#23 Robert Helenius (30-3) 19KO vs. #54 Adam Kownacki (20-1-0) 15KO

A rematch of the fight from March 2020 when Helenius handed Kownacki his first and only loss.

10 years ago Helenius was as high as #4 in our rankings but injuries and a long layoff pushed him lower, and a KO loss to Johann Duhaupas knocked him out of the top ten. Since then he's been up and down, beating Gonzale Basile and Evgeny Orlov but losing to Dillian Whyte in a wide decision. He topped Erkan Teper but fell to Gerald Washington in a 8th round KO. 

The win over Kownacki was Helenius' biggest win in nearly a decade. Kownacki was unbeaten in 20 outings and had 9 rated wins in our book and had just cracked the top ten before the loss. Currently down to #54 after going two years without a rated win, Kownacki would jump back into the top 20 if he can avenge his only loss.

#44 Viktor Faust (Vykhryst) (7-0-0) 5KO vs. #145 Mike Marshall (6-1-1) 4KO

Another undefeated fighter, Viktor Faust hopes to beat Mike Marshall and give himself a 2nd rated win. Faust (real name Viktor Vykhryst) beat Kamil Sokolowski last November. Marshall has never been in our top 100, having only a draw with Steve Vukosa on his résumé, along with a loss to Luther Smith.

#24 Jared Anderson (9-0-0) 9KOs vs. Vladimir Tereshkin (22-0-1) 12KO

Undefeated Jared Anderson battles also-undefeated Tereshkin, who was in our top 100 five years ago after beating Yuberty Diaz but didn't have another rated win among his three bouts since then. Anderson has 3 rated wins in the last 15 months, beating Johnny Langston, Rodney Hernandez, and Kingsley Ibeh.

We'll have round-by-round scoring for the headliner bout, probably for Ajagba vs. Sanchez and Helenius-Kownacki tomorrow starting roughly at 10pm eastern (the title fight should start somewhere between 11pm and 12 midnight eastern time, PPV on ESPN/FOX).

Joshua - Ruiz Rematch Highlights Busy December

It's not quite up to the standards of May, 1983, but December of 2019 is shaping up to be one helluva month for heavyweight boxing, with the potential to top March of 2018 as the biggest HW boxing month of the millennium so far. At current count there are three intra-top-15 bouts scheduled, with three more top-15 boxers set to fight rated opponents. Four of these six bouts are set for the same event on December 7 in Saudi Arabia, so there's reason to believe that these fights will be held as scheduled. 

Leading the way, of course, is the rematch between #3 Andy Ruiz, Jr, and #4 Anthony Joshua. Joshua was #1 when Ruiz—just #31—pulled off the major upset with a 7th round stoppage of the formerly unbeaten champ. Ruiz jumped to #2; now he sits at #3 after Deontay Wilder's crushing KO of Luis Ortiz moved the Bronze Bomber to #2. But whoever wins the rematch between Ruiz and Joshua will unseat Tyson Fury at #1; the loser will fall to #4 or #5, depending on other results.

Below: SportsRatings' Heavyweight Top 15 for December, 2019:

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Nov Rank	Dec Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	November results; •December schedule
1	2	2	1	1	TYSON FURY	45.38	17-0-1
4	3	3	3	2	DEONTAY WILDER	41.08	18-0-1	KO 7 #9 LUIS ORTIZ
12	37	31	2	3	ANDY RUIZ JR	39.57	13-1-0	•12/07 vs. #4 ANTHONY JOSHUA
5	1	1	4	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	36.63	15-1-0	--last rated win -14 months; •12/07 vs. #3 ANDY RUIZ JR
28	5	5	5	5	DILLIAN WHYTE	24.91	12-1-0	•12/07 vs. #201 MARIUSZ WACH
3	4	4	6	6	ALEX POVETKIN	24.70	29-2-0	•12/07 vs. #13 MICHAEL HUNTER
20	7	6	7	7	JARRELL MILLER	19.67	9-0-0	--last rated win -12 months.
10	8	8	8	8	KUBRAT PULEV	18.67	20-1-0	UD 10 #226 RYDELL BOOKER
--	17	14	10	9	EFE AJAGBA	16.95	6-0-0	•12/21 vs. #141 IAGO KILADZE
68	11	12	11	10	ADAM KOWNACKI	16.31	9-0-0
--	30	28	12	11	DANIEL DUBOIS	15.65	6-0-0	•12/21 vs. #14 KYOTARO FUJIMOTO
--	10	11	13	12	FILIP HRGOVIC	15.63	4-0-0	•12/07 vs. #123 ERIC MOLINA
17	33	32	14	13	MICHAEL HUNTER	14.97	6-1-0	•12/07 vs. #6 ALEX POVETKIN
11	9	10	15	14	KYOTARO FUJIMOTO	14.40	10-1-0	--last rated win -34 months; •12/21 vs. #11 DANIEL DUBOIS
--	--	--	22	15	SHAWNDELL WINTERS	13.62	2-0-0	TKO 7 #118 SERGIEJ WERWEJKO

The three other fights on the card in Saudi Arabia are:

• #6 Alexander Povetkin vs. #13 Michael Hunter. This is a great bout. Povetkin has only lost to Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua, both champions; and Hunter has only dropped a decision to cruiserweight king (now HW prospect) Oleksander Usyk. A win would propel Hunter into the top 10, around #6, while Povetkin could rise to #5 or #4. A loss to Hunter risks dropping Povetkin out of the top 10 for the first time in nearly 12 years!
• #5 Dillian Whyte vs. #201 Mariusz Wach. Not the best matchup, but it's always good to see Whyte on a card. Say what you want but the man stays active, and you can be sure he'll be calling for a shot at the winner of the Joshua-Ruiz rematch, which he definitely deserves by now, even if he falls back a spot due to all the other action in the top ten!
• #12 Filip Hrgovic vs. #123 Eric Molina. Up-and-comer Hrgovic gets a spot on the card that won't move him up in the rankings, but is good for visibility, against an opponent he should beat pretty easily.

So that's six of the top 13 active on one night. Fast-forward to December 21 and there are three more top prospects active in the London and Los Angeles areas.

• #11 Daniel Dubois fights in the UK vs. #14 Kyotaro Fujimoto. 22-year-old Dubois is looking for a top-ten berth and he'll get it with a win. Fujimoto is actually looking to get back into the top ten—he's on a 16-fight win streak dating back to 2013, beating opponents just good enough to get him points in our system. Inactivity and lack of sound opposition over the last 3 years, however, has pushed him down from his #7(!) peak. An upset of Dubois would allow him another run at that peak, but Dubois seems exactly the type of opponent ex-kickboxer Kyotaro can't handle—he was overwhelmed and stopped in 2012 by Solomon Haumono, and Dubois applies even more pressure.
• In Ontario, California, yet another big-time prospect, #9 Efe Ajagba is set to take on #141 Iago Kiladze. It might be a stretch to call someone in our top ten a "prospect" but Ajagba is just getting started at age 25, joining 22-year-old Dubois and 27-year-old Hrgovic in the under-30 club. He hits hard with a high workrate and good form, but is still working out the kinks in preparation for an eventual run for the top prize.

If all these fights happen, no one can any longer say that the top heavyweights don't mix it up! That was true for a long time, but between last year's big March and this year's December, there are at least flurries of major activity in the division. In just one night, four of our top six fighters will be in action, including a title fight. Can't ask for much more than that in one calendar month, but we also get a slew of prospect level (top 15) action as well.