SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

Anthony Joshua - Andy Ruiz Jr II live round-by-round scoring

Anthony Joshua seeks to avenge his only loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia in a fight roughly scheduled to start at 4pm eastern time in the U.S. 

Joshua (22-1) was beaten soundly by Ruiz (33-1) in June in a 7th round TKO. Joshua had floored Ruiz Jr in the 3rd round but wore himself out going for the kill, and Ruiz battled back, took the advantage, and got the stoppage.

Ruiz Jr is ranked #3 in our Heavyweight Boxing Top 100, with only a very close majority decision loss to Joseph Parker staining his record. Joshua is ranked #4 after having held our #1 spot for many months prior to the loss.

The winner of this bout will claim—or reclaim—the SportsRatings belt, currently held by Tyson Fury. Along with Deontay Wilder, there are 4 fighters within striking distance of the top, and it comes down to who fights who and who beats who before a definitive champion can be crowned. This fight is one more step toward that goal.

Ruiz Jr caused a stir by weighing in 15 pounds heavier than in the first bout, this despite looking like he was losing a lot of weight at times in recent months. He wore a sombrero and sweats to the weigh-in, so it's hard to really know how much of the 283 pounds was him, but it's clear he added weight while Joshua came in 10 pounds lighter than in June at 237.

Both fighters entered the ring through a foggy laser-light show in Diriyah.

The fight is ready to start.

• Round 1: Joshua being cautious, Ruiz a bit tentative too early. Ruiz not quite pressing forward as much as he did last fight. Joshua being very cautious, keeping his distance. Body shot from Ruiz. 1-2 by Joshua. Jab from Joshua. They mix it up a bit near the end of the round, cut over Ruiz's eye. Not much happened to the end but Joshua won the 2nd half of the round for sure. Joshua 10-9.
• Round 2: Ruiz looks more determined at the start, Joshua looks more confident. Ruiz tags Joshua with a still jab. Joshua targetting the eye with the right. Another jab from Joshua. Great left from Joshua. Joshua keeping Ruiz away so far as Ruiz stalks. Flurry from Joshua out of the clinch. Joshua's left eye is also cut above. Good round for Joshua 10-9; 20-18.
• Round 3: Ruiz moving in fast, targeting the body. Body shots again from Ruiz. Jab keeping him away mostly. Ruiz misses several hooks as Joshua moves away. Not much contact in first half of round. Joshua defending well but no offense in first 2 minutes. Finally a good jab and body shot from Joshua, but not enough to earn the round. 10-10; 30-28 Joshua.
• Round 4: Joshua pawing at Ruiz's hands, keeping him from getting set. Jab from Joshua. Ruiz ducks big hook from Joshua, misses on return shots though. Joshua blocks Ruiz punches, gets in a jab and good straight right. Good action late between both, Ruiz lands a few big punches at the end. Makes the round a draw again. 10-10; 40-38 Joshua. 
• Round 5: Joshua none the worse for wear early in the 5th so far. Joshua jabs, tries to clinch and Ruiz fights through it. Ruiz continues to stalk. Good jabs from Joshua serving him well, keeping Ruiz at bay. Ruiz telegraphs a punch, good counter from Joshua. Joshua 10-9; 50-47.
• Round 6: Whiff from Ruiz, counter from Joshua connects. Ruiz lunging in but missing. Jabs from Joshua, to the head and the body. Ruiz being held at bay as Joshua dances around the perimeter of the ring. Good stiff right from Joshua. 10-9; 60-56.
• Round 7: Ruiz still stalking but Joshua has nullified him in the last few rounds, now letting his hands go a bit. Ruiz is swinging in the clinch and referee warns about hitting the back of the head. Joshua whiffs and almost leaves himself open, but recovers. Some in-fighting and Joshua scoring more. But that's what Ruiz needs. Joshua jumps into clinch. Ruiz swings wildly trying to change the rhythm of the fight. Ruiz connects with a good left, but Joshua wins the round. 10-9; 70-65.
• Round 8: First minute of round 8 is more of the same, then Ruiz finally gets in decent shot. Ref cautions both fighters about clinch work and Ruiz hitting back of head. Big shots from Ruiz, a clinch, and ref tries to get in the middle of it, separating them. Joshua jabs and clinches, and Ruiz fights through it and scores with more big shots. Ruiz's best round so far. Ruiz 10-9; Joshua 79-75.
• Round 9: Ruiz stalking again, Joshua connects with jab and immediately clinches in the corner. Left arm out, he fends off Ruiz's stalking. Whenever Joshua clinches now, Ruiz flails his arms hoping to catch Joshua with a kill shot. Jabs exchanged, Joshua whiffs with a wild shot. Ruiz moves in with jabs, flurry from Joshua, but Ruiz responds in kind. 10-10; Joshua 89-85.
• Round 10: Ruiz good shot early, but Joshua keeps him at bay for next minute. Very few shots from Ruiz getting inside, Joshua content to use jab, avoid mixing it up. Ruiz still looking for big shot or opportunity in clinch, Joshua not giving it to him. Joshua doing all the (very little) scoring here. Joshua 10-9; 99-94.
• Round 11: Joshua moves in, jabbing at will early on. Ruiz keeps coming. Needs something big with 2 rounds left. Joshua still moving around the ring well, which might be the idea of his 10 pound weight cut. Ruiz can't get in close enough to unfurl his power punches, except in brief moments in the clinch. More jabs from Joshua, who is doing all the scoring. 10-9 Joshua; 109-103. 
• Round 12: Ruiz more concerned now in the last round but Joshua fending him off, again with jabs, and tying him up effectively. Ruiz frustrated by inability to let his hands go. Ruiz demands Joshua fight him toe to toe but Joshua doesn't fall for it. A clear decision win for Anthony Joshua. 10-9; 119-112.

The judges agree: 118-110, 119-109, 118-110. Anthony Joshua regains his titles, as well as the SportsRatings Heavyweight belt.

Not the most exciting fight to be sure, especially in the anticlimactic  later rounds, but that's how Joshua needed it. An exciting fight would have seen the same result as last June. Joshua did what he should have done the first time around—produce a boring fight. It was expected to be boring last time, and it was nothing but boring. This time, people wanted fireworks and got a fire extinguisher. That's how Joshua fought—like he was fending Ruiz off with a fire extinguisher.

Joshua-Ruiz undercard: Alexander Povetkin vs. Michael Hunter scoring; Dillian Whyte vs. Wach, Hrgovic vs. Molina, Majidov vs. Little

As we've noted, the Joshua-Ruiz undercard rounds out one of the best heavyweight cards of the last 20 years. Here is a live recap of the heavyweight fights on the card and round-by-round scoring of the Alex Povetkin-Michael Hunter bout. The top 3 bouts on the card are available in the U.S. on DAZN; the earlier bouts are available on YouTube on Sky Sports (but not in the United States).

Mahammadrasul Majidov TKO 2 #174 Tom Little

Two-time amateur world champ Majidov beat Tom Little (10-8) in only his 2nd official pro bout. Little was #174 in our rankings and just 5-7 in rated bouts, so it wasn't any surprise. Majidov will enter our top 100 in January, and we grade his potential an A- meaning he should be a top 5 prospect. Majidov won the amateur world championship in 2011 and 2013, beating Anthony Joshua to win gold the first time. But at 33 he's starting his pro career pretty late, and he could be past his peak. We see a career trajectory like Kubrat Pulev's: a quick dash to the top 10, perhaps pushing into the top 5, but failing to beat the top 3 fighters.

#12 Filip Hrgovic KO 3 #123 Eric Molina

Rising prospect Hrgovic, 27, dominated journeyman Eric Molina, who was counted out in the third round despite complaining about punches to the back of the head. Hrgovic avoided Molina's attempts to hit him with a game-changing haymaker and overwhelmed him with his own power punches. Hrgovic is just outside our top 10 and with all the other action today it's unlikely this win will put him there just yet. But it was a strong performance and shows he is a danger to anyone.

Upcoming: #5 Dillian Whyte vs. #201 Mariusz Wach

Whyte (26-1) continues his quest for another title shot, taking on former contender Wach (35-5) in a scheduled 10-rounder.

First round had a lot of action, both fighters looking (too) big and hitting hard. Great shot from Whyte near the end. 10-9. Round two more of the same, but Whyte outlanding Wach 2-1 or 3-1, but Wach got a few really big shots in. Whyte returned fire, great action. No one was rocked despite the bombs. 20-18. Both fighters slowed down in the 3rd round. But still throwing heavy hands, both chins holding up very well. Closer round but still Whyte. 30-27. Round 4 Wach moving forward with effective jabs. Blocking most of Whyte's big shots, but Whyte gets a few in later in the round. 39-37. Round 5 Whyte came out with more urgency, disrupting Wach's jabs with strong shots, using Philly Shell defense. Wach is holding up but he's being hit regularly. Great action at end as both fighters let it go. 49-46. Round 6: Whyte throwing combos to Wach's single punches. Wach is looking tired but is unhurt and still throwing hard. Whyte throwing hard too, and looks stronger. Wach flurry at end shows he's still in it, but falling behind. 59-55. Seventh round, more of the same: hard shots from both fighters, very clean, scoring shots all around, and no sign of either fighter being rocked. Good body shot variations from Whyte, then he goes to the head. Wach generally headhunting. Both chins are holding up! 69-65. 8th Round, Wach eager to come out, but Whyte peppering him with body and head shots, still looking strong. Wach's work rate is well down, jabs looking weaker. Whyte takes round but Wach finishes round strong. 79-74. Round 9: Wach and Whyte trading toe to toe in the 9th! Both letting their hands go, both having their moments. Whyte getting hit hard but then coming back with his own. Wach ends with flurry. Incredible round. 88-84. Round ten: Wach needs a knockout and he knows it. Whyte not taking any chances though. Wach will just not drop! Or even be rocked by Whyte's punches. Whyte on the defense on the ropes, fighting back. Whyte's punching variety is amazing, body shots, uppercut, windmills. Last half minute Whyte rocks Wach with big combo. Wach dodges 3 huge windmills and will survive. Our final score: Whyte 98-93. Judges say: 98-93, 97-93, 97-93 for Whyte.

Upcoming: #6 Alex Povetkin vs. #14 Michael Hunter - round by round scoring

Povetkin looks for one last drive toward a title as Hunter seeks to break into the top ten.

• Round 1: Hunter's unorthodox moving is wreacking havoc for Povetkin early on, hitting Povetkin will angles all over, esp. right hands. Povetkin gets his composure but generally unable to figure Hunter out in this round. Hunter's work early wins this one. Hunter 10-9.
• Round 2: Hunter's speed still bothering Povetkin, who is missing with lots of punches. Hunter almost wobbles him with a right. Good counter by Povetkin late, otherwise round was pretty even. 10-10; Hunter 20-19.
• Round 3: Povetkin finally adjusting to the speed of the fight, some good work early. Hunter clinching when Povetkin gets close. Fight speed slowing down a bit late in the 3rd. Another close hard-to-score round. 10-10; 30-29 Hunter.
• Round 4: Mixing it up again, both mostly whiffing and dodging each others hooks. Some good power from Povetkin but didn't land flush. Ducking low at times to avoid Hunter's swinging; Hunter clinching in close. Hunter misses twice late, pace is showing for both of them. Povetkin's best round 10-9; 39-39. This is going to be a close one, every round counts.
• Round 5: Good 1-2 from Hunter; rest of round is very close again until mid-round Povetkin rocks Hunter with near-knockdown against the ropes. Hunter looks recovered but Povetkin catches him again and has to clinch. Good jabs from Hunter but Povetkin has the clear power advantage. A few late (past-bell) punches from Hunter but Povetkin wins that one. 10-9; Povetkin 49-48. 
• Round 6: Hunter still looking fast as he jumps in with jabs; if he can win rounds and avoid big punches he can still win this fight. Jab lands again. Povetkin looking a bit tired, lower work rate this round. Hunter clips him with hook and Povetkin clinches. Hunter's round 10-9; 58-58.
• Round 7: Who has more left i this close fight? Ring is looking foggy from humidity. Povetkin swinging but not connecting cleanly, neither fighter gaining advantage in first half of round. Hunter lands well and Povetkin clinches again, unhurt but stunned a bit. Pretty even round but slight edge to Hunter 10-9; 68-67
• Round 8: More very even sparring; Povetkin has a moment mid-round. Not much there but Povetkin had the only real moment; very close yet again, this one to Povetkin 10-9; 77-77
• Round 9:  Hunter full of energy at start but nothing much comes of it. Lots more missing in the first minute. One clean punch from Povetkin; return from Hunter seconds later. Both getting tired late, lots of clinches, initiated by both men. 10-10; 87-87.
• Round 10: Are we headed for a draw? Either that or a very, very close decision it seems. Inside work from both men. More clinching too. Hooks from Hunter miss in the clinch. Povetkin looking weary, he clinches, and Hunter doesn't argue. Mostly clinching, another draw round. 10-10; 97-97.
• Round 11: Head-snapping jabs connect for both fighters. Now they're diving in at the same time, meeting in clinch. Big shots from Hunter and Povetkin looks wobbly. He's staying up and fighting back; he rushes in and heads clashed. Hunter connects with 2 more big shots, clearly winning this round in a very tight fight. Povetkin weary and gets hit again. Clear round for Hunter 10-9; Hunter 107-106. 
• Round 12: Povetkin needs this round or Hunter probably wins, though any decision will probably be split/majority. Povetkin still looks a bit dazed, looking for big punches to turn the tide. Povetkin rushes in, fighters collide and they sprawl to the ground. Fight resumes, more clinching from Povetkin, but Hunter isn't connecting like he did last round. One minute to go, round is even so far. Good left from Hunter. Povetkin needs something but still clinches. Another tight round 10-10; Hunter 117-116.

Looks like a split decision coming, in favor of either fighter. We favor Hunter, and splitting the five 10-10 rounds could make it 117-111 Hunter or 116-112 Povetkin. We think a very close result goes to Hunter, but the cards overall ought to be very tight.

The verdict: 115-113 Povetkin; 115-113 Hunter; and 114-114 split draw. 

You know what? That's actually fair, as disappointing as it is. All the verdicts were very close, so no judge was far off from another. It will be interesting to see the round-by-round cards, and check against the five rounds we gave a 10-10.

The draw might put Hunter in our top 10 after all, while Povetkin will lose points but remain at #6.

Suddenly: Wilder KOs Ortiz in rematch

There wasn't much action for 7 rounds. There were hardly any exchanges. And that meant there wasn't much drama, except for the question: was Deontay Wilder really going to lose by a wide decision? He was clearly behind on the cards, and hardly throwing anything other than a pawing jab.

Then it all came to a quick end for Luis Ortiz, at the end of round 7.

Here's how we scored the fight:

• Round 1: Not much action; a lot like the first fight, Ortiz is cautious due to Wilder's power, Wilder is cautious due to his own chin and nearly being stopped by Ortiz in the first fight. One exchange and a clash of heads is all that happens. 10-10
• Round 2: Ortiz had the best moment in an otherwise uneventful round. 10-9 Ortiz; 20-19
• Round 3: More of the same. Very little being done by Wilder, Ortiz is the more aggressive though not much more effective. 10-9 Ortiz; 30-28
• Round 4: Wilder lands his first right hand, but again Ortiz had the better round, with a combination that sent Wilder back and had him pounding his chest to show he wasn't hurt. 10-9 Ortiz 40-37
• Round 5: This round is even close than the previous ones, but still Ortiz was connecting a bit while Wilder is mostly missing. 10-9 Ortiz; 50-46
• Round 6: Another round to Ortiz, as he's making Wilder back up while Wilder only occasionally works the body or the jab, but misses wide with the right hand. 10-9 Ortiz; 60-55
• Round 7: Well behind on the cards certainly, Wilder is looking like he's ok with risking losing a wide decision while he specs out the kill shot. Ortiz is getting more confident, and late in this round is clearly is winning it, probably his best one yet, when BAM! suddenly Wilder connects with the right hand and Ortiz absolutely crumbles to the ground. He struggles with this mouthpiece (shades of Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas) before struggling up near the end of the count, but isn't vertical enough or aware enough to really beat the count, and he's waved off. 

Wilder will move up to #2 in our Heavyweight Top 100, his highest ranking ever, and behind only #1 Tyson Fury, who he fought to a draw a year ago.

-3 yrs	-1 yr	-6 mo	Nov Rank	Dec Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	November results
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
5	1	1	4	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	36.63	15-1-0	--last rated win -14 months.
28	5	5	5	5	DILLIAN WHYTE	24.91	12-1-0
3	4	4	6	6	ALEX POVETKIN	24.70	29-2-0
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
68	11	12	11	10	ADAM KOWNACKI	16.31	9-0-0

Fury should be Wilder's next opponent, if everything works out. By then, the winner of the Ruiz-Joshua rematch will have vaulted to #1, and the Fury-Wilder winner will take it back.

It's really quite an exciting time in the Heavyweight division; more people should be paying attention as this mini-era will be fondly remembered one day.

November 2019 HW Rankings: Usyk Finally Makes HW Debut; Wilder vs. Ortiz II Looms

There's not much change of note in the November Heavyweight Boxing Top 100; this session is more noteworthy for a few that make their debut on the list, and some fights that take place in the coming month.

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	Oct 2019	Nov 2019	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	October results; •November schedule
1	2	2	1	1	TYSON FURY	45.38	17-0-1
12	38	30	2	2	ANDY RUIZ JR	39.57	13-1-0
4	3	3	3	3	DEONTAY WILDER	39.23	17-0-1	•11/23 vs. #9 LUIS ORTIZ
5	1	1	4	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	37.02	15-1-0	--last rated win -13 months.
30	6	5	5	5	DILLIAN WHYTE	24.91	12-1-0
3	4	4	6	6	ALEX POVETKIN	24.70	29-2-0
22	7	6	7	7	JARRELL MILLER	19.87	9-0-0
10	8	8	8	8	KUBRAT PULEV	18.64	19-1-0	•11/09 vs. #226 RYDELL BOOKER
9	14	9	9	9	LUIS ORTIZ	17.22	15-1-0	•11/23 vs. #3 DEONTAY WILDER
--	18	15	10	10	EFE AJAGBA	16.95	6-0-0

October 2019 Fight Results

As noted, not much excitement:

• Frank Sanchez Faure (14-0-0) moved from #23 to #18 with a 10-round decision win over #133 Jack Mulowayi
• Vladyslav Sirenko (13-0-0) made the biggest jump in the Top 100, leaping from 69 to 23 with a first round TKO of former #26 Ivan Di Berardino, who fell to #83 and to 9-2-1.
• Darmani Rock (17-0-0) took care of #156 Maurenzo Smith pretty quickly, scoring a 2nd round TKO and sliding up 6 spots to #48
• Dereck Chisora (32-9-0) finally made it back into the top 100 after winning the most prominent heavyweight bout of the month with a 4th round TKO (towel thrown) of David Price, who was #77 last month. Chisora is at #87 and has won 3 of his last 7 significant bouts (he is 13-9-0 in rated fights). Price dropped out of the rankings and fell to 25-7-0.

November 2019 Upcoming Bouts

The November schedule looks considerably better than October, notwithstanding cancellations, etc. In order of our interest:

• 11/23 #3 Deontay Wilder vs. #9 Luis Ortiz. This is the big one. It's not the rematch we really need (Wilder vs. Fury) but it's the one we get, and as heavyweight boxing fans we've learned to be satisfied with a morsel here and there. It's not a bad match, as the first fight was a barnburner. Wilder can pass Ruiz Jr for #2 on our rankings with a win; a loss would send Wilder to around #7, while Ortiz would leap to #4 and serious consideration for the Ruiz-Joshua rematch winner. Another loss to Wilder would sent Ortiz well out of the top 10, and at his advanced age (whatever it really is) probably means his last hurrah.
• 11/30 #58 Zhilei Zhang vs. #73 Sergey Kuzmin. I will be quite pleased if we make it to Thanksgiving and this fight is still on. Zhang, who showed promise as an Olympic silver medalist with a 20-0-0 start, hasn't had a significant win in 2 1/2 years and has slid from the mid-20s to #58. Either he or Kuzmin (15-1-0), who lost recently to #14 Michael Hunter, will get a much-needed boost.
• 11/09 #9 Kubrat Pulev vs. #226 Rydell Booker. A keep-busy fight for Pulev, who is the mandatory for Anthony Joshua if Joshua beats Ruiz in their rematch. A win here does nothing for Pulev, of course, while a loss ends his top 10 run and his title hopes. It would also be a huge comeback for Booker, who was gone from the sport for 12 years while in prison for dealing cocaine. Win or lose, Rydell Booker has always had the best name for a boxer—of all time—in my estimation. Boxrec doesn't list this fight as of this writing, and it does look like a good candidate for cancelation as Pulev has nothing to gain here.
• 11/15 #49 Junior Fa vs. #77 Devin Vargas. Another intra-top 100 fight; Fa has an unblemished 18-0-0 record with 4 significant wins, while Vargas is 21-5-0 and spent several years outside the top 100 before returning with a win over Niall Kennedy in August.
• 11/02 #82 Martin Bakole Ilunga vs. #98 Rodney Hernandez. Not the highest-ranked fighters but maybe a fun one to watch. Bakole is 14-1-0 with 5 significant wins, 2 of them after falling to Michael Hunter. Hernandez is a storied 13-8-2, with a 3-7-2 record on our watch—but 6 of those losses are to fighters still in the top 100. Watch this one to see Hernandez explode with power early in each round and, after tiring, take punishment that would kill most humans.
• 11/23 #22 Shawndell Winters vs. #118 Sergiej Werwejko. Winters is pretty new to our top 100, having just beaten Sasha Teslenko in September. At 12-2-0, he's fighting Werwejko, who is 11-2-0 and has won three minor fights since losing to Ali Demirezen a year ago.
• 11/27 #57 Cassius Chaney vs. #153 Nick Jones. Chaney (17-0-0) is coming off a 1st round KO of non-rated Santander Silgado, while Jones (7-2-0) is attempting to come back from back-to-back losses to Efe Ajagba and Rodney Hernandez. Something tells me Jones is transitioning to sure-thing journeyman unless he gets the upset here.

Top 100 Debuts / Career Prognostication

Here we give our outlook/forecast for how far each of the new fighters debuting in the Top 100 will do. Our intentionally simple system looks at the fighter's amateur experience, his age, and how he's done in his career so far (to the point of his top 100 debut). Using this system, the last two heavyweights to get an A+ rating (forecast to be #1 HW champ) were Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko. Deontay Wilder got an A (forecast to make the top 3), while Tyson Fury got just a B+ (top 10). Andy Ruiz, Jr, graded at an A- (in or near top 5).Five fighters make it in this month; presented in order of debut rank.

• #26 Marcin Siwy (20-0-0) Age: 28
  Amateur exp: Average
  Polish boxer Siwy defeated Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko (6-5-1) to make our list, winning a unanimous 8-round decision by comfortable but not dominant cards. The rest of his record is similarly bland, but he gets credit for not losing so far. He's still young, big, and looks tough but is not getting a lot of stoppages against the weak competition so far.
  Grade: B
  Forecast: Siwy could be an eventual top 15 contender in the alpha-belts, but not a Ring top ten.
  
  
• #44 Oleksandr Usyk (17-0-0) Age: 32
  Amateur exp: Excellent
  Here's the one we've been waiting for forever. Finally cruiserweight champ Usyk has his first win, a yawning affair over Chazz Witherspoon but we'll take it. It allows us to use our method to forecast Usyk's heavyweight success. So far, he's done nothing wrong, winning the world championships and olympic gold medal and beating every cruiserweight of note. Though he has only one pro win at heavyweight, he's already beaten several in our top 100: Usyk defeated #14 Michael Hunter and #69 Tony Bellew at cruiserweight, and holds amateur (World Series of Boxing) wins at heavyweight over #49 Junior Fa and #25 Joe Joyce. Usyk's only slight drawbacks are his age (32) and size (he weighed 215 vs. Witherspoon). Can he compete with the real giants? We will probably soon see, as he is being fast-tracked for title contention.
  Grade: A-
  Forecast: We see a probable top-5 ranking for Usyk, which likely means a belt of some kind, but not beating the very top of the heap to reach our #1 spot. We'll guess that he peaks outside the top 3.
  
  
• #59 Sahret Delgado (8-0-0) Age: 25
  Amateur exp: Average
  Delgado stopped 7 opponents before decisioning Joel Caudle (8-4-2) to break into the top 100. The Puerto Rican (fighting out of New Jersey) is still quite young and noted for his power. But again, the first "real" fighter he faced wouldn't drop. Similar size to Siwy, which isn't necessarily a good thing (a bit too short at 6'2" for his nearly 270 pounds).
  Grade: B
  Forecast: Another top 15 prospect some day, but not a top ten fighter.
  
  
• #66 Kenzie Morrison (17-0-2) Age: 29
  Amateur exp: None
  Though he was formerly known as James Witt, he's now James McKenzie Morrison or just Kenzie Morrison. He's another of the late Tommy Morrison's sons, along with Tre Lippe (Morrison), who coincidentally just dropped out of our top 100 last month. He looks a lot like his father, is currently undefeated, and just KOed Keenan Hickman (6-5-1) in the first round to debut in our top 100. Morrison has 15 stoppages among 17 wins, which is good, and the competition hasn't been awful. But those two draws—to journeyman Aaron Chavers (8-9-1) over 6 rounds (he avenged it with a stoppage) and Chris Harris (2-4-2) don't bode well. Neither does his lack of amateur experience; we don't give points for pedigree. He's still young, but should be peaking soon, so it's good that he's making his move now.
  Grade: C
  Forecast: Some upside; a few more wins should put him into the top 30-40, but we don't foresee him making our top 25.
  
  
• #68 Mike Balogun (15-0-0) Age: 36
  Amateur exp: Pro football
  Balogun jumped to about 6 different NFL teams before trying his hand at boxing. Ex-footballers don't exactly have a stellar record in the ring; we give credit only for experience in other combat sports (kickboxing and MMA). To be fair, though, he hasn't lost yet, beating Mike Bisset (15-13-1) with a first-round KO on October 24th. He has 11 stoppages so far, with a few familiar journeymen on the list. At age 36, time is running out for Balogun to make some noise.
  Grade: C
  Forecast: Like Morrison, Balogun should score a few more rated wins and rank in the 30s but not much higher before he meets someone who outclasses him.

We'll try to make these forecasts monthly and see how they do in the long run. Should be interesting!

Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin round-by-round scoring

Tyson Fury enters the ring in a sombrero and Mexican robe to a traditional Mexican song, on Mexican Independence Day to face undefeated Otto Wallin in a matchup roughly as serious as his last fight with Tom Schwarz. But since he's our top-ranked Heavyweight, we'll cover this one start to finish. Otto Wallin is #59, and has but one significant win. This one would be much more significant.

Round-by-round scoring follows: 

• Round 1: Good jabs from Fury at a distance. Fury keeping distance, starting slow, Wallin lunges for the body. Pushes Wallin's face to keep distance. Wallin lunging to get to him. Wallin works his way inside, clinch follows. Not much action, but Fury's jabs probably win him the round. Fury 10-9
• Round 2: Wallin looking confident, moving in on him as Fury stays outside. Fury dodges a series of punches, backing up. Wallin goes to body, Fury returns with jab. Again to the body of Fury. Fury swings wildly and misses, as does Wallin, who pins Fury to the ropes, gets in some shots, but Fury fires back effectively! They exchange at end of round, too. Fury got in 2 best shots of the round, but it was pretty even 10-10. Fury 20-19.
• Round 3: Fury now actively trying to keep Wallin off with stiff jabs and one-twos, but Wallin is undeterred. Fury looking very serious now. Now Fury is stalking Wallin instead. Low punch by Wallin, gets mention from ref. Fury misses with big punch. Fury is cut from something. Fast-paced round but not much connected, but apparently a Wallin left caused the cut. Fury 10-9; 30-28.
• Round 4: Fury holding off Wallin early again. Fury is mad about something, maybe another low blow? as ref separately them. Speculation about the cut ending the fight and Fury needing urgency. He's staying outside more again. Fury rubbing the cut eyebrow. Fury jumps in leading with punch, clinches. Neither fighter has his rhythm on offense. 10-10 Fury 40-38.
• Round 5: Sounds like Fury's corner thinks it was from a headbutt, so they don't think he has to worry about it, interesting. Good jabs from Fury, Wallin responding but mostly short. Wallin jumps in, then big punch from Fury. Now they're telling Fury's corner it was from a punch.  Tie-up, and the fight is getting into dirty boxing, good left from Wallin. Good short jab from Fury. No one's round really, but Wallin can't claim it either. 10-10 Fury 50-48. 
• Round 6: Wallin really trying to make it a brawl. Fury loops a left and misses, and Wallin takes advantage; Wallin is gaining confidence. Wallin jumps right in after a break and scores. Wallin's work-rate is a lot higher this round and he keeps coming. Fury's cut is bleeding badly, and the doctor is looking at it. Fury has great urgency after doctor restarts fight. Fury ducking down and both fighters using uppercuts. Wallin poked at the cut deliberately at the end of the round...should have been penalized then. But he probably won that round. Wallin 10-9; Fury 59-58.
• Round 7: Fury clubbing and swinging, trying to get a knockout. Big right from Fury but Wallin is unfazed. Another big punch from Fury. Inside work from Fury. Good counter from Wallin, but Fury keeps coming, bullying him. Fury 10-9; 69-67.
• Round 8: Fury jabbing outside again. Wallin targeting the eye and Fury leaning in close helps him. Big right from Fury from close in. Wallin hanging on, looking tired but not fatigued, returns with a few good shots. Two are almost wrestling against ropes. Great uppercut from low stance, good bodywork too. Fury 10-9; 79-76.
• Round 9: Fury resumes attack with urgency. Wallin looks none the worse for wear though, still full of fight. Wallin's trainer yelling for him to "hit that cut!" Wallin uppercuts the cut several times. Fury still ducking low to let him do it. Fury moves in an attacks again. HUGE uppercut misses from Fury. Fury gives him 1-2 1-2, Wallin says bring it on. Fury closes with huge punch but round ends. Fury 10-9; 89-85.
• Round 10: Fury backs Wallin to ropes and batters him, Wallin somehow survives intact. Wallin jabs and jabs, but Fury uppercuts him against ropes. Wallin's only hope is the cut, pinned against the ropes taking punishment. Wallin's back is covered with Fury's blood from the cut. Fury is slowing down a bit later in the round but still has some big shots to unfurl. Wallin is surviving admirably though. Fury 10-9; 99-94.
• Round 11: Wallin looks spry and active as the round starts, and he's moving in on Fury early. But a minute in he's against the ropes again. Fury 3-punch combo. Fury lets loose with combos near the end of the round, bullying Wallin. Fury 10-9; 109-103
• Round 12: Very unlikely the fight is stopped due to the cut now, so Wallin needs a miracle. Fury dancing now, Wallin staying back too. Fury jumps in with combo. Huge left from Wallin rocks Fury! Wallin sees Fury hurt, Fury is staying close though, despite being wobbled. Cut looks terrible, too. Has to survive half a round in this shape. Fury is holding...good uppercut from Fury but Wallin is boxing and Fury is just sleepwalking. Fury looks better now with seconds left. Fury survives the round. Wallin 10-9; Fury 118-113. 

We think the scorecards could range from 115-113 Fury to 118-110, but it should be unanimous.

Decision: 116-112, 117-111, 118-110 all for Fury

Judges decisions were all within the range of our card, if you give the 10-10 rounds to each fighter. WOW Wallin has a horrible cut of his own over his eye.

Fury showed both his strengths and weaknesses with this bout. Fury isn't the kind that kind end a fight quickly; he's best when he can take his time and win rounds. This time, though, he had to try to win quickly, and though he won the rounds, he left himself open to Wallin's late surge. Everyone who has followed Fury's career knows it doesn't take much to put him on unsteady legs, and that happened in Round 12.

But he also showed how good he can be in a messy bout, and showed his heart, which no one has questioned since he came back from the 12th round knockdown by Deontay Wilder. Hopefully he doesn't take any more of these fights before facing Wilder in a rematch for the heavyweight title.

Andy Ruiz Jr Shocks Anthony Joshua with round 7 TKO

Andy Ruiz Jr knocked down Anthony Joshua a total of four times en route to a shocking 7th round TKO of the formerly undefeated champ.

Ruiz's powerful flurry of punches doomed Joshua, who couldn't defend and counter when the fight got dirty. Ruiz becomes the first Mexican heavyweight champion.

Ruiz actually went down first, in the 3rd round, after two uneventful rounds. Joshua connected with a stiff left and it looked like the end was near. But Ruiz, with nothing to lose as Joshua closed in for the kill, returned fire, and soon Joshua was on the canvas. Later in the 3rd round Joshua fell again, and nearly lost the fight at that point as he was somewhat unresponsive to the referee.

Over the next few rounds Joshua recovered. In the 4th round Ruiz did little as he was tired as well, and in the 5th and 6th Joshua got stronger, though at the end of the 6th Joshua kept his hands down as Ruiz punched him. But the 7th round started off well for Joshua as the fight seemed to be fully reset...until Ruiz countered a Joshua punch, then started a crazy flurry of punches that Joshua couldn't deal with. Joshua went down, and after another flurry AJ was down again. This time the referee didn't let Joshua, who turned him back to the ring in his corner, get away with not following instructions and the fight was stopped.

Unbelievably, Ruiz was a 20-1 underdog, which was insane. Even 5-1 seemed silly to me, as Ruiz has always been a big puncher -- as big as AJ -- and he takes a shot every bit as well as Joshua, too. Plus, he's always been a solid boxer. The only real difference between the two is physique, including height advantage, which alone makes AJ the favorite, but 3-1 or 4-1 was what I expected. The announcers are saying this is equivalent of Tyson vs. Buster Douglas, which is absolutely ridiculous. Everyone knew Anthony Joshua can be rocked, and he was facing a guy who can bang.

The bottom line, Andy Ruiz Jr. took things out of the boxing realm and into the fighting realm, and Ruiz has a flurry that ranks among the best the fight world has seen.

Here's how we scored the fight:

• Round One: Good exchanges early, Ruiz backing Joshua up, with occasional jabs from Joshua. Both miss on big shots, Joshua connects with good jabs; 10-9 Joshua.
  
  
• Round Two: Good start by Ruiz with combo. Most of round dull as Joshua stays at distance; good counters by Joshua at end. Pretty even round 10-10; 20-19 Joshua.
  
  
• Round Three: AJ has a good counter near the start; big uppercut knocks Andy Ruiz down!! Joshua tries to close the deal, but Ruiz knocks Joshua down!! Joshua looks worse than Ruiz on his feet. Ruiz big flurry has Joshua on ropes and down again!! Bell saves Joshua, who looks totally out of it. Ruiz 10-8; Ruiz 29-28.
  
  
• Round Four: Big shots early from both. Ruiz walking AJ down but not doing much. AJ still looks weak, Ruiz should be pressing him but he might be tired too. Not much going on this round. 10-10, Ruiz 39-38.
  
  
• Round Five: Joshua recovering more, but still not back in rhythm. Ruiz not pressing. AJ connects with huge punch late, probably wins round. 10-9 Joshua; 48-48.  
  
  
• Round Six: Good exchange at start, both fighters looking stronger now. Ruiz more aggressive, hitting Joshua...Joshua with hands down, egging Ruiz on and getting hit! Not smart, his corner won't like that. AJ is in danger of losing the fight by KO or by the cards if he does that again. Ruiz 10-9, 58-57
  
  
• Round Seven: More stalking by Ruiz, Joshua moving head well now with hands up (corner probably complained!) Joshua tags Ruiz Ruiz returns fire, connects with huge flurry of punches Joshua down again!!! Joshua back up. AJ gets in a few stiff punches Ruiz looks dazed but comes alive again with crazy flurry of punches and AJ is down for the 4th time!! Joshua goes back to corner and the fight is stopped! Ruiz is the winner!

Anthony Joshua vs. Alexander Povetkin Live Round-by-Round Scoring, Results

Anthony Joshua and Alexander Povetkin attempt to claim the outright SportsRatings Heavyweight Championship for the first time. For over a year Joshua held the interim belt while Tyson Fury was inactive, and he remains #2 after Fury reclaimed his belt last month.

Alex Povetkin has been #3 for around eight years; he was #2 for a month before Joshua beat Wlad Klitschko and pushed Povetkin back to #3. Before that was interim champ for one month, when Fury and Klitschko delayed their (eventually cancelled) rematch. But he's never been outright champion on our site, and neither has Joshua.

That will end with this fight; the winner will pass Fury at #1 and be considered our undisputed heavyweight champ, only the third champion since Lennox Lewis' reign.

The fight is ready to begin.

Round-by-round scoring for Joshua vs. Povetkin:

• Round One: Both men start fighting at distance, lunging with jabs; Povetkin going to the body. Hook by Povetkin misses. Nothing connecting early, some big punches missing now. Both very cautious. Body by Povetkin, jab by Joshua. Quick clinch breaks. Povetkin ends round with overhand right that makes Joshua stumble. Povetkin 10-9
• Round Two: Joshua busier right from the start; Joshua's nose is bleeding. More work this round, more jabs, Joshua going to the body. Jab backs Povetkin to the ropes, Povetkin going for the bloody nose. Tight round, good work from both; 10-10; Povetkin 20-19.
• Round Three: Interior fighting with Povetkin scoring. Joshua now holding him back with jabs. Holds him off for most of the round landing jabs, decent combo near the end. Joshua 10-9; 29-29.
• Round Four: Povetkin jumps in, gets hit by Joshua counter. Povetkin's eye is cut. Joshua looking better now using jab. Joshua clinching when Povetkin leaps forward. Povetkin looking for big uppercut, misses, Joshua continues jabbing, controls the round. Joshua 10-9; Joshua 39-38.
• Round Five: Big hook by Joshua misses as he peppers jabs. Povetkin's own hook whiffs too, as he looks to land a big one; he wants a KO while Joshua looks like he wants to win a decision. Good left by Povetkin. Joshua backs up, dodges, clinches to avoid Povetkin. Fairly even round, 10-10; Joshua 49-48.
• Round Six: Respect shown by fighters as they touch gloves following a minor foul. Joshua finally unloading a bit, scores in combos. Povetkin jumps in with good combos himself. Both look tired, Povetkin whiffs a few times. Another close round, both men had their moments, rested at end. 10-10; Joshua 59-58.
• Round Seven: Tentative start early in round 7, both men measuring their energy. Big right from Joshua rocks Povetkin; a few more hits and he's DOWN. Povetkin up with a minute left; Joshua pours it on, the fight is stopped! Anthony Joshua wins by TKO.

Anthony Joshua has captured the SportsRatings Heavyweight Championship! And it looks like Alexander Povetkin, now 39, will never reach our #1 spot.

The end kind of came out of nowhere; Joshua's right hook was so unheralded that it was hard to tell it connected until Povetkin reacted with a stumble. It was very close at that point, with either fighter ahead on the cards, and no one really taking charge of the ring completely. But Joshua did exactly what Povetkin was hoping to do—score a game-changing shot and capitalize on it. The knockdown punches were a brutal 1-2; Povetkin barely made it up in time, and he was weak-legged after that.

AJ's reign could be short; with the announcement of Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder for December 1st, Fury could retake our title within a couple of months. And whoever wins that fight, it sets up a great match with Joshua among undefeated fighters.

Anyone who says heavyweight boxing isn't great today is crazy; a practical tournament among the top 4 heavyweights, with three of them undefeated? That's probably never happened before. Tell your friends: the boring Klitschko-dominant days are over, we're in a new era and it is fantastic.

Anthony Joshua vs. Joseph Parker round-by-round scoring

Anthony Joshua defends his interim SportsRatings Heavyweight championship belt, as well as the lesser WBA and IBF belts too, of course :) against Joseph Parker, who is #6 in the March rankings and holds the WBO belt currently. The fight takes place in Cardiff, Wales (Wales being part of the United Kingdom for the geographically-challenged).

Joshua (20-0, 20 KO) is the 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medalist and a solid favorite over Parker (24-0, 18 KOs). Joshua is around a 6-1 favorite, down from nearly a 10-1 favorite overall early on. 

Combined with Deontay Wilder's win over Luis Ortiz early this month, and Dillian Whyte's KO of Lucas Browne, this fight marks the 3rd big intra-top-12 bout of the month, making March of 2018 the best month for Heavyweight boxing since May of 1983. In addition, another fight on the undercard pits perennial #3 Alexander Povetkin vs. a comeback-attempting David Price (currently outside the top 100), the 2004 gold medalist vs. 2008 bronze medalist.

Coverage on Showtime in the U.S. begins at 5pm eastern time. Sky Box Office covers the bouts in the UK. It looks like Showtime might air the Povetkin bout, too, as it is about to start just a few minutes before Showtime picks things up. We'll see.

Bonus: Povetkin vs. Price round-by-round scoring: Povetkin's nose looks red pre-bout, as if he got hit during sparring. Price looks big but fairly good. Round 1: Povetkin staying out of range of Price's jab, closing in to punch. Price connects with his only decent shot at the end, but it's Povetkin's round 10-9. Round 2: Price jabbing stronger to open round 2; Povetkin moving in with combos but Price covers up well. Close round, but 20-18 Povetkin. Round 3: Price scores early but Povetkin FLATTENS Price with a counter right. He's up with 2 minutes left, with a cut but looks ok considering. Decent combo from Price. Price connects, too, sending Povetkin stumbling backward into the corner and the ref gives him a count! 9-9 round, 29-27 Povetkin. Round 4: Povetkin still looks slow, both fighters active yet tentative. Povetkin normally gets a second wind after 4 rounds, but that was possibly with some PED help...will we see the same Povetkin? 10-10; Povetkin 39-37. Round 5: Povetkin connects with a right which stops Price dead in his tracks, and follows by hitting the wide-open Price with a finishing left hook. Povetkin wins via 5th round KO. He will retain his #3 ranking for the umpteenth month (about 8 years' worth, now) regardless of the Joshua-Parker outcome.

Parker has entered the ring, Joshua is following. Then the national anthems, and fight should start in 15-20 minutes, a little before 6pm ET, 11pm UK.

Round-by-round scoring for Joshua vs. Parker:

• Round One: Jab-fest early, most just out of range. Joshua holding his guard a lot higher than Parker. Joshua might have done a little more, but it was very close and I hate it when a nothing-doing first round has an effect on things. 10-10
• Round Two: Both fighters try jab combos early, then long period of tentativeness from both to middle of round. Lots more of nothing, then a few exchanges, and the first clinch of the fight. Another tough round, mostly dead air. 20-20
• Round Three: Joshua controlling the ring, throwing jabs and gets first good combo of night. Caught in ropes, Parker clinches with a minute left. Heads clash late, Parker gets in a hook. Joshua 10-9; 30-29
• Round Four: Joshua again controls the ring early, using jab well. Big whiff left hook from Joshua. Parker just out of range with jabs, clinches again. Joshua being very conservative as he stalks Parker, backs him up to end the round. Still very close rounds, not much real is connecting. Joshua 10-9, 40-38.
• Round Five: Joshua jabs then follows with decent left hook. Parker finding it hard to close into range, but he is defending better than he has in the past. Still keeping guard low though. Parker comes off ropes charging at Joshua, they clinch. Solid combo by Parker surprises Joshua with less than a minute left. Joshua whiffs with big 1-2. Close round, we'll give it to Parker though for finishing stronger. 10-9; Joshua 49-48.
• Round Six: Joshua connects, then Parker, then HUGE brawl in clinch broken up by ref. Joshua lunging in to conect, Parker lunges in too. Fighters are toe-to-toe now, both visibly tired at midpoint of round. Joshua gets in good punch while Parker tries to brawl more. Parker hooks during clinch. Exciting if sloppy round. Joshua 10-9; 59-57
• Round Seven: Big clinch midway through round, Parker keeps punching, so Joshua throws huge uppercut before break, ref cautions both of them. Joshua jab prompts Parker lunge for clinch and more in-fighting. Stiff jab from Joshua ends the round. Joshua 10-9; 69-66.
• Round Eight: Joshua's lead is pretty tentative, not doing anything spectacular from him yet, he might have a bit more urgency. Parker looks like he has the urgency. He's jumping in the way Povetkin did against Klitschko, trying to get inside. Parker holding his own in middle of round, dodging with head movement. Flurry from Joshua, Parker survives, ref jumps in for no reason? Weird. Parker's best round in a while, no more than a draw though 10-10; Joshua 79-76
• Round Nine: Lots of dull posturing this round. Parker rushes in, heads clash, Joshua's tape is finally fixed, why didn't they do that between rounds? Awkward fight as Joshua won't let his hands fly completely. Joshua defends Parker flurry very well. Another b.s. round. 10-10; Joshua 89-86
• Round Ten: We're now at the point where a biased scorer could have Parker ahead, or Joshua very far ahead. Joshua chasing Parker with the jab, Parker has a cut now. Joshua quick to clinch when he's chasing, for some reason. Joshua attempts uppercut from clinch. Parker on ropes, jumps to clinch. Glove has dangling tape yet again for Joshua. Joshua keeps grabbing back of Parker's neck in clinch in frustration. Joshua 10-9; 99-95
• Round Eleven: Another jab-fest round, little connecting with damage, for 2 minutes; Joshua gets an uppercut then clinches for some reason. Joshua generally winning the battle of jabs. Combo by Joshua, Parker returns fire; only action the whole round. Joshua 10-9; 109-104
• Round Twelve: More awkward clinching, over and over, amidst the jabbing. Good body shot by Joshua. Another good jab sequence by Joshua, who fires back recklessly to keep Joshua off him. 30 seconds left, no urgency by either fighter, though Parker looks pretty tired. Joshua 10-9; 119-113

So we score the bout 119-113 for Joshua, which with the FOUR 10-10 rounds, could be anything from 115-113 Joshua to 119-109 Joshua. So we expect a unanimous decision for Joshua, but the results could range from very close to very wide.

Official scorecards: Well, they went wide: 118-110 x 2, and 119-109 for Joshua. That matches our widest possible result (all close rounds to Joshua), so those are defensible scores if you look at who controlled the ring and the action. Either way, the result is correct, as Joseph Parker didn't really do much in most rounds other than survive and avoid taking damage.

Joshua remains the interim SportsRatings heavyweight champion, looking to eventually become our official champ as Tyson Fury remains inactive.

Wladimir Klitschko vs. Anthony Joshua round-by-round scoring

Wladimir Klitschko takes on Anthony Joshua for the interim SportsRatings Heavyweight title, as well as the IBF and WBA belts, at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

1996 Olympic gold medalist Klitschko (64-4, 53 KO), ranked #2 by SportsRatings currently, is a slight underdog to #5-ranked Joshua by the oddsmakers. Klitschko hasn't fought since losing his title to Tyson Fury in November of 2015, and hasn't won a fight since beating Bryant Jennings in April, 2015.

Joshua (18-0, 18 KO), the 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medalist, has won 4 times since Klitschko lost his belt, beating Dillian Whyte, Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, and Eric Molina. None are among the biggest names in the division, but note that 3 of the 4 were undefeated before facing Joshua.

Either 41-year-old Klitschko will make a huge comeback win and re-establish himself as the man to beat at heavyweight, or the torch will be passed to the 27-year-old Joshua, who most believe is the future of the division.

Klitschko weighed in at a relatively light 240 1/4 pounds, with Joshua tipping the scales at 250. Both fighters are giants, standing 6' 6" apiece.

The fight is set to begin sometime around 5pm eastern U.S. time. Both fighters have entered the ring. Arnold Schwarzeneggar is in the crowd. Vitali Klitschko's wife is the performer for the Ukranian national anthem. 

Round-by-round scoring follows:

• Round One: Klitschko jabbing hurredly at the start. Joshua gets a few decent right hands in. Wlad wary of Joshua's punches. Rare fight where Klitschko doesn't dwarf his opponent and have a huge reach advantage. Wlad jabbing less as the round goes on. Wlad finds his way in but clinches. Interesting first round with no clear winner but Joshua landed the only punches that mattered. Joshua 10-9.
• Round Two: BIG right from Klitshko to start round 2, Joshua takes it well and is using his jab more early. Joshua doing better controlling ring space in round 2. Fighters still testing each other. Not much else happening this round, less action as the round continues. If we gave Joshua r1 for bigger punches, we can give this to Wlad for that opening punch, as neither round was dominant. 10-9 Klitschko, 19-19.
• Round Three: A lot of action early in the round from both. Joshua pushing forward missing with big punches. Klitschko trying to hold a bit but isn't going to be able to do it. So far Klitschko hasn't folded from big pressure, and Joshua hasn't backed down from Wlad's jab at all. Ref is separating the clinch quickly. Both fighters having trouble with the other's style, lots of misses. We punt on this one. 10-10, 29-29. 
• Round Four: Another big right from Klitschko to start the round! Joshua takes it well again. Joshua connects with a not-as-big right hand. Clinch and Joshua warned for hitting on break, no big deal. Wlad whiffs as Joshua ducks. Good body shots by Joshua. Klitschko has been lighter on his feet as Joshua stays planted but Joshua moving more now. Jab by Joshua who probably did better in the 2nd half of the round but overall hard to score as Joshua missed on his biggest shots. Fuck it, 10-10, 39-39.
• Round Five:  Joshua explodes out of the gate with a flurry and puts Wlad down! Klitschko holding on with 2 minutes left in round and a bad cut. Now at midpoint of round Joshua is looking tired, as is Klitschko. Big shots from Klitschko but Joshua battling back too!! Joshua is dead tired and Klitschko is hitting him with everything he's got! Round ends, should be 10-8 for Joshua but did Klitschko battle back enough to make it just 10-9? Joshua never went down, so 10-8 Joshua, 49-47.
• Round Six: Cut on Wlad's eye is bad. Fighters start where they left off but not as exhausted. Pause while Joshua's mouthpiece is put in. Klitschko right puts Joshua down!! Now both are clinching and punching, Joshua is ducking low and is in trouble.  Klitschko keeps missing with crosses as Joshua ducks, but then landing uppercuts. Incredible fight. Klitschko 10-8; 57-57.
• Round Seven: Wow, here we go. Klitschko walking down Joshua, who looks uncertain but recovered mostly. Klitschko looks confident but still has that bad cut. Klitschko scoring but not threatening Joshua at this point, taking his time while Joshua is trying to rest and recover his confidence. Joshua is still TALKING to Klitschko, seems foolish at this point. Klitschko is being conservative, picking off jabs when possible. Wlad clinches and Joshua looks happy for the chance to rest, and he comes alive for this first time in the round with less than 30 seconds left. Round was all Klitschko, 10-9; 67-66.
• Round Eight: Joshua comes to the center early, looking more recovered now. Klitschko still confident. Joshua decent body shot with left hand. Huge right from Klitschko whiffs! Joshua throwing heat, for first time in 3 rounds. Klitschko jabbing well again, and moving well. Decent punches from both connect. Wlad clinches with 20 seconds left. Another close round, we'll keep it even: 10-10; Klitschko 77-76.
• Round Nine: Again both look to start fast, this is great. Joshua is fully recovered and Wlad's cut isn't an issue anymore. Wlad misses with a right while Joshua goes to the body. Two are tangled up. Joshua makes Wlad miss again, Wlad backs up to avoid body shot. Joshua connects with two shots with a minute left. Action pause as both tire a bit. Right hand from Joshua, and two quick body shots. Joshua 10-9; 86-86.
• Round Ten: Joshua jumps in quickly with 1-2, Klitschko bouncing, dancing away. Two collide jumping in, clinch, separate. Jab from Klitschko, Joshua answers. Again the action slows later in the round. Both fighters dodging the big shots well. Joshua clubbed with right hand late. Another close round. 10-10; 96-96. This is going to be a close decision assuming it makes it that far. Should be an amazing final 2 rounds.
• Round Eleven: Joshua hurts Wlad early with 3 big punches. Klitschko running away for his life in the 11th. Klitschko returns fire but eats another punch before clinching. A huge uppercut from Joshua how did Klitschko stay up! Now he's down!!! 1:30 left in round...now Joshua puts him down again and that might be it...no he's up with 1 minute left!!! Fight is stopped with 30 seconds left, ANTHONY JOSHUA WINS

That was the best heavyweight fight I've seen in a long time. The final stoppage was a bit quick I think, but after being down twice, there was no leeway to protest, and Klitschko has not protested.

Unlike Tyson Fury, who "beat" Klitschko by barely engaging, Anthony Joshua took it to him, almost suffered the consequences himself, but held on and came back with a huge 11th round.

Gold medalist Joshua really looks like the future of the heavyweight division, and tonight was the true passing of the torch, in epic fashion in one of the great heavyweight fights of all time. Wlad Klitschko has nothing to be ashamed of putting on this performance at age 41 after one of the great careers in boxing history. 

And, if there was ever a fight that was going to renew interest in heavyweight boxing, this was it. We shall see.

Tony Bellew upsets David Haye in first HW fight, debuts in top 20

Tony Bellew did the completely unexpected Saturday, beating David Haye when Haye's corner threw in the towel in the 11th round.

Haye had been knocked down for the 2nd time in the fight and fell between the ropes; he had climbed his way back in and stood up, seemingly beating the count, before the towel came flying in.

Haye fought for six rounds with a badly injured ankle—the announcers seemed to think it was a torn Achilles' tendon, but it seems unlikely he could have even moved if that were the case. Whatever the problem, Haye got in big trouble in the 6th round where he fell down twice and was knocked down once as Bellew smelled blood. Haye weathered that storm and fought on, but was greatly diminished.

Even in the early rounds Haye didn't dominate. Bellew won the first round with a good shot or two, and the next four rounds were slightly in Haye's favor as he stalked Bellew, unable to connect with the big shot he wanted. He whiffed several times on looping punches as Bellew did a great job dodging and eluding Haye's best efforts.

After the 6th round the scorecards were basically even, and Bellew built a lead after that. Haye was still dangerous, though, as he hobbled on the ankle, trying to score the KO that would salvage the fight. Bellew fought smart and avoided trouble for the most part, and waited for his own opportunities. It finally happened in the 11th.

Bellew, a cruiserweight who moved up (or fattened up) to 215 pounds for his first heavyweight fight, will debut in our Top 100 around #16 or so, while Haye—formerly #17—will drop out of the top 50.

SportsRatings projected top 20 for April, 2017:

Mar Apr Fighter           Record    Rating
1    1. TYSON FURY       (15- 0- 0) 60.09  last rated win -16 months.
2    2. WLAD KLITSCHKO   (42- 4- 0) 48.73  last rated win -23 months.
3    3. ALEX POVETKIN    (25- 1- 0) 33.78
4    4. DEONTAY WILDER   (14- 0- 0) 28.72
5    5. ANTHONY JOSHUA   (11- 0- 0) 26.40
6    6. JOSEPH PARKER    (11- 0- 0) 22.64
7    7. LUIS ORTIZ       (12- 0- 0) 21.63
8    8. LUCAS BROWNE     (10- 0- 0) 20.82  last rated win -12 months.
9    9. KYOTARO FUJIMOTO (10- 1- 0) 19.78
10  10. KUBRAT PULEV     (16- 1- 0) 18.32
12  11. CHRISTIAN HAMMER (10- 1- 0) 17.77
13  12. CHARLES MARTIN   ( 5- 1- 0) 16.64  last rated win -14 months.
11  13. VITALI KLITSCHKO (27- 2- 0) 16.55  last rated win -54 months.
15  14. LARON MITCHELL   ( 2- 0- 0) 15.11
14  15. VYACH GLAZKOV    (10- 1- 1) 14.92  last rated win -24 months.
new 16. TONY BELLEW      ( 1- 0- 0) 13.91  RET 11 #17 DAVID HAYE
16  17. JARRELL MILLER   ( 4- 0- 0) 13.70
18  18. MICHAEL HUNTER   ( 3- 0- 0) 13.47  last rated win -17 months.
20  19. DILLIAN WHYTE    ( 7- 1- 0) 13.22
19  20. BERMANE STIVERNE ( 7- 2- 1) 13.20  last rated win -16 months.