Who rules at 168-175lbs?

By Boxing News - 02/05/2011 - Comments

By Joe Met: Traditionally there has always been a close relationship between the super-middleweight and the light-heavyweight divisions. Many fighters over the years have chosen to take fights and challenge for titles in both divisions to improve their chances of success. Fighters such as Thomas Hearns, Roy Jones Jr and Joe Calzaghe even held world titles at both weights, and in the case of Hearns and Jones Jr, they held titles in several other weight categories too.

As there seems to be a good deal of talent in both of these divisions at present, with some of these fighters having already met, and because there is every chance that some of these fighters may well face each other in the not so distant future, I thought it might be interesting to have a look at who the top ten fighters would be if the two divisions were to merge. Just a bit of fun for the sake of discussion, and only my own personal opinion of course. I don’t doubt that many people will disagree with my choices, and I welcome all comments and opinions on the subject.

Number one on my list would have to be current WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch. I’m sure that this will be a controversial choice as Froch is one of those fighters who really does split opinion right down the middle. Some look at Froch as a rough, street-brawler lacking in finesse, fancy footwork and with a dodgy defence. But I see a man who has no fear of anyone, and who gets the job done with the minimum of fuss. There is nothing flashy about Froch at all, but the man has amazing strength and stamina, a heart of stone, an iron chin, and he comes to fight every time he gets in the ring. The fact that he lost his title and then came and won it back in the very next fight is just typical of his will and determination. The quality of his previous opponents, and his willingness to genuinely fight anyone out there and to be at the very top of the game, Carl Froch is a true champion, a great fighter and number one on my list.

Close second place would be present WBC light-heavyweight champion Jean Pascal who was campaigning at super-middleweight where he met with Carl Froch for the WBC title back in 2008. Pascal lost a close decision in that fight before moving up to the Light-heavyweight division. A fighter who models himself to some extent on Roy Jones Jr (although I feel Jones was far better in his prime) Pascal proved in his fight with Froch that as well as having good boxing skills, he also wasn’t afraid to get down to the nitty gritty when necessary, he stood toe to toe exchanging bombs with froch for the entire fight and deserves credit for his contribution to what was one of the best fights I‘ve ever seen. There is talk of Froch moving up in weight to fight Pascal again after he is finished competing in the SuperSix tournament and I hope the fight gets made. With four defences of his title to date, and having faced opponents such as Chad Dawson and Bernard Hopkins, Pascal is a top quality fighter, theres no doubt about that.

What can you say about Bernard Hopkins that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over? His achievements in boxing and the fact that he continues to compete at the very highest level in the sport at the ripe old age of 46 are nothing short of a miracle. He’s one of those fighters that just refuses to quit, and even with such talented and much younger fighters around him, you couldn’t count him out against any of them. He has a way of turning a fight to suit his own requirements and somehow countering whatever style his opponent brings to the ring. A legend of the sport and STILL a serious contender he takes the number three spot on my list.

Number four on my list is former WBC, IBF and IBO light heavy-weight champion Chad Dawson.

His last fight was against Jean Pascal for the WBC strap which Dawson lost by technical decision after an accidental head butt in the 11th round. Previous to this he had fought Antonio Tarver twice, winning both fights by unanimous decision, and also two fights against Glen Johnson, both of which he also won by unanimous decision. With a win over Tomasz Adamek also on his record, Dawson proves that he is up there with the best and at 28yrs old, I’m sure there is plenty more to come from him.

Next up is undefeated IBF Light-heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud. Although his resume may not be quite as impressive as others on the list, no-one can really be in any doubt about the talent and potential that is there with Cloud. Unbeaten in 22 fights and with 18 knockouts he’s a hard working fighter with lots of power. I would like to see him in with some better opposition in the future so that we can see just how far he can go, a fight with Pascal, Hopkins or Dawson should be one to look out for.

Andre Ward is many peoples favourite to go on and win the SuperSix tournament, but if he meets up with Carl Froch in the final I think it might be a bit too much to ask. Ward has so far been able to rough up and bully the opposition on his way the the semi’s, but I don’t think he will be able to do that with Froch, he may well end up getting beaten at his own game there. Ward however currently holds the WBA super-middleweight title and has wins over Sakio Bika, Mikkel Kessler and Edison Miranda on his record which puts him just short of the top five on my list.

Lucian Bute the current IBF super-middleweight champion is undefeated in 27 fights with 22 coming inside the distance, an excellent record but in all honesty, not against the greatest of competition. The fact that he hasn’t fought outside of his home city of Quebec in the last 6 years and 14 fights doesn’t give the impression that he’s willing to go looking for the other champions to get unification fights. He needs to prove himself by going after Ward or Froch when the SuperSix is finished.

Nathan Cleverly is the current WBO light heavyweight interim champion. Unbeaten in 21 fights and with 7 knockouts in his last eight fights, he is a real top prospect who seems to be improving with every fight. Cleverly will be challenging Jurgen Braemer this year for the full WBO title and I can see him winning it. The fights that follow will surely tell us just how good Cleverly can be.

German WBO super-middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz is another of those fighters who seems content to face sub-standard local opposition in his home town rather than go looking for the big boys in the division and eventually somebody will go over there and take his title from him. But with only two defeats in a 39 fight career and a world title to his name you could hardly call him a bum.

Glen Johnson is a fighter who like Bernard Hopkins seems to never be ready to fade. At 42 years old and with 67 fights to his name he just keeps on going. To have had 67 fights and having never been knocked down after facing some fantastic fighters is a testament to Johnson’s grit and determination and his iron will.

Just scraping into the top ten is former super-middleweight contender Andre Dirrell. After such a promising start to his career Dirrell seems to have come up short in all departments since joining the SuperSix tournament. Given a shot at the WBC title against Carl Froch, Dirrell lacked the desire and determination to even attempt to challenge Froch for the title, never mind take it from him. With plenty of skill and ability but no heart or desire, Dirrell seems destined to become another sad tale of wasted talent unless he can somehow dig deep and find some grit and courage to take with him into his next couple of fights.

Well, there it is. My top ten in the combined 168-175lb categories. I don’t expect everyone to agree with my choices, but it should be a good starting point for some healthy discussion!



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