It is that time of the week once again to take a look at the S8C Top 25 divisional rankings following the week of fights that just went by. We had major cards from Matchroom USA, Top Rank, and Premiere Boxing Champions to examine the fallout from plus action from all around the world including a breakthrough welterweight performance in Spain.
Matchroom USA and HBO featured two matchups of ranked fighters meeting one another. In the main event, Danny Jacobs retained his #3 position at middleweight following his competitive but clear win over Polish contender Maciej Sulecki. That was easy. What was harder for me was where to put Sulecki. He had fought his last three fights at junior middleweight before moving back up for this big opportunity. I think he’ll go back down despite his good performance. Therefore I did not bother to rank him at middleweight, but that could change going forward if he fights his next fight at 160 lbs again. Despite his loss, I moved him up from thirteenth to #11 at 154 lbs following his strong showing. In the show’s co-main event, “Big Baby” Jarrell Miller and his 300 lb frame made a nice jump in the rankings from seventeenth to #12 following his dominant win over previously twenty first ranked Frenchman Johann Duhaupus. Duhaupus fell to last man in status at #25.
Top Rank on ESPN played host to the weekend’s biggest fight when previously fourth ranked super bantamweight Isaac Doboe met number three Jessie Magdaleno for Magdaleno’s WBO title. With his triumphant eleventh round stoppage, I jumped Dogboe up to #2 in the division behind only Guillermo Rigondeaux. The proud Ghanaian titleholder may very well move up to the top spot if Rigondeaux doesn’t return to 122 lbs for his next fight as well. Magdaleno fell only one spot to #3 as his performance was solid in defeat. Also on the card, #10 heavyweight Bryant Jennings and #11 super middleweight Jesse Hart held their spots following stay busy wins over decent but ultimately non-threatening opponents.
PBC on FOX marked the return of veteran welterweight contender Josesito Lopez. I slotted him in at #17 following his one sided win over now busted prospect Miguel Cruz. Anthony Dirrell held his #6 spot at super middleweight with his predictable win over Abraham Han. The real story, however, was Claudio Marrero’s hyper quick destruction of previously unbeaten prospect Jorge Lara. That beautiful shot moved the Dominican up from fourteenth to #11 at featherweight. Also, former top prospect Erickson Lubin was active pre-TV in his first fight since his shocking first round knockout loss to Jermell Charlo and won. He remains the #16 junior middleweight on talent.
Spanish prospect Kerman Lejarraga made a heck of a statement in blowing out previously twenty first ranked welterweight Bradley Skeete in two rounds to secure the European belt. That career defining win puts Lejarraga comfortably in the S8C Top 25 as welterweight #20. Bradley Skeete was knocked clean out of the rankings. Also overseas, #14 super middleweight Arthur Abraham barely held his spot with a split decision win in Germany while previous twelfth ranked super bantamweight Shun Kubo jumped up to featherweight in Japan. He is now #23 in his new and much deeper division.
The biggest loser of the weekend fell in Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Promotions’ and the WBC’s Jose Sulaiman Invitational welterweight tournament. Former Olympic gold medalist twelfth ranked junior welterweight Felix Diaz was upset by Francisco Santana in the very first round. That cost him dearly as the Dominican fell to #22. Down in Nicaragua light flyweight power puncher Felix Alvarado held on to his #8 ranking with a stay busy win too.
Finally, Darleys Perez and Shohei Omori have timed out at lightweight and bantamweight respectively after a year of inactivity and having no fight scheduled. They were previously ranked eighteenth and twenty third.
