A Little Elucidation: Middleweight Is Not A Weak Division, In Fact.. Its Quite Strong

There seems to be a notion that isn't too great... that the Middleweight Division is very weak and that Gennady Golovkin needs to move up and out of it as quickly as possible because all of his haters want to see him in there with a Super Middleweight who is 6'2 who happened to be a Light Heavyweight Gold Medalist as an amateur who has virtually no one to compete with at SMW which is the definition of a derelict division, but he's afraid to move up because he is scared ****less due to the nasty Beasts to the North that lie in wait for him. They are so desperate to get this guy off their TV and so badly want to see him "exposed" that they are doing everything in their power to discredit him, mainly by attempting diminish the Middleweight Division which many of whom in all probability know very little of what they speak. In my personal opinion Golovkin should stay put and face all of the incoming hordes of young talent that's on the way because there is a ton of them. He's built for MW and there's nothing wrong with campaigning in the Division that fits you best. Here's my most likely vain attempt to shine a little light on the reality of a Division which is going through quite a transmogrification into something far more impressive than the somewhat anemic state its been in for the last few years.

There will be no mention of the relics of the past on this thread like Taylor, Mora, Cotto, Soliman, Geale, Macklin etc.

These are the reasons why....
The Middleweight Division Is One Of The Hottest Divisions In Boxing.

Gennady Golovkin-The indomitable King sits atop his throne awaiting his next challenge, but this will be a tall order for almost anyone in this very strong division, its not because they are bad its because the man called GGG is so damn good. There is a reason why most in the division fear him because they are boxers unlike many of us, and realize what an insurmountable task they have before them, they see his greatness and it scares them to their core.

David Lemieux-Yes David has lost, but he was only 22 and didn't quite know how to react when someone didn't go down when hit by one of his devastating punches and he gassed, leading to him being stopped by a younger and fresher Rubio, then afraid he may gas, he took his foot off of the accelerator in his next fight and lost a close decision to someone he had no business losing to. But he's back and has corrected many of his glaring flaws, learned what a jab is, has better foot work and punch placement, a dangerous opponent for anyone. And as exciting a fighter as you can find.

Canelo Alvarez-Its only a matter of time before Saul has to move up, Drainelo has been rehydrating up to a Super Middleweight for his last few fights anyway and its about time he cut the dead Light Middleweight Division lose and move up and face some real stiff challenges. Will he fare well, he definitely has the skills, and his stamina seems to no longer be an issue, he may very well become the Lineal 155lb Middleweight Champion so its time for him to make that leap.

Sergiy Derevyanchenko-Sergiy is a Ukrainian bulldozer with a similar skillset as Golovkin, he cuts off the ring like GGG, is a great combination puncher, great at slipping punches in close, great head movement and punch placement, his power is good and will be a tall order or most fighters to overcome. And on top of that he looks the part, he looks like a Russian tank with a flat top. A complete and total badass.

Ievgen Khytrov-Amateur standout with pulverizing power in his 500 amateur matches he scored 400 wins by KO. He's had a few problems in transition to the pro ranks, but most of his problems have been overcome by power, his struggles with a few fighters are usually made insignificant by round 5 because they are clinging to him for dear life as he's ripping their body and head to pieces. He can improve and when he gets his kinks worked out he'll be even more dangerous.

Billy Joe Saunders-For some reason maybe due to his name, Billy Joe seems to be considered a joke by some people, which is very unfortunate, this straight talking pompous ass loudmouth is one of the slickest and most skilled fighters in the division, his power is underrated, his lack of KO's come from the fact that his string of recent matches has been against very good competition most of them have been undefeated. He's the cream of the crop in England as he recently proved in outclassing Lee, and he deserves far more respect. He's one of the best even though he's scared of GGG, but at least he's honest.

Andy Lee-After a shaky start and not really seeming to know which division he belongs in, and an early loss via British stoppage in America against Vera and a massive Cruiserweight in Chavez Jr. he's finally found his footing. He's one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, his matches are tension filled due to the weakness of his chin and ferocious knockout power of his right hook.

Peter Quillin-Much has been made of Kid Chocolate's unfortunate career choices and mismanagement at the hands of Al Haymon, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that he's an immensely talented hard puncher who is a handful for almost anyone not named GGG. His chin is better than advertised Lee put him down and he got back up, but the loss to Jacobs while a devastating setback, he can come back. Quillin is better than most of his detractors want to believe.

Ryota Murata-The 2012 Middleweight Gold Medalist is a potential star in the making, he is extremely skilled has a pretty sold chin like most Japanese fighters a vicious body puncher who as soon as lazy ass Bob Arum decides to finally push him has the potential to be a very big player in against anyone.

Jason Quigley-An exceptionally talented amateur whose been on a rampage since turning pro, he's an all action fighter with punishing knockout power in both hands, he's a boxer puncher, a counter puncher and a swarmer, he's fairly well rounded and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. He has a great personality and good looks Golden Boy may have a cash cow on their hands.

Antoine Douglas-An American prospect with pretty good power and very high level of skill, he's a counter puncher of course who's been racking up victory after victory and is starting to step up his competition and is still performing very well and still just a little kid. He may be one of the few bright spots for American Boxing especially in a division in which we don't have much to brag about.

Daniel Jacobs-In spite of his KO loss to the brilliant Dmitry Pirog, Danny after surviving a near death battle with cancer has bounced back in a big way racking up a series a decent wins against some fairly good talent. His chin still has a question mark hanging over it since he was dropped by Sergio Mora, but his skillset is solid and as long as he doesn't make too many mistakes he may rack up some more decent wins along the way like his recent blowout of Quillin.

Arif Magomedov-Another powerful Russian fighter who brings intelligent pressure and better than average power he has two recent fairly impressive wins over Darnell Boone by first round KO and fellow undefeated prospect the American Derrick Webster, he's one to keep an eye on.

Brian Carlos Castano-A Brilliant Argentine fighter with impressive power, great combinations, great at cutting off the ring, a very good chin and an all action incredibly exciting style, he's handsome like fellew countryman Sergio Martinez as well, can he carry Maravilla's Middleweight mantle into the future its very possible.

Jorge Sebastian Heiland-Speaking of Argentines this tough as nails pressure fighter who is finally finding his footing after a few close points losses in the past collected his most impressive win to date by brutally stopping Matthew Macklin in a jarring head snapping knockout performance. A tough match for most.

Michel Soro-A slick and dangerous counter puncher, 2015 has been the year in which he put himself on the map, 2014 saw him handing the skilled Antoine Douglas his first blemish with a draw, and he started 15 out with a bang first stopping Glen Tapia in brutal fashion and following it up with an equally impressive KO win over the awkward Blandamura. He has the potential to upset many a top fighter.

Chris Eubank Jr.-He's flawed and has a loss but he's still a potential money maker with the big legacy of his father to live up to, so Eubank isn't going anywhere in the near future, he rebounded from his loss to BJS with a win over the undefeated Dmitry Chudinov, he hits hard enough, has good enough stamina and most likely a good enough chin to do well in spite of his technical shortcomings.

Matvey Korobov-Far too soon to write the big Russian off, an amateur star with a exceptional skills who had the misfortune of being caught by one of Andy's right hooks but instead of being knocked out cold like most or even going down, he was just wobbled and took about ten more without touching the canvass, proving his chin is pretty damn good in spite of his TKO loss, he can still be a contender. One good win under his belt he can get back into contention.


Tureano Johnson-This raging bull of the Bahamas is a great pressure fighter with better than average power, he lost to Stevens but his loss was more noble, instead of running he put his head down and went to war and he was caught late in the fight and the match was waved off- possibly a little too early, so his chin is damn good since he didn't even come close to going down, maybe he should have taken a knee. Still can be a player.

 

Julian Williams-While he's sill officially a Light Middleweight he definitely has the frame to move up any time he wants, he's a beast capable of beating the majority of his division and could make a go of a division higher, he's a skilled defensively sound fighter who can easily outbox his opponent and he can mix it up and be a full fledged banger when he wants to be.

Jermall Charlo-Easily the far Better of the two Charlo twins, he has a more entertaining style and he definitely has more power than Jermell, if he would just fight someone of real note already we could get a gauge on just how good he really is, the K9 win was impressive but K9 was too small for him and has a glass jaw, that being said he seems pretty damn solid so far.

Demetrius Andrade-I'm not sold on Andrade yet, his win over Martirosyan was impressive but the fact that he got dropped doesn't bode well for him in the future, his best win other than that is over Rose, who's kind of a bum, but many seem to think a hell of a lot of Boo Boo, so he can spice it up if he moves up too. Since at this point he's too big for Junior Middle anyway.

Anthony Ogogo-A very talented awkward fast fighter who can surely be a top player, he has a nice personality which may take him far as well. His power seems to be lacking but he makes up for it with his speed an skills. He's signed with Golden Boy and now that's he's healed up from a nagging injury he may start to make a small impact.

Willie Monroe Jr.-A very talented man who happens to have the misfortune to face the best Middleweight in the world far to soon in his young career, he's a tough test for almost anyone in the division to pass, and will surely give many a fighter problems in the future. Too soon to write just yet.

Gary O'Sullivan-Bouncing back from his loss to Billy Joe Saunders with a devastating KO win over Anthony Fitzgerald flashing Roy Jones Jr like swagger, Gary is very fun to watch and with his power and new brash style Spike can carve out his place with a few good wars with anyone who steps in the ring with him.

Caleb Plant-A fast defensively sound slippery, very heavy handed American prospect, whose style is a influenced by his days a kickboxer, one of the few potential bright spots for America in the Middleweight Division.

Kanat Islam-This Kazakh Chinese beast is vicious as hell, he's very good at cutting off the ring and is a knockout artist like fellow countryman GGG, and like GGG he more than just a mindless plodder he has skills too.

Maciej Sulecki-A seemingly featherfisted fighter from Poland but recently he seems to have learned how to pput his punches together and get his opponents out of there a little quicker, he's skilled and is not that easy a fight and seems to be getting stronger. Now that he's with Haymon and fighting out of the US he may soon become a fixture on undercards and gradually move up to the big leagues.

Dmitry Chudinov-Its far too soon to write this exciting banger off yet, he was fouled and held incessantly by Eubank Jr. in an attempt to wear him out, of course the Brit refs did nothing and by the time he was gassed Eubank threw everything including the kitchen sink at him and he didn't go down, he has a great chin but needs improvements in other areas. but still can be a factor in the future.

Conrad Cummings- A standout Irish talent who just turned pro and had a decent amateur career, he comes in guns blazing he has fast hands, and good combinations, he has a ton of potential.

Alfonso Blanco- A new star is born in Venezuela, Blanco boxed masterfully and shut out the always upset minded Sergey Khomitsky far better than many including Murray who arguably lost against him did, an amateur standout from his country is a very skilled fighter on the rise.

Hugo Centeno Jr.-A good all around lanky very awkward Mexican fighter who delivered a hellacious KO to De La Rosa Sergio Martinez style, he's got a hell of a lot of potential. Hugo is yet another diamond in the rough.

Yamaguchi Falcao-A Brazilian amateur star along with his brother Esquiva, thus far some of his performances have been very impressive and some lackadaisical, if he can figure out who he is and adjust to the pros adequately he can definitely be a player in the future.

Ivan Golub-While I'm not immensely overwhelmed the kid can look pretty impressive at times. He has a decent defense, and very quick hands and a pretty good combination puncher so Ivan the Terrible may be a force to be reckoned with in a few years time, or at the very least a notable fighter with some decent wins.

Vijender Singh- One of the rare amateur standout from India who holds wins over Gausha. Atoev and Buglioni in the ams, he's finally turned pro and looking to be the first big star from his homeland by way of England which he's fighting out of. And he's talented enough to possibly do it.

Andrey Meryasev-While not the KO monster that fellow Chelyabinsk native Kovalev is, it doesn't mean he's not worth a look. Even when he doesn't stop his opponents he shuts them out in very impressive fashion on points. He is a dedicated body puncher and breaks his opponents down over the course of the match. He got a decent disruptive jab and good hooks.

Tony Harrison-Its not over for Tony either, yes he lost to Willie Nelson, but it was from a clear rabbit punch to the back of his head in a match that he was shutting Nelson out in, Nelson isn't that easy to beat, it was a tough break but maybe he'll come back far better.

Patrick Teixiera-A recent Golden Boy acquisition, a savage Brazilian KO artist, with brutal power in both hands, we've yet to see if his Brazilin chin can hold up, but so far he brings the violence which is good for the audience.

Hassan N'Dam-A well rounded fighter with amazing recovery skills, he's like the Juan Manuel Marquez of Middleweight. He outboxed Quillin but was dropped several times, had he not he would have won on the scorecards. He's maybe one of the best pure boxers in the division its just that his chin keeps letting him down, but against lesser punchers, he has a chance to shut them out entirely.

Dominic Wade-A decent young American who was made to look less than stellar by Sam Soliman, which isn't the end of the world for him since Soliman recently beat Sturm twice as well, he's as awkward as they come and Wade wasn't ready for it. He can get better and will look better against a far less busy fighter.

Nick Blackwell-Pretty good English fighter with a few losses but with a big punch. Its too soon to write him off since he scored a upset win over Ryder by KO.

Marat Kulumbegov-He doesn't have a great KO record, but I think that may be deceptive, he seems to step it up and get the KO when he's getting better TV coverage. He tends to want to stand toe to toe and slug it out with his opponent, which will probably get him into trouble in this hard hitting division.

John Ryder-An entertaining hard hitter who has a few losses one to Billy Joe and another to Blackwell but he can still be a minor force as a top tier gate keeper.

Patrick Nielsen-A good all around fighter who can mix it up with the second tier guys and seems to have a solid set of whiskers.

Vitaly Kopylenko-This Russian hard hitter only has one loss on his record, he was shutout by Monroe Jr. which in retrospect doesn't seem so bad, still one to keep an eye on.

Eamonn O'Kane-Good fighter but not great, but is a good test for up and coming prospects.

Future Stars Who Aren't Pro Yet.

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a points wins over the very talented Jason Quigley at the AIBA. While not officially a pro yet, fighting in the AIBA and WSB isn't quite amateur either, he's fighting without headgear, so I and many others consider those competitions as semi pro. He's got a lot of skill has a good left jab, fights well off the back foot, counters well, has a good quick uppercut, good inside fighter as well, so he's fairly well rounded, he does need to work on his defense though.

Artem Chebotarev-He isn't your typical Russian killing machine he fights a far more defensive style choosing to box at range and counter punch rather than walk down his opponents. That doesn't mean he won't engage if pressed, he can and will go on the attack and he can be pretty vicious at times. His style reminds me of Chris Algieri a little, he's very slippery in close and is more concerned with landing a shot and getting out of there as opposed to just plain running. He should turn pro right after the Olympics.

Dmytro Mytrofanov-He's a dedicated pressure fighter, he comes to fight in a big way, he throws bombs non stop, he's dedicated to breaking the body down with a relentless barrage of body shots. He works behind his lead straight right quite well. He reminds me of a more intelligent and all around more skilled version of Gradovich or Provodnikov with a relentless workrate.




So you tell me does it look weak to you?

 

Thank You moparfan and the Anatolian.:good:goodMuch appreciated.