Update: State of the SMW division

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by Stallion, May 22, 2015.


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  1. The General

    The General Boxing Addict Full Member

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    the division along with 154 and 135 is one of the weakest in boxing
     
    The General, Jun 25, 2015
    The General, Jun 25, 2015
    #16
  2. dellboi94

    dellboi94 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    SMW has never been a stacked division tbh
     
    dellboi94, Jun 25, 2015
    dellboi94, Jun 25, 2015
    #17
  3. des3995

    des3995 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    It was in great shape a few years back. Ward, Froch, Kessler, Bute were estsblished at the top. You had your girzzled vets of the 2nd tier like AA and Bika, etc. and you had your young up and comers like Degale and Groves and the Dirrell's. You even had the likes of Stevenson and Pascal and Glen Johnson for a time.

    All in all, a very deep field. There are a number of factors as to why it has fallen off. The guys at the top have each lost something. Kessler and Froch have had to concede to age and wear snd tear, Ward to inactivity and drive, Bute hasn't been the same since he was ambushed by the Cobra.

    The youngsters have been slower to come than one would have thought, which explains why there hasn't been a passing of the baton.

    So, we end up with AA at the top.
     
    des3995, Jun 25, 2015
    des3995, Jun 25, 2015
    #18
  4. Stallion

    Stallion Son of Rome Full Member

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    Good old king Arthur finally conquering what's rightfully his. :smoke
     
    Stallion, Jun 25, 2015
    Stallion, Jun 25, 2015
    #19
  5. Stallion

    Stallion Son of Rome Full Member

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    Update: Having entered September, most fighters have one more fight scheduled this year.

    George Groves faces lightly regarded WBC titlist Badou Jack on the September 12th undercard in Las Vegas. Both guys have their advantages and flaws, but generally Groves is viewed as a favorite and most expect him to win this fight by a knockout. Should Groves win, there is a good possibility that we get a huge unification showdown between Groves and DeGale.
    However, if Badou Jack manages to win, he could be fighting one of Haymon's fighters next, most noticeably one of the Dirrell brothers. Jack also said that he is moving up to LHW after this fight, so it's best to wait and see what happens.

    Andre Dirrell is coming back. The opponent will be Blake Caparello @ Oct 17th. Dirrell will obviously be gunning for another title shot next year, possibly WBC title or a rematch against DeGale. We'll see what happens.

    Andre Ward is likely having another tune-up fight, which is very disappointing. Opponent is TBA and the fight is rumored to take place on Canelo-Cotto undercard. Nothing is confirmed yet, but Ward almost definitely won face a top opponent this year (very disappointing considering that he hasn't fought a top SMW since 2011 and managed to lose his WBC and Ring titles in the process).

    Arthur Abraham just renewed his Sauerland contract, and he could be landing an unification fight somewhere next year. He will likely fight once again this year, and the rumored possible opponents so far are Martin Murray, Felix Sturm and Bernard Hopkins.

    James DeGale hasn't been in the news much since beating Andre Dirrell. He's signed to Haymon recently so it's possible that he will land a title defense in the US before the end of 2015. Lucian Bute looks to be a possible options, and there is a shady IBF eliminator set up between Julius Jackson and Jose Uzcategui.

    Vincent Feigenbutz recently won a WBA interim belt, and according to the rumors, he will face the winner of WBA regular title fight between Fedor Chudinov and Buglioni, with the winner of those matches being elevated to full WBA status (Ward vacating/being stripped on the horizon?).

    Among the top prospects, there are some interesting fights coming up as well.

    Callum Smith and Rocky Fielding collide on November 7th in Liverpool. Both are undefeated, good match-up. The winner will be on the way to the WBC title shot.

    Tyron Zeuge faces Eduard Gutknecht on Sept. 26th in Berlin in yet another step-up for the top German prospect. Zeuge looks to be heading towards a title shot in the hear future and potential huge showdown with Arthur Abraham.
     
    Stallion, Sep 6, 2015
    Stallion, Sep 6, 2015
    #20
  6. Stallion

    Stallion Son of Rome Full Member

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    No love from SMWs? :?

    Opening post updated.
     
    Stallion, Sep 8, 2015
    Stallion, Sep 8, 2015
    #21
  7. yesihavearm2

    yesihavearm2 ESB Chinchecker Full Member

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    If Groves beats Jack for the strap, there should be an all-British rematch between him and Degale for the unification.

    Winner of that should face off against Ward then, in an ideal world.
     
    yesihavearm2, Sep 8, 2015
    yesihavearm2, Sep 8, 2015
    #22
  8. Leoh

    Leoh Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Dirrell vs Caparello might be a very good fight. I hope Dr Shaw Hi made a good job restoring Dre's confidence.

    I'd like to see DeGale vs Ramirez as well. I believe DeGale has to fight a mando before the end of the year as per IBF rules.
     
    Leoh, Sep 8, 2015
    Leoh, Sep 8, 2015
    #23
  9. Brighton bomber

    Brighton bomber Loyal Member Full Member

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    The division is currently in an adjustment period due to the retirements of Froch and Kessler and the self imposed inactivity of Ward. Much like when Calzaghe retired it's left a vacuum, that vacuum was filled by the Super 6 tournament resulting in a clarification of who were the best fighters, what little doubt there was afterwards was cleared up by Froch when he beat Bute and Kessler cementing his number 2 position behind Ward.

    Now we have a returning Ward fighting meaningless warm ups and a bunch of titlists and contenders looking to climb their way to the top. It's going to take a while for things to become clearer and I for one think the division could become very interesting if the right matches are made. But it could also sink into obscurity if the right fights do not get made.

    I see Groves beating Jack and then there will be a push to unify with DeGale in a long waited rematch, though both may want some easier title defences first to build up the rematch and make it into another PPV grudge match. Ward will likely get frozen out from any possible fight with either of these 2 if both go down this route. Ward needs to wake up and start making meaningful fights if he isn't to become an afterthought in the division.
     
    Brighton bomber, Sep 8, 2015
    Brighton bomber, Sep 8, 2015
    #24
  10. Ripple633

    Ripple633 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Ward can always fight Felix Sturm :lol:

    Yeah that's how it should play out.
     
    Ripple633, Sep 9, 2015
    Ripple633, Sep 9, 2015
    #25
  11. PRINC£

    PRINC£ Guest

    Wards fighting Periban. Guy needs to stop ducking DeGale and feasting on his leftovers.
     
    PRINC£, Sep 9, 2015
    PRINC£, Sep 9, 2015
    #26
  12. Stallion

    Stallion Son of Rome Full Member

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    Badou Jack beats George Groves by SD. Good and entertaining fight, it was fairly close but Jack rightfully won it and proved that he didn't become the champion by a fluke.

    Where does
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    go from here? There are rumors that Jack vs. Bute could be next, which is another very interesting fight. On the bigger image of things, Badou Jack should be looking towards DeGale, Ward or Andre Dirrell down the line, probably next year.

    As for
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    , it was yet another failure to win a belt. He was the favorite going in, and although I wanted to put some vCash on him, I had some feeling that Jack might be underrated because of his KO loss and it turned out to be true.
    Groves is probably going back to the rebuilding process, and since he's with Sauerland, he'll definitely get another chance down the line if he gets back to the winning track.

    On the other news, German top prospect
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    injured himself, so his fight against Gutknecht will likely be moved to the near end of 2015.
     
    Stallion, Sep 15, 2015
    Stallion, Sep 15, 2015
    #27
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