Middleweights division

  • 21 de May de 2013, 12:50 PM

MIDDLEWEIGHTS (160 POUNDS)

1. Sergio Martinez (51-2-2)

Sergio Martínez
In an encore to his big September win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Martinez made a glorious Argentina homecoming, fighting in front of a packed house of about 50,000 -- in the midst of a rain and wind storm -- at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires. Martinez got knocked down but scraped past tough challenger Martin Murray of England in a unanimous decision win April 27, but the win did not come without a cost. Martinez came into the fight with a surgically repaired right knee that was not fully healed following the Chavez fight and then broke his left hand in the second round, the same hand he also busted against Chavez. Now Martinez will let the knee heal properly and likely will not fight again until 2014.
Next: TBA.

2. Daniel Geale (29-1)

Australia's Geale is headed to the United States to make his fifth title defense as an HBO headliner when he faces former title challenger Darren Barker (25-1) of England. It's a solid fight and could go a long way to producing a future opponent for titleholder Gennady Golovkin.
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Barker.

3. Gennady Golovkin (26-0)

In his second fight of 2013, Golovkin made the seventh defense of his title with a sick one-punch knockout of Nobuhiro Ishida of Japan on March 30 in Monte Carlo. Ishida, who had never been stopped previously, including in fights with quality opponents such as Dmitry Pirog and Paul Williams, went to sleep courtesy of a sick overhand right in the third round. Golovkin's fight with Ishida was merely so he could stay busy before his next HBO fight, which will be against former title challenger Matthew Macklin (29-4).
Next: June 29 vs. Macklin.

4. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1)

Chavez, who lost a lopsided decision and his belt to Sergio Martinez in September, tested positive for marijuana after the fight, his second failed drug test in Nevada since 2009. In a punishment handed down by the Nevada commission on Feb. 28, Chavez was suspended for nine months (from the date of the fight) and fined a massive $900,000, the second-biggest fine in Nevada combat sports history. Chavez plans to sue the commission and also to return this summer to headline an HBO card at the new $300 million Mexico City Arena.
Next: Aug. 3 vs. TBA.

5. "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillin (29-0)

In a dominant performance on April 27 in front of hometown fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Quillin made his first title defense by scoring four knockdowns en route to a seventh-round knockout of Fernando Guerrero. Amazingly, Quillin has scored 10 total knockdowns in his past two fights, four against Guerrero and six in his title win against Hassan N'Dam in October.
Next: TBA.

6. Matthew Macklin (29-4)

In his first fight since being stopped by Sergio Martinez in the 11th round of a competitive March 2012 championship fight, Macklin returned in September on the Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard and looked sensational in a first-round knockout of former junior middleweight titlist Joachim Alcine. Next up, Macklin will get a shot at a title when he faces Gennady Golovkin (26-0) on HBO in what should be a tremendous action fight.
Next: June 29 vs. Golovkin.

7. Sam Soliman (42-11)

Australia's Soliman went to Germany for a title eliminator and pulled an upset decision win against home favorite and former titlist Felix Sturm on Feb. 1. This was Soliman's biggest career win and would have set him up to be the mandatory challenger for countryman Daniel Geale. However, Soliman tested positive for a banned substance after the fight, so the result was changed to a no contest and Soliman was suspended by German regulators for nine months.
Next: TBA.

8. Felix Sturm (37-3-2)

Sturm dropped a decision at home in Germany to Australia's Sam Soliman on Feb. 1, but the loss has been removed from his record because it was changed to a no contest after Soliman tested positive for a banned substance following the fight.
Next: TBA.

9. Martin Murray (25-1-1)

England's Murray traveled to Argentina to challenge hometown hero Sergio Martinez for the real middleweight championship on April 27 and put up a great fight. Many think he deserved the decision, although he lost 115-112 on all three scorecards. Whatever the scores were, Murray is a quality fighter who scored a knockdown against Martinez and probably should have been credited with a second one, but that was ruled a slip.
Next: TBA.

10. Darren Barker (25-1)

Since England's Barker was stopped in the 11th round of a competitive fight against champion Sergio Martinez in October 2010, he has rebounded with a pair of fourth-round knockout wins against solid opponents. He will return to the United States to challenge titlist Daniel Geale (29-1) on HBO.
Next: Aug. 17 vs. Geale.

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