The last month has delivered a flurry of
action in the middleweight division, suddenly bursting with action and breaking
a long cycle of lackluster champions. Six fighters in the consensus top 10 have
fought each other to include the top four clashing in bouts that created a
clear pecking order. The final round of the Sergio Martinez – Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. fight can take its place among the most thrilling in boxing history.
Australian Daniel Geale unified two alphabet titles in Germany and Gennady Golovkin
established himself as a challenger to the throne with his destruction of
fellow contender Grzegorz Proksa. By mid-October, eight of the 11 best
middleweights will have fought one another!
Given all this activity, it is a good
time to look at the major players and see where the division is heading from
this point forward.
Sergio
Martinez – Talk of a rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was
immediate, potentially at Cowboys Stadium, but there are real concerns
surrounding the knee injury and broken left hand Martinez suffered in the
fourth round of their first outing. Either could keep Martinez out of the ring
until spring of next year and, at age 37, inactivity is the greatest threat to
Martinez’s legacy. In no shape or fashion do I believe Chavez Jr. earned a
rematch with his performance, especially given rumors of his failing a
post-fight urinalysis with marijuana in his system. The only reason I can find
for a second meeting at this time is if the pay scales are reversed and
Martinez is given the three million-dollar paycheck while Chavez makes do with
less than half, as was the case for the duo’s first meeting. Otherwise, let
Martinez heal and unify three belts by facing a proven middleweight like Daniel
Geale, who earned the right to challenge Martinez in ways Chavez Jr. never did.
Daniel
Geale – In the aftermath of the fantastical 12th round of the Sergio Martinez – Julio
Cesar Chavez Jr. bout, Geale seemed resigned to his fate, watching the final
three minutes at ringside. The Australian told the Sydney Daily Telegraph, “I'm
at the press conference at the moment and they're constantly talking about it.
There seems to be a little bit of interest in a rematch so we'll just have to
wait until the dust settles.” On merit, Geale should be the next to challenge
Martinez, the clear middleweight king, twice traveling to Germany to take belts
from reigning champions. The injury to Martinez allows Geale to take a fight in
the interim and there is no shortage of suitors given he holds the IBF and WBA
belts. Felix Sturm is chasing a rematch; their first fight was a close affair
(split decision by scores of 116-112 across the board) and a second meeting would
be a big event in Germany. Promoter Ricky Hatton wants to bring Geale to
England and face Martin Murray, which would recall the days when Kostya Tszyu
traveled from Australia to face Hatton. The third and least attractive option
is a fight with fellow Aussie Sam Soliman, the IBF mandatory contender.
Felix
Sturm – For those who say it is impossible to win a decision in
Germany, I give you a Felix Sturm who not only fought in but also promoted his
debatable decision loss to Daniel Geale. Sturm can attract and fight any top
middleweight in the world given his popularity and earning power in Germany. He
does need a title belt to get the very best to travel to Germany and proved in
a rematch with Javier Castillejo (who knocked out Sturm and lost a decision in
their second meeting) that he learns from setbacks. At age 33, Sturm remains a
viable challenger but with a recent loss and without a belt, no longer holds an
attraction for Sergio Martinez. Sturm still wants no part of Gennady Golovkin,
who is popular in Germany and lives there part-time, since Golovkin was a
mandatory challenger for nearly two years and Sturm never gave him an
opportunity. The monetary backing is there to force Geale back to Germany for a
rematch with Sturm. A second meeting between the pair does not produce the box-office
numbers in Australia to compare with German figures and boxing often comes down
to economics over fairness. For Sturm, it is Geale or bust.
Gennady
Golovkin – The Kazakhstani’s annihilation of fellow young gun
Gregory Proksa turned more than Proksa’s head 180 degrees. The American public
saw Golovkin live up to his reputation as an internet urban legend and the
dominant stoppage rates as one of the best HBO’s debut fights in the networks
history. Now, Golovkin needs to follow up and exploit that buzz and did his part
by challenging every world champion from 154 to 168 pounds in post-fight
comments. The good news is Golovkin wants to fight again this December in
America or Europe; the bad news is that his impressive skill set will scare off
many of the established middleweights with more to lose. So, in a strange way,
Golovkin is right back where he started unless HBO antes up big money to get
two-belt champion Daniel Geale or a popular draw like Chavez to duel the new
gunslinger in town.
Julio
Cesar Chavez Jr. – The Chavez progeny is young enough to get
over the one-sided thrashing by Sergio Martinez and retains the ego to sustain
the loss mentally. The first 11 rounds against Martinez showed Junior’s many
flaws while the final round revealed potential hard work could bring out in
him. There would be zero demand for rematch if not for that hard knockdown in
final round; otherwise, the fight would be remembered like Shane Mosley's loss
to Floyd Mayweather in which Mosley rocked Mayweather…once. Recent rumors of
Chavez testing positive for marijuana (combined with drunk driving charges
before his fight in March) in his post-fight urinalysis raise more red flags
about Chavez’s mentality to boxing and life in general. Perhaps the lopsided
setback will finally convince Chavez to train properly; if not; Chavez will
live off his last name until the losses pile up. Chavez will be back in the
ring before Martinez and given the rabid Mexican fan support, can still pick
and choose opponents that HBO will gladly accept in return for big ratings.
Dmitry
Pirog – Recently stripped for inactivity though the WBO would
have surely made an exemption due to injury if Pirog brought in more money at
the box-office for them. It’s a shame Western audiences have not been able to
see more of this awkwardly effective boxer/banger after his HBO-televised
knockout of prospect Daniel Jacobs. After that big victory, Pirog was inactive
for eight months and only fought in Russia since then, unable to convince HBO
to bring him back to America. Did accept HBO’s offer to face Gennady Golovkin
but a back injury forced Pirog to withdraw from that opportunity. At 32, Pirog
needs big fights now since he boxes in a reflexive and uniquely intuitive way.
Without a title, will have a difficult time attracting good opponents to Russia
but is likely to be elevated by the WBO and challenge the winner of the Hassan
N’Jikam – Peter Quillin fight for his former title. From what I have heard and
read, the intelligent Pirog is not dependent on boxing as his sole means of
income and has spoken of retiring. I just get the sense Pirog will become
another star-crossed “could have been” of boxing.
Matthew
Macklin – If the Irishman’s gallant loss to Sergio Martinez did
not convince fans he is a worthy title challenger, his one-round demolition of
Joachim Alcine might have done the job. Has a controversial loss to Felix Sturm
in Germany on his résumé as well and brings a free-swinging style with him that
fans appreciate. It has earned him followers in England and America where his
Irish roots also make him a main event attraction. Will need to fight his way
back to a rematch with Martinez the hard way and seems a viable foe for Chavez
Jr. or Gennady Golovkin on HBO. Until then, the Lou DiBella-promoted fighter is
likely to be the co-feature on Showtime or “HBO Boxing After Dark”-level bouts.
There is a chance of Macklin traveling back to Germany to face Felix Sturm, who
promised him a rematch inside the ring during post-fight interviews. That would
be a risk for both men as it would elevate one boxer slightly and remove the
other completely from world title consideration.
Hassan
N'Dam N'Jikam – The Cameroonian is the wild card of the
division, a former Olympian fighting out of France who has quietly made himself
into a force at 160 pounds. Lingering doubts about N'Jikam will be answered on
October 20th when he travels to New York City for a clash with
former New Yorker Peter Quillin. That fight is part of an excellent Showtime
quadruple-header where only a great performance will elevate a fighter from the
pack. If N'Jikam wins, it earns him the WBO alphabet belt that grants leverage
and more options when it comes to high-profile foes. If those fights do not
materialize, look for N'Jikam to return to France and face a string of good but
not outstanding foes. This could be good for N’Jikam in the long run since the
28-year-old still has room to grow and improve on an already impressive set of
abilities.
Martin
Murray – The forgotten man at middleweight. Perhaps, rightly so,
since a controversial draw against Felix Sturm in Germany is Murray’s claim to
fame at this time. The lone boxer on this list who has not been in serious
conversations about facing any of his fellow top 10 entrants. Does not have a
fight scheduled but his promoter Ricky Hatton has put forth feelers to Daniel
Geale’s people about a title fight in England. There remains an outside chance
of a rematch with Felix Sturm but Sturm also wants to fight Geale and has
economic advantages because Hatton lost a national television deal for his
boxers earlier this year. A fight against Matthew Macklin in Liverpool or
Manchester makes sense and is a very good “Plan B” for fans. But again, that
decision comes down to his opponent since Murray has little in the way of cache
or built-up fan equity.
Peter
Quillin – Like his dance partner on October 20th,
Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, many questions about Quillin will be answered when the
pair fight for the WBO title. Quillin does have one clear advantage over
N’Jikam, he is promoted by Golden Boy who can manage and steer him to
profitable places no matter the outcome of his fight with N’Jikam. Quillin is a
sellable commodity to my eyes, a viable talent inside the ropes who has the
personality and life story to attract attention outside the ring. Built up a
sizable and vocal fan base fighting in the New York City area for five years
and proved it was not a fluke, repeating that feat after moving to California.
Is of Cuban heritage but that will remain an untapped asset for as long as the
Cuban community refuses to support their boxers! If he defeats N’Jikam, Quillin
instantly becomes a player, able to fight anyone with the possible exception of
Chavez Jr. because of Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank Promotions’ ongoing
feud.
Grzegorz
Proksa – Polish power-puncher covered himself with the goodwill
of boxing fans by going out on his shield against Gennady Golovkin. In doing
so, became the only fighter man enough to face Golovkin when he did not have
to. Proksa said he will take a much-needed vacation after the grueling loss
which he was in the midst of when he got the fateful call to fight Golovkin.
The Golovkin loss does hurt Proksa’s immediate plans since other top names will
point to that setback and duck his challenges. Proksa showed enough in beating
Sebastian Sylvester - and in flashes against Golovkin - that he is a dangerous
proposition to be avoided. Will be back in early 2013 and given his fan-friendly
style and name recognition on both sides of the Atlantic, will have little
trouble getting back on television and in the title mix.
