State of the Boxing Union: The Middleweights.

A feeling of change sweeps across the middleweight division, as an aging champion embarks on farewell tour, realizing that there is little glory left to savor. There is no shortage of willing pretenders waiting to scavenge what they may from the eventual demise of that champion’s historic reign, but the refusal of Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley to participate in the middleweight ranks leaves a definite void. Nevertheless, this day, we record the State of the Boxing Union according to the middleweight division.

1. Bernard Hopkins: Like him or not, Hopkins is a fighter of great historical significance. Twenty middleweight title defenses against largely top-notch competition is a good indication of why Hopkins stands as pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world today. Of course, Hopkins is the aging champion of whom I referred to in the previous paragraph, but it is good to see his farewell tour conducted in fine company. Having beaten Oscar de la Hoya and Howard Eastman, being set to fight Jermain Taylor and possibly in line to challenge the winner of the Glen Johnson-Antonio Tarver rematch, Hopkins’ aim is to close a hall of fame career in style. The main criticism of Hopkins’ performances is his negative approach as evidenced against Eastman. However, Hopkins’ style breaks people down instead of blowing them away; it is what brought him to the summit and what should see him through to a long and prosperous retirement.

2. Felix Trinidad: The leading contender to claim the throne in Hopkins’ absence. I say this because, considering the exterior circumstances, I find it highly likely that Hopkins will not engage Trinidad in a fight once again. Revenge may be attainable for Trinidad, but it is not essential in affirming him as a great middleweight champion, and with his vaunted power, it is not inconceivable that he might try his luck in the super middleweight division. If anything, Trinidad’s self-imposed retirement breathed new life into his career, and he returned showing the same deadly power, accuracy and economy that brought him three world titles in as many weights. If his spectacular return against Ricardo Mayorga is anything to go by, the post-Hopkins era might see us loathed to mourn the old champion for too long.

3. Jermain Taylor: For all Taylor’s abundant skill, power and marketability as the heir apparent to Hopkins’ throne, I sense an unsettling dearth of confidence that undermines his preciously constructed reputation. In Taylor’s own vocabulary, something is lacking, something to convince beyond a reasonable doubt that he can end Hopkins’ great run as the middleweight champion. On the plus side, Taylor’s youth as well as his great jab and scintillating arsenal of punches set him some way apart from the rest of the mere prospects to have graduated from the 2000 Olympics class. However, semi-retired versions of Raul Marquez and William Joppy are no preparation for Bernard Hopkins, and I feel that Taylor’s chance comes because of his handlers’ hastiness, and much like welterweight Kermit Cintron found, the deep end is an unfortunate place to be when you are not ready for it.

4. Ronald Wright: Known as “Winky,” because he apparently kept winking at the maternity nurses in the hospital where he was born, Wright needs to keep his eyes open this Saturday as he faces the division’s most murderous puncher in Felix Trinidad. A brace of wins over a fallen Shane Mosley helped to establish Wright into a mainstream that never truly embraced him, despite all his attributes. He deserves the compensation of the Trinidad fight, having had his undisputed light middleweight title systematically stripped from him, but one feels he is out of his depth against the perilous power puncher from Puerto Rico. The upcoming fight represents textbook boxing versus efficiency and power; and if Wright can slay this particular beats, respect and recognition should prove less daunting foes to conquer.

5. Howard Eastman: “The Battersea Bomber” is certainly the best middleweight England has to offer, and perhaps even the whole of Europe, but that proved no consolation versus Bernard Hopkins. Once again, Eastman failed to impose his strengths and left only with excuses amongst the remnants of another failed world championship challenge. However, Eastman is one of the most intimidating propositions at the weight; possessing strength, skill and punch resistance enough to provoke doubt in the most single-minded opponent. Eastman will not fight Hopkins again, but he may receive one last chance, and in it, he must finally become a world champion, or settle for recognition as the middleweight division’s nearly man.

6. Felix Sturm: This German middleweight understands that the sympathy vote can do much to aid recognition in the boxing world, but he is also quickly realizing that failure to capitalize on it can prove costly. Undeniably, Sturm’s loss to Oscar de la Hoya for the WBO middleweight championship last year was unjust and a clear example of what the boxing industry will do to one individual in the way of a financial explosion. Currently slated to fight New Zealand’s Maselino Masoe for the regular WBA middleweight title, Sturm must understand that even if he wins, he must return to the America for future contests to rekindle the good impression he left there against De La Hoya. At just twenty-six-years-old, Sturm represents another promising future element of the division, but talent is nothing of not focused in the right places and Sturm can never be a world middleweight star hiding in Germany.

7. Fernando Vargas: “Ferocious” Fernando displayed solid skill, focus and patience in defeating Dutchman Ray Joval earlier this year. It was a decidedly subdued ring return for a fighter who, at just twenty-seven-years-old, already has so many memorable fights to his name. Having returned and stated an intention to campaign at middleweight, I place Vargas here despite a post-fight assertion that he might move back to light middleweight; I expect his exasperation fresh from the heat of battle might be cooled by the possibility of more lucrative middleweights matches. Steroid accusations, career-threatening injuries and two world championships, Vargas seems to have squeezed a career’s worth of turbulence into eight professional years. But if he can merge his passionate, hard-hitting style with his natural skill and ring intelligence, we may see that the best is yet to come from Fernando Vargas.

8. Sam Soliman: The Australian middleweight “King” is merely chasing his tail at the moment and waiting, no, begging for the chance to get involved in the world title picture. However, Soliman’s one high-profile appearance in American ended in defeat to the aforementioned Ray Joval. Remember also that Soliman has seven losses on his record, a statistic that makes it somewhat easier for champions and more recognizable contenders to dismiss the relevance of his challenge. The one indisputable fact though, is that Soliman can fight, and if given the chance to compete for a world title, even in defeat, would give a fantastic value occasion.

9. Kingsley Ikeke: Ikeke’s televised win over former middleweight and super middleweight contender Antwun Echols ensures that he will figure in some significant fights in the near future. Originally from Nigeria, Ikeke comes to us from Toronto in Canada, fighting with an extraordinary height advantage for this division (Ikeke stands at six-feet-four inches tall). With only one loss, Ikeke is doing things the correct way by campaigning exclusively in North America, and having acquired the IBF’s number two spot against Echols, we may find him in line for a title shot before long.

10. Ike Quartey: Consecutive decision losses to Oscar de la Hoya then Fernando Vargas persuaded Ghana’s Quartey to retire from boxing five years ago. But now, he’s back! And yes, he brought the “Bazooka” jab and right hand back with him. Quartey is said to be campaigning as a middleweight, but also reportedly has a fight scheduled with Verno Phillips one weight class south at light middleweight. Therefore, I place Quartey here, on the very threshold of the middleweight top-ten. My hunch is that, sooner rather than later, Quartey’s hunger will drive him to the middleweight division permanently, and when it does, his powers, when added to the rest of the ingredients in this middleweight list, will make for some explosive results.

Stay tuned to SaddoBoxing.com for more of the State of the Boxing Union series, coming soon.

Jim Cawkwell can be reached at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk