By Derek Bonnett: September 1 action in South Africa provided considerable changes to the Secondsout world rankings at 130, 122, and 112. Carnival City, Brakpan, Gauteng played host to the very impressive card and pitted some of South Africa’s greatest talent against one another in three separate bouts.
At junior lightweight, Mzonke Fana captured the vacant IBF title and avenged a previous defeat with a wide twelve round decision over Cassius Baloyi. Fana moved his record to 30-4 (12) while Baloyi dropped to 37-5-1 (19).
Due mostly to inactivity at the world class level over the last year, Baloyi and Fana had dipped in the rankings to sixth and seventh respectively. However, the win puts Fana back toward the top of the division at number four. Baloyi remains ranked, but dipped down to ninth. Fana’s jump pushes Malcolm Klassen and Jorge Solis down one ranking to fifth and sixth.
Takalani Ndlovu rebounded from his decision loss to Steve Molitor earlier this year with a controversial decision over Jeffrey Mathebula in a 122 pound bout. Ndlovu’s record improved to 31-6 (18). Mathebula, best known for a controversial decision loss to Celestino Caballero, sees his record dip to 23-3-2 (13).
Ndlovu was previously unranked at 122 and makes his debut at seventh. Mathebula, once sixth, now stands in eighth. Rendall Munroe now claims the sixth ranking.
In flyweight action, Moruti Mthalane scored a fifth round TKO over the previously beaten Zolani Tete. It was Mthalane’s first successful defense of the IBF title he won with a victory over Julio Cesar Miranda. Mthalane upped his numbers to 26-2 (16) while Tete’s perfect record vanished and now stands at 13-1 (11).
Mthalane passes out Denkaosan Koavichit to move to third. The Thai fighter stays at fourth. Tete falls from ninth place out of the rankings. Miranda climbs up to seventh through attrition. Koki Kameda, formerly third, and Cesar Seda, formerly eighth, exit to campaign at 115. Milan Melindo, Edgar Sosa, and Edren Dapudong enter at eighth, ninth, and tenth respectively.
Note: Seda is now ranked seventh at 115 by Secondsout following last week’s decision win over Jose Lopez.
On September 3 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Oleydong Sithsamerchai remained the WBC minimumweight champion with a rematch draw against Pornsawan Porpramook. Sithsamerchai previously won a decision over Porpramook in 2008. Sithsamerchai now stands at 34-0-1 (12). Porpramook’s record is 22-3-1 (16).
The draw drops Sithsamerchai from second to third among Secondsout’s top 105 pounders. Nkosinathi Joyi is elevated to second. Porpramook, who until recently campaigned at 108, enters the top ten at tenth.
On September 4 at Slovenia’s Sport Park Arena, IBF welterweight champion Jan Zaveck, 30-1 (17), avenged his lone loss to Poland’s Rafal Jackiewicz by majority decision. Jackiewicz won a split decision over Zaveck in 2008 before the Slovenian fighter was a world champion. Jackiewicz’ record falls to 36-9-1 (18).
The two fighters swap rankings among Secondsout’s most elite 147 pounders. Zaveck earns the seventh spot and Jackiewicz falls to eighth given the close nature of their two encounters.
Also on September 4, Felix Sturm retained his middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Giovanni Lorenzo. The WBA titlist’s record improves to 34-2-1 (14). Lorenzo suffers his third loss in thirty-two bouts.
Sturm moves up one spot to second place in the middleweight division behind only Sergio Martinez. Kelly Pavlik falls to third since he has not beaten a top ten contender in over a year. Lorenzo’s third strike sends him out of Secondsout’s top ten for now. Replacing him at tenth is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who now stands at 41-0-1 (30).
In Glasgow, Scotland, Ricky Burns upset Roman Martinez to capture the WBO 130 pound crown. Martinez suffered his first defeat in 26 bouts, while Burns improved his dossier to 29-2 (7). Burns came off the canvas in the first round to win.
Martinez falls from first place to fifth after losing to the previously unranked Burns. Burns enters Secondsout’s 130 pound rankings at third. Takashi Uchiyama and Juan Carlos Salgado are pushed to first and second respectively. Fana remains at fourth with his win over Baloyi earlier in the week. Klassen, Solis, Mendez, Honorio, and Baloyi each fall one ranking. Vitali Tajbert exits for the time being.
Note: Within a matter of days Baloyi’s ranking dropped twice. He now stands at 10th.
Also in action, Roman Gonzalez (105) stayed active with a second round KO of Jesus Limones in a non-title fight at 108 pounds. Luis Lazarte retained his IBF 108 pound title with a decision over Nerys Espinoza. Omar Nino Romero stopped Ronald Barrera in six rounds to retain his 108 pound title. Julio Cesar Miranda finished Ronald Ramos in nine round to keep his WBO flyweight belt. Jorge Solis stopped Francisco Cordero to retain the interim WBA super featherweight title. Each victory allowed each fighter to hold their current rankings at Secondsout.
Contact Derek Bonnett on Facebook or at mabfan@comcast.net for further boxing discussion.
To check out Derek’s SecondsOut rankings Click here
September 7, 2010
