The Calzaghe – Kessler storm is now over. It was a great fight and an overall great night for boxing. Calzaghe is now seriously contemplating moving up in weight to face the ageless Bernard Hopkins. It’s only fitting that we talk about this division… the light heavyweights. Here is Stone's slant on the 175 pounders-- with the official Boxingtalk ratings in parentheses.

 

1. Bernard Hopkins – (48-4-1 with 32 KOs) – (Boxingtalk Champion) This is pretty tough to argue against, Bernard Hopkins is the indisputable light heavyweight champion, despite not having any of the four major belts. The bottom line is that Hopkins won the crown of the true champion because he beat the man. Roy Jones was the main man, then Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson beat Jones, respectively. Tarver defeated Johnson to become the main man until losing to Hopkins in 2006. Somewhere along the line, seven title belts were lost in the process, but what else did you expect, something that makes sense? Of course not, this is boxing. I like Hopkins, and I respect what he is doing, staying at home until a big, meaningful fight comes along. Well B-Hop, that fight is here. Calzaghe says he’s ready and willing to fight, all you have to do is sign the contract. A win adds another stellar name to a hall of fame resume. Anything less does nothing to tarnish the legacy a man who has always fights the biggest and best available opponents. Next Fight: TBA (hopefully against Calzaghe)

 

2. Clinton Woods – (41-3-1 with 24 KOs) – IBF Champion (Boxingtalk #4) Woods has been the IBF champion since 2004 and seems be the only man in the division with enough balls to fight Glen Johnson more than once. Now that his defense against Julio Gonzalez is over, it’d be great to see Woods in a big time fight. Woods has great skill, and while he is not the flashiest fighter in the game, he does what he has to in order to win, and you have to respect that. If Roy Jones defeats Tito Trinidad in January, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Woods pursue a rematch to redeem himself from a TKO loss to Jones in 2002. Another fight with Johnson is possible as well, seeing as the series is 1-1-1 between them. Either way, give Woods credit for making the though fights that actually mean something. Next Fight: TBA

 

3. Glen Johnson –  (46-11-2 with 31 KOs) – (Boxingtalk #5)

Johnson may very well be the best light heavyweight in the world, but the fans may never know it if he never gets a shot to prove it. I think all the top guys in the light heavyweight division got together one night and decided to avoid Glen Johnson until he turns 60 and decides to retire, and then do something worth wild in the division. Johnson has done his best to stay busy, calling out all the top dogs in process. However, as soon as Johnson’s name is mentioned, everyone puts their tail between their legs and shuts down. A proposed fight with Anthony Hanshaw fell through, so Johnson will take on inactive former champion Reggie Johnson. Next Fight: November 17 vs. Reggie Johnson

 

4. Chad Dawson –  (25-0 with 17 KOs) – WBC Champion (Boxingtalk #2) I have taken some criticism for ranking Dawson this low, but in all honesty, I have no choice. Everyone tells me all the time that Dawson has the speed, power and skill to beat anyone in the division… no argument here. However, at the same time I cannot rank someone based on what they could do, but rather what they have done. Dawson beat a great fighter in Tomasz Adamek, which got him the WBC belt and the number four spot on this list. However, his only two defenses have been against laughable opposition. I have no doubt in my mind Dawson has the tools to be the best, but he has to beat the best first. Tarver turned down two million big ones to fight Dawson, but there are still plenty of options for a big fight. Johnson, Woods, Jones, Erdei or even Briggs would help boost Dawson’s standing. Until then, number four is where he stays. Next Fight: TBA

 

5. Antonio Tarver – (25-4 with 18 KOs) – (Boxingtalk #3)

Tarver looked absolutely terrible in losing to Hopkins in 2006 and less than stellar against a B-class fighter in Elvir Muriqi a few months ago. Tarver claims he will bounce back in a big way, and was given a chance to do so against Chad Dawson. They offered Tarver two million and only eight hundred thousand for Dawson, who is the freaking champion, and he still turned it down. The only other big money fight available for Tarver is a third fight with Glen Johnson, which would settle the score between the two and give the winner a great bargaining position in the division right now. Tarver could wait around for the winner of Jones – Trinidad, but do you really want to see Tarver – Jones IV? Unless he moves up to heavyweight, Tarver is going to be kicking himself in the ass for a while for not fighting Dawson for a hell of a deal. Tarver also didn’t seem enthused to fight the power punching Danny Green, a bout in which a win would have put him back on the elite track. That fight fell through and now its Danny Santiago next. It’s shit or get off the pot time for Tarver, who isn’t getting any younger, either. Next Fight: December 1 vs. Danny Santiago

 

6. Roy Jones Jr. – (51-4  with 38 KOs) – (Boxingtalk #7)

The former undisputed champion and pound-for-pound king has reeled off two straight wins over respectable opposition. While they weren’t world class champions, they were indeed young, hungry fighters. Jones looked good against Prince Badi Ajamu and even better against Anthony Hanshaw, flooring him with one of the fastest combos I’ve ever seen. Jones has put himself in a very nice position, a big money fight and a chance to get back on the p4p radar if he gets past heavy-handed Felix Trinidad. This shouldn’t be too hard seeing as Trinidad is 20 pounds past his best weight and was last seen over two years ago getting dominated by Winky Wright. Jones is bigger, faster and an all around better fighter. If Jones wins it impressively, he puts himself in a slot for a number of big fights. The winner of a possible Hopkins-Calzaghe fight or Lacy-Manfredo would make a great fight, or even a chance at revenge with Glen Johnson could happen as well (wishful thinking). Next Fight: January 19 vs. Felix Trinidad

 

7. Zsolt Erdei – (27-0 with 17 KOs) – WBO Champion (Boxingtalk #6)  This undefeated Hungarian turned pro at the late age of 26. Since then it’s been all good for Erdei, a former Olympian. In just his fourth year as a professional he captured the WBO title with a dominate performance against a then prime Julio Gonzalez. Erdei has held the title for almost four years, yet except for a shutout against Thomas Ulrich, has not defended against any noteworthy opponents. His next defense will be against a rugged Tito Mendoza, who has not been in a 12 round fight since 2004. Mendoza can punch, with 28 KO’s in 36 wins, but other than that he should be easy work for Erdei. Even though he’s only been a pro for seven years, Erdei got a late start and time is not on his side. Big fights for big money need to come soon, or not at all.  Next Fight: November 24 vs. Tito Mendoza for Erdei’s WBO title.

 

8. Paul Briggs – (26-3 with 18 KOs) – (Boxingtalk #9)

Paul Briggs is a good, exciting fighter with good power and all around skill. Briggs was stopped in his second pro fight in 1997. Since then, he went on an eight year winning streak, but, eventually dropped two close and thrilling majority decisions to then undefeated WBC champ Tomasz Adamek in 2005 and 2006. Briggs returned to the ring with a win in February and was supposed to fight last month on the Sam Peter-Jameel McCline card but was sidelined with a neck injury. We wish him a full recovery and hopefully he will be involved in another meaningful fight sometime soon. The bottom line is that Briggs has serious potential and never backs down from a fight. He was set to fight Roy Jones last year until Jones eventually pulled out. If Dawson can’t find a bigger and better name, this would be a great opportunity for both men to earn the respect they deserve.  Next Fight: TBA

 

9. Stipe Drews – (32-1 with 13 KOs) – WBA Champion (Boxingtalk #10) Drews doesn’t hit very hard, but has the speed and skill to compete with and defeat the elite fighters in the division. His sole loss came after a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Paul Briggs. Drew then captured the meaningless WBA title against a good fighter in Silvio Branco back in April. Unlike most title holders, Drews is actually making his first defense against a tough, proven and true top 10 fighter in the very dangerous Danny Green. Tarver’s loss is Drews gain. If he can get past Green – by no means an easy task – it would put him in a great position for some very big fights. If Drews truly has the heart of a champion, he should go after a rematch with Briggs if he gets by Green next month. Next Fight: December 16 vs. Danny Green for Drews’ WBA title.

 

10.    Danny Green – (24-3 with 22 KOs) – (Boxingtalk #11)

Green has bounced back and fourth between super middleweight and light heavyweight for years now and apparently is more comfortable at light heavy, seeing as all of his losses have come at 168. Green is a great fighter with speed and devastating power in both hands to go with it. Green was supposed to fight Tarver on December 1, but Tarver turned the fight down. He now has a chance to add a (meaningless) belt to his resume as he takes on the skillful WBA champion, Stipe Drews. Drews is the speedster and Green is the murderous puncher. This clash of styles makes for either a boring chess match, or a fast paced, non-stop fight. There is no middle ground for this type of match up.

Next Fight: December 16 vs. Stipe Drews for Drews’ WBA title.

 

Honorable Mention: Thomas Ulrich (Boxingtalk #8), Julio Cesar Gonzalez (Boxingtalk #12), Adrian Diaconu (Boxingtalk #14), Silvio Branco (Boxingtalk #15), Elvir Muriqi (Boxingtalk #16)