HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION TAKES WILD TURN
July 1, Year 7 -- At some point before the end of the year, LSUBF Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey will make a mandatory defense of his title against the man he defeated in January, Vitali Klitschko.
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After that? Who knows!
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The LSBUF Heavyweight rankings have been thrust into the air and fallen in a whole new order over the last few weeks with a champion severely tested in a supposed "tune-up," the former champion upset in HIS tune-up by an unranked opponent, a pair of matchups between Top 10 contenders and an upset that dropped the #3 contender completely out of the rankings.
But in the end, the July 1 rankings came out, and a new #1 contender was appointed.
Joe Louis!
The Brown Bomber (10-0-1, 7 KOs), ranked 2nd when the April 1 rankings were released, scored a 4th round TKO win over Jimmy Ellis.
His earning the #1 spot, held by former champ Vitali Klitschko, required a couple of things, though, the second of which was Klitschko to somehow lose.
That happened in his tune-up bout for his mandatory rematch against Dempsey, as the massive Ukrainian was cut badly early and lost a narrow, unanimous decision to Jack Thompson in only his 10th professional fight.
The win vaulted Thompson - eligible by virtue of his 10 fights - t0 #9 in the new rankings despite a 4-5-1 record. Klitschko was dropped to 10th...though he still gets his mandatory rematch per LSUBF rules.
The former #3 contender, Corrie Sanders (25-7, 15 KOs), dropped a majority decision to unranked Primo Carnera (14-7-1, 10 KOs), which dropped Sanders out of the Top 10 completely.
Fourth-ranked Joe Frazier (13-5, 6 KOs) has overcome early career struggles in which he was signed on matches against top guys well before he was ready, and he made a statement in his June matchup, knocking out 9th-ranked Jersey Joe Walcott (11-4-1, 7 KOs) in the second round for a win he hoped would vault him past Louis in the rankings.
Also in the hunt for the #1 slot was young #5 contender Rocky Marciano (9-3-1, 8 KOs), whose immediate title hopes were dashed by a perfect right hand to the temple from 6th ranked Ezzard Charles (11-2-2, 8 KOs) that floored Marciano and left his equilibrium in such a state he fell while trying to get up, resulting in a shocking 10-count.
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While that stunner bolstered Charles, he couldn't vault Frazier, who in turn couldn't vault Louis.
And so, the complexion of the heavyweight division has shifted...in theory. If Klitschko reclaims his title from Dempsey, there will be a third bout between the two. However, if Dempsey retains, he won't have long before he has to face the mandatory #1 contender - which is now Louis - since Klitschko's loss now means the rematch against him no longer satisfies the "mandatory #1 contender defense every 12 months" rule of the LSUBF.
Is Louis, 11 fights into his professional career, ready to face a prime Jack Dempsey with 28 bouts under his belt? Experts say he's ready, and that an expected war with Klitschko would leave Dempsey vulnerable to Louis in a quick turnaround situation.
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Dempsey had his own dramatic bout in May, as he defended against #7 Max Schmeling (11-4-2, 9 KOs). The German hadn't fought since dropping a decision last July to Frazier, who was irate at the title shot opportunity. But Schmeling acquitted himself well, having Dempsey in trouble in a close fight before, with significant swelling around his left eye and coming off two decisive rounds in favor of the challenger, Dempsey dropped Schmeling for the knockout in round 10.
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Schmeling actually moved up a spot in the rankings to #6 by virtue of his terrific effort.
But for now, the focus will be on Dempsey's rematch with Klitschko, which must occur no later than December, and how Louis slots in in the aftermath. While Frazier could try to vault Louis before the October rankings are released and thrust himself into the mandatory slot, the belief is Louis will hold that slot unless he's defeated in the interim.
Only one of the top five contenders has ever had a title shot - Chris Byrd at #4, who ended Klitschko's first reign with a cut stoppage TKO before getting blasted out in the rematch and the subsequent rubbermatch.
Louis, Frazier, Charles and Marciano is a daunting gauntlet for sure, one that represents the future of the LSUBF's heavyweight division.
The present, however, still belongs to Dempsey!
The most recent LSUBF broadcast
Heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey survived a test from Max Schmeling
Joe Louis, despite his relative inexperience, is the new #1 contender.
Ezzard Charles lands the shot of his life, dropping Rocky Marciano for the upset.
Joe Frazier made an emphatic statement vs. Jersey Joe Walcott, but couldn't vault Louis for the top spot.
Conn Barely Clings to Title
Light-heavyweight champ dropped in 15th of first defense, retains after draw
June 26, Year 7 - The Pittsburgh crowd was a raucous one, their hometown hero - the LSUBF Light-Heavyweight champion, Billy Conn - was to face #7 contender George Nichols in his first defense of the championship he'd won via split decision in January when he defeated Philadelphia Jack O'Brien.
By virtue of his being the champion, Conn got main event status even on a card with a pair of Top 10 matchups in the crown jewel heavyweight division. More than 33,000 fans under the lights at Forbes Field, a place Conn had attended many times for Pirates baseball games, had his back.
Nobody expected that, with less than 30 seconds left in a fight that saw Conn as a clear favorite, that he'd be laying on his.
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A battle that saw Nichols weather Conn's speed and precision with his own aggressiveness and solid body work had seemingly left Nichols in a "fine effort, but..." situation entering round 13.
But a furious exchange in round 13 - the best of the fight - began significant swelling around the left eye of Conn and Nichols was laser focused from there on.
Nichols swept the 13th and then dominated the 14th as Conn, his corner unable to manage the swelling to any significant degree, spent the round evading Nichols who cut off the ring brilliantly and trapped Conn in the corner on multiple occasions.
The 15th saw Conn's defense improve, and Nichols' exhaustion helped that manifest itself. Conn began to open up as the round entered the final minute, and in so doing left himself open for a thunderous 1-2 from Nichols that came over a body shot from Conn and sent Conn thudding to the canvas with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Conn rose in a daze and hung on until the bell, putting the title in the hands of the judges, to the absolute shock of a Forbes Field crowd eager to shower victorious praise on their Pittsburgh Kid!
Instead, they would settle for relief...the final decision, 142-142 on all three cards, Nichols' knockdown in the waning moments elevating his game effort to a draw that will almost assuredly see him land a rematch for the title.
"I respect Billy but I won this fight," Nichols said post-match. "No way he was up 4 rounds before I busted up his eye [in round 13], no way!"
Conn, to his credit, didn't make excuses post-fight."I didn't bring my best and he did," the still-champion said. "I had to take chances in the last round because I hadn't finished the job and he caught me. But I'm still the champ and we'll meet again."
Billy Conn retained, but not the way he hoped.
First Super Middleweight Champ To Be Crowned
The LSUBF will finally crown its first Super Middleweight champion in July, when Dimitri Sartison (10-1-1, 4 KOs) faces off against Eric Lucas (12-3, 2 KOs).
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Not among the original divisions in the LSUBF, the Super Middleweight class was long clamored for by boxing aficionados, and the LSUBF ultimately obliged, allowing a couple of years of fighters to build records within the division before crowning its first champion.
That setup yielded a four-man tournament for the title, which saw Sartison drop Cristian Sanavia three times before a second-round stoppage in their contest, while Lucas took a split decision from Alejandro Berrio to earn his place in the title contest.
Eric Lucas (left) and Dimitri Sartison will face off to decide the LSUBF's first Super Middleweight champion in late July.
FOURTH WALL NOTE:
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I hadn't done the Super Middleweights when I first started the LSUBF because it was a late forming class and most of the best fighters in the class are fighters who succeeded in more prominent classes as well.
But I've had several requests to add the class, and it makes sense, so I did so with the same parameters I began the LSUBF with. The first LSUBF class started with champions who won their first title from before 1920 - obviously not applicable here - and from 2000-2010. So your best super middles - Jones, Canelo, Calzaghe, Toney, etc. - either aren't in the LSUBF yet or are in another weight class.
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Fighters enter the LSUBF in random 3-year increments. The only class to enter that fits the SMW division since I began this is 1985-1987. I created the pool from there with the usual ratio of 3 fictional "tomato cans" for every real fighter who enters, built their records and here we are.
JULY DOUBLEHEADER
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Loads of big fights on tap for July of Year 7 of the LSUBF, which means there will be TWO broadcasted cards on the YouTube channel.
First, it's the toughest test of Jr. Lightweight champion Joel Casamayor's reign as the faces undefeated #1 contender Hector "Macho" Camacho. The undercard of that bout will include the crowning of the LSUBF's first Super Middleweight champion when Dmitri Sartison faces Eric Lucas, as well former Bantamweight champion Jimmy Barry, who fights for the first time since losing his title rematch to Jimmy Carruthers, facing a tough customer in #4 ranked Panama Al Brown.
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The second card will be headlined by Lightweight champion Benny Leonard, who puts his title on the line a mere three months after his latest tough bout against Joe Gans, to face #2 contender Tony Canzoneri - who shockingly defeated Leonard to earn a failed shot at Gans' title before Leonard ultimately dethroned the champ. That undercard will feature Featherweight champion Abe Attell defending the title against #1 contender Benny Bass, and former Middleweight champion Stanley Ketchel, who will try to secure a chance to reclaim the title from champion Bob Fitzsimmons, as he faces #9 contender Kelly Pavlik, who enters riding a 5-bout winning streak.
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SEE THE UPDATED LSUBF RANKINGS HERE
