My top 12 Super Middleweight Boxers

The super middleweight division, once a place for chunky middleweights to hide from the dangerous middleweights and huge light heavyweights, is now loaded with excellent talent and many outstanding potential match-ups for years to come.  Even with the retirement of all time great Joe Calzaghe there are no shortage of boxers  looking to carry the torch.   Here is a brief analysis of my top 12 super middleweights in the world:

Mikkel Kessler

Strengths – Kessler is a tall, strong boxer with solid power. He can punch, box and is in great condition. While Bute was nearly forced out by Andrade, Kessler was able to administer a paint job for the full 12 rounds and wasn’t hurt in that fight.

Weaknesses- he doesn’t have many but if anything can be stated it’s a lack of originality in his attack. When he fought the great Calzaghe, he was somewhat predictable and Calzaghe was able to change things up in the bout and score a hard fought and deserved decision win. Has had some inactivity issues. It’s hard to understand why he doesn’t have a match scheduled.

Lucien Bute

Strengths – tall southpaw with excellent speed, skills and movement. He is very hard to pin down and usually has a speed and skill advantage over opposition.  He’s a good counter puncher and can make an opponent look amateurish.  He has excellent pro experience and knows his way around the ring.

Weaknesses – perhaps stamina and chin can be called into question based in his fight with ultra rugged Librado Andrade.  Bute tired badly late in that fight and was practically KO’d late in the 12^th round and was fortunate not to been a ruled a KO victim in that bout.

Carl Froch

Strengths – stamina, physical strength and good power. Also, he’s a tall, awkward fighter that can punch from all angles. Has great determination and self belief. He chased Jermain Taylor down until he caught his prey with 14 seconds left in the fight.

Weaknesses – He can be wide with his punches and he tends to get hit a lot. He keeps his left hand very low and doesn’t move his head enough.  In his bout with Taylor he was often beaten to the punch and out speeded but his fortitude, strength and conditioning earned himself a KO win late in the 12^th round.

Karoly Balzsay

Strengths – another excellent southpaw with world calls skills. He had a strong amateur base and is solid in every department. He stepped up in class and beat Denis Inkin in an excellent, hard fought contest.

Weaknesses – perhaps it’s his professional experience. He hasn’t fought many top fighter but he showed his class when he stepped up against Inkin. He defends against former champ Robert Stieglitz in August

Librado Andrade

Strengths – iron chin, physically strong, camel like stamina, seemingly impervious to pain and punishment. He has an excellent work rate and heavy hands.

Weaknesses – he is methodical and somewhat slow compared to some of the thoroughbreds in the division. It will take him a while to catch up to the speedy boxers with movement. I’m not sure anyone could beat Andrade if championship fights were still 15 rounds and if you go back 100 + years when fights could go100 rounds, I’d never pick against him against any of the men on this list.

Andre Dirrell

Strengths – he’s an Olympian Bronze medalist with excellent natural talent. I do tend to confuse Ward and Dirrell in my head but he is different. He has faced better overall fighters than Ward and I think he’s a better puncher. He holds impressive wins over fringe contenders Anthony Hanshaw and Victor Oganov

Weaknesses – basically experience and a tendency to lose focus against inferior opposition.

Andre Ward

Strengths – he has superior talent and speed. He was a Gold Medalist in the 2004 Olympic games and is definitely a young wunderkind.  He stepped up against grizzled vet Edison Miranda in his last fight and passed that test with flying colors.

Weaknesses – he has been a safety first fighter on some occasions and in spite of fast hands, he’s not a natural puncher. As a gifted youngest, he can get sloppy and tends to keep his hands too low.

Denis Inkin

Strengths – he’s a solid, well rounded practitioner that does everything well but nothing extraordinary. That’s actually a compliment because he is proficient all the way around.

Weaknesses – he sometimes seems like he fights in one gear. He can be methodical and in his bout against Balszay he was outworked in the later stages of the fight and was hurt in late in the bout. Balzsay just seemed more inspired and was the slightly better man.

Allen Green

Strengths – he’s a tall, talented fighter coupled with excellent power. He’s had some medical issues and setbacks but he may have the best one punch KO power in the division. When he gets leverage on his power shots he is extremely dangerous – and they come fast.

Weakness – he seemed psyched out against Edison Miranda 2 years ago and put forth a pedestrian performance against used up Rubin Williams. He was dropped by journeyman Donny McCrory several years ago (Green won by 6^th round KO) and that’s not supposed to happen to prospects.  He needs more seasoning and needs to keep his hands up. But Green seems to be on track mentally and physically and he’s found a home at 168. He could be a dark horse in the division.

Jermain Taylor

Strengths – World class amateur and professional experience. He dethroned the great Bernard Hopkins for the middleweight title. He has fast hands, athleticism and solid power.

Weakness – His stamina has been a  thorn in his side most notably against Froch and Kelly Pavlik. He simply doesn’t fight as smart as he should with his experience. He boxes when he should fight and fights when he should box. He seems like he thinks way too much and never appears relaxed in the ring like an old pro should.

Sakio Bika

Strengths – physical strength and stamina. He has a great chin and will keep coming all night long. He lost a fairly wide decision to Joe Calzaghe but Calzaghe had to work very hard for it and was clearly troubled by Bika’s awkwardness and strength.

Weakness – he has a lack of boxing technique and he’s not he fastest guy in the world. And despite his body strength he’s not a great puncher. He also has a loss to Lucien Bute on his ledger.

Jean Pascal

Strengths – he has fast hands and good skills. He kind of reminds me of Roy Jones light with the way he uses speed against inferior opponents and lands pot shots. He fought well in a decision loss to Carl Froch where they both traded shots late in the fight.

Weaknesses – he had put forth some uninspiring efforts against some lesser opposition and he may have less power than some thought early on. To his credit, he seemed committed to the Froch fight and can build on that loss. He’s moving up a division to take on Adrian Diaconu in a title fight.