There are two current and former middleweight champions today and they need to start fighting one another. Mexico’s WBA champ Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 51-3-2 (36), and Kazakhstan’s IBF Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 40-1-1 (35), have gotten in the mix among these “Magnificent 7” fighters.
Alvarez got a boxing lesson from Floyd “Money” Mayweather and didn’t seem to win a round never opening up the entire fight. He got a gift draw with Golovkin and didn’t deserve a rematch. Golovkin changes trainers and becomes a boxer instead of a boxer-puncher in a fight that could have gone either way. You CAN’T beat Alvarez in Nevada with the exception of Nevada resident Mayweather.
Former Brooklyn, New York, WBA and IBF champion now No. 2 WBA contender Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs, 36-3 (30), gave Golovkin a tough fight and didn’t lose to Alvarez by much in two of his losses. The only one of the group that didn’t win but challenged for a vacant world title is Ukraine’s Sergiy “The Technician” Derevanyancheko, 13-2 (10), who lost a split decision to Jacobs and was in a losing war with Golovkin for the vacant IBF title and is the WBC’s No. 1 contender.
Mexico’s former WBO World Super Welterweight champion now WBO’s No. 1 ranked and WBC’s No. 2 ranked Jaime Munguia, 35-0 (28), has moved up the middleweight recently stopping Ireland’s Gary “Spike” O’Sullivan, 30-4 (21), in a non-impressive showing.
The two that have stayed away from the “big boys” are Jermall “Hit Man” Charlo, 30-0 (22), out of Houston, TX, and Demitrius “Boo Boo” Andrade, 28-0 (17), out of Providence, Rhode Island. Andrade may as well be called “European World champion” having in his last three fights defeated Poland’s Maciej “Striczu” Sulecki, 28-2 (11), in his last defense. Prior to that in his first defense stopped Russia’s Artur “Wolverine” Akavov, 20-3 (9), and won the vacant title against Nambia’s Walter “The Executioner” Kautondokwa, 18-2 (17). On January 30th he is scheduled to defend against WBO’s No. 3 ranked Ireland’s Luke Keeler, 17-2-1 (5),
On the other hand Charlo won the interim title knocking out Hugo “The Boss” Centeno, Jr., 27-3-1 (14), out of Oxnard, CA. Then defeated Russia’s Matvey Korobov, 28-3-1 (14) and for the WBC title he defeated Brandon “Cannon” Adams, 21-3 (13), out of Norwalk, CA. Then he stopped Ireland’s Dennis “Hurricane” Hogan, 28-3-1 (7), out of Australia, who was coming off a loss to Munguia. You call that a group of tough opponents?
Munguia like Charlo and Alvarez moved up from being champions of the Super Welterweights. The WBA minor champion from Japan is Ryota Murata, 16-2 (13), who won both rematches from fights he lost. He lost a split decision to Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, 35-2 but won the rematch five months later by stoppage in seven rounds. The other loss was to Rob Brant, 23-1, by a not close decision. In the rematch nine months later he stopped Brant in two rounds. He never faced a fighter with a losing record. Like Andrade and Charlo he hasn’t beat a name fighter. He is not one of the “Magnificent Seven!”