Montiel Stops Hasegawa in Four

WBO Bantamweight champ, Fernando Montiel, got his career back on the fast track by scoring a TKO over reigning WBC champ, Hozumi Hasegawa in Hasegawa's hometown of Tokyo, Japan.

After a dead-even first round, Montiel came on to have a solid second, followed by a Hasegawa-controlled third.

The fourth round was mostly Hasegawa's until Montiel landed a pair of left hooks at the end of the round that shook the Japanese world champion. Hasegawa was stunned and essentially defenseless, with one hand draped over the ring rope and Montiel landing at will.

Referee Laurence Cole stepped in and waved off the bout with just a couple of seconds left in the round. The stoppage was quick for some tastes, but it was obvious that Hasegawa was in bad shape and Montiel could've inflicted some real damage.

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Dafs' Pound-4-Pound Update (Part 2)

We now enter the creme de la creme, the best crop of fighters in the sport. Part 1 included fighters from #25 to #11, ranging from fighters on the rise, on the way down, and some who managed to keep their places. The top 10 is dominated by American fighters, but will an American top the rankings? It's time to find out.

#10 Bernard Hopkins (USA) (51-5-1, 32 KO) [Light Heavyweight]

Three of the best: Ronald Wright UD-12; Kelly Pavlik UD-12; Roy Jones Jr. UD-12;
Last Ranking: #6

Hopkins continues to free-fall after a dull fight against Jones who's not even fringe top 10 at light heavyweight. Hopkins just about holds on to #10 place because of a victory over Pavlik, but if Bute and Pavlik are successful on April 17, expect another drop for The Executioner.

#9 Timothy Bradley (USA) (25-0, 11 KO) [Junior Welterweight]

Three of the best: Junior Witter SD-12; Kendall Holt UD-12; Lamont Peterson UD-12;
Last Ranking: #10

Bradley is tentatively scheduled to face Luis Carlos Abregu on his HBO debut, but according to industry sources they're attempting to match him with Marcos Maidana. Either fight is tough for Bradley, and he rises once more due to a drop.

#8 Hozumi Hasegawa (JAP) (28-2, 12 KO) [Bantamweight]

Three of the best: Simone Maludrottu UD-12; Alejandro Valdez TKO-2; Vusi Malinga TKO-1;
Last Ranking: #9

In the biggest bantamweight match-up on the table, Hasegawa will face Fernando Montiel on April 30 in a unification fight of sorts. A big win could propell him up the rankings once more.

#7 Wladimir Klitschko (UKR) (54-3, 48 KO) [Heavyweight]

Three of the best: Tony Thompson TKO-11; Ruslan Chagaev RTD-9; Eddie Chambers KO-12;
Last Ranking: #8

Wladimir had already passed Hopkins with his dramatic last gasp knockout over Eddie Chambers as he continues to dominate the heavyweight division with his brother (ranked #20). Could David Haye be next?

#6 Paul Williams (USA) (38-1, 27 KO) [Junior Middleweight]

Three of the best: Antonio Margarito UD-12; Carlos Quintana KO-1; Sergio Martinez MD-12;
Last Ranking: #6

'The most feared man in boxing' faces Kermit Cintron next up back at junior middleweight in what promises to be another war. Williams will already be looking ahead, chasing the winner of Pavlik-Martinez further down the line in 2010.

#5 Juan Manuel Marquez (MEX) (50-5-1, 37 KO) [Lightweight]

Three of the best: Marco Antonio Barrera UD-12; Joel Casamayor TKO-11; Juan Diaz TKO-9;
Last Ranking: #5

There's still plenty of life in Marquez despite being dominated from pillar to post by Floyd Mayweather in September. A rematch with Diaz looks like his next step in a fight that promises fireworks. Marquez is being closed down, so he needs to be active to keep his place.

#4 Chad Dawson (USA) (29-0, 17 KO) [Light Heavyweight]

Three of the best: Tomasz Adamek UD-12; Antonio Tarver UD-12; Glen Johnson UD-12;
Last Ranking: #4

The undefeated light heavyweight will be gunning for the lineal championship against Jean Pascal in August when they meet up in Montreal. Dawson has a bright future ahead of him but relies on competition to maintain his high ranking.

#3 Shane Mosley (USA) (46-5, 39 KO) [Welterweight]

Three of the best: Luis Collazo UD-12; Ricardo Mayorga KO-12; Antonio Margarito TKO-9;
Last Ranking: #3

Mosley faces Floyd Mayweather in a fight that should 'Sugar Shane' win, could see him topping the rankings by the next update. His inactivity though doesn't help his cause if he loses on May 1.

#2 Floyd Mayweather Jr. (USA) (40-0, 25 KO) [Welterweight]

Three of the best: Oscar De La Hoya SD-12; Ricky Hatton TKO-10; Juan Manuel Marquez UD-12;
Last Ranking: #2

Mayweather is trying to re-capture the pound-4-pound crown he 'vacated' when he retired. He could do so with a victory over Shane Mosley on May 1, but it should be a tricky fight for Money May.

#1 Manny Pacquiao (PHI) (51-3-2, 38 KO) [Welterweight]

Three of the best: Juan Manuel Marquez SD-12; Ricky Hatton KO-2; Miguel Cotto TKO-12;
Last Ranking: #1

Still reigning at the top is Manny Pacquiao, who dominated Joshua Clottey over twelve one-sided rounds at the Cowboys Stadium. A super-fight with Mayweather has to be next, or I and many others will cry.

UP: Timothy Bradley #10 to #9; Hozumi Hasegawa #9 to #8; Wladimir Klitschko #8 to #7;

DOWN: Bernard Hopkins #7 to #10;

Nationalities: 1. USA-9; 2. Puerto Rico-3; =3. Philippines, Ukraine, Great Britain-2; =6. Mexico, Japan, Romania, Thailand, Argentina, Panama, Indonesia-1;

Divisions: =1. Welterweight, Heavyweight, Super Middleweight, Featherweight-3; =5. Light Heavyweight, Junior Middleweight, Junior Welterweight, Middleweight-2; =9. Lightweight, Bantamweight, Junior Flyweight, Junior Bantamweight, Flyweight-1;

Scheduled P-4-P Fights

(#2) Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley (#3) - May 1
(#4) Chad Dawson vs. Jean Pascal (NR) - August 14
(#5) Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Juan Diaz (NR) - July 10
(#6) Paul Williams vs. Kermit Cintron (NR) - May 8
(#8) Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Fernando Montiel (NR) - April 30
(#9) Timothy Bradley vs. Luis Carlos Abregu (NR) - June 19
(#11) Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (NR) - April 17
(#12) Ivan Calderon vs. Johnriel Casimero (NR) - June 12
(#13) Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler (NR) - April 17
(#14) Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez (#18) - April 17
(#17) Andre Ward vs. Allan Green (NR) - June 16
(#19) Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman (NR) - July 12
(#20) Vitali Klitschko vs. Albert Sosnowski (NR) - May 29
(#22) Celestino Caballero vs. Daud Yordan (NR) - April 10
(#23) Chris John vs. Fernando David Saucedo (NR) - May 22
(#24) Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Bernabe Concepcion (NR) - July 10

As you can see, it's a very busy period in the boxing calender with 18 out of the top 25 with scheduled fights. The next update will hopefully be after the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

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Montiel Buckles In Hasegawa Negotiations

Many sources are reporting that this fight is a done deal. Other sources are reporting that they're not even close to signing on the dotted line. If you're an optimist or a pessimist, you're bound to be confused.

Teiken Promotions, Hasegawa's handlers, have announced that this fight is slated for April 30, and even though the WBO belt held by Montiel means nothing in Japan, it will be an unification fight as Hasegawa holds the WBC strap. They also report that Toshiaki Nishioka (pictured with Hasegawa) will defend his junior featherweight title on the same bill.

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Hasegama To Defend in December

It has been confirmed that WBC bantamweight world champion Hozumi Hasegawa will not be defending against former world champion Eric Morel, because of Morel’s major problems in obtaining a visa.

Hasegawa’s new challenger is WBC #12 rated Álvaro Pérez (18-1-1, 12 KOs) and the bout is planned for December 18 in Kobe, Japan. Hasegawa (27-2, 11 KOs) won the title in April 2005 against Thai legend Veeraphol Sahaprom and already has carried out nine defenses, the last four not going beyond two rounds.
Alvaro Perez is a member of the Nicaraguan Prodesa stable and is training in Managua, Nicaragua. The fight will be in front of Hasegawa’s hometown crowd for the third fight running.

This weekend, Joseph Agbeko will defend his IBF bantamweight title against another Perez, this one is an unbeaten challenger called Yhonny Perez, on Halloween. Agbeko recently defeated Armenian Vic Darchinyan in an explosive contest in July and is looking to successfully defend his belt for the third time this Saturday.
If Hasegawa and Agbeko successfully defend their belts, they could meet in a mouth watering clash in March 2010 to determine the real king of bantamweight.

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