Prizefighter of the Month: September

Posted by Matt Knowles on 10.07.2009

The 411mania boxing buffs take a look back at the September-that-was in order to see which ring-king will sit atop the boxing throne this month.

Welcome to edition #5 of Prizefighter of the Month!


September was an eventful 30-day stretch in the boxing world, with dominant performances throughout the multitude of weight divisions. We here at 411mania are always ready, willing and able to extend our congratulations and respect to those gladiators who put their bodies on the line for our own personal entertainment agendas. That being said, let the praise begin!!!


Before we get going, here's a quick recap of the 411mania Unified Rules:

*** Each staff member picks five prizefighters and ranks them. A point value is then assigned to each of those rankings. Here is how it breaks down:

1st Place - 5 points
2nd - 4
3rd - 3
4th - 2
5th - 1

*** The fighter with the most cumulative points becomes our Prizefighter of the Month. New point values are then assigned to each combatant in the top 5, which count towards the tally for Prizefighter of the Year. Those point values are:

1st Place – 15 points
2nd - 12
3rd - 9
4th - 6
5th - 3
6th - 1

- - - -


Patrick Mullin

1. Floyd Mayweather – The pound for pound king reclaimed his throne with a one-sided victory over Juan Manuel Marquez. For a guy who's been out for close to two years Mayweather looked like he hadn't missed a beat and is still the best fighter in the sport.

2. Vitali Klitschko – Speaking of one-sided performances, Vitali had perhaps a career-best performance in slapping around loudmouthed and unproven Chris Arreola. Arreola never threatened or even won a round off of Vitali, who looked 10 years younger in the ring than his actual age.

3. Michael Katsidis – Fought through what appeared to be a broken jaw without losing a round against a tough, tough guy in Vicente Escobedo. Katsidis never stopped punching or coming forward to show he's still a player at 135.

4. Mikkel Kessler - Kessler's tune-up bout for his looming showdown with Gold Medalist Andre Ward couldn't have gone any better. Kessler showed surgical precision in picking apart Gusmyl Perdomo to score a fourth round KO.

5. Chris John – Survived a late scare against Rocky Juarez in an otherwise easy bout for him. John solidified himself as the best featherweight in the game.



Ali Shakoor

1. Pretty Boy Floyd - He's baaaaacckkk. I hated the match-up, but his defensive display was masterful. As was the deliberate, calculated offensive dominance. He's number 2 pound-for-pound in the world...I think. I'd know for sure if he fought Cotto, Mosley, or of course, Manny.

2. Vitali Klitschko - I think he's the best heavyweight in the world. He's tougher and has a better chin than Wlad. His performance against Arreola was amazingly dominant. He'll reign as the king as long as his health allows it.

3. Chris John - It was shaky in the last round, but he once again showed an American crowd was a great talent he is. There are interesting opportunities out there in his weight (122-130) area if he wants them. I hope the other fighters give him the opportunity.

4. Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym - He went into Bernard Dunne's home country of Ireland and simply dominated him via 3rd round stoppage. This Thai fighter will be a tough match-up for anyone in the talent-rich 122lb division.

5. Michael Katsidis - After a rough match, he's right in the mix for a big money fight at 135. He made what was supposed to be a very tough fight, a fairly easy victory.



Ryan the Rhino

1. Vitali Klitschko -- Did what Floyd did with a tougher challenge, against someone in his own weight class, without a weight advantage, and with a higher work-rate.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- I hate this question. But to not put him up there is ridiculous.

3. Chris John -- All those people who thought the first fight was a gift draw for Juarez... may have been right. With the other current featherweight champs being Cristobal Cruz (IBF), Elio Rojas (WBC) and Steven Luevano (WBO), the only one that holds a candle to John is Luevano.

4. David Diaz -- Welcome back! It's good to see that you've recovered from the pounding Pacquiao gave you. You were a sacrifice to the almighty Top Rank Cash Cow, let's face it. But your victory over a very game Jesus Chavez (slight as it might have been decision-wise) brings you back into the lightweight picture.

5. Michael Katsidis -- Yes, he out-gunned Escobedo, but he's still pretty sloppy and awkward doing it. But hell, that style works for some people. And some people can figure it out.



Matt Knowles

1. Floyd Mayweather – The Man Formerly Known as Pretty Boy re-established himself as boxing's #1 fighter (as well as its big-$ attraction) with a surgical performance against fellow future hall of famer Juan Manuel Marquez. BRING ON THE PAC-MAN!

2. Vitali Klitschko – The elder Klitschko bro dominated every minute of every round against the game-but-overmatched challenge of Chris Arreola. Now we must ask the question: can ANYONE compete with these guys? The magic 8-ball proclaims: Outlook Not Good.

3. Michael Katsidis – The maulin' brawlin' former champ revived his status in the lightweight ranks by out-gunning Vicente Escobedo. What would happen if this guy went toe-to-toe with WBC champ Edwin Valero? My guess: VIOLENCE.

4. Chris John – out-worked Rocky Juarez for the 2nd straight fight, and may now be in line to get into the featherweight mix with the likes of Gamboa and JM Lopez. But really, will anybody want to challenge a 126'er with that kind of reach and activity level?

5. David Diaz - The Destroyer is back on the boxing radar! After out-pointing Jesus Chavez in a good lightweight scrap, Diaz may be in line for a relatively-big-$ bout in the near future. Just a thought: an all Diaz battle….David versus Juan, any-Juan? (hmmm….not sure if that was funny or not….probably not, but who cares?)


- - - -
Here are the September results:


Mikkel Kessler gets an honorable mention nod for defending his WBA title before the Super 6 tourney commences….





5th place goes to David Diaz for his points victory over Jesus Chavez….





The #4 ranking goes to Michael Katsidis for becoming a two-time interim champ….





Chris John grabs the #3 slot for his workmanlike effort against Rocky Juarez….





WBC heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko checks in at #2 for destroying Chris Arreola….





And the Prizefighter of the Month for February 2009 is none other than the man they call Money, Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his dominant performance against Juan Manuel Marquez



- - - -


Here are the new year-to-date standings:


15 points – Floyd Mayweather
15 points – Manny Pacquiao
15 points – Miguel Cotto
15 points – Eddie Chambers
15 points – Juan Urango
12 points – Vitali Klitschko
12 points - Wladimir Klitschko
12 points – Kermit Cintron
12 points – Joseph Agbeko
12 points – Timothy Bradley
9 points – Chris John
9 points – Amir Khan
9 points – Andre Ward
9 points – Juan Manuel Lopez
9 points – Roy Jones Jr.
6 points – Michael Katsidis
6 points – Derric Rossy
6 points – Tomasz Adamek
6 points – Andre Berto
6 points – Arthur Abraham
6 points – Paulie Malignaggi
4 points – Robert Guerrero
3 points – David Diaz
3 points – Joshua Clottey
3 points – Chad Dawson
3 points – Toshiaki Nishioka
3 points – Devon Alexander
1 point – Mikkel Kessler
1 point – Alfonso Gomez
1 point – Marcos Maidana
1 point – Jorge Arce
1 point – Miguel Vasquez



SEE YA AT THE FIGHTS!!!