A Look At Junior Middleweight In The Wake of Ortiz, Crawford Wins

Saturday night in Las Vegas, Vergil Ortiz Jr. officially established himself as a player in the junior middleweight division with his majority decision victory over Serhii Bohachuk.

While taking Bohachuk’s interim WBC 154 lb. belt, the 26-year-old Ortiz also steps into the deep end of the division’s talent pool and opens up several big-fight opportunities.

The junior middleweight division, once considered an afterthought weight class and a stopover between boxing’s historical welterweight and middleweight glamour divisions, is now better and deeper than both 147 and 160. And it continues to grow deeper.

So, where do we stand at junior middleweight right now and what’s in the immediate future? Here’s a look at what’s what at 154.

The Fall of Charlo

Just over two years ago, there was one top dog at 154 as Jermell Charlo fought his way into becoming the unified four-belt champion atop a division that was a bit thin at the time.

Charlo landing the Canelo Alvarez fight at 168 last year ended his junior middleweight reign with a whimper as he let all four belts slip away without a fight. Although there have been some rumblings about him returning to active duty, back at 154, it remains to be seen if he actually makes his comeback– and if he can even hang with this new crew of champions and contenders.

The Rise of  Crawford, Ortiz

The biggest recent splash at 154 has come from Terence Crawford, the former unified welterweight and junior welterweight champ (and lightweight titlist). Crawford’s win over Israil Madrimov on August 3 bagged him two belts (the WBA and the vacant interim WBO). At the moment, the biggest buzz regarding Crawford’s future centers around a possible Vergil Ortiz bout.

Crawford-Ortiz, however, remains an uncertainty as that talk– initiated by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh, who has bought his way into mega-influence with his sponsorship of events, promoters, fighters, networks, and sanctioning bodies– has given way to recent calls for an Ortiz-Bohachuk rematch, also initiated by Alalshikh.

If Ortiz is out of the Crawford picture, then Crawford’s options seem limited to just a small handful. A bout with WBC and WBO champ Sebastian Fundora is the smartest bout to pursue and one which should be coming to him, anyway, as the interim WBO belt holder.

Fundora in the Picture

It looks as though Fundora may be leaning towards a bout with the comebacking former welterweight champ Errol Spence, but Spence has really shown no indication that his return to ring is anything more than a stated desire at this point.

If the tall, awkward Fundora wants the next biggest fight out there, he has two options– Crawford, and a purse swollen by Saudi money, or Tim Tszyu, who he beat in a bloodbath to win his belts this past March.

Tszyu Still In The Picture

Speaking of Tim Tszyu, Turki Alalshikh has publicly ruled out working with the second generation star for whatever reason. Officially, according to the Saudi Royal Court advisor, it’s because “he doesn’t understand,” whatever that means.

At any rate, Tszyu remains a major player in the division and is, arguably, only a former champ because of the grisly gash he suffered on his scalp during the Fundora fight that impeded his performance. Once thought to be on the road to true stardom, he’s only one big win away from being back on track. The question is whether he’ll be able to find that opportunity under this current talent alignment.

Below the top, top dogs at 154, there’s a lot of high-end talent with top dog potential.

The Best of the Rest

Israil Madrimov and Serhii Bohachuk, with their spirited recent performances versus Crawford and Ortiz, deserve to be at the top of the list. Bakhram Murtazaliev has the IBF belt, which may be the leverage needed to work his way into a shot at the true players in the division. Erickson Lubin has the raw talent and ability to give a stiff challenge to anyone in the division. The 23-year-old Jesus Ramos, who lost a controversial decision to Lubin last year, is big, strong, and still developing. Charles Conwell also looks to have real player potential. Brandon Adams, Brian Mendoza, and Xander Zayas could be players as well. And let’s not forget possible imports from the welterweight division, such as welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis, who could move up if he chooses to pursue money fights over 147 lb. unification.

All in all, big things are happening at 154 and it seems as though fans will be in for at least a few years of quality matchups as the talent jockeys for dominance.