Pictured: Callum Smith


The fourth part of TTR's "2018 in Review" shines the spotlight on the twelve TTR-ranked contenders for the vacant Lineal World super middleweight title.


1- Callum Smith (25-0, 18 KOs)
-2/24- Nieky Holzken.....W UD 12
(retained WBC Diamond Super Middleweight title)
(World Boxing Super Series Tournament Semi-final)
- 9/28- George Groves.....W KO-7
(retained WBC Diamond Super Middleweight title; won WBA Super World and vacant Ring Magazine World Super Middleweight titles)
(World Boxing Super Series Tournament Final)

2- Gilberto Ramirez (Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez; 39-0, 25 KOs)
- 2/3- Habib Ahmed.....W TKO-6
(retained WBO World Super Middleweight title)
- 6/30- Roamer Alexis Angulo.....W UD 12
(retained WBO World Super Middleweight title)
- 12/14- Jesse Hart.....W MD 12
(retained WBO World Super Middleweight title)

3- George Groves (28-4, 20 KOs)
- 2/7- Chris Eubank, Jr......W UD 12
(retained WBA Super World Super Middleweight title)
(Note: The IBO World Super Middleweight title was on the line for Eubank only. With Eubank losing, the IBO title was declared vacant.)
(World Boxing Super Series Tournament Semi-final)
- 9/28- Callum Smith.....L KO-7
(lost WBA Super World Super Middleweight title; also for WBC Diamond and vacant Ring Magazine World Super Middleweight titles)
(World Boxing Super Series Tournament Final)

4- Anthony Dirrell (32-1-1, 24 KOs)
- 4/28- Abraham Han.....W UD 10

5- David Benavidez (20-0, 17 KOs)
- 2/17- Ronald Gavril.....W UD 12
(retained WBC World Super Middleweight title)
- September 2018- failed drug test
- November 2018- The WBC changed Benavidez' status to Champion in Recess.

6- Jesse Hart (25-2, 21 KOs)
- 2/3- Thomas Awimbono.....W TKO-1
- 4/28- Demond Nicholson.....W TKO-7
- 8/18- Mike Gavronski.....W TKO-3
- 12/14- Gilberto Ramirez.....L MD 12
(for WBO World Super Middleweight title)

7- Chris Eubank, Jr. (27-2, 21 KOs)
- 2/17- George Groves.....L UD 12
(for WBA Super World Super Middleweight title)
(Note: The IBO World Super Middleweight title was on the line for Eubank only. With Eubank losing, the IBO title was declared vacant.)
(World Boxing Super Series Tournament Semi-final)
- 9/28- JJ McDonagh.....W TKO-3

8- James DeGale (25-2-1, 15 KOs)
- 4/7- Caleb Truax.....W UD 12
(regained IBF World Super Middleweight title)
- 7/4- voluntarily relinquished IBF title
- 9/30- Fidel Monterrosa (Fidel Monterrosa Munoz).....W KO-3

9- Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KOs)
- 9/15- Gennady Golovkin.....W MD 12
(won WBA Super World Middleweight title; regained WBC, vacant Lineal, vacant Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and vacant Ring Magazine World Middleweight titles)
(Note: The IBO World Middleweight title was on the line for Golovkin only. With Golovkin losing, the IBO title was declared vacant.)
- 12/15- Rocky Fielding.....W TKO-3
(won WBA World Super Middleweight title)

10- Jose Uzcategui (28-2, 23 KOs)
- 3/3- Andre Dirrell.....W TKO-8
(won IBF Interim World Super Middleweight title)
- 7/4- elevated to IBF World Super Middleweight champion
- 9/28- Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna.....W UD 10

11- Caleb Truax (30-4-2, 19 KOs)
- 4/7- James DeGale.....L UD 12
(lost IBF World Super Middleweight title)
- 8/24- Fabiano Pena (AKA Fabiano Soares).....W TKO-3

12- Juergen Braehmer (50-3, 36 KOs)
12/15- Pablo Daniel Zamora Nievas.....W TKO-5

Article By: Ken Pollitt