Boxing 2022: the unlucky 20 who missed out on Australian top 50 list

He may be ranked No. 1 in the world, but Victorian boxer Michael Zerafa can’t convince our readers he even belongs in the top 30 of Australia’s best fighters.

Michael Zerafa would not win a popularity contest at the moment. Picture: Grant Trouville

There will always be conjecture around a Top 50 list, and the reader reaction to last week’s boxing rankings was particularly telling for who was considered overrated.

Michael Zerafa continues to be the most hated fighter in Australia, with our readers completely disagreeing with my decision to rank him sixth, instead relegating him to 36th in their poll.

DID READERS GET IT RIGHT? CHECK OUT OUR TOP 50 BELOW

And former heavyweight champion Lucas Browne still has not had his reputation repaired for that infamous first-round loss to Paul Gallen, despite returning with strong wins to reclaim a world ranking.

In fact, 67 per cent of readers said Browne was “overrated”, while a staggering 74 per cent said Zerafa was overrated.

Michael Zerafa’s ranking was very unpopular with readers.

Lucas Browne didn’t get a high approval rating.

Tim Tszyu and Liam Paro are considered by our readers to be Australia’s best boxers, despite not having fought for world titles, but they have shown enough already to suggest they’ll be holding titles aloft in future.

As with any rankings, there will be some who feel aggrieved at missing out.

Some big names missed the Top 50, but while they may have more impressive records than those who did, inactivity was a big consideration in leaving them out.

Others simply did not have enough victories against rivals with winning records, or simply hadn’t had enough ring time to warrant selection.

Here are the 20 unlucky boxers to miss the cut.

1. ZAC DUNN (29-1, 24KO). Super middleweight. The former IBO world champion has only lost to Englishman David Brophy, and since scored six consecutive stoppage victories. But inactivity kept him off the list – he hasn’t fought since 2019.

2. TY TELFORD (8-1-1, 4KO). Welterweight. His split decision loss to Darragh Foley was a fight of the year candidate in 2020, and he’s since bounced back with two wins and has a date with the undefeated Joel Taylor on November 23.

Zac Dunn’s inactivity didn’t do the boxer any favours.

Ty Telford was unlucky to miss out on the top 50.

3. KRIS TERZIEVSKI (11-1-1, 8KO). Heavyweight. The Australian champion showed his strengths and weaknesses against Paul Gallen in a decision victory. Has stated that due to his size, he’d prefer to campaign in the newly created bridgerweight division.

4. FAIGA OPELU (15-3-1, 11KO). Heavyweight. The banger nicknamed “Django” has lost to Lucas Browne and Justis Huni, but recorded the most impressive win of his career last start, stopping previously unbeaten Hemi Ahio in the fourth round.

5. BLAKE CAPARELLO (30-4-1, 13KO). Cruiserweight. Has been in with the best, Sergey Kovalev and Andre Dirrell. Lost his previous bout against Faris Chevalier but will still trouble most frontline contenders.

6. JACK BRUBAKER (16-4-2, 8KO). Welterweight. Has shown his heart stepping up in weight to fight Tim Tszyu. Lost to Steve Spark in his previous bout, but holds wins over Danny Kennedy and Englishman Tyrone Nurse.

7. VICTOR NAGBE (5-0). Super welterweight. Claimed the Australian title last month and has also beaten former world champion Sam Soliman. A star on the rise.

8. MANEUR MATET (4-3, 2KO). Super featherweight. Has three losses, including his past two, but Matet has the skills and awkwardness to make a title run in future if matched correctly.

9. DANILO CREATI (8-0, 1KO). Super welterweight. The Italian-born Sydneysider holds impressive wins over Cameron Hammond and Hyun Min Yang in South Korea for the WBA Asia middleweight crown. Has a career-defining fight against Michael Zerafa on November 23.

10. PAUL GALLEN (14-2-1, 8KO). Heavyweight. Often criticised for fighting footballers, Gallen has shown his skills as a bona fide boxer in his win against Lucas Browne, and brave defeats to Justis Huni and Kris Terzievski.

Former league superstar Paul Gallen proved himself as a bona fide boxer.

Model-turned-boxer Kate McLaren has registered two wins in past two bouts.

11. LENNY ZAPPAVIGNA (38-4, 28KO). Welterweight. He’d be a walk-up start in any Top 50 list but inactivity has cost him. Zappavigna has fought just once in four years, but has fought several times in the US and could still be a danger with regular action.

12. MARK FLANAGAN (26-9, 19KO). Cruiserweight. Has not shied away from any challenge, unsuccessfully fighting Denis Lebedev for the WBA Super title in Russia in 2017. He’s also lost to Jai Opetaia and Floyd Masson but has an admirable record.

13. TEJ PRATAP SINGH (16-6-3, 8KO). Middleweight. The Indian-born pugilist has never been stopped, and despite six defeats, has always given trouble to his opponents.

14. BEN KITE (19-6-1, 7KO). Welterweight. He defeated Ben Horn for the Australian title in April, and while six defeats blemish his record, Kite also has victories over Ben Savva and Danny Kennedy, and could be a regional title contender next year.

15. KYE MACKENZIE (21-3, 17KO). Super featherweight. Had the world at his feet early in his career, jumping to 14-0 before losing an IBO title fight to Jack Asis. Avenged his second loss to Francis Chua but was defeated by Bruno Tarimo in his most recent fight last year.

16. KATE MCLAREN (2-0-2, 1KO). Welterweight. Trained by Jeff Fenech, the UK-born former model has bounced back with two wins after starting her career with two draws — including her debut against the tough Malakay Moukayber.

17. JOEL TAYLOR (8-0, 3KO). Welterweight. The Melbourne fighter’s breakout performance came in his previous fight, knocking out the tough Michael Hall in the first round on July 20.

18. Deanha Hobbs (10-2, 6KO). Super featherweight. She has fought for the WBO and IBF titles abroad, and while unsuccessful, has taken care of all other local rivals.

19. NATHANIEL MAY (22-3, 13KO). Super featherweight. Has fought for the IBF European title in England against James Dickens and the IBF International title against Bruno Tarimo, losing both. But the highly skilled May won his last bout and could surprise contenders who view him as a stepping stone.

20. ELLA BOOT (3-0). Super lightweight. Trained by the great Johnny Lewis, Boot has made an exciting start to her pro career and has shown signs that she will be a title contender in coming years.