20.05.2006 — By Troy Ondrizek: Another three months have passed and it’s time again to follow the career paths of the future studs of the division. So far B.J. Flores is the only prospect no longer considered a threat in the heavyweight division. Flores comes off the list due to his decision to exclusively fight at the cruiserweight level. Flores has been one of my favorite young fighters to watch. I am sad to see him go down in weight, but only by a fraction of remorse.. Flores has entered what is possibly the deepest division in the sport. Flores just adds another name and more credibility to what is now finally becoming a premiere division to watch. I stated last time that the prospects are basically the only exciting element in the heavyweight division.
But with two world titles changing waist, things are stirring all across the division. The European tide has arrived, and the questions of whether or not there is a future champion for America lying in wait to capture glory back for the stars and stripes. I personally could care less where the champion’s origins are from. As long as they are good fighters and are exciting to watch, then bring them on. However, for those patriots who desire stability in the future I have decided to focus on American fighters this quarter, and am featuring only one European prospect. It is now time to become acquainted with five more young men; and to catch up with those we have covered before.
J.D. Chapman: 22-0 (20 KO’s)
J.D. is a former tough man competitor turned pro boxer. However, unlike the sideshow attraction Butterbean, Chapman is a legit fighter. Chapman has received considerable hype for truly achieving very little. J.D. hasn’t beaten any other real prospect to date. His biggest victory is over Edward Gutierrez back in December. Gutierrez gave Chapman a hell of a fight, but J.D. proved too busy for Gutierrez to upset the kid. A rematch between the two men is coming this Wednesday in New York. J.D. is expected to be much more convincing this time around due to him being sick last time the combatants met. Many fight fans are awaiting Chapman’s break out performance against a name opponent, but they will be waiting for a little while. Scott Hirsch (J.D.’s manager) is bringing J.D. along at a slow pace as a result of Chapman’s utter lack of amateur experience. It is that lack of experience that puts J.D. behind several prospects in terms of development, but J.D. has an advantage that makes all others wish they were him. Chapman is formerly trained by two-time world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, and is currently trained by defensive guru Jeff Mayweather. Trainers of this caliber are rarely available for young fighters with no pedigree. As a result J.D. has grown leaps and bounds in the ring, and you will see him next Wednesday in New York, and then he will finally face another prospect come July 22nd.
Kevin Johnson: 9-0-1 (5 KO’s)
You might remember seeing Johnson showcased on ESPN back in March. Johnson in case you didn’t notice is in love with his jab. I’ll admit it’s a very nice jab indeed, quite possibly one of the finest in the division. Problem is; Kevin forgets that he is allowed to throw a multitude of punches, not just one variety each bout. Johnson looks the part of a heavyweight, broad shoulders, long arms, strong physical physique. But Johnson doesn’t throw any power shots and like I hinted to, doesn’t truly utilize his best asset. Kevin did beat a game Robert Hawkins on ESPN. Kevin even looked more impressive than Samuel Peter (the man who previously beat Hawkins) in accomplishing this task. However, Johnson didn’t work off his money punch and seemed to have no power even though he is a man of large stature. Now what could possibly be even more impressive then his victory over Robert Hawkins is the draw on Johnson’s resume. In only Kevin’s fourth career fight, he took on a much more seasoned fighter in Timor Ibragimov. Timor if you remember has a highly touted bout coming up with the supposed American savior Calvin Brock, and Timor is cousins with the power-puncher Sultan Ibragimov. It was only a four round affair, but Johnson took the fight to the smooth-boxing Uzbekistanian. Kevin has no fight in the near future and has averaged just three fights a year as a professional; a very slow pace for a young fighter. Johnson though is talented and has fought proven opposition. Hopefully we will see him in the ring with progressively more notable opponents, and at this moment Johnson stands as one of America’s brightest hopes for recapturing heavyweight glory.
Roman Greenberg: 22-0 (15 KO’s)
Here is the lone European entry on this quarter’s list. Roman fights out of England by way of Israel. Roman is a slick fighter with good hand speed and well honed footwork. Greenberg’s skill has caught the eye of a legend in Angelo Dundee. One of history’s greatest trainers speaks very highly of the prospect and sees a title in the kid’s future, but Dundee won’t be training Greenberg anytime soon; or ever to be honest. Roman holds victories over the typical euro journeymen in Tony Booth, Julius Francis, and Luke Simpkin. Greenberg has beaten a very solid fighter in Kendrick Releford. Releford has the skills to be a top fighter, but just not the tenacity. Roman has a solid KO percentage, but it’s when he has stepped up the competition that he settles for points wins. It’s not because if a lack of effort on Roman’s part, but because that is the true flaw of Greenberg, his power. Roman has talked a big game in the past few months, but when called upon by the likes of Shannon Briggs to fulfill his promise, Greenberg has backed down. Roman was in heavy talks to fight European champion Paolo Vidoz, but Vladimir Virchis has taken Greenberg’s place for the bout. I do expect to see Roman in a big Euro fight shortly, maybe even a bout with Samuel Peter like Greenberg previously promised. But at the time being, Roman has nothing on the horizon, and we will have to wait for his defining moment of legitimacy to occur
Jason Gavern: 9-1-2 (4 KO’s)
Jason is a former cop turned boxer who fell in love with the sport while trying to keep in shape by fighting as an amateur. Gavern like Chapman; has grown immensely by utilizing his ring experience. We were given a glimpse of Gavern and his immense heart in his nationally broadcasted bout with Rafael Butler last month. Until recently it was Gavern’s heart that got him through his tough fights. Now Jason is training down in Florida and is training fulltime to develop his raw skills. The only loss on Jason’s record is a result of him meeting Malcolm Tann in the ring. If you remember correctly Tann was once a closely guarded prospect in his own right, but was exposed by Willie Chapman and then Dominic Jenkins. The argument can easily be made that Gavern did a lot to remove the faith people had in Tann. Gavern fought hard against the prospect and was treated to a somewhat biased panel of judges and received a decision loss. It was that effort that garnered Jason his next big fight versus Travis Walker. Gavern was supposed to be just a test for Walker; an opponent who was to give Walker some rounds but yet Walker would be able to cruise to victory. Once again Gavern was subject to another biased panel and Walker was lucky to walk away with a draw. As I already stated Gavern had another test against the tough and skilled Rafael Butler. Butler seemed to just not have an answer for Gavern and stood in front of the aggressive challenger the entire fight. Gavern kept coming forward and overwhelmed Butler and showed some newly developed countering skills. Jason might not be the best prospect to ever come along, but he is totally dedicated to his craft and is willing to step in with anybody. Time will tell his worth, but he will undoubtedly expose someone else as a fraud. A tentative fight is scheduled for this coming Thursday.
George Garcia: 11-0 (4 KO’s)
At 5’9” and roughly 270lbs, Garcia is a butterball of talent. George has an extensive amateur background, but he was always a bridesmaid in the major tournaments. Garcia was just unable to overcome his physical shortcomings, and the same can feasibly happen in the paid ranks. Garcia has good skills, he counters well, throws combos, and isn’t hesitant in the ring. However, Garcia is obviously out of shape and is at an immense height disadvantage. Garcia is afraid of no-one but hasn’t fought top competition yet. George has beaten two other west coast prospects in Eddie Neal and Ray Mascarenas. George is stepping up and fighting J.D. Chapman on July 22nd. Garcia is confident and predicting a victory over the better trained Chapman. I predict a victory for J.D., but if Garcia garners this one, than he will put other prospects and fringe contenders on notice. Garcia would do well to get into shape and challenge in the light heavyweight division, but hey Garcia is a prospect nonetheless.
Now it’s time to see what our past highlighted prospects have been up to over the past three months.
Alexander Povetkin: A stellar KO of Richard Bango in 2, and a beautiful technical performance victory over the tough Friday Ahunanya. Povetkin fights Livin Castillo June 3rd.
Jason “Big Six” Estrada: Jason completely shut out Robert Wiggins this past Thursday night. No immediate plans to fight at this moment.
Michael Marrone: Michael barely left the ring conscious against Zack Page, but won the bout anyways. Marrone more recently destroyed the overmatched Dan Whetzel inside of a round. Marrone has a bout on June 9th.
B.J. Flores: Fighting at cruiserweight.
Eddie Chambers: Has accomplished nothing the past three months, but is scheduled to fight the difficult Ed Mahone June 2nd.
Malik Scott: Scott had a fight with Samuel Peter fall through, but has done nothing since January, and is in no hurry to rectify that.
Alexander Dimitrenko: Dimitrenko easily out-pointed Fernely Feliz back in April, and is awaiting an opponent for his July 29th bout.
Scott Gammer: Gammer has been dormant this entire year, but has a rematch with British journeymen Mark Krence on June 16th.
Chris Arreola: Chris achieved 1st round KO’s over Curtis Taylor and Manuel Lee Ossie respectively. No bout currently scheduled.
Alonzo Butler: Alonzo did what Marrone couldn’t, he stopped Zack Page. Alonzo has a bout scheduled with Dennis McKinney on May 31st.
Taras Bidenko: Taras decisioned tough journeyman Alexei Osokin in April, and then made a statement by obliterating Fabio Eduardo Moli last weekend. Bidenko is still looking for his next opponent.
Chazz Witherspoon: Chazz has been a busy boy. Witherspoon stopped Rodney Ray inside of two back in March. Chazz followed that victory up with two decision victories, one against David Polk in April, and another versus Agustin Corpus this month. No fight coming up though.
Ruslan Chagaev: Chagaev out-pointed the heavy-handed Vladimir Virchis back in March, and is awaiting a top opponent for his fight coming up on July 15th in Germany.
All eighteen of these fighters are worth following. Obviously most won’t amount to squat, but watching a true great develop is the best thing about this sport. If you are interested in following the progression of these fighters with commentary added, then feel free to check out; The Unknown Future of the Heavyweight Division, http://www.boxing247.com/news.php?p=5309&more=1 and The Future of the Heavyweight Division: Vol. 2 http://www.boxing247.com/news.php?p=6089&more=1 . I will see you in three months.