09.02.2007 – By Adrian Saba: We can be sure that there won’t be any kind of unification until, maybe, the second semestre of 2007. The implacable wave of mandatories is responsible of this situation. At least, most contenders are fighting soon.
My current rankings of the Heavyweight division:
1. Wladimir Klitschko: He’s the consensus best Heavyweight in the planet. The majority of fans consider him the Top Contender and The Ring also rates him as the #1. It has been a rough path for Wladimir since his opprobrious fall in 2003, against Corrie Sanders, but now “The Steelhammer” is back in the elite and tries to maintain himself at the highest level. He convincingly defeated Sam Peter, the second of this list. Wladimir must face his mandatory, Ray Austin, unranked fighter, in March, and after that there are chances of a fight against Shannon Briggs. Personally, I would not call the winner of Briggs-Klitschko “World Champion”.
2. Samuel Peter: Looks like the “Nightmare” is getting better. In his last fight, he stopped being the typical slow slugger without stamina, and became a complete boxer while schooling James Toney. Now he must fight for the WBC belt, but he might have to wait for his title shot until August. Peter is a fundmental piece in the future of the division.
3. Oleg Maskaev: At this stage of his career, he is seeking the fight that will give him more dividends. He knows that soon he will have to retire. Maskaev is also unjustly perceived as the weakest of the beltholders. The trouble between Vitali/Peter/Maskaev has not ended yet, but probably Samuel Peter will step aside and allow the Klitschko-Maskaev bout, which would be huge in Moscow. That makes sense: the WBC Champion, Maskaev, has time until August to face his mandatory challenger, Peter, and can use that time to face anyone he desires. Obviously, it is much better if he faces a former Champion that everyone talks about.
4. Shannon Briggs: He has combined handspeed and power with the experience of a 15-year career. I think Briggs is in his best moment and that he, and Sam Peter, are Wladimir Klitschko’s most dangerous challenges. It’s curious that Briggs-Klitschko almost happened last November. Also, that there were rumours of Briggs fighting Peter in December 2005. Shannon’s next fight is against Sultan Ibragimov, and it will probably end in a knockout after a few competitive, and intense, rounds. HBO will put him against Klitschko if he wins.
5. Nikolay Valuev: The Russian Giant continues his crusade to reach Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record. He doesn’t know that Marciano defeated 12 contenders in those 49 fights, while he has only defeated one –John Ruiz. Now, Nikolay must fight Ruslan Chagaev. It will happen before June, and Ruslan will be the toughest challenge of his career. If Valuev wins, he will face a fringe contender, and it won’t be a surprise.
6. Sergei Liakhovich: His people said that he was very injured when he fought Briggs. That does not matter now, Sergei is not old and should continue his career.
7. Lamon Brewster: A lot of people are erasing him from their rankings, due to inactivity (almost a year since his last fight). But Brewster wants to return to the ring, and will definitely do it in the following months. He will probably fight a journeyman in his next fight, but there have been talks of a rematch against Luan Krasniqi, in Germany. The only thing that worries me is his health.
8. Ruslan Chagaev: A swarmer that deserves to be ranked in the Top10. The nightmare of Nikolay Valuev. Donald beat Valuev, Ruiz beat Valuev, why not Chagaev? Size is the factor that concerns me, and I think that Valuev will win a close decision. He’s just too big.
9. James Toney: Will not retire yet. Almost twenty years of boxing have brought problems to him. Apart from the natural declining of his career, he’s starting to show other kind of physical damage. However, it looks like he will continue his quest, he wants to be World Heavyweight Champion. Probably he is going to face Lance “Goofi” Whitaker.
10. Hasim Rahman: First, there were rumours that he was going to face Ray Mercer in his comeback fight. Then, he was going to fight Sinan Samil Sam, in Istanbul, Turkey. Other people said that he was going to fight Luan Krasniqi. We really don’t know what Rahman will do next. I remember that, eight months ago, Rahman said that he would retire in mid-2007. He wanted to defeat Maskaev, then fight a tuneup and then box against Wladimir Klitschko. Words.
And Vitali Klitschko. He is going to return –old news –but I won’t rank him until he defeats someone decent. The agreement, about his probable fight against Oleg Maskaev, has not been reached yet. If that match doesn’t happen, let’s hope Vitali returns to the ring, fights a tuneup, or two, and then challenges the winner of Peter-Maskaev. Could he win the Ring Belt again?
Right now, I don’t think that the Heavyweight division is as laughable as some people say.
More fights:
Eddie Chambers vs. Derrick Rossy (9/2)
Timor Ibragimov vs. Tony Thompson (16/2)
Audley Harrison vs. Michael Sprott (17/2)
David Tua vs. Robert Hawkins (22/2)
Danny Williams vs. Scott Gammer (2/3)
Alexander Povetkin vs. TBA (3/3)
Chris Byrd vs. Paul Marinaccio (18/4)