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No doubt Calvin Brock needs to put the pieces back together. He lost to Wladimir Klitschko but he has finally made it to the mountaintop. What’s next for him? What fighters make sense for him to face now? It’s important for Brock to rebuild his confidence before stepping into top level competition, but he could easily be marginalized when there are so many other fighters waiting to get a chance at the champ. All four title holders are taller than Brock by at least 2 ½ inches so here’s the five-point path Calvin should travel to make it back to the top.
James Toney, 69-5-3 (43): Do not fight him. I repeat, do not. James is that precarious fighter who, if you lose to him, you lose and if you beat him, you still lose. He’s old, he’s fat and he’s short. But he has the ability to make every fighter, win or lose, look bad with his superior hand speed, elusive defense and hard chin. Getting a victory over him would pretty much leave Brock in the same place he already is in.
Davaryll Williamson, 23-4 (19): At 6’3, this awkward and lanky heavyweight will always be a danger as long as he has that right hand. But that’s the only weapon Williamson has and a fighter with his wits about him such as Brock will know how to negate it. Currently, Williamson is ranked 6th by the WBA, 7th by the IBF and 31st by the WBC. I’ll say that Brock should fight him first.
Serguei Lyakhovich, 23-2 (14): Questions about the Belarusian being a legitimate elite level fighter are more than warranted. A decision over a one-eyed slugger in Lamon Brewster and then a knockout loss to an overly muscular asthmatic in Shannon Briggs have caused fans and experts to agree that he may not be The One. It has to be psychologically damaging to lose by being knocked out of the ring; just look at how frantic Hasim Rahman was in his rematch with Oleg Maskaev. Brock should brush up on his counterpunching and give Lyakhovich the old one-two all night. The WBA has Lyakhovich ranked 5th, the WBO has him at 7th and the IBF and WBC still list Lyakhovich as the WBO champion. I’ll suggest Brock fight him after Williamson.
Samuel Peter, 27-1 (22): Even though Peter is a half inch shorter than Brock, he is a huge puncher and power-wise, probably packs a puncher bigger than Klitschko. With a head like a rock, Brock should forget about knocking Peter out; not even Wladimir Klitschko could do that. Peter is getting better, but Brock is still more technically sound and if he makes a commitment to being the faster fighter and employing the jab frequently, Brock should be able to get the decision. Peter is currently the number one contender in the WBC and number three by the WBO. Brock should fight Peter after Lyakhovich.
Sultan Ibragimov, 19-0-1 (16): There’s no better confidence booster than beating up a guy and then beating up his cousin. But the harder-hitting Ibragimov might be too much to order up for Brock early in a comeback, so it would be best to leave him towards the end. The WBO has Ibragimov 1st, the WBA and IBF have him 4th. Brock should face Ibragimov after Peter.
Ray Austin, 24-3-4 (16): Brock needs to get another big-big man on his resume before he believes he can do it and at 6’6, Austin is the same height as Klitschko. Austin’s right is his dangerous punch, whether it is an uppercut or thrown straight, but he has a tendency to injure it. Brock should be able to take advantage of Austin’s lack of experience, for a decision win. The IBF ranks him 2nd, WBA ranks him 3rd, and WBO ranks him 15th. A win over Austin would make Brock as ready as possible to rematch Klitschko.
