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23.04.06 - By Geoff McKay: It might not be so today, but there was a time when the heavyweight Championship of the world was the greatest title in sports. The man that held that title truly was King of the world, the most universally recognized athlete on the planet. The truth is that today we have no King. The truth is that more people would recognize the name Andrei Arlovski, former UFC heavyweight champion, than would recognize the name of his countryman, Sergei Lyakhovich, WBO heavyweight champion.
I thought it might be fun to take a look at those men that perhaps, could pick up the crown, dust it off, and, like a modern day Napoleon, place it upon their head. The tough part was deciding who exactly might achieve such a feat. It seems as though no one is safe these days, and a championship is within everyone’s grasp. Recently, we have seen John Ruiz lose his title to a giant Russian fighter that very few of us have laid eyes on.
We have seen Lamon Brewster lose his title to a Belarusian fighter that up until he fought Brewster, wasn’t even on the radar screen, and we have seen Hasim Rahman, a man that has lost to every A level fighter he has faced, save a recent draw with a plus sized James Toney, crowned WBC Champion.
We have seen Wladimir Klitschko look fantastic against the world’s top fighters, then look horrible against b level competition, then come back and look great against top fighters again. We have seen Chris Byrd neutralize and control massive punchers like David Tua, and then draw with the likes of Fres Oquendo. It’s almost too much to keep straight.
One thing that has become abundantly clear is that we cannot simply say that only a certain two, three, four, or even five men have it within themselves to wear the mantle of King. Therefore, I have settled on thirteen. Although it’s possible that next week some fighter will emerge from Mongolia, India, or Saudi Arabia to win one of the titles, I am sticking with thirteen. Thirteen who would be King.
13. Danny Williams: Call me crazy, but I really like Danny. I like his courage, and he can really crack. He soaked up a beating from Vitali that would have sent a lot of fighters packing, and still wanted to continue. I know, I know, we should hesitate to give credit to a fighter simply for being brave in taking a pounding; however, he has come back with a few wins. I disagree with the common assessment of his Harrison victory. Although most people are saying Audley was all hype, (and I definitely agree he isn’t as good as we thought he was), I think Danny is better than we are giving him credit for.
12. Oleg Maskaev: Oleg is a very talented boxer, who has fought his way back from adversity. I also like him because he took part in the funniest fights I have ever seen, taking on Derrick “D-Train” Jefferson. Jefferson suffered a broken ankle during a knockdown but fought on. It was a brave act, but comical nonetheless. Afterwards Jefferson lamented,
“Who ever heard of breaking your ankle in boxing?” Maskaev had a great amateur career, and has worked his way back into title contention, earning a shot against Rahman, a fight he could easily win. The Big O said something in an interview, however, that makes me think his days are numbered.
“I have to really avoid getting hit”, was his post fight comment after beating David Defiagbon. The problem is that he will get hit. He can’t be afraid of it. He has to shake off that devastating Kirk Johnson KO loss that derailed his career, or he will never reach his full potential.
11. Joe Mesi: Anyone disagreeing with me on the inclusion of “Baby Joe” has a valid point. After all, he has been inactive for such a long time, and there is of course, the brain damage issue. However, I don’t think we have seen enough to say for sure that Mesi is finished. He is undefeated, he did take Williamson out in the first round, and he beat Monte Barrett. Also, Joe is a smart man, he seems to have his act together and this can be important when trying to develop long term strategies. In the end, I feel Mesi probably won’t rise to the top of the division. He is too small for a man with his style. Even old Bert Cooper gave him some trouble, and Mesi seemed a bit sluggish at his best.
10. John Ruiz: Every time I write about John Ruiz I feel guilty. The man has accomplished so much in his career, and yet I simply can’t stand to watch him box. The worst part is that he really wants to entertain the crowd. He actually went as far as arranging a personal meeting with Jim Lamply and Harold letterman to seek advice on being more entertaining. I remember jumping out of my chair when Golota floored him in the second round. I was surprised at my excitement, because it wasn’t pro-Golota, it was anti-Ruiz. The way Ruiz wins is ugly, but he has managed to do it against some top opposition. Ruiz is good enough to hang around at the bottom of the top ten, but chances are slim that he will ever be king, and if he was, he definately wouldn’t be known as “John the Great”. He has show that a good boxer will pick him apart, and some of the bigger men further down the list will deliver punches like Toney, but when they arrive they will deliver the real goods.
9. Nicolay Valuev: I have to say, from what I have seen of Valuev, he is impressively quick for his size. He is not nearly so lumbering as I thought he would have been given his massive bulk. However, I also thought he would hit harder. Whether the decisions were fair or not, Valuev has not been all that impressive against quality opposition, and I have noticed that despite having a head capable of causing a solar eclipse, he has been wobbled a few times. I don’t see Valuev unifying the division, but hey, you never know.
8. Calvin Brock: I am excited about “The Boxing Banker”. He is undefeated, and came off the canvas to decision Jameel “Big Time” McCline. Brock has great potential, but is still unproven, and to tell you the truth, I have a nagging feeling that Brock may get “exposed” in the near future. Despite this “intuition”, Brock is high up on the list because he is a developing fighter. He is still learning against top competition, and has some growing to do. The Brock we see now may not be the same as the Brock we see in two years time.
7. Chris Byrd: Chris Byrd should be an automatic Inductee into the hall of fame based on what he has accomplished against men as much as forty pounds heavier than him. He has faced many of the top heavyweights of the past decade, and has only lost to two men. When it comes to sheer boxing ability, Chris has been astounding. He won’t be champ though, not unless somebody blows Wladimir out big time. Chris can’t beat Wladimir, and if the road to the championship leads through Wlad, Chris won’t make it. Byrd has relied on speed, and reflexes to carry him past larger men, and it’s boxers like this that really suffer when they get older. The guys that can keep fighting competitively at advanced ages are the real power punchers. Men like George Foreman. Men like Evander Holyfield, and Chris Byrd, who don’t have that kind of pop, get taken advantage of when they slow down.
6. James Toney: I have never seen anyone so comfortable in the Ring as James Toney. The reason that he can come in and fight while being fifty pounds overweight is because he stays so calm. He doesn’t tense up, hence uses less energy. He throws wicked punches from short range, and you can tell from his demeanor that he is a natural fighter. James has the boxing skill to beat anybody, but he’d better get serious and get in shape within the next year or he’s done, if he isn’t already. James is getting older, slowing down, and in reality he’s just too small.
5. Sam Peter: I can see Sam’s ranking at this level raising a few hackles, however, let me take a moment to explain. After the Wladimir loss, everyone wrote Sam off as hype. I simply don’t believe this. Sam has HUGE power, and he has a granite chin. We all saw him wobbled by Wladimir’s left hook, but if you look close, he took some massive shots without blinking. At one point he got Klitschko in trouble, and pinned him against the ropes. Wlad unleashed a horrific straight right hand that froze Peter and halted the attack. Although it stopped the aggression, that punch would have taken the head off of most heavyweights. It surprised me that the announcers didn’t say anything because Peter’s corner started screaming at him about it when he sat down on the stool. The next round, he was up and coming forward again. That kind of chin, determination, aggression, and punching power can be deadly effective. It’s my bet that when we see Sam against some of the other top opposition, we will be impressed by the results.
4. Hasim Rahman: I don’t like ranking the Rock this high. It is only by virtue of his WBC strap that he sits at this level. He hasn’t been able to build upon his one shining moment, when he KO’d Lewis. His consistent inability to beat A level competition shows that he should be a gatekeeper, but he holds a belt. It doesn’t get talked about much, but there is a fatal flaw in the Rocks style that leaves him open to aggressive opponents. He doesn’t counter punch well. You might recall his second fight with Lewis, where Manny Steward said;
“This guy can’t counterpunch, go get him”. The very next round Lewis deposited Rahman flat on his back. Rock used to have big power, and that was the equalizer. He was always capable of ending the fight, and perhaps he still does. However, it has been awhile since we have seen it. He took out Meehan, but that was with a barrage of punches, and Meehan was still standing. The Rock’s only chance to grab the crown is to seek a quick match with Klitschko, and hope to score a KO. The road will be too long for the aging Rock if he has to fight more than once or twice to get there.
3. Lamon Brewster: I am going to start by saying that I am worried about Lamon. He takes a huge amount of punishment, and usually pulls out a victory in the end, but at what cost? It’s clear that he has good power, and incredible determination, but no matter how tough you are, heavyweight punches are going to get to you sooner or later. I know from speaking with Lamon that he is very concerned with his image. He wants to be a true champion. He told me once that he wanted to “fight like the devil”, and that’s what we all like to see in a boxer. Against Lyakhovich, Brewster looked a little out of shape and I know troubles in camp have plagued him in the past. If he can pull things together, if this loss is not the start of a downhill slide, then Lamon could become the next King.
2. Sergei Lyakhovich: I have to confess to not seeing much of Sergei, except for his performance against Brewster. I still think that Brewster was not sharp in that fight, however, fair is fair, and having won, Sergei now sits above Brewster in my rankings. I was impressed with Sergei’s ability to throw combinations, and the smarts he showed when he took a knee. He did suffer a KO loss at the hands of Maurice Harris, however, that may just be a blip on the Radar Screen. I have always thought we as boxing fans should be a little more forgiving of a loss or two. Sergei has a lot left to prove, and I don’t think he should currently rank as number two in the world. However, I feel he has more potential in the future to unify than does James Toney, or Hasim Rahman.
1. Wladimir Klitschko: None of us know what to expect when Wladimir enters the ring. We can see an incredible display of both boxing skill and power punching, or we might see a less than journeyman performance, sometimes all in the same fight. The truth is, as I have said before, I believe Wladimir Klitschko to be the most talented heavyweight on the planet. He has wicked power in both hands, a fantastic jab, and can put punches together in deadly combinations. In my opinion, Wlad’s problem hasn’t been his chin, it’s been his mind. No matter how good you are, if you can’t control your mind, if self doubt consumes you, then you’re finished, period. After his win over Byrd tonight, Wladimir said an interesting thing. He commented that maybe he was too young when he first beat Byrd, sober thinking for a man that just destroyed the number one ranked fighter in the world. Maybe now he has the mental maturity to see himself for what he is, and to realize the first bump in the road doesn’t mean disaster. He certainly showed he could rebound against Peter. Wladimir has in his possession a tool chest stocked full of all the equipment he needs to become the next King, all he has to do is set his mind to it. That puts him closer to the crown than any of his competition.
