By Eric Schmidt: In making a survey of the top heavyweight challengers in boxing, one name seems to stand out above all of them, the undefeated Alexander Dimtrenko (27-0, 17 KOs), ranked # 2 in the World Boxing Organization. At 25, Dimitrenko appears on the brink of finally challenging for the WBO heavyweight title perhaps as early as late 2008 or perhaps 09. It seems as if it’s about time for the 6’7″ Ukrainian, who has had an easy time sailing threw his over-matched opposition thus far in his still early career.
Up to this point, Dimitrenko has been matched soft, his management keeping him away from the tougher fighters in the heavyweight division, making sure that they bring him up the correct way by increasing his opposition in small increments rather than all at once.
Of the current heavyweights in the division, Dimitrenko is probably the most gifted athletically, being able to move around the ring and throw punches from angles that most heavyweights are incapable of. Perhaps the fighter that he most closely compares to would be Wladimir Klitschko, the International Boxing Federation heavyweight champion, who just happens to also come from Ukraine. Dimitrenko moves a lot like Kltschko, but is much more comfortable fighting on the inside than Wladimir, mostly due to Dimitrenko’s excellent uppercut.
We saw Dimitrenko’s skillful inside fighting technique on display in his most recent fight, a 12-round TKO of the 6’6″ 253 Lb Timo Hoffmann, whom he fought on October 17th. The fight was arguably the best heavyweight bout of 2007, with both fighter trading shots from start to finish.
On a number of occasions, in particular after Hoffmannwould land some decent shots, Dimitrenko would blast away at Hoffmann on the inside with fast flurries and shut him down. It was especially impressive, because it reminded me somewhat of a young version of Riddick Bowe the way that Dimitrenko would mix in uppercuts when in close. The only difference, however, was that Bowe never moved around the ring like Dimitrenko could and didn’t have a jab as nearly as good.
In comparison’s to the other non heavyweight champions in the division, for example, Eddie Chambers, Alexander Povetkin, Tony Thompson and Nikolay Valuev, Dimitrenko appears the far better overall fighter. Not only does he have size, power and reach over the other top contenders, he seems to have much better boxing skills than any of them. Perhaps it’s his upbringing in the former Soviet Union, where Dimitrenko was a young amateur star, which appears to have given him more polish and tools than the older heavyweights.
Though Dimitrenko gets less press than Russian fighter Povetkin, that only seems to be the case because of the fact that Dimitrenko hasn’t been rushed as quickly as Povetkin has been. However, I think Dimitrenko would easily handle Povetkin if they were to be matched up, as he would let the slower, weaker Povetkin land over and over without firing back his own shots.
And, unlike Chambers, who tired out quickly after only four rounds, Dimitrenko would still be launching salvos at Povetkin way past the midpoint of the fight. Povetkin would be in for a tough time, and would have to show something special, like some still unforeseen power if he wanted to keep from getting his unbeaten record tarnished with a loss from Dimitrenko.
Both Chambers and Povetkin would likely be too small to compete with Dimitrenko, who is actually more of a legitimate super heavyweight than the smallish Chambers and Povetkin. For them, they would do best to consider losing some weight around their midsection’s and perhaps consider strongly moving down to the cruiserweight division where they’d be much more of a threat.