Who are the top 5 current Heavyweight fighters in the world?

By Daniel Mcglinchey - 04/16/2013 - Comments

wladimir454By Daniel Mcglinchey: Here is a list of the top 5 boxers in the Heavyweight division-

1. Wladimir Klitschko 59- 3 (50)
Number 1 in my opinion has to be Wladimir, with an outstanding record of 59/3 with a staggering 50 knockouts, undefeated in over 9 years, taking on the best in the division, and still going strong as a world champion at 37 has him top of the list for me. His boxing stance and style seems to be working very well as a few years ago Wlad ate the mat a few times due to a suspect chin. His ability to avoid taking big shots is highly impressive. Notable wins over David Haye, Calvin Brock and Chris Byrd have him top of my list.

2. Vitali Klitschko 45-2 (41)
At number 2 is Wlad’s older brother Vitali, his slight decline over the past year has seen him slip from 1st to 2nd in my eyes. After less than impressive victories over Derek Chisora and Manuel charr last year Vitali is starting to finally show his age. None the less you cannot deny his pedigree. He and his brother have dominated the division since the retirement of Lennox Lewis nearly 10 years ago. Vitali has never really been beat, his 2 losses have came due to injuries in the fight. I see Vitali retiring at some point this year and he will undoubtedly go down as an all time great in the hw division.

3. Tyson Fury 20-0 (14)
The youngest on the list at 24, and perhaps the biggest talker with David Haye coming a close second. Tyson boasts an undefeated record of 20/0 with 14 knockouts. Standing at a massive 6 ft 9, Tyson Fury is one of the biggest fighters in the division and in my opinion one of the only heavyweights that can throw successful combinations, with a highly impressive win over Derek Chisora in 2011. People started to take notice of him as he was big underdog when the two Brits collided. Since the Chisora bout Tyson has come on leaps and bounds winning a further 5 bouts including beating the at the time undefeated Canadian Champion Neven Pajkic by TKO in the 3rd round, and more recently schooling former world title challenger Kevin Kingpin Johnson.

4. Kubrat Pulev 17-0 (9)
The unbeaten Bulgarian is on the verge of a world title shot. With highly respectable recent victories over Alexander Dimitrenko (34/2) and Alexander Ustinov (27/1), The cobra appears to have no fear and will take on anyone in his path on the road to Heavyweight glory. He is rumored to be fighting Tyson Fury in autumn if Tyson comes out on top against Steve Cunningham in his next fight. The winner is then mandatory for the IBF strap held by Wladimir. At 31, I believe Pulev has timed it just right with his ability and experience to challenge for the Heavyweight crown.

5. David Haye 26-2 (24)
At number 5 is the slickster David “Hayemaker” Haye. After unifying the Cruiserweight division in 2008, David moved up to heavyweight. Wasting no time, Haye made light work of Monte Barrett before taking the 7 footer Nikolay Valuev on for WBA heavyweight championship of the world. Rocking the giant late on but unable to topple him, The Hayemaker won via majority decision. He held the WBA title for nearly 2 years defending it against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison winning both by knockout. He then stepped up to take on Wladimir Klitschko but falling short in a very poor performance losing via unanimous decision. Since losing his WBA title over two years ago, David has been very inactive having just the one bout in July 2012, knocking out Dereck Chisora in round 5 with his speed and power being just too much for Del Boy. Many people will probably argue Haye should be higher on this list but due to his inactivity and recent comments saying he isn’t risking fighting the likes of Tyson fury or David Price, it has seen him fall down my list.



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