The Heavyweight State of Affairs III

By Ivan Ivanov - 08/09/2013 - Comments

pulev5By Ivan Ivanov: The heavyweight division may have to be reinvented to make it marketable and if this means reinventing professional boxing, it may take a while. Mike Tyson once said in an interview that boxing must be taken over by the government so that it can get back to normalcy.

This may be extreme and Tyson may have changed his mind since he started a promotional enterprise of his own but some changes may be overdue. The first one I would suggest is revising the 200 lbs limit. The heavyweight division originated as 160 pounds/72.6 kg plus, then changed to 175 lbs/79.5 kg, then it was modified to over 200 pounds/90.8 kg to reflect human acceleration.

Today there are heavyweight boxers at a fit fighting weight of 250 pounds and over. When a 220 pounder fights a 250 pounder, it’s like a super-middleweight fighting a cruiser-weight or like Floyd Mayweather vs. Bernard Hopkins/Adonis Stevenson or Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Andre Ward/Carl Froch. Tyson was 216 lbs when he won the title and Holyfield was 215 lbs for the first Tyson fight. With the current weight limit we will watch heavyweight mismatches more and more often.

All roads lead to the Klitschkos today as they hold all the major titles. Let’s have a quick review of their possible opponents, mandatory and voluntary:

Kubrat Pulev is perceived by some as a legitimate threat but I can hardly think of a scenario in which “The Cobra” could hurt or surprise in way Wladimir Klitschko. If Pulev gets by Thompson, which he probably will, he’ll be a mandatory challenger for Wlad’s IBF title and this should be a good fight. Vitali has not expressed interest in fighting Pulev who has become the most avoided heavyweight.

Alexander Povetkin is an experienced boxer with stellar amateur experience and he is undefeated. Chagaev, Rahman, Chris Byrd and Eddie Chambers are the notable names on his record, but his toughest fight recently was against Marco Huck, a cruiser-weight. Povetkin easily out-boxed Huck but faded badly in the later rounds and only his amateur boxing skills allowed him to hold it together till the final bell. He needs a miracle on Oct. 5 this year when he faces Wladimir in Moscow.

Tyson Fury is still an up-and-comer before his fight with Haye. I did not understand why he refused to fight Kubrat Pulev in the IBF eliminator and possibly face Wladimir Klitschko if he wins. He either has decided to wait out the Klitschkos like everybody else or he doesn’t like the idea of fighting Pulev. In any case, this is not the fighting spirit you would expect from a future champ. The fighting spirit is a rare commodity these days.

David Haye is no joke as a boxer but he is not ranked and frankly he does not belong in the title mix. He is pushing for a fight with Vitali like a predator singles out old and sick prey, but he is the prey whether he knows it or not. The best fight for him out there is Odlanier Solis.

Odlanier Solis is perhaps the most gifted boxer in the heavyweight division and he has the most versatile offensive, defensive and tactical skills. As an amateur he has dominated both Haye and Kubrat Pulev. If he finds it in his heart to get in shape and lose 30 pounds, he’ll be my favorite. He is too small for the Klitschkos but everyone else will have to change their immediate plans. Solis has not been in shape for years and I don’t know why he does it to himself.

Deontay Wilder is an unknown quantity and his fight with Liakovich will not answer a lot of questions if he wins. In the unlikely event he loses the fight will answer all questions but he should have an easy time winning it.
There are other ranked contenders as well, if you think someone else deserves to be mentioned, go ahead.



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