By James Hardiman: For the last seven years the Heavyweight Division has been completely dominated by the WBC Champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2-40 ko’s) and his younger brother, the WBA, WBO, IBF & IBO Champion Wladimir Klitschko (56-3-49 Ko’s).

Many have stepped into the ring with a Klitschko only to be blasted out of there in similar fashion whilst barely landing a shot in the process. Neither brother has really been challenged since they was last defeated (Vitali stopped on cuts against then champion Lennox Lewis way back in 2003 and a gassed out Wladimir in the 5th round against Lamon Brewster back in 2004). Vitali has dismantled everything in front of him since coming out of retirement in 2008, pummeling Sam Peter into submission to capture the WBC title and hasn’t took a meaningful hit since his slugfest with the awkward and hard-hitting South African southpaw Corrie Sanders back in 2004.

Other then a difficult points victory over Peter back in 2005, Wladimir has also Cruised past all comers with relative ease and it is hard to see anyone currently fighting in this division with the resources to stop them.

With that in mind however, Vitali isn’t getting any younger and with nothing left to prove, could well retire after a couple more fights. Wladimir, although 5 years Vitali’s junior and still at the peak of his game may not stick around for too much longer either.

No one other then beefed up Cruiserweights seem to want a fight with him at the moment. If he beats Former WBA, WBC Cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck on December 10th in Germany as he is expected to do, where does he go from there?

So if the hypothetical curtain called on the Klitschko Brothers dominating career tomorrow, who has the potential to unify the division?

Current WBA regular champ Alexander Povetkin (22-0-15 KO’s) will be the first in line for a shot. Povetkin, who fights Cedric Boswell in Helsinki on December 3rd, is a very good inside fighter, has a very nice uppercut that he uses very effectively. He also has a decent defence but a lack of height and reach may see him struggle against taller opponents who like to constantly throw a jab.

WBO Intercontinental Champion Robert Helenius (16-0-11 KO’s) in many eyes is the best upcoming fighter in the division and knocking out 3 former world champions suggests he is not to be taken lightly. The ‘Nordic Nightmare’, who takes on Derek Chisora in Helsinki on December 3rd, has explosive punch power as seen in the fight against Siarhei Liakhovich back in August.

Helenius unloaded a fierce flurry of head shots that ripped up Liakhovich’s face prompting the ref to jump in and stop the fight. He needs to work on his jab and footwork to really complete his game but is already showing a lot of promise.

So what about Vitali’s last two victims? Former IBF & IBO cruiserweight and WBC light heavyweight champion Tomasz Adamek (44-2-28 KO’s) was beaten to a pulp in a 10th round stoppage to Vitali back in September and looked completely out of his depth. However, will he fancy his chances at Heavyweight once Dr Ironfist hangs up his gloves? Adamek is a very brave fighter and has a solid chin but doesn’t seem to have the size or power to compete against taller opponents and with only a 75″ reach, will have to try and get on the inside to do damage. He will have big problems trying to do this against bigger, stronger opponents.

Then we move over to Cuban Odlanier Solis (17-1-12 KO’s) who was stopped due to a knee injury in the first round against Vitali handing him his first defeat. Many feel Solis had Vitali’s number in the round prior to the injury and would of gone on to give him trouble if the fight had of carried on. This writer doesn’t think this was the case and believes Vitali was using the round to feel out Solis and would of gone on to stop him in the later rounds but Solis did show there is something about him.

He has a very awkward style, almost reverting to a Peek-a-Boo stance at times then unloading a very quick burst of punches before retiring back. His movement also seems slightly unorthodox. His downfall, other then his lack of height, is his fitness. You get the impression that Solis doesn’t care about his training very much. He has trouble controlling his weight and if your overweight, you dramatically enhance your chances of getting an injury and if your carrying an injury it is going to dramatically reduce your chances of winning.

Tyson Fury (17-0-12 KO’s) is a man who everyone has been talking about lately and hopes that with a certain amount of press around him and a lot of interest in his fights, he will be fast tracked to a world title shot in the near future. Fury’s best bet however, is to forget about the Klitschko’s and build his way up, trying to start a legacy of his own. Whilst he has a big height advantage and does carry a certain amount of power, there is just too many weaknesses in his game at this present time. He needs to work overtime on improving his defence and footwork or he will not be going very far at all in this division. At 6’9, he shouldn’t be letting opponents, especially far shorter guys like Neven Pajkic, get anywhere near him and yet, because he hardly throws meaningful jabs, lets opponents get inside far too easily and looks all over the place once hes trading blows at close quarters.

Allowing an opponent with only 5 KO’S in 16 fights knock him to the canvass so early in the fight worries me and with a big chunk of the British fight fans already throwing their weight behind rival and also unbeaten David Price (11-0-9 KO’s), a loss at this stage in his career could end a lot of interest in him.

On the other side of the pond, American contender Deontay Wilder (19-0-19 KO’s) is quickly emerging as the nations new hope in the Heavyweight division. Wilder has alot going for him. He’s very tall, has a huge reach, he’s athletic, fast and carry’s a lot of power, knocking every one of his opponents out early. My issue with wilder is how he will cope when he eventually comes up against a dangerous opponent who will happily go for 12 rounds and actually carries enough power and skill to cause Wilder problems along the way. There is no doubt Wilder has all the necessary weapons to give anyone something to think about but if he keeps getting spoon fed 3rd and even 4th tier opponents that hes going out all cylinders on within 4 rounds, he may find himself overwhelmed and could gas out when he fights someone who can fight back.

There are others who may like there chances of a shot sometime in the near future.

Alexander Dimitrenko, Tony Thompson, Mike Perez, Mariusz Wach, Denis Boystov to name a few. Who knows, maybe even Former WBA champ David Haye (25-2-23 KO’s) will see this as an easy opportunity to get hold of a belt and another paycheck!

Do any of the above have the skill and power to dominate this division or will the Klitschko machine oil its hinges and destroy everything in its path until the end of time?