By Jake Donovan

The greatest complaint that came with Vitali Klitschko’s return to the ring two years ago was that it would present a scenario in which a true heavyweight king could never be established as long as he and younger brother (and current lineal champion) Wladimir were at the top of the heap.

The only way for that matter to be decided would be for the siblings to break a promise made to their mother that they would never face each other in the ring.

Given his familial situation, Vitali can be forgiven for his reluctance to challenge for what was once regarded as the sport’s highest prize. You don’t have to like it, but at least respect it.

But what the hell is everyone else’s excuse?

An ugly trend has developed in recent years, with heavyweights reaching a certain point in the rankings where they are presented with two choices: fight a Klitschko, or sit on your ranking?

Far too many have been choosing the latter, which only further contributes to the already waning interest in the land of big boys. The result has been a reshuffling of the heavyweight deck, where top fighters are losing their lofty rankings based on their refusal to accept the challenge, leaving less desirable pretenders to take their place in what ultimately becomes yet another Klitschko mismatch.

It’s the reason why Shannon Briggs is challenging for a heavyweight belt this weekend, despite having done absolutely nothing of merit since winning a strap four years ago. It’s also the reason why by this time next year, Denis Boytsov will most likely remain undefeated, but no further along in his career than he is at this present time.

Boytsov – an unbeaten Russian-born heavyweight now based out of Germany – became the latest to decline on an opportunity that could’ve led to a shot at the lineal heavyweight championship. His handlers were offered a spot in a proposed four-man elimination series, in which the winner will become a mandatory challenger to one of Klitschko’s alphabet titles (in addition to contending for the true crown), but decided to pass and take his career in a different direction.

Exactly what direction that will be remains to be seen.

For now, he joins the ranks of fighters such as David Haye and Alexander Povetkin, all of whom are top-rated heavyweights not quite ready to take their careers to the next level.

Meanwhile, fans speak with disgust over the fact that Briggs is given yet another chance at heavyweight glory, five months after equally undeserving Albert Sosnowski stood in the opposite corner of Vitali Klitschko.

The reluctance of Povetkin’s outspoken trainer Teddy Atlas to jump into the ring with Wladimir Klitschko meant that Samuel Peter somehow resurfaced to the top of the queue, and now that undefeated but somewhat untested Dereck Chisora receives a crack at the division’s top prize without much of the boxing world ever having the chance to see him in the ring.

His December 11 date with Wladimir could very well prove too much too soon for Chisora, just three years and 14 fights into his professional career. But the upside is that – should the fight prove to be more learning experience than career-killing – there is plenty of time to grow as a fighter, regardless of the end result that evening.

Short-term risk, long-term payoff. Such way of thinking is what is sorely missing in today’s division. Sure, fickle fans (and media members) will scoff at a loss at first glance, but will surely come around once said defeated fighter’s future progress is tracked.

Tony Thompson wasn’t given a lot of credit at the time of his July 2008 stoppage loss at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko. However, the D.C.-based southpaw’s effort has been far more appreciated in retrospect, once measured against those who have followed. He has only fought three times since then, none coming against legitimate Top 10 opposition, yet watches his name surface every time discussion comes about of viable heavyweight contenders.

Eddie Chambers lost to Povetkin in an IBF-sanctioned eliminator in January 2008, yet could very well receive a second shot at the title before his former rival receives his first. This despite the fact that the Philly boxer had his clocked cleaned against Klitschko earlier this year.

His willingness to participate in the aforementioned four-man tourney puts him in a good position to resurface as a mandatory contender.

The other three names mentioned are: former two-time cruiserweight king Jean-Marc Mormeck, who is on the wrong side of his prime and a long way from earning respect as a heavyweight threat; Johnathon Banks, who never panned out as a cruiserweight and appears to be even less of a threat 20 lb or so north; and Alexander Dimitrenko, whose lone loss to date was in a lopsided affair at the hands of Chambers in July 2009.

Chambers marched to Germany to twice drop Dimitrenko en route to the biggest win of his career, but was forced to wait eight months for his next fight, a severe beating at the hands of Klitschko.

Yet thanks to Boytsov and his handlers saying “Nyet” at the chance to advance from potential threat to viable contender, fans could very well be forced to live with Klitschko-Chambers II.

Given the state of the division, Chambers should be given credit for his continued willingness to challenge the best in the world, but will instead most likely be reminded of his subpar performance earlier this year if and when the day comes where he once again faces Klitschko.

Every time David Haye steps into the ring or even makes his way to headlines, he is reminded of the fact that his mouth has written several checks that his ass has yet to cash. His actions – or lack thereof – has not only deprived the sport of the few marquee fights that can be made in the division these days, but instead results in retreads like John Ruiz and now Audley Harrison receiving undeserving title shots, thanks to Haye’s current status as a paper champion.

Had he made the slightest bit of effort to back up any of his boisterous claims, this weekend could’ve possibly went a long way towards restoring glory in boxing’s most storied weight class.

Instead, the older Klitschko is involved in a perceived mismatch which follows in the footsteps of his younger brother in stateside coverage of his fight being limited to a live webcast and next-day tape delayed viewing on ESPN.

Some would suggest that a point is proven in that the Klitschkos need Haye to a certain degree, if they want to maximize their worldwide coverage. However, that point could be countered with the fact that Haye will be scratching and clawing for an expanded audience. The fight will air on pay-per-view in England, but there are no plans to broadcast in the states, with chances of securing a deal minimal at best considering what takes place later that evening (Manny Pacquiao v. Antonio Margarito).

In the spirit of ‘wait ‘till next year,’ rumors have run rampant of Vitali Klitschko possibly facing Tomasz Adamek sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Adamek has remained active, scheduled to fight for a fourth time in 2010 when he faces Vinny Maddalone on December 7 in Newark, New Jersey.

Adamek’s rate of activity has been met with praise, so much that critics completely ignore the fact that his level of competition does little to prepare the Pole for a potential crack at either Klitschko.

Should the fight materialize with Vitali, then questions will once again surface of who exactly there will be for Wladimir – the sport’s reigning king – to face.

Whoever it may be, chances are that his fight will unfairly be met with little interest to those on this side of the Atlantic. The reason for that is that stands to reason that it most likely won’t come against any of the growing number of top heavyweights who should be far more willing to answer the call.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .