By Cliff Rold

Heavyweight is interesting in 2015. Depth is developing that hasn’t been there in about a decade.  More important, the entertainment level is up.

That’s been the real issue for a lot of years.  Some point to the dominance of current champion Wladimir Klitschko, and his own varied entertainment value, as the anchor on the division.  That’s not a fair answer.

There hasn’t been a genuine classic, a rip-roaring Fight of the Year caliber war at Heavyweight, since Sergei Lyakhovich-Lamon Brewster in 2006.  There haven’t been enough big personalities to get fans chatting.  Some of Klitschko’s fights have been ugly affairs, but who else was picking up the slack near the top of the class? 

Things are looking up.  There might not be anyone to threaten Klitschko just yet, but there are established contenders (Alexander Povetkin), guys with power (Deontay Wilder), guys with big mouths and some skill (Tyson Fury and the Klitschko-deposed Kubrat Pulev), blue-chip prospects (Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker), and gritty, blue collar Heavyweights who make good TV (Carlos Takam, Bryant Jennings, Steve Cunningham, Vyacheslav Glazkov). 

It might not be the 70s or the 90s, but how many decades ever were? 

It’s a fun field right now.  That’s enough.  Will we get some fun beginning this week with Boxcino (Friday, ESPN2, 9 PM EST/6 PM PST)?    

Looking at the field of eight assembled, it’s hard to see a clear potential contender in the mix.  What we do have is some potentially compelling clashes.  There are openings to make a name, and some cash, for anyone who can emerge to be the winning, compelling figure here.
 
As a reminder, the format is simple:

• The quarterfinal fights will be six rounds;
• The semi-finals eight; and,
• The final ten rounds.
• A draw at the end of regulations means we get a sudden death round.

Here is what fans can look forward to.

Bracket One

Steve Vukosa (10-0, 4 KO) vs. Donovan Denis (10-1, 8 KO): Vukosa, of Massachusetts, is the oldest fighter in the field at 38 and one of two unbeaten men in the field. It’s hard to say what we’re going to get.  He’s not a mammoth puncher and the six-round limit should be fine for him. Two fights ago, he scored a decision over former Olympian Jason Estrada and if he can win here a rematch may emerge before this is over. Vukosa could be a fun story.  He didn’t fight for twelve years between 2002 and 2014, leaving the sport early with a knee injury.  Iowa’s Denis looked like a potential prospect early.  He’s got size, speed, and pop.  He also had a first-round knockout loss two fights ago to Nat Heaven, another potential rematch to keep an eye on. Can he continue to rebound here?  It’s hard to pick a winner here. It looks like a clash of potential finalists.      

Razvan Cojanu (12-1, 7 KO) vs. Ed Fountain (10-0, 4 KO): Could we get an all-undefeated semi-final?  The set-up is there to make it possible.  Romania’s Conjanu will have plenty to say about that.  At almost 6’8, and scaling often between 260 and 280 lbs., he’s a majority decision loss in his debut from unblemished. Conjanu may flux in weight, but he’s got some fluidity and deceptive speed for his size.  Fountain, of St. Louis, will give up at least ten pounds (he regularly fights near 250). Will his southpaw stance throw off the bigger man?  

Bracket Two

Andrey Fedosov (25-3, 20 KO) vs. Nat Heaven (9-1, 7 KO): Florida’s Heaven made a statement with his win over Denis last April.  In July of 2014, he had the same statement made against him by .500 clubber Stacy Frazier.  He makes his first start since that first-round loss against the most experienced pro in the field.  Russia’s Fedosov, who fights out of Los Angeles, was stopped on cuts by Bryant Jennings in 2013 and has thus far stuttered in general when his competition level goes up.  Only 28, this is a chance to turn his career forward.        

Lenroy Thomas (18-3, 9 KO) vs. Jason Estrada (20-5, 6 KO): On paper, this looks like it could be the least of the bouts on Friday night but there is some storyline to it. Rhode Island’s Estrada stepped in as a late sub and his only fight since 2012 is the loss to Vukosa.  At 34, this is his last chance to make something of the flashes of talent buried under a questionable commitment level over the years.  He gave Tomasz Adamek a competitive affair in 2010 and has been the distance with Povetkin.  Thomas was a stepping-stone for former Olympian Dominic Breazeale three fights ago. Can he be a step back towards relevance for Estrada on Friday?      

It’s an interesting bracket with veterans appearing to carry the favor on one side and prospects flush on the other. 

Maybe this won’t deliver a star.  Will it deliver memorable fights?  Those answers will begin to form at the opening bell.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com