By Sammy Rozenberg
Fans and experts alike are in search of the one fighter who will step up to the plate and lead the heavyweight division. Fighters who were considered midcard contenders several years ago are now heavyweight champions. Fighters who were retired from the sport are now main players. And for the first time in a very long time, there is not a single household name in the heavyweight division.
The reason there are no household names in the heavyweight division is because most of the fighters are boring in one way or another, either they have a boring personality, a boring fighting style or a combination of both. With the exception of James Toney, there is not a single heavyweight that possesses that household name combination of charisma and skill. But, Toney is not a star level household name because he is still unable to land that one big fight against one of the upper-tier heavyweights. Toney is willing to fight anyone at anytime, but nobody on top is running to meet the challenge.
Let's run down some of the top heavyweights in the world.
WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko - Has the desire, has the chin but still lacks all the tools needed to be a dominant champion. Vitali is the best out of the weak heavyweight division, but when looking at the competition around him, is he that good or is the competition that bad.
Vitali's biggest claim to fame is a losing effort against an out of shape Lennox Lewis which doesn’t say much. Needs to sharpen his skills, learn to do bodywork and needs to learn head movement. He is too easy to hit, as we have seen in his bouts with Corrie Sanders and Lennox Lewis.
IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd - A very elusive fighter, virtually no power as a heavyweight so he must rely on his boxing skills. Due to his lack of power, most fans are not interested in him or his fights. In the eyes of most people, Byrd lost his fights against Andrew Golota and Fres Oquendo.
His skills seem to be diminishing and overall he appears to be on the way down. Biggest claim to fame is a win over an injured Vitali Klitschko, a fight Klitschko was winning on the cards and could not no longer fight due to injury, not a fight that Byrd should be proud of.
WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz - One of most hated heavyweights in the history of the sport due to his fighting style. Unlike what most people seem to think by watching his knockout loss to David Tua, he has a decent chin and decent power if he catches you right on the button.
The fact that he fights with a hug and hit style makes his fights almost unbearable to watch. You have to be a one punch knockout artist like a David Tua or have the boxing skills of a Roy Jones or a James Toney. Unfortunately there are not too many heavyweights around with these kind of qualities, at least those that know how to use them. Ruiz could be around for a while.
WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster - The man came out of nowhere to defeat Wladimir Klitschko but it was Klitschko who actually defeated himself with a weak stamina. Most fans thought he had suspect skills, suspect stamina and a suspect chin, but his do or die fighting style is beginning to win over fans in a big way.
The one round knockout over Andrew Golota and his come from behind KO over Luan Krasniqi in Germany, have people screaming to see Brewster fight the top heavyweights. What a year and a few good performances can do for a fighter. Don King has given him a great marketing gimmick with the whole "Black Rocky" image and Lamon is certainly living up to his moniker.
James Toney - Has more charisma and speaking skills then the entire heavyweight division combined, has great defensive skills and knows how to get to the body. The jury is still not out on how much power he has as a heavyweight.
Lacks the determination at times to get his weight in order, always appears bloated in public appearances. Experts say he is too small to defeat the big heavyweights like the Klitschkos or Samuel Peter but time will tell if James can get everything in order and take the big guys out.
Samuel Peter - Awesome power, lack of fundamental skills and is unable to properly pace himself. Was thought of as the future of the heavyweight division and a potential leader to take boxing's biggest division into the next millennium, but he was derailed by Wladimir Klitshko. Klitschko exposed Peter as a fighter who is still too green and is vulnerable to being outboxed by the more experienced heavyweights. Still young enough to learn new skills, rework his style and become a future champion.
Hasim Rahman - At one point he seemed to be a rising star but is now at the point where every fight is a must win situation. Seems to have the number of David Tua but could not put a gameplan together to beat fighters like Oleg Maskaev and John Ruiz. Biggest claim to fame is knocking out a fat Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight crown. An "in-shape" Lewis came back to knock out Rahman to reclaim the crown several months later.
When he is good, he is good and when he is bad, he is really bad. The upcoming title shot against Vitali Klitschko is the most important fight in his career because should he lose, it will likely be the last time he lands a major title fight and he knows it.
Wladimir Klitschko - After most people wrote him off the map, the younger Klitschko is back with a brand new bag. He is no longer regarded as invincible, but his vulnerabilities have made him a far more exciting fighter to watch. We all know he could get hit, but we also know that he could hit back in a very hard way.
The most skilled big man in the division is now looking towards gaining revenge against WBO champion Lamon Brewster. Proved his heart, stamina and desire to win in his recent decision victory over Samuel Peter. He came off the deck three times, kept composed and stuck to the game plan. They key point in the fight is that he never stopped throwing punches for the full twelve rounds and still appeared fresh down the stretch.
We can now sum up why the division is in a compromised state. Where we go from here is pure speculation. Some fans are not coming along for the heavyweight ride and have focused their attention on the lower weight classes. Other fans, like myself, will stick it out with the heavyweights to see what comes. Someone usually comes along to clean up the mess sooner or later.
