By Joe Harrison
 
The heavyweight division has slightly changed over the last twelve months. Champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko remain at the top, but other faces were either promoted or demoted in the division’s rankings. Also, we witnessed the arrival of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, who stopped veteran Andrew Golota in his first heavyweight win. Old faces returned such as Shannon Briggs and David Tua, although Briggs is currently suspended since he tested positive for a banned substance in his return bout against Marcus McGee on December 3rd. It was originally a 1st-round knockout win for Briggs, but was eventually changed to a no contest.

There is also a new WBA titleholder in former cruiserweight champion David Haye. Although Haye failed to step into the ring with both Klitschko brothers, he was able to face and defeat Nikolai Valuev on November 7th. While some fans were eager to see Valuev dethroned of heavyweight gold, the fashion of Haye’s victory left a sour taste for many spectators that evening. For most of the bout, Haye was on the run in hopes to avoid any possible attack from his giant opponent. In the end, neither man looked impressive; therefore, heavyweight fans need to hang back to see what developments take place in 2010.

While Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin are still among the top challengers in the division, names like Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Ruslan Chagaev and Alexander Dimitrenko must climb their way back up. On the other hand, Cristobal Arreola and Tony Thompson are already back on the rise in hopes of landing another shot at heavyweight gold.

At the moment, some intriguing heavyweight match-ups have already been scheduled for the year’s first few months. In February, Tomasz Adamek will enter his second heavyweight bout against prospect Jason Estrada. In March, heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko defends his throne against Eddie Chambers. Plus, David Tua looks to face Friday Ahunanya on a March date in New Zealand.

As we look forward to these upcoming contests, let’s take a look at my current top ten names in the division.

1. Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) – With only 1 fight in 2009, “Dr. Steelhammer” was relatively inactive, scoring a stoppage over Ruslan Chagaev in June. On March 20th, he is expected to face his mandatory challenger Eddie Chambers. If victorious, Wladimir will likely face his other mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.

2. Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) – Unlike his brother, “Dr. Ironfist” was very active in 2009, facing three opponents and stopping two of them. He made it look easy against Juan Carlos Gomez, Cristobal Arreola and Kevin Johnson; however, he went the distance for only the second time in his professional career while facing Johnson. Was Johnson’s style of backing up and hiding simply too effective, or is Vitali’s age (38) beginning to catch up with him? 
 
3. David Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) – Even if he failed to look impressive in his win against Nikolai Valuev, “Hayemaker” has earned the right of being called WBA Champion. Next, he will face his mandatory opponent in John Ruiz, on April 3.

4. Alexander Povetkin (18-0, 13 KOs) – Povetkin stayed busy with a lackluster decision-win over Jason Estrada last April, but followed up with a 3rd-round knockout over Leo Nolan in December. With trainer Teddy Atlas behind him, Povetkin looks to make 2010 his year.
 
5. Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) – Keeping the loss against Alexander Povetkin in the past, “Fast” Eddie is back on the hunt. Last March, Chambers scored a majority decision victory over Samuel Peter, and then he defeated Alexander Dimitrenko last July. He will have plenty on his plate when he faces Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title in March.
 
6. Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1, 17 KOs) – In his last bout, the “White Tyson” certainly did not live up to his name. Since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, Chagaev has been inactive. If he fights again in 2010, he could be a tough foe for any opponent. There was talk of him facing Kali Meehan in a WBA eliminator, but nothing is confirmed as of yet.

7. Nikolai Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs) – After losing his WBA title to David Haye, “The Russian Giant” may get another title shot in his very next bout. It appears that Valuev may be the next challenger for Vitali Klitschko and his WBC heavyweight title. If the fight is made, it can make for an interesting battle between two giants.   

8. Cristobal Arreola (28-1, 25 KOs) – Although he failed to make a dent in Vitali Klitschko, “The Nightmare” got right back on track and scored a knockout over Brian Minto last month. Arreola now looks to continue his path back toward the championship picture. It appears he may face Tomasz Adamek in April. 

9. Tony Thompson (33-2, 21 KOs) – Keeping his loss to Wladmir Klitschko in the past, “The Tiger” has two straight knockout victories over unheralded Adnan Serin and top prospect Chazz Witherspoon. It may not happen any time soon, but Thompson would like to face Cristobal Arreola in a battle between two top-ranked contenders. 

10. Denis Boytsov (27-0, 22 KOs) – This unbeaten heavyweight continues his streak of domination. Since his big knockout win over Taras Bidenko last June, Boytsov has knockout wins over Jason Gavern and Kevin Montiy. If he can just find a way to face a bigger name, his path to heavyweight gold will shrink considerably.
 

Other Notable Mentions:

Alexander Dimitrenko (29-1, 19 KOs) – After losing to Eddie Chambers last July, “Sascha” has not stepped into the ring. He was scheduled to face Luan Krasniqi last November, but the bout was cancelled. What lies ahead for Dimitrenko now?   

Samuel Peter (33-3, 26 KOs) – Coming off two consecutive losses, “The Nigerian Nightmare” is back to his winning ways. His last three bouts were all early knockouts over Marcus McGee, Ronald Bellamy and Gabe Brown. Next, he will face Maskaev-conqueror Nagy Aguilera in March.

John Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 KOs) – After losing to Nikolai Valuev for the second time in 2008, “The Quietman” scored a win over Adnan Serin last November. Apparently, the win was enough to earn Ruiz another shot at the WBA title. Can Ruiz halt the David Haye express when they finally meet? 

Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) – Since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, “The Rainman” has four straight victories, including stoppages over Andrew Golota and DaVarryl Williamson. At the age of 39, Austin better stay busy if he hopes to land another title shot.