By Sammy Rozenberg

The battle between the United States and the Soviet Bloc was once again on display in Las Vegas, as two undefeated heavyweight contenders clashed to prove their worth in a wide open division.

A lively crowd at Caesars Palace's Open Air Roman Amphitheater in Las Vegas, saw Calvin Brock (29-0, 22 KOs) hand fellow undefeated heavyweight Timur Ibragimov (21-1-1, 13 KOs) the first loss of his pro career.

The fight was far from pretty, with both fighters being hesitant to trade punches and holding excessively. Ibragimov was rocked by the right hands of Brock in at least three of the twelve rounds, but Brock never pulled the trigger on pursuing the knockout.

The crowd voiced their displeasure often, and the lack of action was of no surprise to Brock.

"I told (promoter) Carl Moretti when the fight was first made that this could be a stinker," said Brock, from Charlotte, N.C. "Listen, the guy is a safety-first boxer and its not easy to knock out a guy like that."

The scores were 119-109, 117-111 and 115-113, all for Brock. It may have been a mistake by the promoters to hold the event in an outdoor arena when the heat exceeded 100 F. The heavy amount of heat made both fighters spend minor amounts of energy in each passing round.

It was another win for Brock, but far from the showcase that he, HBO and Main Events wanted.

The division has been wide open since Lennox Lewis left the sport in 2004. Since the departure of Lewis, every fighter that the networks and boxing writers labeled as his successor, have been exposed as nothing more than ordinary.

The long rule of American heavyweights is over for the moment. Talented fighters from the former Soviet Union have taken the heavyweight division by force. Given the current decline of boxing programs in the U.S., interest from individuals to enter the sport and lack of talented amateurs, it may be quite a while before American fighters begin to make major noise in the heavyweight division. 

To make matters worse for any talented American contenders moving up, undefeated contenders with talent from eastern Europe are there to greet them. Some of the current undefeated contenders from across the ocean are Sultan Ibragimov, Alexander Povetkin, Alexander Dimitrenko and Ruslan Chagaev.

Currently, three fighters from the former Soviet Union are holding major heavyweight titles, with WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman facing another fighter from the Soviet Bloc, Oleg Maskaev on August 12. Maskaev already holds a knockout victory over Rahman, and promises a repeat performance. The powerful Russian sent Rahman flying through the ropes for a knockout win in the 8th round of 1999 bout in Atlantic City.

The other titleholders include WBO heavyweight champion Sergei Liakhovich, IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko and WBA champion Nikolai Valuev. All three of the eastern European heavyweight champions are physically big fighters that will not be easy to beat for any of the current crop of contenders.

The road for Liakhovich appears to be a possible rematch with the man he beat for his WBO title, Lamon Brewster or a bout against Mike Tyson conqueror, Kevin McBride. Nikolai Valuev is recovering from knee surgery, but his promoter Don King hopes to land the seven-foot monster on American soil in a September bout that King hopes to stage in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Wladimir Klitscho, rejuvenating his career with victories over Samuel Peter and Chris Byrd, is slated to face knockout artist Shannon Briggs on November 11.

Calvin Brock does appear ready to face any of current title holders and should not make the mistake of once-beaten contender Samuel Peter, by moving up too fast before he is ready. He should at least have two or three more bouts against other top rated contenders. An opponent like Monte Barrett, Fres Oquendo, Dominick Guinn or Ray Austin could do wonders in preparing him for a title shot against any of the current champions.

On the undercard

A battle of undefeated welterweights produced a major upset within the division. Carlos Quintana (23-0, 18 KOs) kept his win streak alive by scoring a dominating win over hot prospect Joel Julio (27-1, 24 KOs). In the first round, Julio scored a flash knockdown on Quintana and appeared to be the aggressor in the fight. As the played out, Quintana used his boxing skills and slick southpaw style to dominate the majority of the rounds.

The scores were 117-111, 115-112, 118-110, all for Quintana. The victory made Quintana the number one contender to the WBA welterweight title. He will face the win of the upcoming battle between WBA welterweight champion Ricky Hatton and mandatory contender Oktay Urkal.

Eleazar Contreras (28-4-2, 10KOs) fought his way to an eight round split decision over Dorin Spivey (32-4, 23KOs). The scores were Contreras 77-75, Contreras 79-73, and Spivey 78-74.

Undefeated bantamweight Raul Martinez (15-0, 11 KOs) went through Alex Becerra (18-4, 8 KOs) in under two minutes of the first round.