It’s Time to Watch the Heavyweights: Mid-Year Look

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Joe Harrison - As most sports fans are aware, Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently announced his retirement from the sport of professional boxing. It is always unfortunate when any sport loses one of its biggest stars regardless of whether or not the decision was best for the athlete. This does not mean that boxing is in any danger. Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to focus more on boxing’s other stars. This is an opportunity for us to check out the heavyweight division, which is at its best since Lennox Lewis retired in 2003.

No one can really blame you if you've ignored the heavyweights over the last four or five years. In 2004 and 2005, a couple of the division’s biggest names were John Ruiz and Chris Byrd, neither of whom were crowd-pleasing boxers. Then the Eastern Europeans conquered the heavyweight division through ’06 and ’07 mainly because of names such as Valuev, Chagaev, Maskaev, and Ibragimov. We can keep those days in the past now. Today’s heavyweight scene is a little more dynamic. Not only do we have the dominance of the unified champion, IBF and WBO title-holder Wladimir Klitschko, but we also have the knockout power of the WBC champion, Samuel Peter. Then there are also those prospects who are now legitimate challengers such as Chris Arreola and Alexander Povetkin. With the addition of the undisputed cruiserweight champion, David Haye, things can get very interesting. [details]

[Dick-Sucker]

I would rather watch 50 vs 50 rank Welterweights. Than top 10 Heavyweights.

Excluding Haye.

[Kball15]

I would rather watch 50 vs 50 rank Welterweights. Than top 10 Heavyweights.

Excluding Haye.

agreed.

Haye is the man. Ill watch him fight anybody.

I will watch Klitschko-Thompson though, cause i hate Klitschko with a passion and i really hope he loses one of these days

[Dick-Sucker]

agreed.

Haye is the man. Ill watch him fight anybody.

I will watch Klitschko-Thompson though, cause i hate Klitschko with a passion and i really hope he loses one of these days

Klitschko is so boring. And he panics when he has to fight. But he picks guys that make him not fight lol.

I will probably watch Haye vs Peter though.

[The Hammer]

There's about a dozen interesting heavyweight fights coming up during the next month, for example:

Chambers vs. R. Butler
Ahunyana vs. A. Butler
Witherspoon vs. Arreola
Valuev vs. Chagaev
Wlad vs. Thompson
Fields vs. Barrett

[Kball15]

I would rather watch 50 vs 50 rank Welterweights. Than top 10 Heavyweights.

Excluding Haye.

Klitschko is so boring. And he panics when he has to fight. But he picks guys that make him not fight lol.

I will probably watch Haye vs Peter though.

Haye-Peter would be the best Heavyweight fight in years. thats a brawl. 2 mega punchers. I would pay for that in a second

[Kball15]

There's about a dozen interesting heavyweight fights coming up during the next month, for example:

Chambers vs. R. Butler
Ahunyana vs. A. Butler
Witherspoon vs. Arreola
Valuev vs. Chagaev
Wlad vs. Thompson
Fields vs. Barrett

thats half a dozen and none of them are interesting. LOL at Fields-Barrett being on the list.

Witherspoon-Arreola could be decent i guess though

[edgarg]

By Joe Harrison - As most sports fans are aware, Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently announced his retirement from the sport of professional boxing. It is always unfortunate when any sport loses one of its biggest stars regardless of whether or not the decision was best for the athlete. This does not mean that boxing is in any danger. Perhaps this is an opportunity for us to focus more on boxing’s other stars. This is an opportunity for us to check out the heavyweight division, which is at its best since Lennox Lewis retired in 2003.

No one can really blame you if you've ignored the heavyweights over the last four or five years. In 2004 and 2005, a couple of the division’s biggest names were John Ruiz and Chris Byrd, neither of whom were crowd-pleasing boxers. Then the Eastern Europeans conquered the heavyweight division through ’06 and ’07 mainly because of names such as Valuev, Chagaev, Maskaev, and Ibragimov. We can keep those days in the past now. Today’s heavyweight scene is a little more dynamic. Not only do we have the dominance of the unified champion, IBF and WBO title-holder Wladimir Klitschko, but we also have the knockout power of the WBC champion, Samuel Peter. Then there are also those prospects who are now legitimate challengers such as Chris Arreola and Alexander Povetkin. With the addition of the undisputed cruiserweight champion, David Haye, things can get very interesting. [details]

Just to point out to the writer Joe Harrison, that, although you describe Wladimir Klitschko as "dominant" and advertise Sam Peter's "knock-out power"....as a matter of accuracy Peter's KO record is just over 75% and Klitschko's KO record is just under 90% so the dominance AND KO power should be awarded to Klitschko.

Klitschko has KO'd many top 10 contenders, whereas apart from a decrepit Maskaev, Peter has KO'd mainly a collection of cripples and invalids. When he got to the better fighters his KO's rapidly came to an almost halt, and when he fought Klitschko, it was as if he was going to boxing school.

[The Hammer]

thats half a dozen and none of them are interesting. LOL at Fields-Barrett being on the list.

Right, I remember you don't like heavyweights because you're a little guy.

But since we already know how you feel about heavyweights, you don't have to make the same posts over and over again. It gets boring reading it for the 1000th time.

[edgarg]

Klitschko is so boring. And he panics when he has to fight. But he picks guys that make him not fight lol.

I will probably watch Haye vs Peter though.

Not mentioning any names, but the comments published here show up the lack of boxing knowledge of the writers. I expect they'll learn in the next few years. Klitschko is by far the most skilled practitioner of the art fighting today, certainly amongst the heavier weights.