How Would You Rate The Current Heavyweight Division

[edgarg]

Many people are not aware of it, but there's some talented heavyweights with good amateur pedigree who have turned pro the past couple of years:

Kubrat Pulev
Robert Helenius
David Price
Deontay Wilder
Vyacheslav Glazkov

However, they are all several fights away from a world title shot.

I enjoy this heavyweight division mainly because of its having the two ATG brothers as champions, but there's others who are decent HWs such as Boytsov, Chambers, Povetkin, Haye and Adamek.

Overall, the division is very good. The other "deep" divisions have about the same or less: two elite fighters, five contenders, five talented up-and-comers and about a dozen decent fringe contenders.

I think a lot of the negativity about the heavyweight division from the likes of Atlas and Kellerman has a lot to do with the fact that most of the best fighters are not Americans.

Much as I dislike toa gree with any guy named "Freedom Fighter" I must heartily concur. This is a first class, very perceptive post.

[nomadman]

I voted average, though it's difficult to say. I don't think the division lacks for talent. Rather, we have the situation where, with the exception of the Klits, the best simply won't challenge themselves. In the past top ten guys regularly fought each other in order to justify their ranking. Now we have guys who achieve that ranking simply by beating a string of bums and journeymen, maybe a fringe contender or two, maintain a protected 0 and then sit on their ranking until they become a mandatory for the Klits. As a result they lack experience and stern challenges and inevitably come a cropper. When the Klits retire we'll have a better guage on the state of the division as a whole. I have no doubt it'll become more competitive.

[S.G.]

Two very good champs, one shitty paper champ, a bunch of average contenders who aren't fighting each other regularly enough.

[mathed]

Absolutely atrocious. 2 dominating sibling champs and only one guy that even stands a chance to threaten them and he is afraid to fight. The rest are so out of shape that it's a joke or they are just blown up light heavies and cruisers.

[MOTHER DUCKER]

The fact that a guy who was a fringe contendar about 10+ years ago is getting shots after not doing much, a 14 fight prospect is getting shot at like 3 belts. Apart from the 2 at the top (klits) the division is garbage..

Adamek has disapointed me after a good performance vs Arreola

[RubenSonny]

I say it's solid. To say it's the worst or even close to being the worst show a lack of knowledge on the history of the sport.

Hell even if you never took the time to do the research....if you just looked at the top 10 then there is no way you can call this division terrible.

Both Klit bros are HOF fighters, then you got Adamek, Solis, Povetkin, Bostkov (sp), Haye and a few other solid contenders.

Honestly I think the Klits dominance gives a fascade that this division is bad when it's just the simple fact that their light years ahead of all the other HW's.

coming from you?

[New England]

Pretty dismal

haye and adamek are smallish but talented dudes with big followings. hell, adamek can sell ten thousand tickets fighting chumps. it should be a tremendous event should either of those guys land a big fight against a legit opponent

haye's got a suspect chin and a ton of power... always fun

and adamek is a proven warrior who will never quit

otherwise the division has a few young names with talent that still need a boatload of time (boystov and solis being the two that jump out)

and a bunch of out of shape plodders that make the sport look bad


oh yeah and i forgot to mention two aging first ballot hall of fame and truely great champions that wont fight eachother because they're brothers...

they knock everybody out and i've got to watch them on my computer because i cant see them on american television

it is that kind of division

[Jim Jeffries]

Well the fact that this guy



a 5'7", 170 lb giant

was the undisputed champ for 3 years, defending his title 11 times

but is not on anyone's even top 100 p4p lists

makes the common claim that this is "the worst division ever" seem a bit ludicrous.

[Ryn0]

The worst since the Primo Carnera was the HW champ.

There are the Kiltschkos, Haye, Adamek, Valuev and then some prospects. There are no contenders other than the ones I mentioned that come close to the top 4-5 fights.

In other divisions you have contenders that can actually threaten the champions even if the champions are excellent fighters. There is just huge a dearth of talent.

[Iceta Lives]

Spray said that when Ruiz was the #2 Heavyweight was when the division was at it's worst. Was that before or after Lennox retired?