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A lot has been made of the weakness and lack of excitment in this most prestigious of divisions. I won't say I entirely disagree, but rather than focus on its many negatives let's look at some of the highlights we've been treated to over the years. Here's my pick of the best ten heavyweight fights of the last ten years (2001 - 2010).
1. Sergei Lyakhovich vs Lamon Brewster: Lyakhovich was a fairly unknown quantity coming into this fight, and Brewster, fresh off a win of Wlad Klit, was the heavy favourite. What transpired was one of the best heavyweight fights of recent times, with both fighters laying into each other full bore from the opening bell. Lyakhovich, who reminded me a lot of Golota in this fight, repeatedly dug a hard crisp right hook into Brewster's midsection, a tactic which obviously paid dividends later in the fight. Brewster, an underrated puncher, repeatedly caught Lyakhovich with a crisp sneaky and very hard right hand which Lyakhovich, amazingly, was able to take. Both guys had their moments, with Brewster downing Lyakhovich in the 7th with a bodyshot and Lyakhovich wobbling Brewster with an overhand right late on. This fight really had everything you could hope for in a heavyweight contest, two tough chinned big punchers aiming to knock each other out, yet wary of the need to conserve energy and pick their moments. Just a great fight.
2. Vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis: pretty obvious choice this and one I won't go over too much. Safe to say it's one of the best battles of big men the division has yet seen, unfortunately marred by an ending which fans of both fighters still argue over today.
3. Vitali Klitschko vs Corrie Sanders: Sanders had just recently stunned the boxing world with a two round demolition of Wlad Klit and big bro was out for revenge. The fight had more than its share of moments, with Sanders wobbling Vitali with a hard left hook in the very first round, and coming perhaps the closest anyone has yet come to knocking him down. Vitali survived and went on to lay a vicious beating on Sanders who, though evidently gassed and out of shape, never stopped coming forward with wild dangerous shots, one of which (a bodyshot) literally lifted the 250lb Vitali off his feet. The fight ended in the 8th when a bloodied and battered Sanders, reeling against the ropes yet refusing to go down, was finally waved off by the referee. A bittersweet revenge fight (though it was the brother doing the revenging) and a brutal display of power punching from two of the biggest punchers of recent years.
4. Tyson vs Lewis: the last of the really big heavyweight events (at least until Haye Wlad) and a fight which seemed to catpure everyone's attention. In hindsight the buildup and anticipation of the event was the most exciting part as the contest itself, after a scintillating first round, developed into a one-sided destruction of an obviously faded Mike Tyson. I've listed it here not because I thought the fight was a classic, but because of its magnitude and relevance to the division, and to its shaping of both men's careers.
5. Chris Arreola vs Travis Walker: Only a three round fight but what a three rounds! No finesse, no tactics, just all out punching. What Walker lacked in skills and resilience he made up for with power, and he is to date the only man to drop Arreola. Arreola showed his guts and fighting spirit to get off the canvas and knock Walker down the very same round. Walker never recovered and was bombed out in the third.
6. Wladimir Klitschko vs Samuel Peter: this was a career defining fight for both fighters, and a must win fight for Klitschko who had suffered two bad defeats in a relatively short period of time prior to this. A loss would have destroyed his career. Peter on the other hand was considered one of the biggest punchers in the division and a man who, up to that point, was undefeated. This made it extremely tense viewing, and when Klitschko was knocked down twice in the third round it looked to be all over for him. In total, he got off the canvas three times to UD Peter in a fight which, despite an overabundance of clinching, was a tense and very back and forth affair.
7. Chris Arreola vs Tomasz Adamek: Adamek had just recently moved up and was looking to put his stamp on the heavyweight division. He couldn't have got more heavyweight than Arreola, who outweighed him by about 30lb going into the fight. In front of a pro-Mexican crowd, Adamek used his superior speed and technique to dance about the lumbering Arreola peppering him with shots whilst avoiding return shots of his own. Arreola in turn pressed forward throwing wild but damaging haymakers. Every time he connected he seemed to shake Adamek to his boots, and several of his punches literally sent Adamek reeling into the ropes. This was a real David and Goliath fight, and Goliath looked to be winning in the 7th when Adamek began stumbling all over the ring, aparently badly rattled. Turned out to be a false alarm though, as the sole on Adamek's shoe had come off. After his corner taped it up (a pretty good makeshift effort) he began to widen the gap once more on the scorecards. In the tenth or eleveth Arreola suddenly grimaced with pain, after a right hand bounced off the top of Adamek's head. Bloodied and battered, he continued bulling forward throwing puncheswith the injured hand, one of which made him double over in pain. Adamek closed out the show with a close MD and the fighters then proceeded to give two of the most entertaining post-fight interviews I've ever heard.
8. Samuel Peter vs James Toney: a perfect style matchup, the sublimely talented but undersized Toney versus the crude but powerful Peter. Toney displayed an incredible chin and head movement to negate Peter's best shots and counter them with ease. Peter's aggression and natural strength eventually won out in a close and some say controversial decision victory. The rematch is also worth watching, though far more one-sided.
9. Martin Rogan vs Sam Sexton 1: I've always been a fan of Rogan who simply epitomises the sport of boxing at its basest and most brutal. Unfrontunately it was his lack of brutality which lost him this fight to the decent but beatable Sam Sexton. Rogan was the fan favourite and odds on favourite, and there was a real sense of excitement about this everyman who, against overwhelming odds, had beaten the much touted Harrison and then KOed the seemingly unknockoutable Matt Skelton. As is typical of British domestic bouts, the atmosphere was electric, more like a dogpit than a boxing arena. The crowd soon calmed after Sexton weathered the early assaults of Rogan and began to pepper him with his jab which openend up a welt under the Irishman's left eye which began to swell alarmingly. Sexton looked to be a sure winner after Rogan was checked over by the doctor. It looked to be all over in a round or so... when the Englishman was suddenly hurt and stunned by an incredible comeback onslaught from Rogan that brought the crowd to their feet! Sexton looked to be out of it. Bafflingly, Rogan, who had a free shot at Sexton's chin, didn't take it since he noticed that Sexton's mouthpiece was out. The few seconds allowed Sexton to recover enough for the doctors to intervene and stop the fight in his favour. Massive disappointment for the Irish Rocky, Cinderella Man whatever you want to call him, and an end to one of the most exciting and tumultuous heavyweight careers in recent memory.
10. Eddie Chambers vs Calvin Brock: quite an underrated and little known fight this. Like Guinn, Brock was once considered a top American prospect but only the previous year had suffered a devastating 6th round KO at the hands of Wlad Klit. Nonetheless, he was considered the favourite going in against the relatively little known Eddie Chambers. Brock had his moments in the early rounds, swarming the defensive Chambers with every punch he could throw, including some hard bodyshots. It was a good tactic, but Chambers, showing great defence and risilience, began to come back in the mid rounds, with sharp stinging shots that had the much larger man in Brock backing up. Chambers managed to damage Brock's eye with his jab (an injury that would unfortunately prove to be career ending) but the valiant Brock kept coming forward, mounting an aggressive offence in the 10th and 11th that might have turned the tide had it come earlier in the fight. Ultimately, the crisper smarter boxer in Chambers prevailed, winning a split decision. Check out Chambers Guinn as well, for a nice technical matchup.
So there we go. My top ten heavyweight fights of the last ten years. This is by no means a definitive list, and you're of course free to agree or disagree with any of my choices, placings etc. Bear in mind I've chosen the above on a couple of different criteria, including excitement, skill, relevance to the division, crossroads fights and so on.
1. Sergei Lyakhovich vs Lamon Brewster: Lyakhovich was a fairly unknown quantity coming into this fight, and Brewster, fresh off a win of Wlad Klit, was the heavy favourite. What transpired was one of the best heavyweight fights of recent times, with both fighters laying into each other full bore from the opening bell. Lyakhovich, who reminded me a lot of Golota in this fight, repeatedly dug a hard crisp right hook into Brewster's midsection, a tactic which obviously paid dividends later in the fight. Brewster, an underrated puncher, repeatedly caught Lyakhovich with a crisp sneaky and very hard right hand which Lyakhovich, amazingly, was able to take. Both guys had their moments, with Brewster downing Lyakhovich in the 7th with a bodyshot and Lyakhovich wobbling Brewster with an overhand right late on. This fight really had everything you could hope for in a heavyweight contest, two tough chinned big punchers aiming to knock each other out, yet wary of the need to conserve energy and pick their moments. Just a great fight.
2. Vitali Klitschko vs Lennox Lewis: pretty obvious choice this and one I won't go over too much. Safe to say it's one of the best battles of big men the division has yet seen, unfortunately marred by an ending which fans of both fighters still argue over today.
3. Vitali Klitschko vs Corrie Sanders: Sanders had just recently stunned the boxing world with a two round demolition of Wlad Klit and big bro was out for revenge. The fight had more than its share of moments, with Sanders wobbling Vitali with a hard left hook in the very first round, and coming perhaps the closest anyone has yet come to knocking him down. Vitali survived and went on to lay a vicious beating on Sanders who, though evidently gassed and out of shape, never stopped coming forward with wild dangerous shots, one of which (a bodyshot) literally lifted the 250lb Vitali off his feet. The fight ended in the 8th when a bloodied and battered Sanders, reeling against the ropes yet refusing to go down, was finally waved off by the referee. A bittersweet revenge fight (though it was the brother doing the revenging) and a brutal display of power punching from two of the biggest punchers of recent years.
4. Tyson vs Lewis: the last of the really big heavyweight events (at least until Haye Wlad) and a fight which seemed to catpure everyone's attention. In hindsight the buildup and anticipation of the event was the most exciting part as the contest itself, after a scintillating first round, developed into a one-sided destruction of an obviously faded Mike Tyson. I've listed it here not because I thought the fight was a classic, but because of its magnitude and relevance to the division, and to its shaping of both men's careers.
5. Chris Arreola vs Travis Walker: Only a three round fight but what a three rounds! No finesse, no tactics, just all out punching. What Walker lacked in skills and resilience he made up for with power, and he is to date the only man to drop Arreola. Arreola showed his guts and fighting spirit to get off the canvas and knock Walker down the very same round. Walker never recovered and was bombed out in the third.
6. Wladimir Klitschko vs Samuel Peter: this was a career defining fight for both fighters, and a must win fight for Klitschko who had suffered two bad defeats in a relatively short period of time prior to this. A loss would have destroyed his career. Peter on the other hand was considered one of the biggest punchers in the division and a man who, up to that point, was undefeated. This made it extremely tense viewing, and when Klitschko was knocked down twice in the third round it looked to be all over for him. In total, he got off the canvas three times to UD Peter in a fight which, despite an overabundance of clinching, was a tense and very back and forth affair.
7. Chris Arreola vs Tomasz Adamek: Adamek had just recently moved up and was looking to put his stamp on the heavyweight division. He couldn't have got more heavyweight than Arreola, who outweighed him by about 30lb going into the fight. In front of a pro-Mexican crowd, Adamek used his superior speed and technique to dance about the lumbering Arreola peppering him with shots whilst avoiding return shots of his own. Arreola in turn pressed forward throwing wild but damaging haymakers. Every time he connected he seemed to shake Adamek to his boots, and several of his punches literally sent Adamek reeling into the ropes. This was a real David and Goliath fight, and Goliath looked to be winning in the 7th when Adamek began stumbling all over the ring, aparently badly rattled. Turned out to be a false alarm though, as the sole on Adamek's shoe had come off. After his corner taped it up (a pretty good makeshift effort) he began to widen the gap once more on the scorecards. In the tenth or eleveth Arreola suddenly grimaced with pain, after a right hand bounced off the top of Adamek's head. Bloodied and battered, he continued bulling forward throwing puncheswith the injured hand, one of which made him double over in pain. Adamek closed out the show with a close MD and the fighters then proceeded to give two of the most entertaining post-fight interviews I've ever heard.
8. Samuel Peter vs James Toney: a perfect style matchup, the sublimely talented but undersized Toney versus the crude but powerful Peter. Toney displayed an incredible chin and head movement to negate Peter's best shots and counter them with ease. Peter's aggression and natural strength eventually won out in a close and some say controversial decision victory. The rematch is also worth watching, though far more one-sided.
9. Martin Rogan vs Sam Sexton 1: I've always been a fan of Rogan who simply epitomises the sport of boxing at its basest and most brutal. Unfrontunately it was his lack of brutality which lost him this fight to the decent but beatable Sam Sexton. Rogan was the fan favourite and odds on favourite, and there was a real sense of excitement about this everyman who, against overwhelming odds, had beaten the much touted Harrison and then KOed the seemingly unknockoutable Matt Skelton. As is typical of British domestic bouts, the atmosphere was electric, more like a dogpit than a boxing arena. The crowd soon calmed after Sexton weathered the early assaults of Rogan and began to pepper him with his jab which openend up a welt under the Irishman's left eye which began to swell alarmingly. Sexton looked to be a sure winner after Rogan was checked over by the doctor. It looked to be all over in a round or so... when the Englishman was suddenly hurt and stunned by an incredible comeback onslaught from Rogan that brought the crowd to their feet! Sexton looked to be out of it. Bafflingly, Rogan, who had a free shot at Sexton's chin, didn't take it since he noticed that Sexton's mouthpiece was out. The few seconds allowed Sexton to recover enough for the doctors to intervene and stop the fight in his favour. Massive disappointment for the Irish Rocky, Cinderella Man whatever you want to call him, and an end to one of the most exciting and tumultuous heavyweight careers in recent memory.
10. Eddie Chambers vs Calvin Brock: quite an underrated and little known fight this. Like Guinn, Brock was once considered a top American prospect but only the previous year had suffered a devastating 6th round KO at the hands of Wlad Klit. Nonetheless, he was considered the favourite going in against the relatively little known Eddie Chambers. Brock had his moments in the early rounds, swarming the defensive Chambers with every punch he could throw, including some hard bodyshots. It was a good tactic, but Chambers, showing great defence and risilience, began to come back in the mid rounds, with sharp stinging shots that had the much larger man in Brock backing up. Chambers managed to damage Brock's eye with his jab (an injury that would unfortunately prove to be career ending) but the valiant Brock kept coming forward, mounting an aggressive offence in the 10th and 11th that might have turned the tide had it come earlier in the fight. Ultimately, the crisper smarter boxer in Chambers prevailed, winning a split decision. Check out Chambers Guinn as well, for a nice technical matchup.
So there we go. My top ten heavyweight fights of the last ten years. This is by no means a definitive list, and you're of course free to agree or disagree with any of my choices, placings etc. Bear in mind I've chosen the above on a couple of different criteria, including excitement, skill, relevance to the division, crossroads fights and so on.