Heavily Weighing the Heavyweights

by Bill Jessup, Blast Furnace Brawler

On June 20, a new lineal heavyweight champ was crowned for the first time since 2004. The problem was nobody cared.

The bout -- originally scheduled between Wladimir Klitschko and former cruiserweight champion David Haye -- was slated for HBO’s World Championship Boxing. However, when the boisterous Brit backed out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by No. 3 heavyweight Ruslan Chagaev, HBO dropped the fight.

Why?

Well, for those who watched the fight (or any Klitschko fight, for that matter), it was obvious: It was standard boring Klitschko. Through a systematic destruction of his opponent, Klitschko won by 10th-round TKO. The fight should have never lasted that long.

Klitschko had broken Chagaev's will by the sixth, and he continued to punish Chagaev with jabs and straight right hands for three more rounds until the bout was stopped one second into round 10.

I half expected Dr. Steelhammer to stand in the center of the ring and scream, “What? Are you not entertained?” However, much like Proximo told Maximus: “Listen to me. Learn from me. I was not the best because I killed quickly. I was the best because the crowd loved me. Win the crowd and you will win your freedom.”

Klitschko needs to look at the great heavyweights and understand why they were great. They brought an entertainment factor, whether it was Muhammad Ali with his words outside the ring and skill inside it or Mike Tyson delivering brutal knockouts.

Klitschko will never achieve greatness until he can bring an entertainment value to the ring. Haye would have delivered that.

For nearly two years Haye has created the biggest buzz in the heavyweight division without even throwing a punch. The world wanted to see what -- if anything -- Klitschko would do differently against Haye and whether Haye’s insults and total disrespect for Klitschko and older brother Vitali had affected Wladimir as much as it seemed.

To quote Yogi Berra, “Ninety percent of this game is half-mental” If Haye was able to get into the head of Klitschko before the bell even rang, what would happen in the squared circle? Would Klitschko’s methodical jab be replaced by wild haymakers intended to remove the Brit’s head from his shoulders? Or would Haye’s head movement and foot speed prove to be an obstacle the robotic Klitschko may not be able to overcome?

There is a quote from William Shakespeare’s play, “The Twelfth Night:”

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.

By becoming the lineal champion, Klitschko achieved something great but did not achieve greatness. However, had he fought and defeated David Haye? Greatness may have been thrust upon him.

Heavyweight rankings

1. Wladimir Klitschko: He became the first lineal champion since brother Vitali retired in 2005. ‘Nuff said.

2. Vitali Klitschko: He is the former lineal champion and current WBC champion. He boasts a record of 37-2 with 36 by knockout and is coming off a March 21 ninth-round TKO victory over Juan Carlos Gomez. He will possibly be the first Klitschko to get a crack at David Haye.

3. Alexander Povetkin: The Russian boasts a record of 17-0 with 12 knockouts. He is the current mandatory challenger for Wladimir's IBF title. He has wins against former titlist Chris Byrd and current top-10 heavyweight Eddie Chambers, and he's coming off a 10-round unanimous decision victory over American Jason Estrada.

4. David Haye: The former undisputed cruiserweight champion is now campaigning at heavyweight. He had a questionable chin at cruiserweight and will likely rely heavily on foot speed and head movement to succeed. With a record of 23-1 with 21 knockouts, he pulled out of his June 20 bout with Wladimir Klitschko. He's now campaigning for a September fight against Vitali.

5. Eddie Chambers: Fast Eddie consistently performs to the level of his competition. After suffering the first loss of his career to Povetkin, he has won his last three bouts -- most recently against Sam Peter in one of the least entertaining fights I have ever seen. He is scheduled to face Alexander Dimitrenko on July 4. Hopefully he will show more fireworks than in his last fight.

6. Chris Arreloa: With a record of 27-0 with 24 knockouts, he is the most intriguing name on this list. Arreloa is a big puncher. He needs to work on his weight issues and slim down. His aggressive style could prove troublesome for every aforementioned fighter on this list. His most recent bout was a fourth-round KO of Jameel McCline.

Also ranked:
7. Alexander Dimitrenko
8. Nikolai Valuev
9. John Ruiz
10. Denis Boytsov
11. Evander Holyfield (Come on, brother needs a paycheck!)

Editor's note: The views expressed in guest blogs are not necessarily the same as those of the blog owner.

Chambers defeated Dimitrenko by majority decision in Hamburg, Germany. Official judges' scorecards were 117-109, 116-111 and 113-113.

There are many gripes from casual fans and other detractors about the lack of American star-power in the heavyweight division. Chambers may not fit the mold -- he's a slick, cautious boxer without stunning power -- but how better to celebrate Independence Day than having Chambers earn a win overseas, where decisions are difficult to come by?

Happy Fourth of July. -- JRH