My Top 10 Boxing Heavyweights as of June 2009

The Heavyweight Division is my personal favorite division in all of boxing. It is known as the glamour division of the sport but people seem to think the heavyweight division is at its weakest point in decades at the moment. There is no Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, or Larry Holmes but the division still has quality fighters and is currently led by the Klitschko brothers who own three of the four championship belts. The current heavyweight scene is mostly owned by Eastern Europeans. Here is my list of the Top 10 Heavyweights in the World as of June 2009:

1. Wladimir Klitschko (52-3, 46 KO's) - Wladimir Klitschko, the younger of the Klitschko brothers is currently on top of the heavyweight division and has been at the #1 spot for over three years. Wladimir Klitschko is the current WBO, IBF, and IBO Heavyweight Champion and has been undefeated for the past five years. He has also won his last ten consecutive fights. Klitschko had an impressive 2008. First, he unified the titles against Sultan Ibragimov, beating him by decision, then he beat tough Tony Thompson by knockout in eleven rounds, and capped it off by dominating former Undisputed Champion Hasim Rahman. Wladimir Klitschko was supposed to fight David Haye but Haye got injured. Ruslan Chagaev will take Haye's place on only two weeks notice. The fight will happen on June 20 in the Veltins Arena in Germany. It will be for the vacant RING Magazine belt.

2. Vitali Klitschko (37-2, 36 KO's) - Vitali Klitschko, the older of the two brothers, is most remembered for his courageous effort against Lennox Lewis. After Lewis, Vitali fought and beat Kirk Johnson and Corrie Sanders winning the WBC Title. Vitali defended that belt against Danny Williams in 2004 but retired because of continuous injuries. Klitschko was retired for four years until he made a surprising return to the ring in 2008, defeating then WBC Champion Samuel Peter, winning every round until Peter quit in his corner in round eight. Vitali recently fought Juan Carlos Gomez in March 2009, beating him by knockout in the ninth round. Vitali Klitschko, who has a career KO percentage of 94%, is the current WBC Heavyweight Champion and has not lost since 2003 against Lewis, six years ago. Vitali does not have any fight scheduled but does have a mandatory defense against Oleg Maskaev in the future.

3. Ruslan Chagaev (25-0-1, 17 KO's) - Ruslan Chagaev is an undefeated southpaw and the current WBA Heavyweight Champion. Chagaev beat former champion John Ruiz in 2006, and then beat then undefeated Nicolay Valuev by majority decision to win the WBA Championship in 2007. It was a big upset since Valuev was a big favorite. After a decision win over Matt Skelton, Chagaev suffered an ankle injury and was out of action for nearly a full year. Most recently, Chagaev beat undefeated Carl Davis Drumond by technical decision after a cut. Chagaev was scheduled to fight Nicolay Valuev on May 30 in Helsinki, Finland but the fight was cancelled after he was tested positive for Hepatitis B. Chagaev is willing to take on the #1 heavyweight in the world, Wladimir Klitschko, which will be the toughest match of his career.

4. Alexander Povetkin (17-0, 12 KO's) - Alexander Povetkin might not have a lot of pro fights but his resume is impressive. Povetkin had a career amateur record of 125-7, with all losses avenged. His amateur career culminated in winning the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics. Povetkin turned pro in 2005. In just his 13th pro fight, he fought Larry Donald, beating him by decision after winning every round. Povetkin participated in an IBF four-person heavyweight elimination tournament. In the semifinal of the tournament, Povetkin fought Chris Byrd (longtime IBF champ) and pummeled him until Byrd's corner threw in the towel in the eleventh round. In the finals of the tournament, Povetkin beat Eddie Chambers by unanimous decision. Povetkin earned himself a shot against Wladimir Klitschko and became his IBF mandatory. The bout was supposed to happen on December 13, 2008 but Povetkin suffered an injury and the fight was off. Povetkin still has until September 13, 2009 to fight Klitschko. In his most recent fight, Povetkin beat Jason Estrada by unanimous decision in April 2009. Povetkin does not have a fight scheduled and might wait for the winner of Chagaev vs. Klitschko.

5. Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KO's) - Nicolay Valuev is the tallest heavyweight in this top ten, and stands at 7 feet, and 300+ pounds. He has earned the nickname "The Russian Giant". Valuev was a protected fighter in the beginning of his career and was more of a freakshow as Valuev would sometimes be a foot taller than his opponents, and outweight them by 100 pounds. After compiling a record of 41-0, Valuev got a WBA Title opportunity against John Ruiz. Valuev won a close, majority decision. After a few more wins, Valuev would fight Ruslan Chagaev and suffer his first loss of his career. Valuev has won four in a row since his only loss, with a rematch win over John Ruiz and most recently, a lackluster win over ageing Evander Holyfield. Valuev was supposed to fight Ruslan Chagaev but the fight was cancelled. Valuev has shown interest in fighting Vitali Klitschko.

6. Alexander Dimitrenko (29-0, 19 KO's) - Alexander Dimitrenko is an Eastern European fighter who is very similar to Wladimir Klitschko. Dimitrenko is promoted by Universum, Klitschko's former promotion company, and trained by Fritz Sdunek, the Klitschko Brothers former trainer. Dimitrenko has good footwork, a good jab and impressive power. Dimitrenko did an impressive feat when he became the only person to ever knockout Timo Hoffman, doing it in the twelfth round. Hoffman was the only person to ever take Vitali Klitschko the distance. After Dimitrenko beat Hoffman, he fought Derric Rossy, knocking him out in the fifth round with a series of left hooks. In his most recent fight, Dimitrenko knocked out contender Luan Krasniqi in the third round with a body shot. Dimitrenko is next scheduled to fight American Eddie Chambers on July 4 in Hamburg, Germany. This fight is a WBO Heavyweight Title Eliminator.

7. Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KO's) - Chris Arreola is an American heavyweight who possesses one-punch power not seen in years. In 2008, Arreola beat undefeated American Chazz Witherspoon and knocked out Israel Carlos Garcia in three rounds. Arreola then had a brawl with Travis Walker. Arreola started slow against Walker and was rocked in the first round and dropped for the first time in his career in the second round. But Arreola came back in the same round and dropped Walker twice and finish him off with a left hook in the third round. Arreola most recently beat former heavyweight contender Jameel McCline by knockout in the fourth round last month and does not have an opponent scheduled for now. If there is a negative about Arreola, it is his weight issue. In his pro debut, Arreola weighed 236 pounds, but in his fight against McCline, he weighed in at 255 pounds. Also, Arreola has never went more than seven rounds in any fight. Arreola has won his last three fights by knockout and is looking to become the first Mexican-American to win a Heavyweight Championship.

8. David Haye (22-1, 21 KO's) - David Haye is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion who moved up to the heavyweight division last year. Haye has beaten all the top cruiserweights and has targeted the Klitschko Brothers ever since he became a heavyweight. Haye has tremendous power in both hands and is very quick. Haye has only fought in the heavyweight division twice. He fought Tomasz Bonin, knocking him out in one round, and most recently Monte Barrett, knocking him down five times, and finishing him in the fifth round. Haye was scheduled to fight Wladimir Klitschko but Haye had to pull out of the fight because of a back injury. Haye hopes to fight Vitali Klitschko now in October.

9. Eddie Chambers (34-1, 18 KO's) - Eddie Chambers is another American heavyweight, but doesn't possess the power of some of the other heavyweights in the division. Chambers didn't fight quality opposition in the beginning of his career and had his first step-up fight against then undefeated Derric Rossy in 2007. Chambers won that fight and next fought Dominick Guinn, winning a decision. Chambers entered an IBF four-person heavyweight tournament and fought Calvin Brock in the semifinal match. Chambers won a close split decision and met Alexander Povetkin in the finals. Povetkin beat up Chambers and gave him his first professional loss. After a few comeback wins, Chambers fought Samuel Peter in March 2009, beating him by decision. Chambers will face off against undefeated Alexander Dimitrenko on July 4. The winner becomes a WBO mandatory for Wladimir Klitschko.

10. Samuel Peter (30-3, 23 KO's) - Samuel Peter, at one time, was the most feared heavyweight in the world. He once boasted a record of 24-0, 21 KO's. Peter would face Wladimir Klitschko in 2005 in a fight where Peter was even a small favorite. Peter knocked Klitschko down three times in the fight but couldn't finish him and was dominated in most rounds, losing by unanimous decision. Peter later fought blown-up middleweight James Toney twice, beating him by close decision twice. Peter would get knocked down for the first, second, and third time in his career against Jameel McCline, but came back to win a close unanimous decision. Peter would get his chance at a world championship match against Oleg Maskaev, and made the most of it, stopping Maskaev in six rounds. Samuel Peter became the first Nigerian to ever win a major heavyweight title. Right after winning the belt, Peter fought returning Vitali Klitschko and lost by corner retirement. After the embarrasing loss to Vitali Klitschko, Peter fought Eddie Chambers on ESPN in March 2009. Peter did not look like a fighter who wanted to fight and was a shell of his former self as he lost a decision. Peter does not have an opponent scheduled and rumor has it, Peter will retire.

Boxers just outside the Top 10 List: Oleg Maskaev (36-6, 27 KO's), John Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KO's), Tony Thompson (32-2, 20 KO's), Juan Carlos Gomez (44-2, 35 KO's), Lamon Brewster (35-4, 30 KO's)

Sources:

www.boxrec.com