Top Five Heavyweight Boxers

With the decisive defeats of Ruslan Chagaev and Sultan Ibragimov, Vitali Klitschko set to meet rising Mexican-American puncher Chris Arreola in September, and a fight between world champion Wladimir Klitschko and Eddie Chambers in the works, there is finally some movement and life showing in the heavyweight division. The 5 best big men in the world are:

1. Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs)
33 years old, 6'6.5" with 81" reach
WBO-IBF Champion, Widely Recognized as "The Man"

2009 solidified the younger Klitschko brother's position as the #1 heavyweight in the world. He would hold three of boxing's four major belts, were it not for the political machinations of the WBA. Their "champion," Nikolai Vaulev, is not even a Top 5 heavyweight.

Once regarded as the underachiever of the Klitschko brothers, Wladimir has come into his own since 2005. His run of success started by beating undefeated contender Sam Peter of Nigeria. He followed that up by taking Chris Byrd's title from him, beating undefeated fellow "Red Army" champions Sultan Ibragimov and Ruslan Chagaev, and destroying a fading (knucklehead) Hasim Rahman.

Under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, Klitschko has perfected his style into one that effectively shields his weaknesses from opponents. Wladimir was marked by a merely average chin and stamina problems in his early and middle career, and it is doubtful that either of those have gone away with time. Nowadays, he sternly checkmates his opponents with a stiff, lance-like jab, and anyone who tries to get past it only eats the hard right that backs it up. Combined with a safety-first approach, it makes for boring fights. However, with Wladimir's experience and confidence, it is doubtful he will be dethroned until he gets old.

2. Vitali Klitschko (37-2, 36 KOs)
38 years old, 6'7.5" with 80" reach
WBC Champion

The older Klitschko brother made his comeback from a four year lay-off in 2008. He crushed Sam Peter and then former cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos Gomez of Cuba. It was a strong statement. Compared to his brother, Vitali is more willing to attach and mix it up. His physical status is mixed, however. He is fresh for 38, but has an injury prone record that makes one wonder who long he can sustain his momentum. He cannot afford another lengthy lay-off, not if he continues to want to fight the best. As it stands, he is the only heavyweight today with a prayer of beating his brother Wladimir, and the two are most unlikely to ever meet in the ring.

3. Eddie Chambers (35-1 with 18 KOs)
27 years old, 6'1" with 75" reach

Chambers wins over Sam Peter and the undefeated Alexander Dimitrenko have vaulted him into the vacuum created by the defeat of Chagaev and Ibragimov. Chambers is something like Chris Byrd: speed and elusiveness are his calling cards. However, unlike Byrd, Chambers is a natural heavyweight. He might be small at 208 lbs and lacking in power, but he is not a blown-up middleweight. He is in line for a shot at Wladimir Klitschko, and while he showed he can handle Slavic giants when he took down Dimitrenko, a Klitschko is a whole other matter. Chambers would do well to hunt down and knock off another Top 10 fighter before going after the top.

4. David Haye (22-1 with 21 KOs)
28 years old, 6'3" with 78" reach
Former Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion

David Haye emerged from the crusierweights as the Undisputed World Champion, a rare feat indeed. At 200 lbs, he showed speed and two-fisted knockout power, having prevailed in all but two of his fights with a stoppage. However, among the big men he is untested, having only fought (and crushed) Monte Barrett. He trash-talked the Klitschkos until he had agreements to fight first Wladimir, and then Vitali. He reneged on both and is now set to met the man-Ural, Nikolai Vaulev. That is certainly a better match for him, and if Haye is to pose a real threat to either of the big K's, he needs more experience as a heavyweight.

5. Chris Arreola (27-0 with 24 KOs)
28 years old, 6'4" with 77" reach

A popular and aggressive Mexican-American, Arreola has signed to tangle with Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title. He has power and throws punches in bunches, but has shown a propensity to slack off in training and come into the ring with a spare tire. That plus his lackluster resume (his biggest win to date is over a faded Jameel McCline) do not speak well of his chances against "Dr. Ironfist."

Sources: Live fight footage, boxrec.com