The Do’s and Dont's of the Heavyweight Division

The Do’s and Dont's of the Heavyweight Division - Part One

By Benny Henderson Jr. (May 29, 2006)

The division is weak, unstable, non-exciting, unentertaining, etc. Something we have heard for quite some time now, so what will bring the big boy bunch out of the darkness and into the light, what could possibly be done to save the soul of the heavyweight division so to speak? We all have our opinions of what should and shouldn’t be done, we all have ranted and raved on about ‘One’ champion, there should be one title holder, but we have to come to grips with the fact…that doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon.

So what else could possibly be done to help out?

In my opinion the division isn’t as weak as most critics go on about. I feel that most fans are looking for that one dominant heavyweight, as I have been told, a resurrection of Mike Tyson, not going to happen. The division is open because it is more competitive, yes, that is what I stated, more competitive. I mean we all want that ‘One’ heavyweight that dominates all to conquer the division and stand alone, but if we can’t have that at least right now we can have some entertaining, worthy of our time competitive fights that at least keeps us around, right?

There are fights out there in the division that could be made that would be big as far as entertainment goes, and isn’t that what we fans want out of the sport, what brought you in as a boxing fan? It wasn’t a title, but a fight, and probably an entertaining one at that. But as much as we want entertaining fights, we get crap! Not very good writing etiquette, but let’s be brutally honest here, we fans probably wouldn’t gripe as much about the division if we had better quality of fights, am I right?

Well, in this article I want to touch on the heavyweight division, throw out some fights that would be good for the division as well as talk about some up coming bouts, the ones that should and shouldn’t be made, something I call the do’s and don’ts of the heavyweight division. Now remember these are only my opinions, as we all have them, some better than others but nevertheless, opinions.

Calvin Brock versus Timor Ibragimov – A do

When some heavies in the division so chooses to keep fighting what most call tomato cans in the fight world, one keeps on defeating quality opposition, or at least stays busy with formidable ones. You have a guy here who has beaten all in his pathway, a fighter who has stepped up to the plate as a boxer and has earned the right to be called, a contender.

With W’s over Terry Smith, Clifford Etienne, and Jameel McCline you would think Brock would be or should have already of gotten a title shot, but instead of going right after the goal he steps in with the undefeated Uzbekistan Timor Ibragimov, another fighter without a blemish on his record. Ok, you say the guys mentioned above don’t give Brock the credentials to go for a title, and that will be answered in my don’ts coming up. But for now back to Brock, he is undefeated, he has made an impact with his career, he has stayed busy and keeps on pushing the envelope. How, well if he beats Timor, it’s all good, but what about a loss? How would that affect his chances at a title shot? Would the critics rattle on how he never deserved one if he is upset in this upcoming match, my point, he is fighting somebody worthy to be mentioned with the top heavies. Something to think about, something to ponder. It could be a dangerous move if he does taste defeat, but it appears to be a solid fight, something the division could use, a competitive evenly matched bout. So I say Calvin Brock taking on Timor Ibragimov is a do for the heavyweight division, something we need, fighters not afraid to step up and face equal opposition.

Nikolay Valuev versus Owen Beck – A don’t

What is wrong with this picture? Could it be everything with the division, a reason why so many fans and critics are blasting the big boys, a fighter getting a shot for a major world title that really hasn’t earned the bid? On a personal level I like Owen Beck, a great guy, a friend and to be honest a cool guy. But, has he honestly earned the right to fight the seven-foot “Beast from the East”? I mean we all can argue who has and hasn’t deserved a shot at a belt, but you have a guy here whose two steps up in the division has resulted in back to back losses. Then a unanimous decision victory over Darnell Wilson who some ringside spectators said that the ‘Ding-A-Ling Man’ had ‘What the Heck’ some trouble, now he gets a shot going 1-2 in his last three fights.

See, this upcoming bout is a major reason why the fans want to cut and run from the heavyweights, another fight that shouldn’t be made.

Wladimir Klitschko versus Nikolay Valuev – A Do

Now this is a fight I think should go down, it is a must, let the big men box!
Wladimir is probably one of the most talented heavyweights in the division today, and all though his chin is highly questionable his superior skill isn’t. This fight would be a step towards unifying the titles, and in my opinion not only would it be a great fight for the division but for the fans as well.

Two big boys with size and strength going toe to toe is what we want, what is known of this seven foot giant from Russia? All we know is that he is big, and undefeated, but the American public hasn’t got to see this mammoth of a man just yet, what about his skill, his style etc. His last two bouts were majority decisions, two fights I didn’t see, but was told on occasion that he may very well have lost to Donald and Ruiz without the benefit of the hometown decision. So let’s get the big guy in with the IBF champion, let’s put some titleholders to the test and get some quality match-ups that we hard working fight fans deserve!

Serguei Lyakhovich versus Kevin McBride – A don’t

It had been reported and talked about that this bout could go down in July, my first and only question when I heard the possibility of this one was, why? Why on earth would this even appeal to the fight world? I mean Serguei, who many most say shouldn’t have gotten a shot against Brewster’s title came on strong and impressed many with his heart and willingness to trade off against one of the hardest hitters in the division beating him to the punch taking his title. All respect goes out to Lyakhovich, and months back I had to apologize to McBride’s Irish following for ranting on how Tyson would kill ‘The Clones Colossus’ in the ring, but, being disrespectful and calling it as I see it are two different monsters.

This is what I see, if this bout were to materialize it would be another reason why the division is lacking in respect from the media and fans worldwide. To beat Tyson, whether it be the young Mike or a washed up shell of a man is a big accomplishment, and for a guy who had been stopped on four separate occasions by lesser opposition to take on a fierce hitter in Tyson and not see stars is something to brag about. McBride isn’t to be looked over, but to be given or even mentioned in the same sentence of a world champion after the last three years he fought less than mentionable fighters to gain a stunning upset over Tyson and beating out a journeyman to be bumped up as a contender in the top fifteen of the world is really something to think about. Remember Danny Williams, exactly my point. Lyakhovich-Brewster II!

Serguei Lyakhovich versus Lamon Brewster II – A Do

It was one of the best heavyweight clashes I have seen in a while, it was a war, and it was entertaining! Ok, here I was thinking to myself Lyakhovich wasn’t going to do squat against my good friend Brewster, I mean I had this fight over before it began. In some aspects. Yes, I was wrong, but wrong or not, unhappy or not with the end result, and it bringing on a title change or not leaving room for the critics to hound the heavyweights on not being steady, it was hell of a fight that had the fans talking about it feverishly. It was an entertaining bout, matched well that was good for boxing. A rematch would dearly be appreciated; it is a do amongst this fight world.

I know what you are thinking, what about Rahman, Toney, Byrd, Peter, Chagae? That will come in part two. For now if you, the reader, would like to comment on this topic, whether you agree or disagree, email me at CrazzedTrucker@aol.com. All opinions are appreciated and will be considered in part two, thanks.