These guys seem to mess the HW division around year in year out with all kinds of sagas ... being inactive, injured, out of shape, doped up, etc. But all seem to be about to (eventually) get back in the mix. Who else is 'problematic' in the HW division .... Danny Williams, Chagaev, Oleg ? Would be division be better off without them clogging it up, or do they add some sort extra interest to it ?
Danny Williams is always up and down, Chagaev is holding his title hostage, Tua isn't serious and never fights, Vitali Klitschko can't even make through a training camp, Oleg is too old and hardly ever fights, Toney won't get serious, Rachman tries to get serious, but he just isn't very good anymore Gomez is always MIA and hardly ever fights You could add Briggs or Ruiz to that list as well, but at least Ruiz always puts forth an effort and tries to get fights. I agree that with some of these hasbeens finally out of the way, we could get down to business and have an exciting & productive Heavyweight Division.
Toney- is not a journyman, he still can get a big fight anytime he wants. Williams- won his claim to fame by beating Tyson in July of 04, since then he's been up and down, losing to Vitali and beating guys like Audley. Chagaev- fought good competition the last couple years, but only beating them by close decisions/split decisions, he did so against Ruiz, Virchis, and Valuev. He's the new Vitali, always getting injuried before fights. Tua- Hasnt done much since knocking out Moorer in under a minute in 02/03 so really hasnt been a player in the division since. Oleg- pretty good fighter, probably still has enough left in the tank to beat most Heavyweights in the division. Rahman- he's horrible, his fights against Sykes and Lawrence showed how shot he is, last good fight was against Toney in March of 06, which ended in a draw. Gomez- Good boxer, can still beat certain fighters in the top 20, but I doubt he will ever see a belt around his waist. Vitali- very talented in his prime (02-05), now he's just too old and injury prone to make a real impact, though he is one win away from holding that belt.
