You think the HW Division is bad now?

Good post.

There are loads of good fights that can be made at HW. Chagaev-Valuev II could be interesting, Chagaev-Peter certianly would be, Klitchko-Peter II would be interesting, I would be interested to see how Povetkin does v any out of Chagaev, Klitchko, Klitchko, Thompson, Virchis...Haye versus Ibragimov or Maskaev would be interesting to me, the list goes on and on.


THE DIVISION

Wlad Klitchko. In Wlad we have a fighter who is brilliant but flawed, who everyone wants to see get beaten, who doesn't look like oblidgeing any time soon. I expect to see him beat Thompson, but I won't be missing that one - in case. Big, powerful, two-handed when it suits him, technically proficient, a good general he also has issues surrounding stamina, chin, and aggression. An interesting champion who has it all to prove despite the success who could also get bombed out at any minute. Not Tyson, not Lewis, but an interesting #1.

Samuel Peter. Why aren't people interested in Peter?! In his first incarnation he was a slugger with power and an impervious chin, unpsectacular but dangerous, standard contender stuff. Now, he's a heavy handed box-puncher (a bit of a stretch, but Toney II was impressive!) with a vulnerable chin. This guy could KO anyone and apparently get KO'd by anyone.

Ruslan Chagaev. THis guy is my favourite HW, but i'm not convinced post-illness, that he will be what he was before, which is a shame. Against Skelton, in round 10, I think he could have closed the show, but he was gassed...of course, he may recover, and if he does, at his best, I think he is the best. Mobile, hard-hitting if not devastating, very, very smart with decent punch resistance. He probably still fills out the top three, but again, because of circumstances, he has it all to prove, and may not be able to do that. Another one that needs to be watched. Another one who has reached the top but who's journey is far from over. Interesting.
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Nicolay Valuev. I'll tell the truth, I thought he was done. I picked against him last time out, wrongly. It's his size, I keep waiting for his jonts to go. Poor *******. But the division, in this guy, has its very own freak. Valuev puts theories about size in boxing to the test - is he to big to be beaten by a superior opponent? The Chagaev fight would seem to indicate otherwise. But now Valuev has another shot. I know I keep harping on about it but here is another top top heavyweight with it all to prove. All these guys, they have it all to prove.

Alexander Povetkin. This guy is great! He's got the lot, but he doesn't have power. When we're taling about a HW without power, I get alarmed, because I feel that in this division you need power to keep someone off you, to get you out of trouble. Who wants to see whether or not he can do it? I do. I'll watch any match with Povetkin in it between now and then.

David Haye. The division has a new poster boy, a mouthy charismatic one who appears willing to take on anybody. There are questions about his chin, but that may not be such a problem at the weight, and he is famous for his power, which is perhaps in doubt at the weight. His next fight will be fascinating, and until he loses, I feel he is must-watch.

Ibragimov, Maskaev and Ruiz. Three guys who are getting on a bit and have been found wanting at the highest level, but they are fighting on. Each is a live threat to any fighter they step in with, and each brings a different set of problems. In times past, Povetkin would be expected to beat 1-3 of them before his title shot - but because of modern matchmaking, he can skip them and take on Klit for the title (apparently). Personally, I wouldn't be interested to have seen him fight Ruiz (God bless him) but I think if he'd had to take on Maskaev, big and dangerous, or Ibragimov in something of an eliminator, we would a) know more about Povetkin and b) Povetkin would gain crucial experience fighting at a higher level, and I would welcome both of these. I also think that Povetkin-Ibragimov would be a good fight, fought at a high level with a great deal of technical excellence.

Vladmir Virchis, Tony Thompson, Chris Arreola. More fighters, prospects or underachievers who are interesting enough.

Shannon Briggs, Danny Williams, Andrew Golota, David Tua. Mad old *******s who are done but still around.

 

As well as Minto I left off guys like Liakhovich, the other Klitchko, Brock, Oquendo, Barrett. There are loads of decent guys about.

 

Let's say I wouldn't like to miss one of his fights and leave it at that.

There is something to this, but if there was a fighter out there who was capable of making Klitschko work at a faster pace than he was confortable with, wouldn't you be worried for him? He is so good at imposing his style upon his opponents though, this may not be a problem for him.