Boxing

 

Who's next to lead the division?

By Wes Moore

18.09 - The question that may be on the mind of many heavyweight division fans is probably the same that's on mine. After the current landscape is wiped clean of such veterans as Holyfield, Witherspoon, Mercer, and Tyson who will be left to challenge in a couple of years. The obvious choice is Wlademir Klitschko but who will be his contemporaries. If he is successful in a future clash with Lennox Lewis or claims the belt after his departure who might be there to fill the gap created by the old guard such as Holyfield and Tyson.

The casual boxing fan often looks at the record of an upcoming fighter and bum rushes their band wagon looking for the next undefeated invincible champion. The reality is that there will most likely not soon be another undefeated youngster to ascend like Mike Tyson did in the most recent case. There are plenty of good prospects with glossy records that suggest that they could be world beaters but a look at their opponents often explain the gaudiness of such. The most celebrated of these prospects are finding that they must steadily fight stronger opponents to prepare for their big shot. The most recent failures that occurred in the last couple of years are Michael Grant and Fres Oquendo. Neither of these fighters are bums by anyone's observation. They both fought some decent, serviceable opponents on the way up but were by no means prepared for the intensity they faced once they were in the spotlight. Michael Grant was simply overpowered by Lennox Lewis in his challenge for the strap while Oquendo was simply caught by the immense power of perennial contender.

A loss is not a bad thing for any heavyweight contender. It shouldn't be a welcomed result but in this period of recycled fighters anyone can recover from a loss or two to challenge for a belt. However, there are some good young and not so young heavies out there with the big zero in their loss column that could step up in the next couple of years. The first of these men is Juan Carlos Gomez who recently had some choice words for seemingly everybody's desired opponent: John Ruiz. Gomez was very successful at cruiser but at 29 and with zero defeats he should move slowly toward a big fight. The next big pick by many is "Baby" Joe Mesi. Mesi will get his biggest test to date when he faces David Izon next month in his own backyard. Sugar Ray Leonard Promotions has a lot to gain with Mesi and they have brought him along accordingly but even a match the often perceived as used up Izon will tell us a good bit more about Mesi.

There are numerous other possibilities with zero defeats such as the giant Nikolai Valuev, French hope Jean Francois Bergeron, Mexican youngster Javier Mora, and a clutch of American prospects. The most probable men to surface from US soil are Calvin Brock, Malik Scott, Derek Bryant, Leo Nolan and the very impressive Dominick Guinn. A couple of more curiosities with no losses come from all parts of the globe. There is Owen Beck from Jamaica, A-Force Audley Harrison from Britain, and Samuel Peter from Nigeria just to name a few. You could go on for hours naming all the others who are coming down the line untouched but there is just not time for all the other quality possibilities from the division. Time will tell but most of these men will suffer defeats sooner than later as they step up the opposition.

The most likely contenders of the future already have probably already been humbled at some point. The group that can be compiled with blemishes on their records is much more polished and impressive. Future heavyweight wars will most likely center on names like McCline, Oquendo, Grant, and Klitschko but there are a couple of other enticing contenders. There is British champion Danny Williams who just toughed out a victory over tough challenger Keith Long. Williams, who has just gone under the banner of Lennox Lewis Lion Promotions, is sure to benefit from the tutelage of the World Champion. Another possibility is Lamon Brewster who is said to be looking to step up his activity level and quality of opposition.

The final upstart that I will discuss the man so cleverly nicknamed "Touch of Sleep" - Davarryl Williamson. A late bloomer, Williamson, is moving quickly to make up for lost time. Williamson is a consummate amateur champion and very impressive athlete. He was impressive his last time out versus Corey "T Rex" Sanders when he was giving up somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 pounds. He will continue his high activity level versus another capable opponent early next month when he faces Eliecer Castillo in Choctaw, Mississippi. I hope to be in attendance at that October card which also features the return of Lance Whitaker from "Goofi-land" versus Cliff Couser to get my first look at the impressive "Touch of Sleep."

These are just a few of many men who could pressure for title opportunities in the near or distant future but they should all be fun to watch. You can reach me at largedog@bellsouth.net and until next time watch out for the upper cut behind the jab.

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