Boxing

East Side Heavyweight Rankings Update

By Steve Trellert

#3 Wladimir Klitschko
Down from #1. For years Boxing pundits and prognosticators have awaited with baited breath the moment of adversity for the sports heir apparent in Wladimir Klitschko. The goal was to see how he would measure up in those moments where a true champion is determined, when one's heart is in one's trousers. They got it in a one-sided defeat to South African Corrie Sanders, and Wladimir Klitschko failed horribly. So what exactly did this fiasco for Wladimir demonstrate? Is he a quitter? No, as he kept getting up after being knocked down repeatedly. Is he a frightened fighter under adversity? Clearly yes, as his reaction to Corrie Sanders under those circumstances was a mix of trying to throw back and cowering at the same time. This was not a very reassuring response to a critical gut check. What was most amazing was the fact that Wladimir appeared almost infantile defensively once the initiative was taken away from him. It is remarkable that an Olympic Gold medallist with a lengthy amateur career and forty-one professional fights completely forgot the basic concept of holding the opposition in times of tribulation. Was he simply in such an astounding shock that he completely lost his mental faculties and embodied the half fetal position by instinct? If this is true then the future does not bode well for Wladimir.

The last fight Wladimir lost was due to bad pacing where he simply exhausted himself trying too hard for the knockout to impress his hometown against Ross Puritty. Soon after Wladimir demonstrated stamina and that problem never resurfaced again. This in combination with his humble post fight interview where he assumed all responsibility and stated he "has much to learn" also bodes well. With past evidence of an ability to correct a flaw, and the right mentality moving forward, it seems a first step has been made and that more likely than not some improvement is in store. Disconcerting is the fact that Corrie Sanders exposed Wladimir's weak ability to fight on the inside as once Sanders slipped inside of his jab, Klitschko was virtually helpless. Not developing an uppercut up to this point may have cost him the fight, and his tendency to pull straight back probably cost it even more. Despite the weaknesses it is clearly obvious that the vast majority of fighters have failed to get anywhere near taking the initiative away from Klitschko whilst in the heat of battle. This is likely to remain so for the vast majority even though Sanders may have created somewhat of a blueprint for victory. Of course complacency regarding this would be a fools game for the Klitschko camp and would not be well advised.

Although I have witnessed Wladimir drop like a stone in other rankings, I find it hard to find rational justification for it. First is the fact that Wladimir was In a very strong #1 position and had a large gulf between himself and the #2 challenger in Chris Byrd. This in addition to a very one-sided defeat of the latter really indicates it would be irrational to place him too low below him. Finally, the performances of those now below him have been clearly inferior to his own of late despite the dramatic defeat. It is largely a one-off while Rahman has failed to win any of his last three fights, Holyfield has been mediocre, while Mike Tyson and his brother Vitali have a vastly inferior win resume over the last few years. Wladimir Klischko has definitely dropped back into the top of the pack, and that is a fair response to a man who had previously defeated two top ten opponents and a string of 'B' quality opponents with ease. To place him lower would be to place the defeat far out of its proper context. I am neither a Klitschko apologist, nor a knee-jerk reactionary.

#9. Corrie Sanders
Up from Oblivion. After treating his Boxing career as almost a sideshow for years, Corrie Sanders now has it placed front row and center after decapitating the #1 challenger with ease. The lightning fast left hand had devastated many an opponent before, but nobody of this stature. Just looking at Corrie's resume states loudly that he is an extremely dangerous fighter in the early going along the lines of a Mike Tyson or David Tua. But like the former, Mr. Sanders is firmly in his late thirties and has suffered stamina problems in the ring. His terribly exciting fight against Hasim Rahman demonstrated Corrie and both his best and worst. In the early rounds his crisp technical ability and sledgehammer left placed him on the verge of victory, especially when he knocked Hasim down with a vicious left uppercut against the ropes. But alas Rahman demonstrated his ever-present heart and determination to survive and take the victory upon Sanders ever-weakening Stamina. This weakness will have to be improved for Corrie to have any staying power. If not, his window will be a short one as most of the top ten have a relatively sturdy chin. Either way his time is running out and that is a shame as his fights always tend to be explosive and entertaining.

It is always hard to rank a fighter who has comeback from nowhere and defeated a top-level fighter. One would think he should pass the individual he just defeated, but that would be to avoid a vast resume differential and fail to view the victory within the proper context. After all, this could be a one-off and Corrie should have to demonstrate something in the way of depth. Nonetheless the victory is a large one and is enough to garner a top-ten rating at #9.

#10 Roy Jones Jr.
Up from Oblivion. I initially chose not to rank Roy Jones Jr. due to the conception that his Heavyweight excursion was simply a one-shot deal and that he would not remain long enough to measure consideration. At this point in time his status remains uncertain in terms of what weight division he chooses but it appears Roy does recognize the smell of money and is flirting the idea that the Heavyweight division may be more than a one-stop shop. His recent victory over John Ruiz was horribly one-sided and seemed to be so easy that many other Heavyweights may have to take notice that Roy may in fact be a true contender. Yet it is no coincidence that Roy chose to challenge a Heavyweight belt holder who happened to be a 'made-to-order' specimen in terms of style. John Ruiz is a terribly immobile fighter whose successes have come against those Heavyweights, such as Evander Holyfield, who stand right in front of Ruiz and choose to slug with him. There is little doubt that Ruiz is effective within that context of battle, but it is also damagingly obvious that he is completely inept when forced to stalk or chase his opponent. Give Roy an opponent who has mobility or who retains some flexibility in style and he may have his hands full. In terms of rankings it is hard to place too much value on his Light Heavyweight accomplishments (though some may deride that as well) and simply transfer them in an equivalent manner to the Heavyweight division. Some consideration is given here but it must be significantly discounted, as a move to Heavyweight is not exactly equivalent to moving between lighter weight classes. Roy Jones Jr. currently finds himself just below Corrie Sanders as the latter has some degree of pedigree at this level and his recent victory was against a much more highly regarded opponent than John Ruiz. Like Sanders, Roy will have to demonstrate more depth of accomplishment at this level, and with his tremendous natural talent he may do just that.

#12 Kirk Johnson
Passes Oquendo. Kirk Johnson's response to his recent loss to John Ruiz was an emphatic demolition of Lou Savarese. The latter had gained something of a second (or third) wind of momentum by defeating David Bostice and Tim Witherspoon in succession, but that mattered little to Johnson who picked his opponent apart with his good technical ability and natural athleticism. The knockout seemed to indicate something of a second coming for Johnson but when one strips it down some of the luster falls off. Lou was already in his late thirties and his win over Tim Witherspoon had been discounted by a poor performance by the latter at the unofficial Heavyweight tournament and a recent loss to Brian Nix. It seems Lou might have caught Witherspoon at the tail end of his win streak against Journeymen such as Bostice and Elicier Castillo, while Johnson caught Savarese at his. Additionally, despite his strong performance and emphatic knockout there still remains a sense among many boxing pundits that Johnson has some timidity and reluctance in him that needs to be exorcised. His long stretches of fighting marginal opponents and periodic timidity in the ring being cases in point. Despite all of this, the Savarese win and performance is an undeniable step in the right direction to a hopeful fruition of his natural gifts. Kirk Johnson has always had the ability to be a top five heavyweight and perhaps this is the beginning of the end for the label 'underachiever' where Bubba is concerned.

Additional Notes
Monte Barrett's recent win over Robert Wiggins moves him up two spots past Corey 'T-Rex' Sanders and Frans Botha to #21. Brian Nielson is less than two weeks away from a year of inactivity and with no fights scheduled in that period will decline to #30 in the rankings. The David Tua vs Hasim Rahman fight ended in a draw, which I thought was justified, and so their rankings do not change.

complete heavyweight rankings

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