East Side Boxing Heavyweight Rankings Update

By Steve Trellert

#7. Mike Tyson
Up from #9 after his win over Clifford Etienne. Although some have declared this the Second Coming, in truth there is nothing new under the sun. The fact remains, despite his decline; Mike Tyson is still the most dangerous Heavyweight on the planet in the first round. The Black Rhino and Lou Savarese experienced this first hand, and even against Lennox Lewis we saw all three judges score the round for Iron Mike. Although impressive in the early going, there still remains much in the way of concern. Most tend to point immediately to stamina as his most egregious weakness, but this can at least somewhat be discounted by his performance against Brian Nielson, where Tyson continued to bombard his opponent at a high activity rate even into the mid to late rounds. Of real concern is his inability to defeat a top ten contender, something that has not occurred since 1996 against Frank Bruno. Particularly since his defeats to Evander Holyfield, Mike has almost always chosen the path of least resistance on his way back up. So why does Mike Tyson qualify to be ranked in the top ten? As he defeats those in the lower levels both decisively and with consistency. Clifford Etienne, Andrew Golota and Lou Savarese may not have been the best fighters in the world, but one must concur that they were competent 'B' level opponents who were taken out with a devastating efficiency few can match. Currently Iron Mike finds himself in the appropriate position of being behind Evander Holyfield in the rankings. The two defeats to his nemesis is one explanation, but also the fact that the latter, despite his mediocre results of late, still has demonstrated the ability to defeat top ten fighters in John Ruiz and Hasim Rahman. To bypass Evander, Tyson would have to gain more numerous 'B' level wins or defeat a top ten fighter while Holyfield stagnates. The most logical route, based on past experience, would dictate Mike Tyson's next fight to be against the most vulnerable, and yet viable, opponent vis-a-vis himself of those currently residing amongst the top ten. If John Ruiz defeats Roy Jones Jr, he would fit the bill almost to a tee. Three time Heavyweight Champion of the World perhaps? With Ruiz' lack of mobility, this is not out of the question.

#19. Clifford Etienne
Fall from #12 after a loss to Mike Tyson. In many ways everyone saw this coming not just in terms of the loss to Iron Mike, but also the general ossification of 'the Rhino' as a fighter. After captivating the boxing world with his exciting victories over superior boxers in Lamon Brewster and Lawrence Clay-Bey, the beginning of the end arrived against Fres Oquendo. The fact that Fres knocked him down repeatedly with the same punch over and over illuminated a sudden realization that not only did Etienne have a weak chin and temple, but also that his ring intelligence was in question. When an unimpressive victory over Terrance Lewis and a draw against Frans Botha followed, it became clear that the Oquendo performance was not an anomaly, but revealed truth. The "Rhino" was a one-dimensional fighter who lacked the ring smarts to do anything other than charge in a straight-line. He would not in fact be a true top ten fighter as many initially suspected, and would simply reside on the fringes of the top ten until a proper opponent came forward to expose the glaring weaknesses with emphasis. With Mike Tyson before him, Etienne again went on automatic without a moment of reflection. He chose to slug it out with a fighter with both a far better chin and a far better punch, the result could be no other than a quick knockout defeat. After the fight, "the Rhino" replied to a question regarding his strategy with a "what else could I have done" answer. Clearly the problem resides in the answer, and until that is addressed a further plunge from #19 will likely beckon in the future, if there is one. His current position lies similar to Michael Moorer in that both had victories over seasoned journeymen but failed horribly in their recent chance to step up. Moorer is ahead due to his clearly superior performance over Terrance Lewis. Those below have either seriously faltered or have an inferior resume in terms of quality victories.

Next week we shall see the effect of the Fres Oquendo vs Maurice Harris fight upon the rankings, and some inactivity adjustments, with the introduction of an appropriate system regarding inactivity, in regards to Monte Barrett and Oliver McCall.

Complete East Side Boxing Heavyweight Rankings

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