Boxing

 

Top 30 Heavyweight Rankings Part III

By Steve Trellert

10. Kirk Johnson
Although losing by disqualification to John Ruiz was far worse than Fres Oquendo's loss to David Tua, Johnson's superior wins compensates for that deficiency as the number eleven Oquendo has failed to defeat a top ten fighter. Kirk's victory over Oleg Maskaev at a time when he was regarded the number three-man in the division holds enough luster to keep him just above the 'Big O'. Outside of the Maskaev anomaly, Johnson has done little to suggest he is anything other than an underachiever. Despite entering the Heavyweight picture at approximately the same time as Hasim Rahman and David Tua, his career in comparison seems to have barely gotten out of the starting gate. With long periods of inactivity between fights with 'name' opposition, and a generally suspect opponent list, it is hard to conclude otherwise. Victories over Dannell Nicholson and Larry Donald were competent but alas unremarkable, while the loss to Ruiz expressed a lack of focus and perhaps pattern tentativity of which there were indications in the past. These flaws will have to be overcome for Johnson's gifted athleticism and exemplary talent to come to fruition and reach its potential. Otherwise stagnation is at hand.

9. Mike Tyson
Similar to Captain Kirk, Tyson is also suffering from the 'your strictly defined by your last fight' mentality which tends to pervade many a mind. Tyson was clearly outclassed against Lennox Lewis, but that is not an uncommon occurrence as discovered by David Tua and others. Perhaps expectations of Iron Mike entered la la land for many and a similar reverse backlash has occurred in the opposite direction. Although Tyson is clearly a shadow of his former self, that is a long enough shadow to plunge fighters like Lou Savarese, Andrew Golota and Brian Nielson into total darkness toute de suite in aggregate. Though these fighters are far from stellar, they, and a win over Frans Botha, are enough to still give Tyson the superior edge over Johnson in the quality wins department. Additionally, Johnson's loss to Ruiz was probably more disgraceful than taking a beating at the hands of a Heavyweight Champion. Tyson fighting Etienne next month is wise in that he is 'maid to order' in style, and is the most vulnerable fighter in the top 15. A likely victory here should build up Mike's confidence, which must be wounded at this point. Will it initiate an inevitable climb back into the top five? No, but it should keep him where he will likely remain for what's left of his career. Lurking in the shadows as a darkhorse.

8. Jameel McCline
Unlike the previous two fighters, McCline has beaten two top ten contenders in Michael Grant and Mount Whitaker relatively recently, and that keeps him above them. Similarly, he also lost his last fight in a disappointing, and to some disgraceful, manner. Previously, a gutsy and game victory over Whitaker raised a few eyebrows after the Grant victory was considered questionable by many. A tentative performance in a victory over Shannon Briggs was viewed by most to be an anomaly, until an even more tentative performance in a loss to Wladimir Klitschko indicated a pattern of 'Bigtime' fear before power in the ring. Calmness was never a McCline forte, but past nervous energy seemed to usually get funneled primarily into aggression instead of passivity, now the opposite may be true and that is nothing short of disconcerting. Additionally, a lack of real power seems to limit a possible upward trajectory despite decent size and speed. At this point it is likely his ego has joined his last fight result in the misery of defeat, and it is time to regroup and build confidence by taking on a few journeymen before thinking about taking another look upwards.

7. Hasim Rahman
The 'Baltimore Mouth' has fallen on hard times since he captivated the boxing world during his short reign as Heavyweight Champion of the World. Quick witted and sharp outside the ring, inside he has been lacking focus and a gameplan. Perhaps his own success led to an overestimation of his own physical talents and neglect of the science aspect of the 'sweet science'. The rematch loss to Lennox Lewis was somewhat excusable despite getting outmaneuvered, but the loss to Evander Holyfield was not. Instead of jabbing from the outside, Rahman chose to foolishly fight to Holyfield's strengths and away from his own and lost accordingly in a fight he could have won. A rematch with David Tua this spring should prove interesting, as it should force Hasim to use a familiar strategy he nearly perfected in their first fight until he was controversially defeated. If he fails to strategize, and once again gets overconfident and complacent, a third loss is most certainly in the cards at a time when a third successive defeat means a fall off a cliff for his career. At this point his recent stint at the top keeps him above McCline and company, but another defeat and all bets are off.

6. Evander Holyfield
I, as many, thought Holyfield eeked out his last fight with John Ruiz (though I thought he lost the first two). A subsequent impressive win over Hasim Rahman then put the 'Real Deal' unsuspectingly back in the title hunt, not bad for a 40-year-old. In contrast to these fights, many thought he seemed to age overnight in his last fight against Chris Byrd. Was it strictly style and a shoulder injury? Largely yes, but admittedly it is hard to deny the fact that Holyfield has been fighting in spurts for years now, and against most of the top ten that is simply not enough. A rematch with Byrd would very likely replay the first into another defeat, and with Holyfield unwilling to go to pasture until he is undisputed, it will likely be that the end of his career will end with him undisputed alright, undisputedly knocked out. Only that will likely end what has been a spectacular career, not the highly unlikely scenario of attaining his actual goal.

5. Vitali Klitschko
While Evander stays above Rahman based on his victory over him, Vitali Klitschko gets here through a long line of numerous victories over Class B opponents. I would be hard pressed to argue with anyone who would state Vitali to be two places lower. In fact I find those ranked between number five to seven to be largely interchangeable and very close. Rahman losing two fights in a row and Holyfield arguably losing five of his last seven gives Vitali the nod in my eyes by an edge, despite the lack of a quality victim. But that does not sooth my mild discomfort in ranking a fighter in the top ten who has never defeated one himself. Of course this can be deflected somewhat by Vitali's sheer dominance in his wins and kudos must be given for that. Since the quit fight against Chris Byrd, Vitali's comeback has been much more subdued than one would expect, with the current peak being a mediocre Larry Donald. Next in line appears to be Lennox Lewis, but this is unwise as it is too big of a step up from a Donald. Vitali should fight a Mount Whitaker or a Jameel McCline first in preparation, someone at least with some compatibility in size and sufficient ability, but alas that will likely not occur. One thing in Vitali's advantage is Lewis' current waffling and long vacation, does Lewis really want to continue and is his head still in the game? If Lennox Lewis starts focusing on the sunset, Vitali may just be the man in the right place at the right time to cash in.

Due to this article's length, the top four and the champion shall be looked at next time, In part four.
If you have any comments regarding this article, post them here or email me at Vancanste@aol.com

Top 30 Heavyweight Rankings Part II / Top 30 Heavyweight Ranking: Part One

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