The Top 30 Heavyweight Rankings: Conclusion

By Steve Trellert

#4. David Tua
If anyone stood out from the young Heavyweight's of the mid-1990's it was David Tua. Not only did he have ferocious power, but also an iron chin and resolute determination that forced his opponents to glue open their eyelids or risk decapitation. In fact it would have been hard not to think of the old B-horror movie "Ghoulies" with its caption, "They'll get you in the end", when facing the Tuaman. Good fighters such as Oleg Maskaev, David Izon and Hasim Rahman experienced this all first-hand, in devastating fashion. With a locomotive amount of forward momentum going for him, even a marginal defeat at the hands of Ike Ibeabuchi could not grind the gears on the inexorable climb to the top. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, Tua fell victim to the insidious tag team of 'prolonged mandatory' and 'bad habits'. The long title shot delay meant Tua needed to remain active and yet not risk losing his prime opportunity. The solution was like a shoestring budget trip to Italy , meaning no-name brand tomato cans and carbohydrates with the accompanying de-motivation and weight gain. The former dulled his sharpness, while the latter damaged his mobility and speed. The train had slipped back into first gear. The result was four full slump years of mediocrity including two spankings at the hands of Lennox Lewis and Chris Byrd. This continued against Fres Oquendo until David caught him against the ropes with an uncharacteristically fight ending overhand right. This was soon followed by a one-round dispatch of Michael Moorer. A second wind behind a career that slumped for nearly half a decade? Perhaps, though two great rounds in succession may be insufficient to claim a resurrection, it is unmistakable that Tua has recaptured what was once lost through neglect and/or desperation: something reminiscent of a body assault and a more frequently used right hand. The one-trick pony may just be reverting back into a thoroughbred. This, in addition to a new sense of confidence, seems to indicate that his next fight against Hasim Rahman is being served up at its ideal time, a time where Rahman's confidence must be shaken after two straight losses after residing in the altiplano. Perhaps the right fork in the road shall be taken the second time around against 'the Rock'.

#3. John Ruiz
Despite losing horribly to David Tua in the Neolithic era, that means little within the context of the present rankings. Like the crime wave sponsored by the New York City blackout in the 1970's, that city has Guilianically improved in terms of crime, and Ruiz' boxing skills has as well since his own personal blackout. Undoubtedly he never deserved his shot at Evander Holyfield, but he certainly clutched his opportunity, as well as Evander, with a Darth Vader like death grip. Despite being about as aesthetically pleasing as watching a Whoopi Goldberg movie, there is little doubt Ruiz has Guilianically gotten the job done. Despite the drudgery, it can be reasonably argued that if anybody won the 'lobotomy series' it was John Ruiz. First of all he ended up with the belt that Evander entered with. Secondly, I thought he won the first two of the three fights (I give the slight nod to Evander in the third). This was followed by another unexpected win against another top ten fighter in Kirk Johnson, who self destructed after watching too many 'fruit of the loom' commercials. These factors are enough to place Ruiz above a David Tua whose recent exploits are more modest. Next John Ruiz faces an unprecedented opponent in taking on one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in Roy Jones Jr, who is moving up from (Lilliput) the Light Heavyweight division in an uncharacteristic, for him, attempt to make history. If Ruiz loses this fight his ongoing career will receive about as warm a welcome as the movie "Glitter". If he wins it will be discounted greater than Enron stock. It's a no win situation, outside of the bank, for Johnny, and for anyones attempt at Heavyweight rankings.

#2 Chris Byrd
There were once two excuses for prospective opponents to avoid fighting Chris Byrd. The first was that he makes you look bad and is difficult to defeat, the second was that his style is anathema to the public. While the former me be true for all but a tiny elite, the latter may be approaching the end of the cretaceous period as Chris Byrd becomes ever more unsuspectingly popular. Don't believe me? Watch his fight against David Tua and deny the fact that the crowd was cheering him on and chanting his name. Against Evander Holyfield it seemed most of the audience was voting for flighty and there were few boo's. "Ladies and Gentlemen your attention please, Casper the friendly ghost is now dead!" Chris Byrd not only continues to impress that tiny minority who appreciates his technical prowess, but also converts others by demonstrating grit, heart and determination against fighters who hold a sumarai sword to his butter knife. Is Chris Byrd becoming a marketable commodity? Did the weather forecast declare frost in hell? Its seems so, and this should aid a career that is already at a peak after two successive wins over top ten opponents in Evander Holyfield and David Tua. The victory over the former was clearly superior to any of the three performances by John Ruiz, while David Tua is a much more difficult opponent than Kirk Johnson. Additionally, Byrd is the only fighter outside of Lennox Lewis to hold victories over three fighters in the top-ten. Did Chris Byrd deserve a title shot against Lennox Lewis before he defeated Evander Holyfield, perhaps, but after most certainly yes. But of course if it is considered, it should be subservient to the number one challenger.

#1 Wladimir Klitschko
Although Wladimir Klitschko may have defeated only two top ten fighters to Chris Byrd's three, one of the victories was against that very man himself, in a dominant victory that saw Byrd droppings twice. Supplementing this is a long list of good 'B' level victims that humbles Byrd's similar list. These factors in addition to the sheer dominance Wladimir has demonstrated makes his position as the number one contender beyond question at this point in time. Outside of a pacing glitch at the tender age of 23 against journeymen Ross Puritty, Wladimir has never been in trouble against a contender to date. Criticism languishes nonetheless regarding his heart and the unknown variables of his chin and handling of adversity. But the fact that these questions remain unanswered, despite the level of opposition and length of career, is a statement in itself, an exemplary one. Fighters who control the pace and initiative in virtually every minute of every round of their fights are in essence 'A' level fighters. The question of whether Wladimir Klitschko is a very good fighter has already been answered. Of course there is a distinction between being very good and excellent. Wladimir Klitschko has clearly not as of yet hit the level of Lennox Lewis. He does not have the same level of experience against top ten fighters; he lacks an uppercut, and perhaps suffers from excessive cautiousness even more so than Lewis. Nevertheless he does have two advantages, one is youth and the other is better ring focus. His next fight is against a South African fighter named Corrie Sanders. Corrie can be a dangerous fighter in the early rounds of a fight as he has fast hands and solid power in his left hand. Of course stamina has been an ongoing problem and the fact that he is in his late thirties and relatively inactive indicates this may be a bit of a filler fight for Wladimir. This has occurred before against the likes of a Charles Shufford etc. But whereas Lennox Lewis tends to lapse into bouts of sloppy, and arrogant, complacency against fighters he perceives to be non-threatening, Wladimir seems to have a consistent mental focus irrespective of his opposition. Although Wladimir has clearly not yet reached the level of Lennox Lewis, in this area he may have already surpassed him.

Champion: Lennox Lewis
Of course Lennox Lewis would have to be the Champion on any sane list. Clearly the class of the division bar none, with defeats over many a top ten fighter throughout his history in addition to the present. But concerns in regards to that present have surfaced of late. Concerns that perhaps the Lewis era may be over irrespective of whether he continues fighting or not. Next time: 'Into the Mind of the Lion.'

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Complete Heavyweight Top 30 Rankings