11.12.06 – By Paul McCreath: In Parts #1 and #2 we looked at all the name heavies and what they are likely to do in the coming year. In Part #3, we examine the small group of young fighters who are most likely to make the jump in 2007, from prospects to big name stars. The best prospect in the world today, in my opinion, is Alex Povetkin, the German based Russian who won gold in the last Olympic Games at superheavyweight. Alex is 27, stands 6 feet 2 inches and weighs in at around 220. A pro only since June of 2005, he has progressed rapidly and already has 10 wins with 8 KO’s. Promoted by Sauerland, Povetkin has been brought along very quickly.
In just his 6th fight, he stopped Richard Bango in 2 rounds. Bango, a former Olympic medalist himself, came into the fight at 17-1, with his only loss coming the year before by 6th round KO to Valuev. In Povetkin’s next outing, he decisioned Friday Ahumada in 6 rounds. Ahumada had drawn with Dominick Guinn two fights earlier. Just this past weekend, Alex added former IBF Cruiser champ Imamu Mayfield to his list of victims. Povetkin is a well rounded fighter who brings both power and technical skills to the ring. The next 12 months should see him working his way towards a title shot which should come by 2008. Expect to see him in with men like Hoffman or Akinwande before trying a top dog like Rahman or Liahovich towards the end of 2007. There is no such thing as a sure thing in boxing but at this stage of his career Povetkin is as close as you can find.
The next best prospect is Alex Dimitrenko, a Ukrainian also based in Germany, but with rival promoter Universum, the same people who developed the Klitschko brothers. Dimitrenko, 24 years old and 6 foot 7 inches and around 249 pounds, is in spite of his size, more of a boxer than a puncher. He was a junior champion as an amateur and has been brought along carefully by his promoters. Since turning pro in late 2001, he has won 24 straight fights, 14 by KO. His best wins are over Vaughn Bean, Chad Van Sickle and Gonzalo Basile. Basile entered their match at 25-1 and was stopped in the first round, suggesting that Dimitrenko may be developing more power. Don’t be surprised if bouts with Bidenko or Krasniqi or some good tier two Americans don’t happen soon. Dimitrenko may progress a little more slowly than Povetkin but with his good technical skills and size, he may be around for a long, long time. He is not the type to have to take much punishment. It is not likely Povetkin and Dimitrenko will meet in the near future because they are with different promoters.
Oleg Platov, another Ukrainian based in Germany, but with Sauerland, is next in line. Platov is 23 and weighs about 225. His record so far is 23-1, his lone loss coming in his 6th fight and later reversed by a KO. You can ignore the loss, though. He stayed under the radar for his early career fighting all his bouts in Belgium. Last year, he signed with Sauerland and his progress has been impressive. Last time out, he took a huge step up and outpointed former WBO champ Henry Akinwande over 10 rounds. It is hard to say how much this victory means due to Akinwande’s advanced age. He may or may not have declined suddenly. He had, however, won 9 in a row going in. His last loss was in 2001 to Oliver McCall. Platov has power to spare, scoring 19 KO’s until now. Bouts with Hoffman, Koc, or again good American tier two types will tell us if Platov is for real.
The next prospect, Roman Greenberg, is a true international fighter. He was born in Russia, lives in Israel, and has a British manager. He has already fought in Britain, Morocco,and the US. Roman is 24, 6 foot 3 and around 230-235 pounds. He was a junior Olympic silver medalist. He recently signed with Warriors Boxing. After turning pro in late 2001, Greenberg has notched up 24 wins in a row, 17 by KO. He has been carefully matched with his best win being a decision over Kendrick Releford. Some have criticized Greenberg for showing little fire. Perhaps it has been too easy for him up until now. A good stiff test will show how deep he can dig if needed. Warriors are likely to move this young lad along more quickly now so watch for some meaningful bouts in the next few months. A good boxer-puncher, he should do well.
Finally, an American based fighter, Eddie Chambers is next. Eddie, 24, is on the small side at 6 foot 1 inch and 215 pounds, but he is very fast. So far, we have not seen a lot of power but Chris Byrd showed us that power isn’t everything if you have speed and technical skills. Fast Eddie has already notched wins over Ross Puritty, Robert Hawkins and Ed Mahone while compiling an overall record of 27-0. He has been advanced slowly but seems ready now to make his move. Taurus Sykes or Fres Oquendo would make good tests for Chambers.
The last fighter on my list is the British champion and former Welsh amateur champ, Scott Gammer. I was tempted to not include Scott but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He is at 30 older than the others but has made rapid progress since turning pro in September of 2002. His record is 17-0 with 1 draw which came in only his 7th fight. A good boxer puncher, Scott’s best wins are twice over former prospect Mark Krence and twice again over another propect, the otherwise unbeaten Mickey Steeds. Now I realize that those two names won’t mean much to American readers, but with a bout with Matt Skelton likely to materialize in the new year, we will soon know who Scott Gammer is. Scott will possibly be the underdog but don’t count him out.
There may be some other hidden gems out there but at this time, I believe they are either too early in their careers to count on for next year or just not that likely to make it big. If anyone else emerges in 2007, it will be a surprise.