by James Slater: Unbeaten Ukraine heavyweight contender Alexander Dimitrenko scored a reasonably notable win on Saturday, in Stuttgart, Germany. Boxing on the same card as the Firat Arslan-Darnel Wilson cruiserweight world title clash, the 25 year old big guy stopped the equally big Derric Rossy in five rounds of a good fight. And no, this win doesn’t exactly automatically vault the 6’7″ fighter to the top of the heavyweight pile, contender-wise. But it was a decent win nonetheless, one that proved the 250 pounds-plus big man is at least a heavyweight to keep an eye on for the future..
So far, in a pro career that began back in December of 2001, Dimitrenko has done nothing wrong. Winning all 28 of his fights, 18 of them inside the distance, the 25 year old has kept a clean sheet. Yes, he has been fed his share of stiffs, as any up and coming heavyweight is. But thrown in also, there have been a few respectable and capable names. Wins over Ross Purity – WU8, Chris Koval – WU10, Vaughn Bean – WU10, aren’t bad, and wins over Timo Hoffmann – TKO 12 and now Rossy – TKO 5, are even better.
A good amateur – Dimitrenko won the world junior championship in 2000 at unlimited weight – the 25 year old looks as though he may develop into a good pro. With time very much on his side at age 25, the 6’7″ colossus is being moved just about right. He has yet to fight outside of Germany, and so far he has not faced a top-ten rated heavyweight. But in time, what with his momentum and credibility slowly growing, Dimitrenko will surely do both. Hopefully this year the man known as “Sascha” will meet a top-fifteen type guy. The decision to take on Rossy was certainly a step in the right direction – after all, Rossy had only lost once previously, to the still hopeful “Fast” Eddie Chambers.
Give Dimitrenko the time he needs to improve, and he just might – I say, might – surprise us all by winning a version of the heavyweight title. Let’s face it, there are worse heavyweights out there attempting to do likewise. With his sheer size, decent punching power and good connections (Dimitrenko is a member of the Universum stable), Dimitrenko may have a better shot than most in today’s largely Klitschko-dominated heavyweight division.