By James Slater – With the top three or four guys of the heavyweight division aiming to fight one another soon, therefore ruling out any other match-ups taking place for the time being, it is the job of the big men who are a little further down the ladder to provide us with some intriguing action.
Both Klitschkos want David Haye, while Vitali looks like facing Odlanier Solis in his next fight (thus leaving Haye to Wlad), while Tomasz Adamek is also thisclose to a title shot. But what about the fighters who are either up-and-coming or still sticking around: both category of heavies wanting either their first crack or yet another crack at the world title? Who could they fight in match-ups that would both please the fans and earn them the shot they want?
Here in this article, I list my ten choices for heavyweight match-ups I’d love to see made in 2011 – with the lower-rated, but no less exciting guys providing the action.
In no particular order, here are my ten choices for potentially entertaining heavyweight battles.
1: Derek Chisora Vs. Alexander Dimitrenko.
If Chisora’s chance at Wladimir Klitschko has now gone (and it looks like it has, with “Dr. Steel Hammer” now focusing on a fight with archrival Haye), who could he fight so as to keep his name out there? A fight with the European champion would make perfect sense. Can “Del Boy” handle the really big guys? Is Dimitrenko a world class heavyweight himself? This fight wouldn’t be dull, and a number of other questions would likely be answered as well.
2: Antonio Tarver Vs. James Toney.
Hey, why not? Tarver wants to prove himself at heavyweight, and Toney has called “The Magic Man” out. Both guys are faded, of course, but the name value and the guaranteed bad blood and trash-talking would make the whole thing fun. And admit it: you wouldn’t put your house on the outcome either way!
3: Eddie Chambers Vs. Tony Thompson.
Looked at by many as the two best U.S heavyweights, a clash between the Philly slickster and the tall southpaw from Washington D.C would produce skills and maybe a few thrills. More of a chess-match affair this one, I’d far prefer to see this than Chambers-Rossy II.
4: Evander Holyfield Vs. Oliver McCall.
As long as both stubborn and durable veterans insist on hanging around even though they are both in their mid-to-late-40s, why not have the heavyweight battle of the 1990s that didn’t happen take place now? Would Holyfield become the first man to put McCall on the canvas, or would “The Atomic Bull” become the third man to halt “The Real Deal” Okay, in reality the fight would go the distance – but it would be watchable.
5: Alexander Povetkin Vs. Chris Arreola.
Some fans say Povetkin won’t fight to his potential unless he goes in with a dangerous guy who can bang. We understand the Russian doesn’t want to fight a Klitschko yet, but he can’t keep facing guys we’ve never heard of as he “gets ready” for a title shot. Arreola, a guy who is never in a bad fight anyway, would MAKE Povetkin fight hard. As such, we would find out a lot about the desire of both men.
6: Seth Mitchell Vs. Tor Hamer.
Mitchell is a young U.S heavyweight who has been making noise. Some respected experts even go as far as to list him as the best young heavyweight prospect in the country. The once-beaten Hamer is another young and hungry heavyweight who has talent. It would be a risky fight for both up-and-comers, but the winner would get his name up there.
7: Tyson Fury Vs. Vinny Maddalone.
This fight was actually talked about quite recently, and seeing how the heavily-hyped Fury is now working with Emanuel Steward in America, why wouldn’t it make sense for him to rumble with a proven warrior who always makes for crowd-pleasing affairs? The jury is still very much out on the 6’9” Brit: a win over Maddalone would perhaps impress a lot of people. Would Fury be able to take the heat the New Yorker would bring? Is Fury as good as he and Steward claim?
8: David Tua Vs. Sam Peter.
Who wouldn’t want to see this one! Both guys can whack tremendously, and both guys are at the point in their careers now where they are not able to avoid too many shots. As a result, the two bangers would both hit and get hit. And someone would fall! But who?
9: Monte Barrett Vs. Tye Fields II.
Would “Two Gunz,” who earned a big fight with David Haye on the back of his devastating 1st-round blowout of “Big Sky” be able to do the same thing in a rematch? Would Fields get his punches off first in a return? This fight would be a whole lot of fun to watch, and on the under-card of a bigger fight it would go down a bomb!
10: Tyson Fury Vs. Audley Harrison.
Apologies for having two choices that include Fury, and apologies for even talking about the man who was so pathetic against Haye a few weeks back. But this fight would be a big “curiosity” of a fight in the UK, and the loser would have almost nowhere to go. Would Fury hammer the final nail into the coffin of “A-Force’s” career? Or would the big southpaw teach the youngster a few lessons? All of Britain’s fight fans would tune in to find out!