Ranking the Best Fighters in Boxing's Heavyweight Division
It feels like boxing's heavyweight division has been on life support for a generation. But in the past couple of years, there have been exciting signs of life.
In November, Wladimir Klitschko defends against Kubrat Pulev, the most credible contender to emerge in years. Newly crowned WBC champion Bermane Stiverne should face undefeated knockout sensation Deontay Wilder by early next year, in a heavyweight fight that will definitely draw interest in North America.
Top contenders Alexander Povetkin and Carlos Takam will fight in Moscow this weekend. British contenders Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora meet next month.
It's begun to be fashionable in the heavyweight division for the top fighters to face one another.
10. Mike Perez
1 of 10
Mike Perez is a former Cuban amateur standout who now lives in County Cork, Ireland. The biggest win of his career was also a tragic event, as his unanimous decision over Magomed Abdusalamov in November 2013 left Abdusalamov in a medically induced coma for weeks.
Perez has not appeared to be the same fighter since, though he has faced two tough opponents in Carlos Takam and Bryant Jennings. Against Takam, he was lucky to escape with a draw. He lost by split decision to Jennings.
Perez is one of the more talented boxers in the division. He's had a tough year, but if he can put it behind him, he could remain a factor in the division.
9. Tyson Fury
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Tyson Fury is a belligerent giant with some boxing skill. That means he is going to be a handful for almost any man on the planet.
But I don't see him as a future world champion. Former cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham knocked Fury flat on his back in April 2013. Fury got up and came back to stop Cunningham in seven, but if that punch had been delivered by Wladimir Klitschko or Bermane Stiverne instead of a 200-pound fighter, it would have ended the fight.
Aside from Cunningham, Fury's best wins are over former title challengers Kevin Johnson and Dereck Chisora. Those aren't exactly career-defining victories, but Fury does deserve his place among the top 10.
Later this year he rematches with Chisora, who is a much better fighter now than he was in 2011, when Fury beat him. That fight will tell us a lot more about Fury.
8. Deontay Wilder
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There's no question Deontay Wilder has elite punching power. In his 32 professional fights, nobody has made it past the fourth round. The Olympic bronze medalist has shown strong offensive boxing skills in general.
That knockout streak has made him the most-watched contender in the division. But fans have increasingly grumbled about his level of competition. The best win on his record came against a past-his-prime Siarhei Liakhovich, arguably the weakest titleholder in heavyweight history.
The good news is that Wilder's next fight should be against WBC champion Bermane Stiverne. If he can blow through Stiverne and win a belt, he'll be the hottest American heavyweight since the days of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.
It's a big "if," though.
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7. Vyacheslav Glazkov
4 of 10
Vyacheslav Glazkov won an Olympic bronze medal representing his native Ukraine. He is a very good technical boxer and strong, if slightly small (6'3") by modern heavyweight standards.
I'm not convinced of his viability as a future champion. He got a gift in his draw with Malik Scott in February 2013. He was also very unimpressive in his majority-decision victory over journeyman Derric Rossy last August.
Glazkov has earned his spot in the rankings by virtue of defeating Tomasz Adamek last March. That was a big win, to be sure. But Adamek is a former light heavyweight.
So as impressive as Glazkov's performance was in that fight, it might not say much about how well he'll do against one of the division's bigger contenders.
6. Bryant Jennings
5 of 10
Bryant Jennings never even took up boxing until age 24. The fact that only four years later he is an undefeated heavyweight contender is astonishing.
Of course, if you are going to throw yourself into the deep waters of professional prizefighting, Jennings' native Philadelphia is an ideal place to make your start. He has displayed the intelligent toughness that fighters from the City of Brotherly Love are known for.
For the most part, Jennings' performances have gotten better as his competition has gotten steeper. He showed some vulnerabilities in his split-decision win over Mike Perez earlier this year, but defeating a fighter with Perez's background was a landmark achievement for Jennings.
Although he is on the smaller side for a heavyweight in this era, his reach is a staggering 84 inches. At 6'2", he has the shoulders and arms of a giant.
That reach obviously helps him offensively. But he makes even better use of it on defense, shielding himself from attack.
5. Carlos Takam
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Carlos Takam qualified for the 2004 Olympics, where he represented Cameroon. He turned professional in 2005 and based himself out of France. Like many heavyweight hopefuls, he was developed slowly in his career.
But in 2014 he emerged as a true contender. In January he fought Miguel Perez to a draw. I felt he deserved the win.
In June he faced the always-tough veteran Tony Thompson and won by wide margins. Takam is an athletic and physically powerful heavyweight. He matches up well with most of the division.
On Friday, October 24, he meets top heavyweight Alexander Povetkin in Moscow. Takam is probably already in line for a title shot if he wanted to wait.
The fact that his handlers are moving forward with a shot at Povetkin could mean they are very confident in him and anxious to have him stake a claim in the division.
4. Alexander Povetkin
7 of 10
Alexander Povetkin lost badly to Wladimir Klitschko in October 2013, going down 119-104 on all three cards. Referee Luis Pabon did a pathetic job of enforcing the clinching rules against Klitschko, but I'm ultimately not sure how much difference it would have made. In the one round where Klitschko truly opened up and fought, the seventh, he knocked Povetkin down three times.
But Povetkin still deserves to rank in the top five in the world at heavyweight. Following his first-ever defeat, against Klitschko, he went back out and stopped former title challenge Manuel Charr in seven.
On Friday, October 24, Povetkin faces rising contender Carlos Takam in Moscow. It's clear that the Russian is serious about staying in position for another title shot.
3. Bermane Stiverne
8 of 10
In April 2013, Bermane Stiverne earned a shot at WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko by pounding Chris Arreola en route to a 12-round, unanimous decision. When Klitschko opted to retire at the end of 2013, the WBC put the vacant belt up for grabs in a rematch of Stiverne and Arreola.
Arreola came into that May fight as well prepared as he has been in his career. He took an early lead, but in the middle rounds, Stiverne began to get the timing necessary to counter over the top of Arreola's jab.
In Round 6, Stiverne landed 17 of 23 power shots and dropped Arreola twice, prompting the referee to wave off the count after the second knockdown.
Arreola is certainly not an all-time great, but he is a very tough heavyweight with some skill and a great chin. Nobody had ever knocked him silly the way Stiverne did.
Even when Vitali Klitschko stopped him in 2009, it was in his corner, and Arreola was never knocked off his feet.
2. Kubrat Pulev
9 of 10
In November, Kubrat Pulev will face Wladimir Klitschko. This is exactly the kind of fight fans have been waiting years for. Pulev has the physical stature to stand in front of the champion and the technical skill to reach his notoriously vulnerable jaw with a straight punch or hook.
Undefeated in 20 fights, Pulev truly emerged in 2012, when he stopped Alexander Dimitrenko and Alexander Ustinov in back-to-back fights. He followed those wins with a unanimous decision over Tony Thompson in August 2013.
Since then he has stayed busy routing journeymen Ivica Perkovic and Joey Abell. While he has to be viewed as the underdog against Klitschko, he has enough of a chance here to make it intriguing.
1. Wladimir Klitschko
10 of 10
Sometimes it seems like Wladimir Klitschko has ruled the heavyweight division forever. As it is, he's been on top for more than a decade.
Klitschko has famously been stopped three times in his career, but not since April 2004. Since then, he has been as dominant as almost any champion in history. For 10 years now, he has barely lost a round.
It's fair to point out that his competition has been less than stellar. But fairness also requires that we admit he has not ducked anybody. He's cleaned out whoever emerged.
In November he faces Kubrat Pulev, who will be his toughest test in years. But Klitschko is still a definite favorite, just as he has been now for almost this entire century.
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