9 Heavyweights Who Could Take the Division on After the Klitschko's Retire

At the moment, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are untouchable. In the last few months, they have easily beaten the two men thought to be the most credible opponents. Last month, Vitali dominated Tomasz Adamek before the referee was forced to stop the fight. This came after Wladimir controlled his fight with David Haye from start to finish.

How long can the Ukrainian's dominance continue? Vitali is 40 years old and is thought to be considering retirement after one or two fights. At 35, Wladimir has the potential to emulate his brother and fight for another five years.

The question is, can Wlad stay motivated?

His next scheduled fight is against the 39-year-old former cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck. In his prime, Mormeck couldn't overcome David Haye, so why should he pose any problem to Haye's conqueror?

Heavyweight boxing does itself no favours with fights like these. Even if Wlad does decide to carry on going through the motions in mismatches, age and injury may sometime catch up with him. This list shows the fighters who will be ready to march into the gap left by two of the most dominating champions of all time.

Have I left anyone out? Don't agree with who's in? Leave your comments below!

Rakhim Chakhkiyev

Where better to start than with the reigning Olympic heavyweight champion?

Currently fighting at cruiserweight, Chakhkiyev stands at a relatively small 6'0". He has the potential to dominate the cruiserweight division and step up to heavyweight.

His lack of height could pose problems against giants like Helenius, Wilder and Dimitrenko, but the Russian fights off of a solid base and has very quick hands.

Here is the video of his latest win, an impressive KO of one-time contender Michael Simms.

Deontay Wilder

Wilder is without a doubt the most promising heavyweight in the USA right now. A former Golden Gloves winner, Wilder has an impressive amateur record. This includes a win over the previous boxer on the list, Rakhim Chakhkiyev.

His bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics means that there will be pressure on Wilder's shoulders. So far, the American hasn't disappointed. He has won all of his 18 professional fights by knockout, though, he has yet to face any distinguished names.

I couldn't find a video of Wilder's most recent victory over Dominique Alexander, so we have his victory over DeAndrey Abron from February.

Kubrat Pulev

At 30 years old, Pulev may not have a massively long career ahead of him. However, he has a very solid amateur career behind him. Pulev won Gold at the 2008 European Amateur Championships and holds an amateur win over recent Vitali victim Odlanier Solis.

The Bulgarian stands at 6'4" and has a solid, fast jab. Yet his power is questionable. Only six of his 13 wins have come by way of knockout, and this could stand in his way of Pulev reaching the higher echelons of the division.

The video shows Pulev's biggest win to date, a 5th-round TKO of Derrick Rossy.

Eddie Chambers

"Fast" Eddie Chambers is possibly the most recognizable face on this list. Chambers has been a recognised heavyweight contender for some time and already has a win over one man on this list (Dimitrenko).

Chambers is also the only fighter on this list who has faced a Klitschko. He was thoroughly outclassed by Wladimir before being hit by a thumping left in the final round. The fight will be more remembered for Emanuel Steward pleading with Klitschko to be more aggressive.

Eddie's next fight is against Tony Thompson in a couple of weeks. Thompson is unbeaten in his last five fights since being on the receiving end of his own Klitschko loss. A win against Thompson would make Chambers the mandatory challenger for Wlad's IBF belt.

Here is an overview of Eddie's greatest victory to date over the 6'7" Alexander Dimitrenko, complete with some slightly odd Russian narration!

David Price

Standing 6'8", 2008 Olympic bronze medalist David Price's height poses problems to all his opponents.  He needs to make better use of his jab, however, as he currently lets opponents get close to him with too much ease.

His next scheduled fight is against John McDermott, who has lost four of his last five fights—twice against Tyson Fury and twice against Danny Williams. Price should have no trouble in beating McDermott, which would then set up a fight against British champion Fury.

Price holds an amateur win over Fury, showing that he is more than capable of hanging with the other big men in the division. This promises to be an interesting fight if the two do meet.

The video shows Price's latest win, a brutal KO of late replacement and sparring partner Tom Dallas.

Tyson Fury

The youngest and tallest fighter on the list, Tyson Fury already holds the British title and has designs on world gold. Fury is 6'9" yet sometimes falls foul of the same faults as Price. He needs to develop his jab and use his imposing height to his advantage. Against Chisora, he was too often drawn into toe-to-toe encounters.

Fury plods at times and may need to work on his conditioning as he seems to tire in the latter rounds. At 23, he has plenty of time to correct this and could have a great career ahead of him.

His next fight will be against unbeaten Canadian Neven Pajkic. Pajkic has limited power and will be giving up six inches to Fury in what should be the Canadian's first professional loss.

Here's Tyson showing everyone how to take a punch (I could've shown some of his boxing, but I couldn't resist).

Alexander Dimitrenko

Dimitrenko has been ranked by The Ring Magazine for 152 weeks, longer than anybody else on the list. At 6'7" and with an 83" reach, he has the physical tools needed to take over the legacy of the Klitschko's.

His one loss came at the hands of Eddie Chambers. This could have been a blessing in disguise, as it saved him from a likely loss at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko.

Since the Chambers fight, Dimitrenko has only fought three times but is unbeaten. This included a victory over former Vitali challenger Albert Sosnowski, which ended with a crunching uppercut (see video).

Denis Boytsov

Even though he is only 25 year old, Denis Boytsov has been seen as a potential future champion for some time, and has even drawn comparison to Mike Tyson. This is due to his impressive power and Tyson-like frame.

His 24 knockouts from 29 victories do appear impressive. Yet Boytsov has never fought anyone of note. His last fight was an underwhelming victory over a clearly out-of-shape Matthew Greer. Greer is a 6'2" 34-year-old whose biggest fight was against an old James Toney in 2009.

Boytsov needs to take on a worthy competitor and fast. At the moment, all he has is a padded record. He has no fights scheduled but needs to up the ante with his next fight or risk being forgotten.

Instead of subjecting you to the intensely boring fight with Greer, here's two minutes of Denis KO'ing nobodies.

Robert Helenius

In stark contrast to Boytsov, Robert Helenius has been testing himself against (and beating) worthy challengers. So far in his short, 16-fight career, Helenius has dispatched Lamon Brewster, Sam Peter and Siarhei Liakhovich.

"The Nordic Nightmare" fights off of a good jab and is deadly accurate when he senses blood. His power has the ability to turn a fight on its head with one punch. He is fast for his size, far faster than many other big men in the division. Though, he does suffer on occasion with a lack of movement.

Helenius stands at 6'6", so he would have no problem against any of the other giants on this list. While any boxer would be an underdog against the Klitschko's, Helenius may have the best chance of anyone.

Here is Robert's most recent fight, a brutal TKO of Siarhei Liakhovich.