East Side Boxing Heavyweight Rankings

compiled By Steve Trellert

It has been a long time coming for an update and since it is once again the end of the year it seems the best thing to do is to start from scratch and reassess who exactly is in the Top 30 and why. As with last year's rankings a fighter deserves to be on this list not based on their estimation of talent or potential, but on their results. Now of course in some cases one can dispute certain results that are highly controversial and this shall be taken into account where an apparent robbery is obvious and overwhelmingly recognized.

One must take into account that this is of course a subjective rankings system, though objectivity is desired that can in many ways be more problematic and inaccurate as the www.boxrec.com heavyweight rankings make clear. Nevertheless, I have attempted to remain as objective as possible and detach any sense of emotional attachment to certain boxers over others. It is up to your judgement to see if that is in fact the case. Fighter's rankings are based on accomplishments against 'name' opposition with the more recent results taking precedent over those more distant. The more distant in terms of time, the less relevant.

In starting off I must first instigate a detour to explain why certain fighters do not reside on this list despite the fact that they would likely defeat some of the fighters currently above them.

Ray Mercer may be aged but he also retains good power and an ability to withstand punishment. It is in my opinion that the merciless one would probably defeat, even at this point in his career, many of those ranked amongst the twenties on this list. Why is he not on it then? That is because he has not defeated anyone of note since 1996 against Tim Witherspoon.

Duncan Dokiwari and Cedric Boswell are two fighters whom of late looked quite good in their recent losses against Dominick Guinn and Jameel McCline respectively. Of course looking good in unquestionable defeat and winning against 'name' opposition are two distinct things. Neither fighter as of yet has really gained enough accreditation in terms of quality wins to warrant an entrance into the top 30 list. Of course at this point it seems only a matter of time, but one must remember that fights take place in the ring, not on paper. Good losers may be just that.

#30. Ray Austin

It is almost fitting that a somewhat historically decrepit Top 30 start with a fighter that can only be regarded as an 'A' level journeyman. This was once a role held by fighters such as Terrance Lewis and Robert Davis, but they have of late slipped into journeyman 'B' status. Ray Austin is the kind of fighter who lacks the skill to become a true contender, or even an also-ran, but is good enough to function as a gatekeeper that exposes pretenders and announces contenders. A recent case in point regarding the former is Jo-El Scott whom some thought may just have the goods to compete and yet found Austin locking the gate before him. On a bad day Ray Austin can also make a contenders life miserable as Mount Whitaker found out in a draw. These two results, in addition to a win over the ever-unpredictable Sedrick Fields, finds Mr. Austin in this almost natural position. In terms of his upside from here it would appear minimal, especially considering prospects Dokiwari and Boswell and the perhaps resurgent Golota and Maskaev moving in from the shadows.

29. Jeremy Williams

One only needs to look at the warm/cold dial on their washer to get a sense of Jeremy Williams career. This fighter resides somewhere in limbo between journeyman and contender while never quite attaining either. After losses against Mo Harris and Brian Nielson a semi-retirement ensued, but this did not last and a bit of a comeback flourished allowing us to witness David Bostice getting blown out in one round and a durable Ron Guerrero being brushed aside. In his latest fight he disposed of up and coming Andre Purlette but this was subsequent to a draw with a very clearly washed up Al "Ice" Cole. One can claim these results are not all that distinguished in appearance, but in comparison to those below him they are enough to get him here. Currently Williams seems to be becoming inactive again but if he chooses to come back, at the very least, he would continue to be a relatively entertaining fighter with potent power in his right hand who can be out-boxed by those with a modicum of technical ability. His recent wins are superior to those behind him.

28. Sinan Samil Sam

Sam was in fact the Heavyweight surprise to come out of Europe last year. Successive wins over Polish journeyman Saleta, Julius Francis and the relatively talented British prospect in Danny Williams raised a few eyebrows particularly amongst those in North America not privy to watching the actual fights. On the recent "Night of the Young Heavyweights" though certain limitation came through loud and clear. Although Sam is durable, tough and packs a decent wallop, his movement is attune to walking through water, slow. He is a plodding slugger who needs to land his big shot to get anywhere, and against a skilled technician in Juan Carlos Gomez that was just not going to happen. Sam in this scenario appeared highly impotent and exposed and there is little to suggest he would have much success against someone with true boxing ability and a degree of intelligence in the ring. The upside seems fairly limited unless opponents are carefully handpicked to enhance Sam's limited strengths and minimize his weaknesses. This could occur, but in all likelihood Sam will remain a largely Euro based fighter where he can maximize his marketability amongst the large Turkish Diaspora in Germany against opposition such as Timo Hoffman. His string of victories are slightly less impressive than Williams behind him, but the latter's more distant losses against Nielson and Harris in combination with his draw with Cole is worse than the loss to Gomez.

27. Davarryl Williamson

Williamson was the North America version of Sam last year with his highly potent "Touch of Sleep" right hand that actually knocked out a previously iron chinned Dale Crowe and the momentum charged Corey "T-Rex" Sanders. The latter had surprisingly ran off three successive and unexpected wins over Paea Wolfgramm, Terrance Lewis and Oleg Maskaev and had Davarryl on the canvas early in their fight. What seemed to impress most was not who Williamson defeated but how. Coming back to KO a Sanders who not only floored him but also outweighed him by a hundred pounds was impressive, as was his next victory with a broken jaw against the tough and durable Robert Wiggins. With a game spirit and highly lethal right hand many picked him outright against a largely untested Joe Mesi. What actually occurred though was an unmitigated disaster for Davarryl. Defensively he appeared completely inept and was brutally knocked out in one round. Afterwards some claimed Williamson had basically frozen like a deer in headlights as a first time headliner in his first big fight. I think at best this may only be partially true. In previous fights Williamson seemed horribly awkward when placed on the defensive and his chin had always been a little suspect. In terms of rankings his wins over Crowe, Sanders and Wiggins gets him here, particularly when one considers Sanders momentum at the time. The Mesi loss places him on the fringe of contender status but not lower than Sam. Additionally, a recently announced opportunity for redemption is already on the horizon. He is scheduled to fight another fighter with a lot of momentum in Elicier Castillo. In my estimation this caliber of opponent may be too strong after the kind of defeat Williamson suffered. Unlike Sanders at that time, Castillo seems to be improving at a fairly rapid pace and although I understand Davarryl's age is a factor in deciding to take this fight, his confidence is likely not where it should be. A loss here will likely end what's left of his boxing career.

26. Attila Levin

Attila Levin and Joe Mesi over the last few years have been in many ways identical twins in terms of their boxing careers except that Mesi had a much larger spotlight on him. Both fighters' careers had been progressing agonizingly slowly in terms of taking on quality opposition. Since then Joe Mesi's career has taken off while Attila continues to meander into stultification. Attila has some decent wins against some 'B' level journeymen in Ross Puritty and Ron Guerrero as well as a more distant win over a more highly regarded Ray Austin. Not bad, but considering Attila has been a prospect for sometime now one can only proclaim frustration at his progress. In watching Attila one tend to be witnessing a decent fighter all-round but lacking anything special. He seems to be something of a Charles Shufford in waiting without taking the chances the latter has. With legendary trainer Angelo Dundee in his corner it makes one wonder what Angelo is waiting to see in his evolution before taking him forward. To most it appears Levin should step up come what may and would be far more likely to learn in potential defeat much more than another win against mediocrity. Nothing-ventured equals nothing gained here. Why is Attila ranked this high? Though his wins are somewhat inferior to the previously listed fighters, his lack of a terrible defeat (initial loss was relatively early in career so discounted) keeps him slightly above the others. In terms of his future an Andre Purlette would be a rational move forward.

25. Lawrence Clay-Bey

Lawrence Clay-Bey easily enters the category of underachiever a la Kirk Johnson. The athleticism and technical skills are all there to behold and yet years get wasted and opportunities blown so that in the end all that talent goes to waste. A few years ago after wasting much time without stepping up in competition, he took on rising prospect Clifford Etienne. The end result was an action packed fight where his superior boxing skills lost to a man willing to outwork him. Then a second wind appeared where Lawrence crushed Sedrick Fields and defeated fellow prospect Charles Shufford. It seemed as though a final run towards the top was finally in order and then suddenly in a fight he was favored to win against Elicier Castillo, Clay-Bey was shockingly knocked out. Here he was winning the early rounds but as time went on Castillo was turning things around, proving himself to be the hungrier fighter. The ending though surprising, was indicative of the swing in momentum. At this point in time with advancing age it would seem Clay-Bey may be at the end of his tether in terms of making a hail mary towards the top, such a shame for a fighter that really had the goods to be a top fifteen. Nevertheless his win over Shufford keeps him above him in the rankings despite his recent loss. At this point Lawrence likely has little time to delay and should take any major fight he could get. If anything, with motivation he probably has enough in the gas tank to steal a big unsuspecting win, but of course motivation here may just not be a possibility according to past form.

24. Juan Carlos Gomez

It is undeniable that Gomez has a tremendous amount of boxing talent. His technical abilities are probably at a top ten level in terms of sheer talent in the Heavyweight Division. Of course against Sinan Samil Sam also present was his apparent lack of punching power. Now of course one could conclude Sam may in fact be able to take a pretty good punch but considering the actual quantity of clean punches landed one would assume eventually even attrition would have taken Sam out, it didn't. Nevertheless despite these concerns Gomez seems to be a fighter that just may have the goods to move into the top ten in the near future. Of course the pace of which he has been moving of late suggests that we may all be dead by then. Since moving up to Heavyweight, Gomez has not accomplished much and seems to be spinning his wheels for the most part. A win over Al "Ice" Cole amounts to little at this point and Sam was fairly limited. To really judge Gomez at this level he has to step it up in terms of quality and considering he was recently outshone by Joe Mesi and Dominick Guinn on the same broadcast should give him plenty of motivation to do so. While Mesi and Guinn have gone on to fight again, Gomez seems to be doing more verbal sparring than fisticuffs. If Juan Carlos is going to make the splash that many expect him to do he better do it soon before he gets labeled as all talk and no action. His win over Sam and Cole are inferior to most of the fighters below him, but the fact that he remains undefeated places him above them. Although many would think he deserves a higher ranking based on his accomplishments at Cruiserweight, I would argue that these accomplishments are largely negligible in the context of the Heavyweight Division.

23. Oliver McCall

The very fact that Oliver is still alive never mind in the top 30 Heavyweight Rankings should be enough of an accomplishment. Through personal problems involving drug use and incarceration, Oliver's career has been an odd one to watch, not least his mental breakdown in the ring against Lennox Lewis. In terms of his actions in the ring since then McCall is actually undefeated and unlike his era compatriot in Ray Mercer, has maintained his no loss column since then while also defeating a decent Heavyweight in Henry Akinwande. Now many may proclaim this win irrelevant but that is due to the public's irrational perception of Akinwande's "Ruiz Syndrome". While John Ruiz has still not been forgiven his 19 second loss to David Tua, Henry Akinwande similarly has never been forgiven the hugging Henry label he acquired in his disqualification loss to Lennox Lewis. This discount of course diminishes McCall's relatively impressive victory against a fighter that is better than any Heavyweight opponent defeated by any previously ranked fighter on this list. For McCall the future looks limited due to age and probably other problems as well. One blessing is the fact that he has the qualities that leave last in ones boxing career, power and durability. Oliver McCall's right hand is still very potent as Akinwande found out and his ability to take a punch makes him a lingering danger. These factors make any cost/benefit analysis in choosing to fight McCall way too much potential cost for little benefit. Beating an old man amounts to little, losing to one is disastrous. Expect McCall to wind up his career in obscurity due to avoidance.

22. Michael Moorer

"Double M's" recent loss to David Tua was nothing short of a disaster, a predictable one, but a disaster nonetheless. If "styles make fights" then this one was terrible for Moorer. A lazy fighter with no chin against a stalking fighter with a great chin and overwhelming power will usually equal a loss. So the question is what does Michael Moorer have left. Although not his former mid-90's self he still has some decent technical skills. In fighting Terrance Lewis and Robert Davis when they were 'A' level journeymen he showed flashes of brilliance. Against Davis in particular in the first two round he looked his old devastating self throwing vicious combinations and knocking down his opponent repeatedly. Of course that fight also exposed a new second weakness in Moorer's game, poor fitness. Once Davis survived the early rounds Michael started to fade in terms of stamina and by the end Davis was turning the fight around. Not a good sign for an attempt at a comeback. Of course a lack of motivation has long been attached to his name and nothing seems to indicate that has gone by the wayside. At this point it seems Moorer is just in it for a payday as opposed to moving up the ladder which of course allows us to largely dismiss him, but that may be premature. Within him still resides some strong technical ability and decent power and if he succeeds in calling Joe Mesi out into the ring with him I would think Mesi might find himself in some serious trouble. Moorer is here based on his win over the two (at the time) 'A' level journeyman as well, less so, on his past resume. Additionally it must be stated that Moorer has only lost to top ten opposition while those listed below him, with the exception of Gomez (and McCall of late) have recently lost to other fighters ranked in the twenties. Nevertheless, the loss against Tua hurts and tosses him to the fringe, but not lower than those below him. Another name loss in his next fight though would likely see him off the list altogether.

21. Clifford Etienne

Like Moorer, Clifford Etienne was also blown out in one round against a top ten fighter in Mike Tyson. But whereas Moorer was seemingly on an upswing in his comeback, though a little lethargic, Etienne was struggling to find his way back to where he was before his loss to Fres Oquendo, with little success. Etienne arrived on the scene as a hot prospect after slugging out victories, in a highly entertaining fashion, against good technicians in Lawrence Clay-Bey and Lamon Brewster. Things looked so good for Clifford that Showtime signed him to a multi-fight contract on the presumption the gravy train would continue, it didn't. The first opponent on the contract was lightly regarded Fres Oquendo who took Etienne apart with ease and exposed gaping wide liabilities. Oquendo exposed in Etienne a terrible weakness, little ring intelligence. Oquendo knocked Etienne down with the same punch to the temple over and over again en-route to an embarrassingly easy victory. After some tune-ups and a much more difficult than it should have been victory over Terrance Lewis, Etienne fought Frans Botha to a draw. In none of these fights did Etienne seem to be improving, in fact he seemed to be regressing. By the time he faced Mike Tyson, Etienne was in some ways at a new low, no longer regarded as a real contender. Against Tyson his vacuous ring intelligence demonstrated itself again as he somehow ridiculously chose to slug in out toe to toe against one of the fiercest punchers in boxing history. Needless to say an early knockout loss was a forgone conclusion under these conditions. Since then Etienne career is on hold as he has not fought and is not scheduled to. The action packed contender has completely faded into obscurity. Is he done? Probably, unless somehow he can be taught a strategy other than coming forward and amateurishly throwing punches with little regard to defense. His rating ahead of Moorer is based on his more recent past pedigree against Brewster and Clay-Bey as well as the win over Terrance Lewis and draw against Botha. His recent defeats may have been worse but his recent accomplishments in terms of victories outweigh Moorer's whose glory day victories are more distant and therefore less relevant at this point.

20. Henry Akinwande

Henry Akinwande is another fighter who can only be summed up as "underachiever". This man had all the physical characteristic to be a top five heavyweight and yet his career ended up being a disappointment. He has tremendous height, reach, decent power, and had good athleticism for a man his size. During the 90's he was a rising contender and garnered a fight against Lennox Lewis, and what did he do? He chose to slow dance his way to a disqualification. This made him acquire the nickname "Hugging Henry" as well as plenty of derision. A second chance at the top was taken away by hepatitis and cost him a shot at Evander Holyfield. By the time he was healthy his fleeting opportunities were gone and he had to rebuild from scratch. After the usual tomato cans he fought Mo Harris and in an unprecedented act very impressively knocked him out in one round. From here he moved into a fight with Oliver McCall and looked quite good until near the very end when he was leveled by a vicious right hand against the ropes and fell like a sack of potatoes to the ground. This loss has been followed up with a decision win against the always durable Timo Hoffman in Germany. One would think the McCall loss should place him below Oliver, but McCall's incarceration, and inactivity, and Henry's Hoffman win place him slightly above him amongst a pack of relatively weak Heavyweights.

19. Elicier Castillo

Elicier Castillo has been quite a puzzling fighter of late, losing to people he should not lose to in Tim Witherspoon, and defeating people he should have lost to in Lawrence Clay-Bey. The reason he is here is that he has something in the way of momentum and seems to be still improving. In three of his last four 'name' fights he has come away with a victory. Outside of a close decision loss to Charles Shufford he knocked out Andre Purlette, Clay-Bey and Corey 'T-Rex' Sanders. The real reason he is here was the defeat of Clay-Bey who was regarded as a superior fighter and who had a little bit of momentum behind him. During the fight Castillo started off behind but showed a determination and kept plugging away until he began to turn the initiative and suddenly pulled off a dramatic knockout. Castillo is in many ways a fairly pedestrian fighter that looks relatively unspectacular, and yet he is suddenly starting to get the job done. This momentum may continue if he can come away with another name win against Davarryl Williamson. If so one might have to throw him in with Joe Mesi and Dominick Guinn (though less so) as rising fighters to watch out for.

18. Monte Barrett

Monte Barrett arose around the similar time as Akinwande in an attempt to become a contender. Though he defeated many a journeyman, when he chose to step up he would aways get defeated to the likes of a Mount Whitaker or Wladimir Klitschko. After some inactivity he came back and garnered some momentum in a string of fights (though many of the fights were close). He defeated Tim Witherspoon who at this time had some momentum himself after defeating David Bostice and Elicier Castillo. This was followed by close wins against Robert Davis, Robert Wiggins and Eric Kirkland. This was recently ended by a loss to Joe Mesi but despite the result he did attain some respect in a close fight where he held the initiative in the end. Monte is a fairly good technical fighter with one major problem, he has little power. Yes he did knock down Joe Mesi, but this was largely due to Mesi being in the perfect position to be knocked down. Overall Monte tends to go the distance. Unexpectedly Barrett is now in a position of demand as a gatekeeper type fighter on HBO. Those who can get by him have a claim to crossing into the top 15; and those who do not do not. A Monte Barrett fight against Dominick Guinn would be very interesting at this point.

17. Mount Whitaker

Whitaker was one of those fighters who in many ways ended up disappointing HBO in terms of potentially having the good to make some waves amongst the Heavyweight elite. In a long chain of pretenders Mount followed Michael Grant and Oleg Maskaev in not living up to expectations. During his peak he found himself on a bit of a roll after defeating Monte Barrett, Robert Davis and Oleg Maskaev. His previous weakness seemed to be his tendency to pitty-pat his punches instead of gaining leverage on them. In the latter two victories that problem seemed solved. Then suddenly Mount ran into unheralded Jameel McCline and was decisively upset over the distance. McCline became the inheritor of the mantle and himself soon lost it as well against Wladimir Klitschko. Unlike McCline who has rebounded to take on something in the way of dangerous fights in Charles Shufford and Cedric Boswell. Whitaker has chosen to step a significantly lower and fight journeyman level fighters in Cliff Couser, Al Cole and Ray Austin (where he fought to a miserable draw). Is Whitaker's confidence gone? Is he going to continue to fade into obscurity? It seems as such, at this rate it appears Mount is going to continue to downslide. At one point he was a viable latter top ten fighter, but as time goes on it seems the likelihood of a return to those modest heights seems remote indeed.

16. Dominick Guinn

Of the rising stars in the Heavyweight division it would appear Dominick Guinn might be the most complete fighter out of the batch. He has a good left hook, a potent straight right hand and has performed in a focused and determined manner against bigger men. Additionally he also seems to have a good chin as witnessed in his triumph over Duncan Dokiwari. What gets him here is the latter win as well as his victory over former contender Michael Grant. Despite seemingly having the complete package Guinn lags behind his co-riser Joe Mesi due to an inferior resume. Although Dokiwari is perhaps, in terms of talent, a top 20 Heavyweight, that fighter has as of yet to attain a name win and that has to come into account here. Additionally, Michael Grant was obviously a spent force though arguably still in the top 20 at the time when he defeated him. Although suffering a resume discount in these ratings, he may actually have the goods to make an impact in the top 10. His next scheduled fight is to take place on HBO, which should not only be illuminating but perhaps an opportunity to get there.

15. Kirk Johnson

Of all the fighters on this list the greatest underachiever must be Kirk Johnson. He entered the picture at the same time as David Tua and Hasim Rahman and while they thrust themselves into the thick of the mix, Kirk remained largely on the fringes continuing to fight tomato cans and also-rans. Then in a fight against the highly regarded number three Heavyweight at the time in Oleg Maskaev; he attained an impressive and unexpected knockout victory. Of course any momentum that followed was diminished through inactivity and a less than impressive victory over Larry Donald. Then an opportunity against John Ruiz was wasted through disqualification, and though a win over spent Lou Savarese was viewed as a return to form, his body certainly did not reflect that in a concurrent blowout loss to Vitali Klitschko. Kirk Johnson has always had the natural gifts of a top five fighter, but that has never come to fruition due largely to a questionable mentality. Though the Vitali loss was a serious setback all is not at a loss for Kirk. We know he has the potential to defeat a top ten fighter and therefore to enter the mix as a true contender. There is still time to set things right and end a career in respect, something he would not have right now. Despite two recent high profile losses Johnson remains above those below him through greater accomplishments. Dominick Guinn lacks depth while Whitaker's big win was over an inferior version of Oleg Maskaev that was already broken by Johnson. Johnson currently resides amongst two other sliding former top ten fighters in Evander Holyfield and Hasim Rahman. Of the three Kirk deserves to be at the back.

14. Joe Mesi

As previously mentioned Mesi's resume is relatively impressive of late after a series of wins, and the associated vociferous propaganda, against the cold corpses of Bert Cooper and David Izon. The one round successive destruction of Robert Davis and Davarryl Williamson were very impressive despite the defensive liabilities of both fighters. Mesi exploited their weaknesses with the efficiency of a blitzkrieg. Against Williamson many thought Mesi would be exposed but alas these claims proved horribly inaccurate. Joe Mesi's attributes include potent power, that is underrated, generally good stamina and most importantly ring intelligence. Mesi's dissection of Davis and Williamson in the ring, and his post-fight comments, indicates he studies his opposition carefully and this must be commended and recognized. In his last fight with Monte Barrett he clearly stepped up in opposition and was in the ring long enough for us to measure him more accurately. In the first six rounds of that fight Mesi was winning decisively landing the bigger and better punches, he even garnered a knockdown. Clearly impressive considering many felt he was nothing more than hype. Nevertheless some concerns also arose that would tend to make many think he is inferior in potential to such rising Heavyweight fighters as Dominick Guinn and Juan Carlos Gomez. Is it the fact that he lost the last four rounds to Barrett and was himself knocked down? I would argue no, the knockdown punch did not seem to really hurt him badly and it also caught him at an odd angle, it probably would have knocked most fighters in that position down. The lack of stamina in those last rounds is also of minimal concerns as he has gone the distance before with ease and in this fight he was likely prematurely fatigued due to the fact that his previous two fights only went one round, this can be corrected with ease. The stamina problem was likely an anomaly. What was of most concern was his reaction after he was knocked down. Upon this event Mesi did not step up to the challenge, he stepped back and basically went into a retreat, now of course most fighters do this temporarily to recover when they are hurt. The problem here is that Mesi did it for the rest of the fight. Was this reaction a one off situation or his standard reaction to adversity? This question cannot be answered until he once again is thrust into this type of situation. His wins over Barrett and Williamson who were both in the top fifteen to twenty-five as well as his undefeated record place him above a Johnson whose superior overall resume has its accolades now fading into the past.

13. Hasim Rahman

Hasim Rahman's reaction after his loss to John Ruiz essentially sums up his career as a whole. His insistence that he won the fight is indicative of a quality that has both served him as his greatest attribute and greatest Achilles heel. "The Rock's" supreme confidence allowed him to come back and defeat a dangerous fighter in Corrie Sanders, impress twice against David Tua and most importantly to knockout Lennox Lewis and become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. If anything can be said about Hasim Rahman it's that the word inferiority complex does not reside in his vocabulary. Of course this very disregard for his opponent has also led to disaster on numerous occasions. He underestimated Oleg Maskaev and was knocked out through the ropes. Against Evander Holyfield in an act of blatant stupidity he chose to play to Evander's strength and go toe to toe with him when all he had to do was jab like he did against David Tua from the outside. His overconfidence or blatant arrogance made him think he could defeat Holyfield at his own game. Recently against John Ruiz we once again witnessed Hasim's negligent side come to the fore. In the Ruiz fight he was caught repeatedly by a sneaky right hand and was clearly losing the fight to most observers, except himself. This overconfidence or skewed perception of one's own performance made him make no adjustments in a fight he had to win. Rahman mistakingly fights the same type of fight from start to finish irrespective of what is occurring in the ring. Rahman therefore learns nothing and just carries on in a routine fashion convinced he could never lose. Although the international commentators were stating that Rahman looked like a "shot" fighter against Ruiz, I beg to differ. This was the same old liability Hasim has had from the start. As a fighter Rahman has decent attributes in a good jab, powerful right hand and perhaps the quickest ability among heavyweights to recover from a big punch as demonstrated against Tua and Sanders. Besides overconfidence Rahman's liabilities are that his punches lack decisive speed and that though he is good in virtually all departments, he is not great in any either. Rahman is young enough to remain in the picture for a few years yet, but if he is to not become "Has been" Rahman as Lennox Lewis declared, a greater degree of introspection is needed. Rahman is here despite losing 3 of his last 4 fights against top ten opposition due to the fact that his fall is after all from the very top after defeating Lennox Lewis. Additionally, the recent draw against David Tua is worthy of praise (many thought he had won), as is the fact that he defeated or had a draw against two fighters currently above him in these rankings in Corrie Sanders and David Tua.

12. Evander Holyfield

Some may criticize me for having Holyfield this far up this list considering his recent win/loss record of late in addition to his advanced age and recent knockout loss to James Toney. Nevertheless it must be recognized that Evander is here due mostly to the deficiencies of those behind him. Joe Mesi and Dominick Guinn have not defeated a top ten fighter at all never mind of late and Kirk Johnson and Hasim Rahman both had inferior performances to John Ruiz. In Evander's last fight against Ruiz he received a draw, though many though he inched it out, and after that he upset Hasim Rahman. The successive losses to Chris Byrd and James Toney hurt him but not enough to place him below a man a beat in the Rock and Johnson. Despite this it is more than clear that Evander Holyfield has no business left in the ring if his future health is of concern. He himself stated he would retire if dominated and if Toney's performance against Evander was not domination, or systematic destruction, what is? He is in some sense similar to Rahman in terms of his lack of introspection except that it resides outside the ring where he cannot make adjustments. This man is probably the best heavyweight of the last fifteen years and yet he continues to be a victim of those very qualities that pushed him to greatness, determination and pride. There are plenty of historical examples of great fighters getting out too late and paying for it with their health after years of wear and tear and yet Evander pays it no heed. If his body is a temple it seems hard to fathom it continuing standing if you take the foundations out and that is a high risk here. Nevertheless, despite the heightened risks if Evander Holyfield continues to fight he will still not be a walkover for most fighters. His experience, toughness and intelligence in the ring may well still be enough to make even a shadow of his former self a difficult opponent in the ring.

11. Mike Tyson

Speaking of shadows we have in Mike Tyson another of the old generation hanging in the picture not out of pride but out of pure financial desperation. Although a declaration of bankruptcy could be referred to his diminished ring ability it is in fact a reflection of his finances. In terms of the latter bankruptcy that is confirmed, in terms of the former perhaps not quite yet despite the protests of many. Yes Mike Tyson has not defeated a top ten fighter since Frank Bruno a decade ago but nonetheless he remains a danger to many opponents despite a shellacking at the hands of Lennox Lewis. Now it may seem abhorrent to many to even think of having Mike Tyson above Evander Holyfield for the dual reasons of inactivity and double jeopardy against Evander Holyfield circa 1996. Have I lost my mind? Am I one of the lingering Tysonistas who cannot let go of 1986 and think if only Kevin Rooney were back in his corner this man would once again be the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World? Of course not! One of the reason's he is here is that his resume over recent years has been discounted more than it should. It's not stellar but relatively decent. Clifford Etienne is not a world-beater but he was a top 20 opponent who was knocked out in the first round. Lou Savarese was in terms of talent probably top 30 at the time and similarly disposed of, along with the referee, and Andrew Golota was undeniably top 15 at the time Tyson fought him and was disposed of early as well. These results are not stellar but decent within the context of the current heavyweight division. Brian Nielson was also a latter top 30 opponent after wins over Jeremy Williams and Tim Witherspoon and Tyson surprisingly showed some stamina and put some good combinations together against what was at least a durable fighter. The Lennox Lewis debacle was just that but it was probably no worse than Michael Grant's, Frans Botha's and Hasim Rahman's last fight with Lewis only that expectations were higher. So what does Mike have left? Probably not much and that is why he is avoiding top ten opposition, he knows he will probably lose to most of the top ten at this point. But unlike Evander this has of yet to be confirmed here. One advantage Tyson has are the last thing to go, overwhelming power and durability. Evander still has the latter, but the former he does not. Of course Mike Tyson has other liabilities such as little temperament for patience if things do not go his way and a lack of hunger but he still remains a dangerous fighter at the very least in the early rounds of a fight. In fact it would probably not be too extreme to say that Mike Tyson may still very well be the most dangerous fighter alive today in the first round. In terms of comparison with Evander Holyfield it seems Iron Mike may just have a little bit more left in the tank than the Real Deal especially when power is considered. Evander wears down via attrition and with ever decreasing spurts of activity in the ring only the slightest marginal advantage at this point goes to Mike Tyson, though in a direct confrontation I would still take Evander as "styles make fights".

10. Jameel McCline

It is somewhat ironic that Jameel McCline follows Iron Mike as he is probably the most nervous looking Heavyweight fighter in recent memory and a contest between the two would probably have McCline enter the ring in diapers. In his loss against Wladimir Klitschko; Jameel seemed overwhelmed by anxiety and put at heel more by Klitschko's reputation and his visualization of what Wladimir would do to him rather than what actually occurred. What is interesting is the fact that in those rare instances McCline took chances and was aggressive he was somewhat effective. It was almost as if he would have pressed the issue more Jameel may have had a chance at victory. Despite all of this it must be stated that Jameel has probably been maligned more that he should have. Unlike Andrew Golota, who also suffered anxiety and seemed as though he would be willing to press a nuclear detonation device at some points if it would get him out of the ring, McCline actually responds to pressure and fights at his best under those circumstances. He is, outside of the Klitchko fight, a brave fighter when pressed. Against Mount Whitaker this was the case and when in trouble against Charles Shufford he responded well and did what he had to do. In his recent fight against Cedric Boswell he was likely behind on the cards and needed a knockout in the last two rounds. Once again he gathered himself together and did just that. His upcoming fight with James Toney should be interesting in a sense that it is probably in Toney's self interest to fight at a pedestrian pace and use his boxing skills to outbox McCline, instead of going in to get a knockout and risk unleashing the part of McCline that can be dangerous. Jameel is here due to an underestimated resume. Despite the loss to Wladimir Klitschko he has two top ten victims including Michael Grant (at the time) and a peak Mount Whitaker. In addition to that we have Boswell, Shufford and the talented, though underachiever, Shannon Briggs. A win over James Toney will throw him back into the title mix.

9. James Toney

Ranking James Toney is difficult in that you have to consider certain variables. Do you take the win over Vassily Jirov into account in this assessment? Probably not. Although he absolutely decimated Evander Holyfield to an extend no other has done (Even Riddick Bowe in their third fight was knocked down by Evander) was he simply demolishing an old man and so therefore should be heavily discounted? If so then why was Chris Byrd given so much in the way of accolades for his win over Evander? Despite all these considerations its clear that James should be given a top ten ranking for defeating a top ten fighter, which Evander still was at the time, decisively. How high is another question and perhaps it is best to err on the side of conservatism in this case and place him marginally in the top ten until Toney proves something in the way of depth at this level against a top ten fighter closer to his prime. That will occur in his next opponent Jameel McCline and a victory here would take Toney into the top 5. In ascertaining his talents it can be stated that James Toney is a magnificent fighter. His combination punching is outstanding, his defensive talents one of the best in the division, he knows how to evade punches even when standing directly in front of his opponent, not quite as good as Chris Byrd but probably a close second to him. Additional positive attributes include a good chin and fairly good speed and supreme ring intelligence. They only semi-weakness besides advancing age is that his one punch power at the heavyweight level is suspect. Like his last opponent in Evander Holyfield he appears to be more of an attrition based offensive fighter who wears his opponents down systematically over time. Expect James Toney to be a serious contender at Heavyweight for the next two years or whenever age kicks in. I placed Toney ahead of McCline as his win over a top ten is recent, while McCline's last similar circumstance was a loss and his wins in this regard fairly distant now. One could argue a one-shot deserves less than depth here but either way the two fighters are close and an argument either way would be justified.

8. Fres Oquendo

Unlike James Toney, Fres Oquendo has an impressive pedigree at this level. In his last fight against Chris Byrd; Fres seems to have been robbed of a decision by the judges who must have been scoring the fight based on the same criteria as synchronized swimming. The only way one can justify Oquendo not winning that fight was to punish him for his lack of respect for aesthetics. Fres Oquendo has one of the most awkward styles in Heavyweight history; it was so awkward that it even confused the highly intelligent ring technician in Chris Byrd. Some will argue Oquendo should be given full credit as if that fight was a victory and ranked higher, while others will argue they could have seen how Byrd could have possibly won if you gave him all of the close rounds. I think the best decision is to rank him somewhere in between, not giving him full kudos for a victory but perhaps a kind of half victory as such, this could be derided with some justification but at this point it seems hard to regard it any other way. In addition to the Byrd fight Oquendo has wins over Mo Harris, David Izon, Obed Sullivan, Duncan Dokiwari as well as upsetting the Clifford Etienne bandwagon at its peak. The only clear cut loss on his resume was a fight against David Tua where he was dominating it with his jab and effectively following a gameplan until getting caught by a right-hand. Despite the loss, Oquendo gained more legitimacy from that defeat as a true contender than any of his previous victories as he demonstrated he could compete at the top level. In terms of ability he is difficult to measure. At times he looks horribly crude in throwing wild and almost amateurish hooks as he did against Mo Harris, and at other times he looked relatively refined as against Izon and Tua. By all appearances he seems to know whom he can be crude against and get away with it and whom he cannot. Oquendo is somewhat of an enigma and it is hard to tell exactly how good he really is even after witnessing so many of his fights. Nevertheless one conclusion can certainly be made; he is an awkward and difficult fighter to defeat, much more so than people tend to suspect. Similar to his Puerto Rican compatriot John Ruiz, he appears innocuous and yet somehow is effective in the ring despite perceived limitations. At this time it looks as though Fres Oquendo is being lined up to fight Ruiz in a fight that aesthetically should be about as pleasing as watching paint dry. Most would probably give Ruiz the edge just for having a greater degree of experience but who knows with Fres Oquendo

7. David Tua

By mid-1997 David Tua had placed himself as the most likely to succeed amongst a new generation seeking to usurp the great generation of Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe and Mike Tyson. In vanquishing John Ruiz, Darroll Wilson, David Izon and Oleg Maskaev he had placed himself at the forefront of his peers, and the fact that he fought in a style reminiscent of "Smokin" Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson did not hurt either. Then suddenly in Ike Ibeabuchi, Tua met an unknown upstart in a brilliant fight that in retrospect turned out to be a watershed point in his career. In an extremely close fight, with a tremendously high punch output, David Tua lost a decision suffering his first professional defeat. This loss ended the first phase of a career that proved highly promising and ushered in a second phase that can only be viewed as a disappointment. Outside of a controversial win over Hasim Rahman, David Tua's career began to at first stagnate and then go into decline. Upon the Rahman win he secured a mandatory title shot. This lead to a long period of fights against non-threatening tomato cans that were selected for their innocuous nature so as not to risk the loss of the title shot. Of course these opponents did absolutely nothing in preparing David Tua for Champion Lennox Lewis who took him apart with extreme ease. This was followed by another loss against Chris Byrd that proved to be almost as one-sided. Although Tua clearly had a tremendous amount of power and durability in the ring, it became ever so obvious that against good boxers with mental focus he would struggle horribly. Currently David Tua resides within the third phase of his career that is in essence a second wind. A victory over a top-ten Fres Oquendo and a subsequent first round knockout over Michael Moorer has established that. Instead of desperately over-relying on his potent left hook he seems to be getting back on track in terms of using his overhand right and throwing more body punches. His most recent fight against Hasim Rahman though ended in a draw and recent management problems have led once again to a general feeling of stagnation. Uncertainty with management, his weight and questions about his ability to innovate as a boxer all hang over the Tuaman with little resolution in sight. What will be left when he returns is highly uncertain, at best he will re-enter the mix as a serious contender or at worst he will function as a gatekeeper to the top five before slowly fading out into pasture. His recent wins over Oquendo and Moorer are decent but not enough to get him higher.

6. Wladimir Klitschko

For years boxing pundits and prognosticators have awaited with baited breath the moment of adversity for the sports heir apparent in Wladimir Klitschko. The goal was to see how he would handle those moments of adversity where a true champion is determined, when one's heart is in one's trousers. They got it in a one-sided defeat to South African Corrie Sanders where Wladimir Klitschko failed horribly. So what exactly did this fiasco demonstrate? Is he a quitter? No, as he kept getting up after being knocked down repeatedly. Is he a frightened fighter under adversity? Clearly yes, as his reaction to Corrie Sanders under duress was a mix of trying to throw back and cowering at the same time. This was not a very reassuring response to a critical gut check. What was most amazing was the fact that Wladimir appeared almost infantile defensively once the initiative was taken away from him. It is remarkable that an Olympic Gold Medallist with a lengthy amateur career and forty-one professional fights completely forgot the basic art of holding the opposition in times of tribulation. Was he simply in such an astounding shock that he completely lost his mental faculties and embodied the half fetal position by instinct? If this is true then the future does not bode well for the more talented of the two Klitschko brothers. Luckily though there is room for optimism.

The previous fight Wladimir lost was to journeyman Ross Purrity where he simply exhausted himself through bad pacing trying to impress his hometown audience in Kiev, Ukraine. Soon after he demonstrated stamina and that problem never resurfaced. This in combination with his humble post (Sanders) fight interview where he assumed all responsibility and stated he "has much to learn" also bodes well. With past evidence of an ability to correct a flaw, and the right mentality moving forward, it seems a first step has been made and that more likely than not some improvement is in store. Disconcerting is the fact that Corrie Sanders exposed Wladimir's weak ability to fight on the inside, once Sanders slipped inside his jab Wladimir was helpless. Not developing an uppercut up to this point may have cost him the fight, and his tendency to pull straight back on the defensive cost him even more. Despite the weaknesses it is clear that the vast majority of fighters have failed to get anywhere near taking the initiative away from Klitschko whilst in the heat of battle, and perhaps some of the Sanders debacle can be brushed off due to the fact that Corrie is a "styles make fights" anomaly in terms of being a southpaw with tremendous power and decent size. Nevertheless even against orthodox fighters Wladimir will once again find himself inevitably in the same situation and until that occurs skepticism will continue to reign. In terms of talent Wladimir is the crème de la crème of the Heavyweight division. He is big, strong, has good power, a potent jab and a great straight right and left hook. He is an intelligent man with considerably more natural athleticism than his brother Vitali. Where he is inferior is perhaps temperament. It is easy to see that Vitali is the more emotional of the two and hence has the fire to sustain him in situations where Wladimir is questionable. In terms of talent there is little question, in terms of heart there is. Not long ago his brother had arisen out of the very same pit after relinquishing a fight to Chris Byrd; will Wladimir do the same? Despite his loss to Sanders, Wladimir has one of the more impressive resumes among the heavyweights with a long list of victims including two top ten contenders in Jameel McCline and Chris Byrd. Since the loss to Sanders, Wladimir has come back to win two fights against Fabio Moli and Dannel Nicholson with little fanfare. It will take another top ten win and perhaps evidence of surviving a trial of fire before Wladimir gets back to where he was, hopefully that will take place this year.

5. John Ruiz

If anybody is the pariah of the Heavyweight division it is most certainly John Ruiz. His style is pure anathema to most viewers, more reminiscent of a root canal than entertainment. The 'Quiet Man's strategy is almost anti-boxing as it consists of jab and hold, jab and hold. Since his jab is fairly quick and he is successful at imposing himself on his opponent through a brawling/smothering style there is no reason to think he will change what has largely been very successful for him. Outside of his loss to the supremely talented Roy Jones Jr, Ruiz has not lost any of his last four fights against legitimate top ten Heavyweights. Nobody gave him a chance against Evander Holyfield and he won and draw the last two of their three fights (and one could argue he was robbed in the first fight). He was the underdog against Kirk Johnson and arose the victor. In his most recent fight against former Champion Hasim Rahman he stunk out the arena in terms of aesthetics but yet again won a fight most thought he would lose. This man has consistently been labeled a talentless bum and yet again and again he gets the job done despite his detractors. Though it can be difficult, one must look at John Ruiz objectively and realize he actually has more qualities than most would like to acknowledge. He is clearly durable, tough and willing to do whatever it takes to win. The speed of his jab is underrated and his right hand's power similarly so. The latter weapon rattled Johnson and Rahman a few times and even floored Evander Holyfield. The fact of the matter, though most do not want to admit it, is that John Ruiz is very difficult to defeat and most have no idea what to do to defeat him. Of course some weaknesses do exist as seen against Roy Jones. Ruiz is a terrible fighter when he has to stalk his opponent; against Jones he was reminiscent of a bull against a matador and had little ability to block off the ring. Additionally, Roy was intelligent enough not to stay right in front of Ruiz which most do again and again to their detriment. John Ruiz seems to struggle against fighters who use their angles properly, something Holyfield and Rahman seemed too slow to do and Johnson too inept. Many will proclaim I should be guillotined for placing Ruiz this high but viewed objectively its difficult not too. Like Wladimir he has lost a recent major fight in an embarrassing manner while previously defeating two top ten fighters. Unlike Wladimir Klitschko, Ruiz jumped right back into the mix against another top ten fighter in Hasim Rahman and garnered a victory, for that some degree of respect must be given despite his terribly boring and unpleasant style. As usual emotion wants this man out of the top ten altogether, but objectively he is getting the job done and that, however distasteful, is the bottom line. Some may argue how could John Ruiz be ahead of David Tua who defeated him in 19 seconds, simple, that was an eon ago and has little relevance at this point in time.

4. Roy Jones Jr.

Some may claim that Roy Jones Jr's fight against John Ruiz was a simple one way excursion into the Heavyweight division against a fighter that was 'made to order' and they are probably right. Nevertheless, Roy must be given credit for doing what no other Heavyweight has been able to do to this version of John Ruiz, defeat him. Not only have they been unable to defeat him, but also they have been put to further shame by witnessing Roy do it so very easily. It was quite simply a walk in the park. One could argue that RJJ does not deserve to be this high in the rankings, as he has no Heavyweight pedigree beyond this fight. This is true, but he did defeat a fighter who was arguably in the top five at the time and one could similarly claim that James Toney, and even Corrie Sanders, have little pedigree at this level as well. Outside of Evander Holyfield, Toney has fought a few tomato cans and that amounts to little here. Similarly if one were to really look at Corrie Sanders record, outside of his win over Wladimir Klitschko what does he have? Very little outside of wins over journeymen and a loss to Hasim Rahman. In terms of depth Jones, Toney and even Corrie Sanders deserve to be lower, but in terms of quality of the recently vanquished RJJ deserves to be amongst the top five Heavyweights in the world even if it is a brief excursion. Clearly in terms of talent RJJ is one of the best of all time even if one can argue successfully that his career has been one of general caution and reluctance where opponents are concerned. From here Jones has indicated its either a fight with Mike Tyson or retirement. A win over Mike Tyson at this point would prove little sans the fact that one of the most talented fighters in boxing history has always seemed to be more a businessman than boxer, and more interested in lira than legacy.

3. Corrie Sanders

Corrie Sanders victory over Wladimir Klitschko was the shock of the year in the Heavyweight division last year. But when one looks closer at the natural attributes at hand that shock diminishes somewhat and is partially replaced by a sense of wasted potential. Corrie Sanders is a rarity in that he is a tall Heavyweight southpaw with a tremendous amount of power in his straight left hand. The potency was first demonstrated against a highly durable slugger in Al "Ice" Cole who up to then nobody could knockout. The fact that Corrie blew him out in one round definitely garnered some attention where power is concerned. This was followed by an extremely entertaining fight between himself and the soon to be Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman. Although Sanders lost that fight one could not have helped to have been impressed by his performance in the early rounds where he seemed to be doing a number on the Rock with crisp combination punching and even knocking him down before losing the fight largely based on poor stamina. Although most recognized Corrie had a punchers chance against Wladimir Klitschko, many discounted it due to excessive age and inactivity. The end result was a shock indeed for the heir apparent. Since then Wladimir has fought twice while Corrie once again has lulled into a position of inactivity. Much of the blame for this can be attributed to political problems with the WBO etc but there is also the lingering sense that Corrie really has never had his heart focussed on boxing as he has such varied interests outside of the sport This in combination with an advanced age (he is in his late 30's) makes him once again into an unknown quantity at this point in time. Whether he will even fight again, never mind have a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, is in question and that is somewhat a shame considering the fact that his fights are almost always very entertaining. This of course is a lingering question along with another more interesting one, what would Corrie Sanders have accomplished if boxing was his main focus and not viewed almost as a part time job? We will never know. Even if Sanders does come back, his age, focus and stamina will always be at question even if his punching power will not be. Corrie Sanders ranking is based on a one-sided victory over the clearly 2nd best Heavyweight in the World at the time in Wladimir Klitschko. One could quite rightly argue that he should be penalized and placed lower due to inactivity but that time is not quite yet. Hopefully he will be in the ring again in early 2004.

2. Vitali Klitschko

There is little doubt right now that the hottest fighter in the Heavyweight division is Vitali Klitschko. His performance in a loss to Lennox Lewis garnered him much in the way of respect for heart and determination. Among all the judges scorecards at the time of the stoppage Vitali was winning the fight four rounds to two and many to this day feel he was cheated and would have won that fight if it was allowed to continue. This appearance along with a recent second round knockout over top ten contender Kirk Johnson has brought Vitali to the forefront in inheriting the mantle from the currently inactive Champion Lennox Lewis. This is almost unbelievable within the context of a year ago where Vitali was still being heavily derided due to quitting on his stool against Chris Byrd in a fight he was clearly winning. Although the derision has been converted to respect after a display of courage there remains something in the way of puzzlement. When one watches Vitali in the ring he seems to have many weaknesses. He is highly robotic in movement; he pulls his head straight back in defense and keeps his hands very low. Nevertheless while the signals say he is vulnerable nobody has been able to exploit it. There are two basic explanations for this, one is his height that makes it very difficult for shorter fighters to even get anywhere near in range to do any damage, and even when fighters do Vitali has demonstrated a strong chin. The second reason is of course the tremendous amount of power Vitali has. Although Larry Donald and Vaughn Bean are by no means world-beaters; they are both very awkward to defeat and nearly impossible to knockout and Vitali succeeded in doing both with little trouble. Perhaps Vitali's best attribute, though more difficult to spot, is the fact that he is very conscious of the distance between himself and his opponent. He knows where to be to enable him to gain maximum leverage on his punches. Vitali's rating is based on a large assortment of 'B' level Heavyweight victims and his recent domination of Kirk Johnson. Those below him either have less depth or have had recent serious setbacks. Choosing between Vitali and Chris Byrd was difficult but it came down to certain key factors that cannot be overlooked. Despite the fact that Vitali Klitschko was winning the fight when he quit, he still quit and so conceded defeat to Chris Byrd. Additionally, Chris Byrd has defeated 3 top ten Heavyweights (including Vitali) to Vitali's one in Kirk Johnson. Finally, even if one discount's Byrd's win over Fres Oquendo, Vitali nonetheless lost his fight to Lennox Lewis despite a brave performance. Fundamentally Lennox inflicted enough damage on his opponent to justify the referee stopping the fight in Lewis' favor. When one takes all of these factors into account one must give the nod to Chris Byrd despite his poor performance against Fres Oquendo.

1.Chris Byrd

Despite Vitali's recent rise the number one challenger to Lennox Lewis remains the defensive wizard Chris Byrd. His relatively one-sided and recent victories over Mo Harris, Evander Holyfield and David Tua impressed many and demonstrated that the best defensive fighter in the division is once again also a potent counterattacker and ring technician. In his most recent fight against Fres Oquendo though he struggled horribly and was completely baffled by Oquendo's unorthodox style. Oquendo's unpredictability forced Byrd, who is naturally a counterpuncher; into the aggressor role and in that he was uncomfortable and relatively ineffective. Although Byrd won the decision it is hard to deny the fact that his stock has gone down in the eyes of many and when one considers his previous victories he may in fact be somewhat overrated. Despite the win over Vitali Klitschko; Byrd struggled quite badly against both Klitschko brothers due to their size and was lucky to come away with an even record against them. Since they could essentially keep him on the outside with their longer jabs Byrd was forced to go on the offensive and generally struggled doing so. When one looks at his best victories over Evander Holyfield and David Tua both were against fighters relatively one dimensional and relatively slow. Is Chris Byrd therefore overrated or is this a misconstrued observation? Whatever the answer Chris Byrd is now residing in a "show me" situation where he has to prove the Fres Oquendo performance was just an anomaly. His next fight is tentatively scheduled for March and his opponent has been hinted to be Monte Barrett, which really should not be much of a threat to this highly skilled technician. Nevertheless what happens if Monte just stands in front of him and does not initiate in a similar manner to Fres Oquendo? Will Byrd be effective taking the fight to Monte once again in an aggressor role generally not suitable to his style? All of these are interesting questions at hand hopefully answered in 2004. If one were to consider Chris Byrd's intelligence, one would have to assume the answers would most certainly be in his favor. Despite some doubts one must give kudos to a fighter who will fight anyone, anywhere, at a physical disadvantage in terms of height and power without hesitation. He is a credit to the sport.

C. Lennox Lewis

There is little doubt that we still reside in the Lennox Lewis Heavyweight era. Whether he fights again or not he must be considered one of the top two Heavyweights of his generation along with Evander Holyfield. He has defeated every man he has ever faced and despite two egregious defeats has produced top quality results within the context of longevity. That is the good news, the bad news is that Lennox is currently holding the Heavyweight division hostage to his own ego so that he can continue to receive the accolades associated with being Heavyweight Champion of the World without actually defending that title. One fight in 19 months is more reminiscent of selfishness than a "Champion". Nevertheless what exactly does Lennox Lewis have left in the tank? Hard to say, some think the Lennox that fought Vitali Klitschko looked like he aged overnight while others suggest he was off his game and chose the wrong strategy. The most likely answer is that it is a little bit of both. Of the two though it appears that the latter has more validity. Lennox Lewis fought Vitali as if all he had to do was land a big punch and Vitali would either collapse like his brother Wladimir against Corrie Sanders or quit. The gameplan was too simplistic in its assumptions and was somewhat condescending to his opponent. Lennox Lewis has always fought according to the perceived danger of his opponent, against Zeljko Mavrovic and in his first fights with Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman he took his opponents lightly and that seems to be the case again here with Vitali Klitschko. Will a better-prepared Lennox Lewis therefore easily dispose of Vitali Klitschko in a rematch? Probably not as Vitali's equally long jab and awkward style may make boxing Vitali a difficult proposition as well. A rematch would be highly anticipated but then probably any fight involving Lennox Lewis would be at this point in time. Most are hoping that the torch is passed via a fight rather than via retirement and this is understandable. Equally understandable is if Lennox Lewis chooses to retire rather than fight due to the risks associated with continuing to fight at an advanced age. With all this uncertainty at least one thing is certain, the Lennox Lewis reign is in its twilight and the advent of a new era is upon us. Will a fighter amongst those listed here arise to dominate the landscape or will the next era be a mixed bag of mediocrity. At this point it is difficult to say but either way 2004 should see the end of a reign by a generation that has dominated landscape since Mike Tyson arose in the mid-1980's.