SportsRatings: Boxing/MMA

Heavyweight boxing: Alex Povetkin out of top 10 after 15 years

Alexander Povetkin had one of the longest reigns in the top three of any boxer in history—possibly the longest of any boxer who didn't reach the top. This month in our Top 100 rankings Povetkin, who retired in June, 2021, has just now slipped out of the top 10, ending a string of just shy of 15 years there. In all Povetkin spent 179 months in the top ten, with 107 months—nearly 9 years—at #3, with a full 12 years in the top five. Here's a rundown of his career in our top 10:

February 2008 rankings: Povetkin breaks into the top ten following a stellar 2007

2004 olympic gold medalist Povetkin's pro career got off to a good start at 10-0. He then had a great 2007, winning four fights over ranked fighters including an 11th round TKO of #6 Chris Byrd in the first fight of the IBF eliminator designed to pick Wlad Klitschko's next foe at the time. That put him at #11, just outside the top ten for three months before the IBF eliminator final vs. Eddie Chambers, which he won by unanimous decision on January 26, 2008. That put Povetkin not just in the top ten but in the top five, at #4.

June 2007	July 2007	Nov 2007	Jan 2008	Feb 2008	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	January 2008 results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	21.42	27-3-0
2	2	2	2	2	RUSLAN CHAGAEV	13.86	10-0-0	UD 12 #8 MATT SKELTON
4	4	3	3	3	SAMUEL PETER	7.53	14-1-0
58	47	11	11	4	ALEX POVETKIN	7.20	10-0-0	UD 12 #6 EDDIE CHAMBERS
5	5	4	4	5	NICOLAY VALUEV	6.74	18-1-0

 

December 2009 rankings: Povetkin ascends to the #3 spot after David Haye beats #3 Nicolay Valuev in November

The promised fight with Klitschko didn't happen just yet. Povetkin's management felt he wasn't ready to face Wladimir (they were right) as he was only 28 and had plenty of time to develop. Povetkin won a few stay-busy fights that held his rank.

By this time Wladimir Klitschko had beaten #2 Chagaev, and Vitali Klitscho had beaten #3 Sam Peter and taken over the #2 spot with Nicolay Valuev then at #3. When David Haye beat Valuev, Povetkin moved into the #3 spot where he would camp literally for years.

Feb 2008	Aug 2008	May 2009	Nov 2009	Dec 2009	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	November 2009 results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	59.13	31-3-0
11	12	3	2	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	37.21	20-2-0
4	5	5	4	3	ALEX POVETKIN	29.08	12-0-0
20	13	7	5	4	EDDIE CHAMBERS	26.76	13-1-0
2	2	2	6	5	RUSLAN CHAGAEV	26.50	11-1-0
59	64	23	21	6	DAVID HAYE	25.35	3-0-0	MD 12 #3 NICOLAY VALUEV
5	4	4	3	7	NICOLAY VALUEV	20.81	21-2-0	L MD 12 #21 DAVID HAYE

 

October 2013: Povetkin finally fights Wladimir Klitschko—and loses—but retains his #3 ranking in the November rankings

From late 2009 thru 2013 Povetkin won 8 fights, including a unanimous decision win over Ruslan Chagaev in August of 2011. Along with the Klitschko brothers who were also undefeated during that span, the top trio dominated boxing and were far ahead of the rest of the pack. So far ahead that when Povetkin fought Wlad Klitschko on October 5, 2013, and lost a lopsided decision, he remained at #3 in the November, 2013 rankings:

Jan 2010	Jan 2011	Jan 2012	Jan 2013	Oct 2013	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	2013 Jan-Sept results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	69.90	38-3-0	TKO 6 #15 FRANCESCO PIANETA
2	2	2	2	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	46.76	27-2-0	--last rated win -12 months.
3	3	3	3	3	ALEX POVETKIN	39.27	20-0-0	TKO 3 #17 ANDRZEJ WAWRZYK
45	23	13	5	4	KUBRAT PULEV	26.67	12-0-0	UD 12 #44 TONY THOMPSON
71	63	4	4	5	TYSON FURY	24.48	11-0-0	KO 7 #121 STEVE CUNNINGHAM

 

Jan 2011	Jan 2012	Jan 2013	Oct 2013	Nov 2013	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	October 2013 results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	75.22	39-3-0	UD 12 #3 ALEX POVETKIN
2	2	2	2	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	46.27	27-2-0	--last rated win -13 months.
3	3	3	3	3	ALEX POVETKIN	27.76	20-1-0	L UD 12 #1 WLAD KLITSCHKO
23	13	5	4	4	KUBRAT PULEV	26.67	12-0-0
63	4	4	5	5	TYSON FURY	24.48	11-0-0

 

October 2015 rankings: Alexander Povetkin moves to #2 as the retired Vitali Klitchko slides to #3

Following the loss to Klitschko, Povetkin beat Manuel Charr, Carlos Takam, and Mike Perez to maintain his #3 ranking. Meanwhile Vitali Klitschko had last fought in September of 2012 and had retired, losing rating points since late 2013. Finally in the October, 2015 rankings Klitschko slipped below Povetkin who was finally #2 after spending almost six years at #3!

June 2014	Nov 2014	June 2015	Sep 2015	Oct 2015	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	September 2015 results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	79.15	42-3-0
3	3	3	3	2	ALEX POVETKIN	32.53	23-1-0
2	2	2	2	3	VITALI KLITSCHKO	32.36	27-2-0	--last rated win -37 months.
5	5	4	4	4	TYSON FURY	29.56	14-0-0
7	6	5	5	5	CZAR GLAZKOV	24.60	10-0-1

 

November 2015 rankings: Unfortunately that was Alex's only month at #2. 

The same month Povetkin rose to #2, #4 Tyson Fury upset Wladimir Klitschko. This pushed Klitschko to #2, and Povetkin back to #3, despite a win over Mariusz Wach.

Nov 2014	June 2015	Sep 2015	Oct 2015	Nov 2015	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	October 2015 results
5	4	4	4	1	TYSON FURY	63.29	15-0-0	UD 12 #1 WLAD KLITSCHKO
1	1	1	1	2	WLAD KLITSCHKO	55.96	42-4-0	L UD 12 #4 TYSON FURY
3	3	3	2	3	ALEX POVETKIN	32.71	24-1-0	TKO 12 #145 MARIUSZ WACH
2	2	2	3	4	VITALI KLITSCHKO	31.65	27-2-0	--last rated win -38 months.
6	5	5	5	5	CZAR GLAZKOV	24.60	10-0-1

 

January 2017 rankings: Povetkin takes over as interim champion!

Despite remaining #3 for all of 2016, Povetkin became champ in early 2017 after beating Johann Duhaupas. With Fury and Klitschko's rematch postponed (and eventually cancelled) both Fury and Klitschko fell into inactivity, as did Povetkin. That left the interim belt with #4 Deontay Wilder for a month, before Povetkin's win re-established him as an active fighter.

The fight with Duhaupas happened after Povetkin's PED drama unfolded over 2016. Originally pitted against Deontay Wilder in June, that fight was cancelled when Povetkin tested positive for Meldonium, a substance only recently banned. Povetkin was scheduled against Bermane Stiverne but tested positive for Ostarine, and Stiverne refused to fight; Duhaupas was a last-minute replacement.

Nov 2015	Feb 2016	Aug 2016	Dec 2016	Jan 2017	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	December 2016 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	61.99	15-0-0	--last rated win -13 months.
2	2	2	2	2	WLAD KLITSCHKO	50.56	42-4-0	--last rated win -20 months.
3	3	3	3	3	ALEX POVETKIN	33.51	25-1-0	KO 6 #18 JOHANN DUHAUPAS [new interim title holder]
6	5	4	4	4	DEONTAY WILDER	27.26	13-0-0
22	15	5	5	5	ANTHONY JOSHUA	26.33	11-0-0	TKO 3 #78 ERIC MOLINA

 

May 2017 rankings: Povetkin drops out of top 3 after 7 years and 5 months 

Povetkin held the SportsRatings Interim Heavyweight Title for four months. In May, After 7 years and 5 months in the top 3, Povetkin dropped to #4 following Anthony Joshua's win over Wlad Klitschko. Again Klitschko stayed above Povetkin in the rankings at #3, pushing Alex to #4. Therefore, Povetkin's official dates of holding the interim belt were from December 17, 2016 to April 29, 2017, about 4 1/2 months.

Jan 2017	Feb 2017	Mar 2017	Apr 2017	May 2017	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	April 2017 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	59.29	15-0-0	--last rated win -17 months.
5	5	5	5	2	ANTHONY JOSHUA	42.94	12-0-0	TKO 11 #2 WLAD KLITSCHKO [new interim title holder]
2	2	2	2	3	WLAD KLITSCHKO	33.92	42-5-0	L TKO 11 #5 ANTHONY JOSHUA
3	3	3	3	4	ALEX POVETKIN	33.51	25-1-0
4	4	4	4	5	DEONTAY WILDER	28.69	14-0-0

 

June 2017 rankings: Povetkin back in the top three!

It seemed that nothing would keep Alex Povetkin out of the #3 spot. Not losing to Klitschko, not ascending to #2, and not falling to #4. Because the month after he was pushed out of the top 3 he was right back in as Wlad Klitschko dropped to #4 due to his extended time without a rated win. Povetkin had finally passed Klitschko—not from beating him in the ring, but by outlasting him at the top.

Feb 2017	Mar 2017	Apr 2017	May 2017	June 2017	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	May 2017 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	58.60	15-0-0	--last rated win -18 months.
5	5	5	2	2	ANTHONY JOSHUA	42.94	12-0-0	[Interim title holder]
3	3	3	4	3	ALEX POVETKIN	33.51	25-1-0
2	2	2	3	4	WLAD KLITSCHKO	33.44	42-5-0	--last rated win -25 months.
4	4	4	5	5	DEONTAY WILDER	28.69	14-0-0

 

October 2018 rankings: Povetkin falls out of top three (for good?)

Povetkin beat Andrey Rudenko, Christian Hammer, and David Price over the next year to set up a big fight with Anthony Joshua in Wembley Stadium for Joshua's WBA and IBF belts, as well as the SportsRatings Heavyweight Title. Povetkin lost to Joshua via 7th round TKO, his 2nd loss and his first by stoppage. He fell to #4, and it looked like his long reign in the top 3—now 104 total months over the last 8 years—was over. Joshua captured the outright SportsRatings title for the first time, something Povetkin would never do.

July 2017	Dec 2017	Mar 2018	Sep 2018	Oct 2018	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	September 2018 results
2	2	2	2	1	ANTHONY JOSHUA	53.28	15-0-0	TKO 7 #3 ALEX POVETKIN
1	1	1	1	2	TYSON FURY	47.88	16-0-0
5	4	4	4	3	DEONTAY WILDER	33.39	16-0-0
3	3	3	3	4	ALEX POVETKIN	25.53	28-2-0	L TKO 7 #2 ANTHONY JOSHUA
4	5	5	5	5	WLAD KLITSCHKO	24.64	42-5-0	--last rated win -41 months.

 

January 2021 rankings: Back in the top three!

Over the next two years Povetkin fell as low as #6, and he remained there after a draw vs. Michael Hunter. But in August of 2020 he knocked out #5 Dillian Whyte, and with the help of inactivity by Deontay Wilder (after his loss to Tyson Fury) Povetkin was back in the top three again.

July 2019	Aug 2019	Sep 2020	Dec 2020	Jan 2021	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	December 2020 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	53.79	18-0-1
4	4	2	2	2	ANTHONY JOSHUA	47.27	17-1-0	KO 9 #6 KUBRAT PULEV
5	6	4	4	3	ALEX POVETKIN	28.60	30-2-1
3	3	3	3	4	DEONTAY WILDER	28.41	18-1-1	--last rated win -13 months.
2	2	5	5	5	ANDY RUIZ JR	25.82	13-2-0	--last rated win -18 months.

 

April 2021 rankings: Out of the top three for good

Povetkin had a rough time after the first Dillian Whyte fight on August 22. He had to pull out of the rematch scheduled for November 21 due to having Covid, and it was eventually rescheduled for March 27, 2021. A lackluster Povetkin didn't look like himself at all and lost via 4th round TKO. He announced his retirement on June 13.

Sep 2020	Dec 2020	Jan 2021	Mar 2021	Apr 2021	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	March 2021 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	52.68	18-0-1	--last rated win -13 months.
2	2	2	2	2	ANTHONY JOSHUA	47.27	17-1-0	[Interim title holder]
3	3	4	4	3	DEONTAY WILDER	27.48	18-1-1	--last rated win -16 months.
10	9	8	10	4	DILLIAN WHYTE	26.35	14-2-0	TKO 4 #3 ALEX POVETKIN
5	5	5	5	5	ANDY RUIZ JR	24.88	13-2-0	--last rated win -21 months.
4	4	3	3	6	ALEX POVETKIN	20.22	30-3-1	L TKO 4 #10 DILLIAN WHYTE

 

January 2023 rankings: Out of the top ten—first time since January 2008

Povetkin's long run in the top ten comes to an end as he slides out due to inactivity. The SportsRatings rankings don't look at whether a fighter is "retired" or not, just whether he's been fighting, so Povetkin started losing points in September of 2021 (his last win was August of 2020). 

Apr 2021	Oct 2021	June 2022	Sep 2022	Jan 2023	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	Sept-Dec 2022 results
1	1	1	1	1	TYSON FURY	55.93	21-0-1	TKO 10 #59 DEREK CHISORA
26	2	2	2	2	OLEKSANDR USYK	41.55	4-0-0
5	6	4	3	3	ANDY RUIZ JR	24.54	15-2-0	UD 12 #38 LUIS ORTIZ
7	8	6	6	4	JOE JOYCE	22.29	10-0-0	KO 11 #7 JOSEPH PARKER
11	11	5	5	5	FRANK SANCHEZ	21.07	7-0-0	TKO 9 #97 CARLOS NEGRON
2	3	3	4	6	ANTHONY JOSHUA	20.26	17-3-0	--last rated win -24 months.
4	4	8	8	7	DILLIAN WHYTE	17.99	15-3-0	MD 10 #62 JERMAINE FRANKLIN
3	5	11	14	8	DEONTAY WILDER	17.83	19-2-1	KO 1 #17 ROBERT HELENIUS
18	14	13	9	9	JUSTIS HUNI	17.37	4-0-0	UD 10 #190 KIKI TOA LEUTELE
19	19	10	11	10	ZHAN KOSSOBUTSKIY	16.58	6-0-0	KO 3 #91 HUSSEIN MUHAMED
6	7	9	10	11	ALEX POVETKIN	16.34	30-3-1	--last rated win -28 months.

Wlad Klitschko Drops Out of Top 100 After 23 Years, 5 Months

There isn't much of interest in this months Top 100 Heavyweight Boxing Rankings. Tyson Fury is still #1, since no one in the top 10 competed. #11 Efe Ajagba got a win, Frank Sanchez moved up to #14 and the big news was probably Robert Helenius' upset over #13 Adam Kownacki, which catapulted Helenius from #112 to #17.

And with every scheduled fight in April pushed back several months due to the Coronavirus, there's not much to look ahead to.

So the most significant things about this month's Top 100 is not what's in it; it's what is NOT in it.

Specifically, WHO is not in it:

Dropped out of SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Top 100 for April, 2020:

#92 WLAD KLITSCHKO    (42-5-0)   --last rated win -59 months. 
#98 ROBERT ALFONSO     (2-1-1)   L TKO 1 #162 CARLOS NEGRON    
#99 JOEY DAWEJKO       (3-5-2)   L UD  10 #17 FRANK SANCHEZ 

We're not talking about Robert Alfonso, who lost to Carlos Negron and dropped out. Nor Joey Dawejko, who fell from #99 after losing to Sanchez.

No, we're talking about Wladimir Klitschko, who is one month shy of 5 straight years without a win, and finally drops out of our Top 100 after spending more than two decades here.

Klitschko debuted at #64 in our December 1996 rankings after beating journeyman Exum Speight in a 2nd round KO. Speight was no world-beater; in fact, it was his second loss in the month of November. It was Wlad's 2nd pro fight after winning Olympic gold in 1996.

As everyone knows, Wlad had a rollercoaster early career and it's reflected in our rankings. He rose to #26 at 19-0 (5-0 in significant fights) before a stunning TKO upset to #106 Ross Purity dropped him to #83. 

From there, though, Wlad rattled off 16 straight wins, including some major ones: he beat Monte Barrett to enter our Top 10 for the first time in July of 2000, and in October of the same year he beat Chris Byrd and made the top 5. He beat Jameel McCline, then ranked #5, and peaked at #3 before he suffered another upset TKO loss, this time to #97 Corrie Sanders in March of 2003.

That loss only dropped Wlad to #4—he was 35-2 with 18 significant wins, and bounced back with two wins before disaster struck YET AGAIN. Wlad lost to Lamon Brewster, and Wlad was knocked out of the top 10. Few figured he would rebound after his third setback. Almost no one thought he'd become one of the most dominant heavyweight champions of all-time.

But that's what happened. Klitschko needed just one win to get back in the top 10. Then came what might have been the pivotal fight of his career when he faced #5 Sam Peter, survived three knockdowns and won clearly on points. Once again in the top 5, by April of 2006 he trailed only #1 Lennox Lewis (retired), #2 Chris Byrd, and #3 Nicolay Valuev. He faced interim champion Byrd on the 21st and beat him in a 7th round TKO, becoming interim SportsRatings Heavyweight champion.

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May 2006	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	April 2006 results
1	1	1	1	1	LENNOX LEWIS	42.69	33-2-1	--last rated win -34 months.
4	4	4	4	2	WLAD KLITSCHKO	39.97	24-3-0	KO 7 #2 CHRIS BYRD  [interim HW Champion]
3	3	3	3	3	NICOLAY VALUEV	31.80	14-0-0
5	5	5	6	4	VITALI KLITSCHKO	27.94	17-2-0	--last rated win -16 months.
2	2	2	2	5	CHRIS BYRD	26.23	16-3-1	L KO 7 #4 WLAD KLITSCHKO

Just a few months later, Klitschko would take over at #1 from the retired Lewis, in our September 2006 rankings. He would not relinquish the title for over 9 years!

His first defense was against #8 Calvin Brock; his 3rd was a revenge match against Lamon Brewster. In his 7th, he beat Ruslan Chagaev, who was #2 at the time, and this put brother Vitali Klitschko—who had retired and then come back strong—at #2 behind him. Amazingly, the Klitschko brothers ranked #1 and #2 for over six straight years!

 

Mar	Apr	May	June	July 2009	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	June 2009 results
1	1	1	1	1	WLAD KLITSCHKO	59.12	31-3-0	KO 9 #2 RUSLAN CHAGAEV
4	3	3	3	2	VITALI KLITSCHKO	32.19	19-2-0
3	4	4	4	3	NICOLAY VALUEV	29.43	21-1-0
5	5	5	5	4	ALEX POVETKIN	29.08	12-0-0
2	2	2	2	5	RUSLAN CHAGAEV	26.50	11-1-0	L KO 9 #1 WLAD KLITSCHKO

Eleven more defenses followed, and Wlad won them all, most of them with ease. Finally, in November of 2015 he lost to Tyson Fury and fell to #2, after an incredible 111 months at #1. He waited for a rematch that never came, and decided to take on up-and-coming undefeated #5 challenger Anthony Joshua. After a back-and-forth affair Klitschko was stopped in the 11th round.

That was three years ago. Since then, Klitschko has of course been inactive, and therefore losing points, dropping down our ratings slowly but surely, until exiting this month.

After several comeback rumors never came to fruition, it looks like Wlad has called it a day for sure. Could he still compete today? Who's to say. He keeps himself in great shape, and who would you bet on against him? Not many people—the two men who beat him at the end of his career are #1 and #2 in this month's rankings! 

Wladimir Klitschko was rarely an exciting fighter, but he was an all-time great as his long stint at #1 proves. Below is a summary of his significant fights, with opponent rank at the time included.

11/1996: Win  by TKO over  #140 EXUM SPEIGHT     
02/1997: Win  by DQ  over  # 93 CARLOS MONROE    
09/1997: Win  by TKO over  #161 JAMES PRITCHARD  
03/1998: Win  by UD  over  #252 EVERETT MARTIN   
05/1998: Win  by KO  over  # 94 CODY KOCH        
12/1998: LOSS by TKO  to   #106 ROSS PURITTY     
05/1999: Win  by TKO over  #128 TONY LAROSA      
09/1999: Win  by TKO over  # 94 AXEL SCHULZ      
11/1999: Win  by KO  over  #226 PHIL JACKSON     
12/1999: Win  by KO  over  # 71 LAJOS EROS       
03/2000: Win  by KO  over  # 50 PAEA WOLFGRAMM   
04/2000: Win  by TKO over  # 48 DAVID BOSTICE    
07/2000: Win  by TKO over  # 50 MONTE BARRETT    
10/2000: Win  by UD  over  #  8 CHRIS BYRD       
03/2001: Win  by TKO over  #128 DERRICK JEFFERSON  #3
08/2001: Win  by TKO over  # 67 CHARLES SHUFFORD 
03/2002: Win  by TKO over  # 98 FRANS BOTHA      
06/2002: Win  by TKO over  #103 RAY MERCER       
12/2002: Win  by RET over  #  5 JAMEEL MCCLINE   
03/2003: LOSS by TKO  to   # 97 CORRIE SANDERS   
08/2003: Win  by KO  over  # 45 FABIO MOLI       
12/2003: Win  by TKO over  #124 DANELL NICHOLSON 
04/2004: LOSS by TKO  to   # 89 LAMON BREWSTER   
10/2004: Win  by TD  over  # 16 DAVARL WILLIAMSON
04/2005: Win  by TKO over  # 47 ELISEO CASTILLO  
09/2005: Win  by UD  over  #  5 SAMUEL PETER     
04/2006: Win  by TKO over  #  2 CHRIS BYRD       
11/2006: Win  by TKO over  #  8 CALVIN BROCK     
03/2007: Win  by KO  over  # 29 RAY AUSTIN       
07/2007: Win  by RET over  # 17 LAMON BREWSTER   
02/2008: Win  by UD  over  # 10 SULTAN IBRAGIMOV 
07/2008: Win  by TKO over  #  6 TONY THOMPSON    
12/2008: Win  by TKO over  # 14 HASIM RAHMAN     
06/2009: Win  by RET over  #  2 RUSLAN CHAGAEV   
03/2010: Win  by KO  over  #  4 EDDIE CHAMBERS   
09/2010: Win  by KO  over  # 13 SAMUEL PETER     
07/2011: Win  by UD  over  #  4 DAVID HAYE       
03/2012: Win  by KO  over  # 12 JEAN MARC MORMECK
07/2012: Win  by KO  over  # 10 TONY THOMPSON    
11/2012: Win  by UD  over  # 43 MARIUSZ WACH     
05/2013: Win  by TKO over  # 14 FRANCESCO PIANETA
10/2013: Win  by UD  over  #  3 ALEX POVETKIN    
04/2014: Win  by TKO over  # 32 ALEX LEAPAI      
11/2014: Win  by KO  over  #  4 KUBRAT PULEV     
04/2015: Win  by UD  over  #  9 BRYANT JENNINGS  
11/2015: LOSS by UD   to   #  4 TYSON FURY       
04/2017: LOSS by TKO  to   #  5 ANTHONY JOSHUA  

Upset win puts Ruiz at #2; Fury back at #1; Wilder at #3, Joshua drops to #4

The jam at the top of the SportsRatings Heavyweight Boxing Ratings just got more complicated with Andy Ruiz Jr's upset TKO of Anthony Joshua. Now instead of three major contenders with a claim to being the top heavyweight in the world, there are four, as Ruiz enters the top five for the first time. Leaping all the way from #30, he didn't gain enough points to pass former #2 (and former title holder) Tyson Fury, who slipped into the #1 spot as Anthony Joshua falls to #4.

#3 Deontay Wilder, who had a massive KO of former #11 Dominic Breazeale, almost had enough to stave off Ruiz and occupy the #2 spot, while Joshua dropped just below Wilder. Joshua remained ahead of Alexander Povetkin, whom he beat last year. Povetkin's #5 ranking is, amazingly, his lowest ranking since May of 2009. In other words, Povetkin just spent a full 10 years in the top four.

-3 Yr	-1 Yr	-6 mo	May Rank	June Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	May results; •June schedule
1	1	2	2	1	TYSON FURY	44.79	16-0-1	•6/15 vs. Tom Schwarz
13	40	37	30	2	ANDY RUIZ JR	39.57	13-1-0	TKO 7 #1 ANTHONY JOSHUA
5	4	3	3	3	DEONTAY WILDER	39.23	17-0-1	KO 1 #11 DOMINIC BREAZEALE
6	2	1	1	4	ANTHONY JOSHUA	37.80	15-1-0	L TKO 7 #30 ANDY RUIZ JR
3	3	4	4	5	ALEX POVETKIN	24.91	28-2-0	--last rated win -14 months.
76	6	5	5	6	DILLIAN WHYTE	23.99	11-1-0
23	9	7	6	7	JARRELL MILLER	19.87	9-0-0
2	5	6	7	8	WLAD KLITSCHKO	18.79	42-5-0	--last rated win -49 months.
10	8	8	8	9	KUBRAT PULEV	18.64	19-1-0
8	14	12	9	10	LUIS ORTIZ	17.22	15-1-0

In terms of résumé, Fury boasts a win over #8 Wladimir Klitschko (who is coming out of retirement, as boxers usually do) as well as a draw with #3 Wilder; he is taking on undefeated by unranked(!) Tom Schwarz on the 15th. Ruiz counts the win over Joshua to offset a very close majority decision loss to #26 Joseph Parker (whom Joshua beat by wide unanimous decision). Wilder has a draw with Fury and a win over #10 Luiz Ortiz, whom he will rematch in several months. And Joshua has the most wins vs. the top 10 of them all: he beat #5 Alexander Povetkin, #6 Dillian Whyte, and #8 Wladimir Klitschko. That's why, despite the loss, he is still very close to the top three and a win in the expected rematch would put him back on top; the rematch will truly be a title fight for us, as the winner will take over the top spot no matter who the winner is.

That might not last long. If the Fury/Wilder rematch tentatively scheduled for early 2020 occurs, then that winner will take over the top spot. 

Andy Ruiz Jr's career so far

Andy Ruiz's path to the top wasn't straightforward. He had an extensive amateur career with 110 fights (record 105-5). He fought and lost to several fighters now ranked in our top 100: #32 Michael Hunter, #45 Zhilei Zhang, #82 Robert Alfonso, and #74 Oscar Rivas; all of these losses occurred when he was in his late teens.

He turned pro in 2009 and debuted on our rankings in March, 2012 at #57 after beating Homero Fonseca; Ruiz was 22 years old. Stoppage wins over Jonte Willis and Maurenzo Smith that same year put Ruiz into the top 25 at #24. He beat four ranked fighters in 2013: Matthew Greer, Carl Davis, Joe Hanks, and Tor Hamer, moving Ruiz into the top ten at #8. In 2014 he beat Manuel Quezada and Sergei Liakhovich, but none of his next 3 opponents were ranked, including an over-the-hill Ray Austin. This meant that Ruiz lost rating points for inactivity over most of 2016, and he fell to #14 before beating Franklin Lawrence in August. And two months later, the controversial loss to then-#8 Joseph Parker dropped Ruiz to #26.

Ruiz's next notable opponent was Kevin Johnson; by then Ruiz had dropped to #41, and the UD win over 'Kingpin' barely budged him up to #37. Beating a resurging Alex Dimitrenko in 5 rounds put Ruiz back in the top 30. Two months later, he made history.

Ruiz almost didn't get this chance. His mistake was in choosing lesser fighters after his strong 2013 run. By the time he fought Parker he'd been fighting several nobodies and has-beens instead of continuing to dispatch promising talent. And after the Parker loss he was too inactive. If Jarrell Miller hadn't tested positive, Ruiz wouldn't have gotten the chance of a lifetime. But then again, Ruiz was starting to put himself back into the mix with his wins over Johnson and Dimitrenko, so his own resurgence was well-timed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Now there are four major contenders in the heavyweight division. Add in the always-solid Povetkin, the dangerous Dillian Whyte, an un-retiring Wlad Klitschko, and a host of up-and-coming young fighters below the top ten, and the division is getting more exciting by the month.

Wladimir Klitschko: Top 5 All-Time Great?

Here's a topic that always stirs controversy: where does Wladimir Klitschko rank, all-time? The boxing community seems very divided as to whether he belongs in the top ten—or nowhere near it. But in our All-time Heavyweight top 500, Klitschko has just broken into the top five, passing Mike Tyson.

ATR -1  year	All-time Rank	Fighter	Rating	Rated Record	Peak rating date; highest-rated win by points; highest-rated opponent defeated
1	1	MUHAMMAD ALI	110.32	47-5-0	peak rating: 9/1977  pts: 9/1978 UD 15 #43 LEON SPINKS  opp: 11/1962 KO 4 #8 ARCHIE MOORE
2	2	ROCKY MARCIANO	109.82	29-0-0	peak rating: 9/1955  pts: 9/1952 KO 13 #10 JERSEY JOE WALCOT  opp: 10/1951 KO 8 #3 JOE LOUIS
3	3	JOE LOUIS	109.58	59-3-0	peak rating: 3/1942  pts: 6/1938 KO 1 #20 MAX SCHMELING  opp: 12/1947 SD 15 #10 JERSEY JOE WALCOT
4	4	LARRY HOLMES	94.43	45-6-0	peak rating: 5/1985  pts: 10/1980 KO 11 #1 MUHAMMAD ALI  opp: 10/1980 KO 11 #1 MUHAMMAD ALI
6	5	WLAD KLITSCHKO	89.24	42-3-0	peak rating: 4/2015  pts: 10/2013 UD 12 #65 ALEX POVETKIN  opp: 10/2013 UD 12 #65 ALEX POVETKIN
5	6	MIKE TYSON	89.03	34-6-0	peak rating: 7/1989  pts: 6/1988 KO 1 #22 MICHAEL SPINKS  opp: 1/1988 KO 4 #4 LARRY HOLMES

That's higher than even most of his fans are willing to put him—though there are some who contend he is the best of all time, given the principle that fighters get better over the decades. Would his height and weight be an insurmountable obstacle for the great fighters of the past?

Our formula for the top 500 takes into account this principle, as fighters generally have higher ratings as the decades go by. But a fighter still has to accomplish in the ring, and the current era does not have a lot of high-ranked foes for Klitschko to conquer. That's why some people won't put him in the top 25, or even top 50. His three early losses to very suspect competition underscores this point.

But there's no doubt he's dominating the current era, having won 22 straight fights over an incredible 10+ year period. No formula is going to come up with a perfect ranking, and no ranking will satisfy every fan—but it does make for an "unbiased" ranking, in that all participants are judged by the same criteria. And objectivity is hard to come by when grading the Klitschkos.

So how does he make the top five? Though it's unquestionably been a weak era, Wladimir Klitschko has beaten the best opponents available in his 22-fight winning streak:

Date     Result    Rank Opponent
10/2004: Win  TDW  #16  DAVARL WILLIAMSON
04/2005: Win  KO   #48  ELISEO CASTILLO  
09/2005: Win  UD   #5   SAMUEL PETER     
04/2006: Win  KO   #3   CHRIS BYRD       
11/2006: Win  KO   #8   CALVIN BROCK     
03/2007: Win  KO   #30  RAY AUSTIN       
07/2007: Win  KO   #17  LAMON BREWSTER   
02/2008: Win  UD   #9   SULTAN IBRAGIMOV
07/2008: Win  KO   #6   TONY THOMPSON    
12/2008: Win  KO   #14  HASIM RAHMAN     
06/2009: Win  KO   #2   RUSLAN CHAGAEV   
03/2010: Win  KO   #4   EDDIE CHAMBERS   
09/2010: Win  KO   #13  SAMUEL PETER     
07/2011: Win  UD   #4   DAVID HAYE       
03/2012: Win  KO   #12  JEAN MARC MORMECK
07/2012: Win  TKO  #10  TONY THOMPSON    
11/2012: Win  UD   #46  MARIUSZ WACH     
05/2013: Win  TKO  #14  FRANCESCO PIANETA
10/2013: Win  UD   #3   ALEX POVETKIN    
04/2014: Win  TKO  #30  ALEX LEAPAI      
11/2014: Win  KO   #4   KUBRAT PULEV     
04/2015: Win  UD   #8   BRYANT JENNINGS  

12 of the 22 fighters were ranked in our top ten at the time, and all but four were in the top 25. After he beat Ruslan Chagaev in 2009, his brother Vitali took over the #2 spot and has been there since. He defeated Alexander Povetkin, the #3 ranked fighter, in 2013 and Povetkin still holds down that spot. He beat #4 Kubrat Pulev last year.

Which brings us to another point—not fighting his brother, Vitali, the only other unquestionably great heavyweight of this era. What other top heavyweight in history hasn't battled the #2 fighter of the era? Regardless of the fact that they're brothers, this harms their legacy as their chance to gain an important win disappears. To show this, here is our all-time top ten, and the highest-ranked (all-time) fighter they've beaten:

1. MUHAMMAD ALI          #8 ARCHIE MOORE
2. ROCKY MARCIANO        #3 JOE LOUIS
3. JOE LOUIS            #10 JERSEY JOE WALCOT
4. LARRY HOLMES          #1 MUHAMMAD ALI
5. WLAD KLITSCHKO       #65 ALEX POVETKIN
6. MIKE TYSON            #4 LARRY HOLMES
7. EZZARD CHARLES        #3 JOE LOUIS
8. ARCHIE MOORE         #19 JIMMY BIVINS
9. LENNOX LEWIS          #6 MIKE TYSON
10 JERSEY JOE WALCOTT    #7 EZZARD CHARLES

Here Klitschko stands out like a sore thumb; every other top fighter has defeated someone on the all-time top 25, almost all the top 10. Wladimir Klitschko's best win was over Alexander Povetkin, whom we currently rank at #65. In fact, all of the top 35 all-time fighters defeated someone else in the all-time top 35—except for #30 Vitali Klitschko, whose top vanquished foe, Orlin Norris, comes in at #179.

So the Klitschkos have some résumé problems for sure. If not for Vitali's near-win over Lennox Lewis, it's doubtful the K brothers would get any respect at all from some quarters. That comparison—showing Vitali to be roughly the equal of Lewis at the time—gave Vitali respect that has eluded Wladimir despite his decade-long domination of the division. There are many who think that Vitali would have easily beaten Wladimir if they had fought, and thereby rate Vitali as the better all-time prospect.

Regardless of that speculation, in terms of accomplishment based on actual wins—in which Vitali's controversial loss to Lewis gains him no points—Wladimir has soared well past his brother. Now that he's in our all-time top 5, and looks almost as impervious as ever, what are his prospects for moving even higher on our list?

At age 39, Wladimir has limited time left, but it's hard to say how much time. Brother Vitali retired at age 41 undefeated in his career's "second wind." So that gives him at least 2 more years where we can assume he probably won't lose. Fighting twice a year on average, he'd have 4 more title defenses. That probably puts him past Larry Holmes for the #4 spot.

But Klitscho is more ambitious than that. In 2014 he said he wanted to fight for an astonishing ten more years! That would be about 18 more defenses from this point on, and would no doubt put him #1 in our list (he would be champ for 18 straight years).

We doubt even Klitschko can go undefeated through age 48. More realistically, if he goes 5 more years, that would probably put him near our top trio of Ali, Marciano, and Louis. That's 10 title defenses. Depending on the competition and how many points he gets from them, about 12 more wins—probably six years for Klitscho—might make him the #1 fighter, all-time, by our formula.

Would people think he deserves it? After 16 years without a loss and a 76-3 record, would the boxing community consider him the best heavyweight of all time?

It's doubtful, considering the era and the lack of a great opponent on his résumé. But if he breaks records for consecutive defenses set by Holmes and Louis, even the naysayers might grudgingly admit he belongs in the top ten.

After Trouncing Haye, Does Wladimir Klitschko Belong in the All-Time Top 10?

Now the hype is over, and a fight that appeared to be interesting for several rounds lulled into another anticlimactic affair. Wladimir Klitschko emerged victorious yet again and further cemented his position at the top of the heavyweight division.

But where should he rank on the all-time list of heavyweight boxers? There seem to be two schools of though, as polarized as the opinions about both Klitschko brothers.

On one hand you have those who think that the heavyweight division is depleted and shallow, perhaps at an all-time low. With no sound competition, it's only natural that one (or two) decent fighters dominate the scene, even if they would be B-level fighters in any other era. Citing Wladimir's three embarrassing knockout losses to less-than-great fighters, they argue that he doesn't belong in the all-time top 50.

Others, however, point to Wladimir's complete dominance of his title fights recently, wherein he has nearly pitched shutouts across the board. Other respected heavies (Holmes and Tyson, for example, in the 80s, and even Louis and Marciano) spent the majority of their reigns beating fighters that don't show up on anyone's all-time best lists. Wladimir has been unchallenged for over half a decade, which ranks with the best. Further, they argue, boxing has never seen the likes of the Klitschkos, who are super-heavies and size and height, and with their weight and reach advantage, they could arguably beat any fighter who ever lived; perhaps, then, Wladimir Klitschko should be at or near #1 on the all-time list.

By our all-time rankings formula, Wladimir Klitschko has moved—for the first time—into the top ten. His five-year string of wins over top ten foes has helped him amass enough points to pass the likes of George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and Jersey Joe Walcott in the last year.

SportsRatings All-Time Heavyweight Top 10 (click here for full Top 500)

1 year ago	All-time Rank	Fighter	Peak Rating	Rated Record	Peak rating date & highest-rated win
1	1	MUHAMMAD ALI	110.04	47-5-0	peak rating: 9/1977  win: 9/1978 UD 15 #42 LEON SPINKS
2	2	ROCKY MARCIANO	108.81	29-0-0	peak rating: 9/1955  win: 9/1952 KO 13 #10 JERSEY JOE WALCOT
3	3	JOE LOUIS	107.10	59-3-0	peak rating: 3/1942  win: 6/1938 KO 1 #21 MAX SCHMELING
4	4	LARRY HOLMES	94.29	45-6-0	peak rating: 5/1985  win: 10/1980 KO 11 #1 MUHAMMAD ALI
5	5	MIKE TYSON	89.02	34-6-0	peak rating: 7/1989  win: 6/1988 KO 1 #19 MICHAEL SPINKS
6	6	EZZARD CHARLES	84.04	58-23-0	peak rating: 5/1951  win: 9/1950 UD 15 #3 JOE LOUIS
7	7	LENNOX LEWIS	80.58	33-2-1	peak rating: 11/2000  win: 11/1999 UD 12 #13 EVANDER HOLYFIELD
8	8	ARCHIE MOORE	80.51	86-12-5	peak rating: 5/1955  win: 8/1954 KO 14 #22 HAROLD JOHNSON
12	9	WLAD KLITSCHKO	80.23	34-3-0	peak rating: 7/2011  win: 6/2009 KO 9 #199 RUSLAN CHAGAEV
9	10	JERSEY JOE WALCOT	79.34	26-17-1	peak rating: 6/1952  win: 7/1951 KO 7 #6 EZZARD CHARLES

Still a long, long way away from reaching Muhammed Ali at the top spot (or #2 Marciano and #3 Louis), Klitschko is within striking distance of reaching the top 5, and could pass Lennox Lewis with another win or two.

No formula, of course, is going to ring "true" in all cases, and in Klitschko's case any ranking, period, is unsatisfying. Without worthy competition, a fighter can't prove he's one of the all-time greats. But dominating in any era should be worth something. What, then, is the best balance?

Klitschko has defeated many of the better fighters of the current era, and without breaking much of a sweat in most cases. But most observers wouldn't rank these fighters very highly on an all-time scale, and our system bears this out. Here is a look at Wladimir's career and the contemporary (time of fight) and all-time ranking for each opponent:

 Date        Result         Rankings   Opponent
 12/1998: LOSS by KO   to   #101 #1051 ROSS PURITTY    
 05/1999: Win  by KO  over  #114 #2257 TONY LAROSA     
 09/1999: Win  by KO  over  #84   #590 AXEL SCHULZ     
 11/1999: Win  by KO  over  #201  #499 PHIL JACKSON    
 12/1999: Win  by KO  over  #66  #3050 LAJOS EROS      
 03/2000: Win  by KO  over  #42  #1127 PAEA WOLFGRAMM  
 04/2000: Win  by KO  over  #45   #510 DAVID BOSTICE   
 07/2000: Win  by KO  over  #47   #390 MONTE BARRETT   
 10/2000: Win  by UD  over  #7    #146 CHRIS BYRD      
 03/2001: Win  by KO  over  #113  #713 DERRICK JEFFERSON
 08/2001: Win  by KO  over  #61   #746 CHARLES SHUFFORD
 03/2002: Win  by KO  over  #90   #356 FRANS BOTHA     
 06/2002: Win  by KO  over  #99   #238 RAY MERCER      
 12/2002: Win  by KO  over  #6    #303 JAMEEL MCCLINE  
 03/2003: LOSS by KO   to   #88   #247 CORRIE SANDERS  
 08/2003: Win  by KO  over  #53   #456 FABIO MOLI      
 12/2003: Win  by KO  over  #116  #458 DANELL NICHOLSON
 04/2004: LOSS by KO   to   #75   #321 LAMON BREWSTER  
 10/2004: Win  by TDW over  #16   #317 DAVARL WILLIAMSON
 04/2005: Win  by KO  over  #50  #2558 ELISEO CASTILLO 
 09/2005: Win  by UD  over  #5    #184 SAMUEL PETER    
 04/2006: Win  by KO  over  #2    #146 CHRIS BYRD      
 11/2006: Win  by KO  over  #8    #355 CALVIN BROCK    
 03/2007: Win  by KO  over  #30   #281 RAY AUSTIN      
 07/2007: Win  by KO  over  #17   #321 LAMON BREWSTER  
 02/2008: Win  by UD  over  #9    #601 SULTAN IBRAGIMOV
 07/2008: Win  by KO  over  #7    #196 TONY THOMPSON   
 12/2008: Win  by KO  over  #13    #98 HASIM RAHMAN    
 06/2009: Win  by KO  over  #2    #199 RUSLAN CHAGAEV  
 03/2010: Win  by KO  over  #4    #285 EDDIE CHAMBERS  
 09/2010: Win  by KO  over  #12   #184 SAMUEL PETER    
 07/2011: Win  by UD  over  #4    #697 DAVID HAYE      

As you can see, he has a string of wins over top 10 foes—10 in all counting Haye—but he's beaten only one fighter in the All-Time top 100, Hasim Rahman (who wasn't in the top ten at the time). Further, Klitschko lost to three low-rated fighters, including Ross Puritty who is only #1,051 by our system!

Early losses by fighters tend to be forgiven, and our system concentrates on wins. Klitschko is clearly a different fighter than he was when he lost to Puritty, Sanders, and Brewster. And the all-time rankings of the boxers he's defeated will go up as their careers continue, so Wlad's resumé won't always look so paltry.

Still, it's telling to compare to an era when big matchups were commonplace. When George Foreman beat Joe Frazier, Joltin' Joe was not only ranked #1, but he was already in the all-time top 10. Likewise, Foreman was in the all-time top ten when Ali beat him. Compare that to Wlad's most-hyped fight, where David Haye is not in the top 500, and to his highest-rated win, over all-time #199 Ruslan Chagaev.

Suffice it to say, there's a reason these fights didn't capture the public's imagination like boxing did in the 1970's, and it goes beyond the fact that, to fans the United States, these men are all foreigners (though that plays a part). It also goes beyond the widely-held view that Klitschkos fights aren't very exciting (though that also plays a part). For fans to really be engaged, there has to be competition, and for a fighter to truly earn respect, he needs a worthy foe.

Right now there is only one fighter who could challenge Wladimir Klitschko, and that is his brother Vitali.

It would be a great fight, on par with any in boxing history, but it will never happen. When people debate Wlad's all-time rank, they also debate his current rank, as many feel Vitali is the better boxer. Vitali, however, ranks only #33 on our all-time list. Why? Here's a look at his relevant resumé:

 Date     Result            Rankings   Opponent
 10/1998: Win  by KO  over  #87   #961 MARIO SCHIESSER 
 06/1999: Win  by KO  over  #12   #223 HERBIE HIDE     
 10/1999: Win  by KO  over  #15   #546 ED MAHONE       
 12/1999: Win  by KO  over  #180  #511 OBED SULLIVAN   
 04/2000: LOSS by KO   to   #25   #146 CHRIS BYRD      
 11/2000: Win  by UD  over  #24   #301 TIMO HOFFMAN    
 01/2001: Win  by KO  over  #147  #170 ORLIN NORRIS    
 12/2001: Win  by KO  over  #125 #1051 ROSS PURITTY    
 02/2002: Win  by KO  over  #149 #1719 VAUGHN BEAN     
 11/2002: Win  by KO  over  #37   #187 LARRY DONALD    
 06/2003: LOSS by KO   to   #1      #7 LENNOX LEWIS    
 12/2003: Win  by KO  over  #17   #252 KIRK JOHNSON    
 04/2004: Win  by KO  over  #5    #247 CORRIE SANDERS  
 12/2004: Win  by KO  over  #14   #176 DANNY WILLIAMS  
 10/2008: Win  by KO  over  #3    #184 SAMUEL PETER    
 03/2009: Win  by KO  over  #7    #411 JUAN C GOMEZ    
 09/2009: Win  by KO  over  #6    #225 CHRIS ARREOLA   
 12/2009: Win  by UD  over  #28   #662 KEVIN JOHNSON   
 05/2010: Win  by KO  over  #16   #540 ALBERT SOSNOWSKI
 10/2010: Win  by UD  over  #96   #200 SHANNON BRIGGS  
 03/2011: Win  by KO  over  #10   #681 ODLANIER SOLIS

Two things stand out. One, Vitali has far fewer wins over top 10 opponents (just 5), and two, he took four years off from fighting during his prime. Both of these will do quite a bit of harm to his standing in any algorithmic, point-based system. The level of respect Vitali has from the boxing community—generally greater than that afforded to Wladimir—comes from his loss to all-time great Lennox Lewis, wherein Vitali had Lewis in big trouble before succumbing to a doctor's stoppage. This fight alone overshadows anything else either brother has accomplished.

But in our system, unfortunately, it just goes down as a loss. Without many big wins, and four years off that lowered his peak score due to inactivity, Vitali doesn't measure up to Wlad, even if he may be the better boxer. He doesn't hold a win over anyone ranked in our all-time top 150.

All of this shows how difficult it is to place both brothers in boxing history in an unbiased way. Are they the culmination of decades of refinement of nutrition, technique, and training? Or are they flukes, freaks of nature who would be exposed in a different era? And without these two greats battling each other, how can we tell for sure who deserves to be ranked ahead of the other, let alone against other fighters?

No one has the answer. But in my personal opinion, I think both Klitschkos are all-time greats. Vitali proved himself against Lennox Lewis, and Wladimir has accomplished more in terms of winning than Vitali. Without great competition, I don't know if they'll ever be considered among the very best. Maybe if they fought, the victor could take his place among the Alis, Lewises, and Marcianos of the world, but since that will never happen, the Klitschkos will probably remain a double question mark. Great, but not the greatest.

Fedor's Loss to Antonio Silva Begs Retirement Question

Fedor Emelianenko's loss to Antonio Silva put all his weaknesses on show: sloppiness on the ground, indifference to getting punched in the face, and general overconfidence bred from winning 25+ fights in a row despite the first two weaknesses. Afterwards Fedor made the case for retirement, and indeed he has been thinking about retiring even before losing to Fabricio Werdum.

Twice now Fedor has lost to standard jiu-jitsu techniques, getting caught in the triangle while in the guard, and getting pummelled while on the bottom of mount position. These are things that everyone in the game today tries to avoid as their first priority, but Fedor's carelessness (and overconfidence that he can remove himself from every trap) made him a victim to both as practiced by BJJ black belts.

So should Fedor retire? He's still #4 in our MMA Top 100, and yet #2 among heavyweights, but this is because he amassed such a huge point lead over the decade 2000 to 2009. Losses don't immediately knock a fighter down like they do in our boxing rankings, as MMA fighters don't have 30-0 records normally. But Fedor's decline seems obvious. Here is his fighting history and current rankings among those he's defeated:

Date     Result   Opponent
2/2011:  LOSS  #7 Antonio Silva
6/2010:  LOSS  #3 Fabricio Werdum
11/2009: Def #291 Brett Rogers
1/2009:  Def #355 Andrei Arlovski
7/2008:  Def #247 Tim Sylvia
12/2007: Def  #NR Hong Man Choi
4/2007:  Def #455 Matt Lindland
12/2006: Def #878 Mark Hunt
10/2006: Def #308 Mark Coleman
12/2005: Def  #NR Zuluzinho
8/2005:  Def #304 Mirko Filipovic
4/2005:  Def #4904 Tsuyoshi Kosaka
12/2004: Def  #22 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
8/2004:  NC   #22 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
8/2004:  Def #5094 Naoya Ogawa
6/2004:  Def  #849 Kevin Randleman
4/2004:  Def  #308 Mark Coleman
12/2003: Def   #NR Yuji Nagata
8/2003:  Def  #979 Gary Goodridge
6/2003:  Def #1042 Kazuyuki Fujita
4/2003:  Def  #888 Egidijus Valavicius
3/2003:  Def   #22 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
11/2002: Def  #235 Heath Herring
6/2002:  Def #5845 Semmy Schilt
2/2002:  Def #1274 Chris Haseman
12/2001: Def #5213 Lee Hasdell
10/2001: Def #3576 Ryushi Yanagisawa
8/2001:  Def   #75 Renato Sobral
4/2001:  Def  #971 Kerry Schall
4/2001:  Def   #NR Mihail Apostolov
12/2000: LOSS #4904 Tsuyoshi Kosaka
12/2000: Def  #125 Ricardo Arona

First we see that the fighters that beat him—Werdum and Silva—got a huge boost, in fact most of their points, from beating Fedor. Both are in the top ten overall and top three heavyweights. Could either of them really beat Cain Velasquez? There will be no shortage of competition coming up for the two as they continue through the rounds of the Strikeforce tournament; the four other remaining competitors are Alexander Overeem, Sergei Kharitanov, Brett Rogers, and Josh Barnett.

Also, it's been quite a while since Fedor beat a top opponent who is still highly thought of. This is no secret to those who follow MMA, as everyone makes this argument. His last win over an opponent who is still in the top 100 was in 2004, and that was Nogueira who has lost twice to UFC fighters since then.

It does bring up an interesting point: how many heavyweights Fedor has "ruined." Before losing twice to Fedor, Nogueira was the best in the world, and won 18 straight apart from those losses; since the 2nd loss, he's a more reasonable 8-3. Brett Rogers was 10-0 B.F. (Before Fedor) and is 1-1 since. Andre Arlovski was on a 5-fight winning streak before Fedor; now he's on a 4-fight losing streak and headed for retirement. Even Tim Sylvia didn't lose to any but the best before he took Fedor's beatdown; afterward he lost to aging boxer Ray Mercer and recently to 8-3 Abe Wagner.

One could argue that Fedor has been fighting those past their prime. So is it age or Fedor's knockouts that are hurting these fighters? Certainly Rogers and Arlovski, 28 and 29 when they fought Fedor, weren't over the hill. Sylvia was 32 and Nogueira 27 for their last fight. Really, these are peak ages for MMA fighters; their subsequent declines have a lot to do with Fedor.

It's perhaps more telling to look at where his recent foes were rated when he fought them:

Date     Result   Opponent
2/2011:  LOSS #68 Antonio Silva
6/2010:  LOSS #40 Fabricio Werdum
11/2009: Def  #77 Brett Rogers
1/2009:  Def  #18 Andrei Arlovski
7/2008:  Def  #39 Tim Sylvia

This makes his more recent wins more impressive, while also making his recent losses look worse.

Fedor recently commented that he is a fan of Cain Velasquez and that he thinks Velasquez can remain champion of the UFC for a long time. We've noted that Velasquez fights a lot like a younger Fedor, and perhaps he'll carry the torch if Fedor decides to retire.

Shannon Briggs' Last Shot: A Career Overview

Tonight, October 16, 2010, Shannon Briggs gets what will almost undoubtedly be his last shot at the heavyweight title when he takes on WBC king Vitali Klitschko in Germany. In Briggs' long career he's held titles twice, including the Lineal Heavyweight title, and he holds the record for most first-round knockouts by a heavyweight with 30. Like many boxers his career has had its ups and downs; he peaked early in terms of accomplishments but has soldiered on and, from time to time, has become a factor in the division. Here's an overview of his career and where he placed in the SportsRatings Heavyweight Top 100 during that time.

Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs had a decent amateur career that included a Golden Gloves championship and a 2nd place finish in the Pan American games to the great Felix Savon. He started his pro career in 1992 and by February, 1994 he was 16-0 with 10 first-round stoppages.

Early fights

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
03/1994: Win  by KO  over  #145 JIMMY ELLIS       #58
01/1995: Win  by UD  over  #136 CRAIG PAYNE       #51
03/1995: Win  by W   over  #212 MARION WILSON     #48
08/1995: Win  by KO  over  #109 WILL HINTON       #27
03/1996: LOSS by KO   to   #37 DARROLL WILSON     #91

His first showing in the SportsRatings Boxing Top 100 comes in March of that year as he beat the "other" Jimmy Ellis in a 1st round TKO. He decisioned Craig Payne and Marion Wilson to put himself in the top 50, and another Round One TKO over Will Hinton put Briggs on the cusp of the top 25. A few fights later he was 25-0 but when he met 15-0-2 Darroll Wilson he suffered his first loss, a third-round TKO in which he punched himself out early. This would become a common theme later, and one of several losses he would blame on his asthma.

Comeback, and opportunity of a lifetime

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
04/1997: Win  by KO  over  #274 MELTON BOWEN      #96
06/1997: Win  by KO  over  #136 JORGE VALDEZ      #86
11/1997: Win  by MD  over  #4   GEORGE FOREMAN    #4

Wins over Melton Bowen and Jorge Valdez, both TKOs, were part of four fights he won to remain in the Top 100 before getting his big break. Briggs' next two fights were by far the biggest of his career, the first against all-time great George Foreman.

Briggs beat Foreman in a controversial decision giving him the Lineal and Ring Magazine titles and propping him into the Top 5 in our rankings. Briggs was 25 years old.

Rough patch after capturing the title

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
03/1998: LOSS by KO   to   #3   LENNOX LEWIS      #14
08/1999: draw by D    to   #149 FRANS BOTHA       #23
02/2000: Win  by KO  over  #38  WARREN WILLIAMS   #20
04/2000: LOSS by SD   to   #NR  SEDRICK FIELDS    #51

Four months later Briggs lost to Lennox Lewis in a 5th round KO—according to Briggs, another asthma attack. He beat journeyman Marcus Rhode but it was over a year before he faced another significant opponent and he drew with Francois Botha which dropped him out of the top 20. He recovered with a win over Warren Williams—his 2nd best achievement at the time—but then suffered his worst loss at the hands of unranked Sedreck Fields, who didn't have a winning record before the bout. Briggs fell out of the top 50 for the first time in three years.

Another comeback, another setback

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
11/2000: Win  by KO  over  #358 ERIC CURRY        #52
04/2001: Win  by KO  over  #156 RUSSELL CHASTEEN  #42
10/2001: Win  by KO  over  #197 JASON WALLER      #36
04/2002: LOSS by UD   to   #8   JAMEEL MCCLINE    #104

Briggs made another measured comeback, beating barely-ranked Eric Curry, then Russell Chasteen and Jason Waller (and for good measure, unranked Reynaldo Minus) all in first-round knockouts. This put him at 36-3-1 and ready to face top-ten-ranked Jameel McCline, who proceeded to thoroughly outbox Briggs and won an easy decision. After 8 years of being in the SportsRatings Top 100 Heavyweights Briggs was out.

Comeback #3 and WBO heavyweight title fights

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
07/2003: Win  by KO  over  #393 JOHN SARGENT      #120
03/2005: Win  by KO  over  #122 DEMETRICE KING    #102
06/2005: Win  by KO  over  #103 ABRAHAM OKINE     #58
08/2005: Win  by KO  over  #251 RAY MERCER        #57
11/2005: Win  by KO  over  #391 BRIAN SCOTT       #55
11/2006: Win  by KO  over  #7   SERGEI LYAKHOVICH #9
06/2007: LOSS by UD   to   #28 SULTAN IBRAGIMOV   #28

Briggs took time off from serious bouts after the McCline loss, with marginal journeyman John Sargent being his first semi-live opponent followed by Demetrice King nearly two years later. Beating Abraham Okine put him back in the top 100 and washed up Ray Mercer and Brian Scott kept him busy. In all Briggs won 12 straight fights after the McCline loss, all by stoppage and five of them in the first round, making his record 47-4-1 before his showdown with Sergei Lyakhovich.

Lyakhovich was ranked in the top ten and owned the WBO heavyweight belt. He was clearly winning the fight until the very last seconds of the contest, as he fell out of the ring with one second to go in one of the most bizarre finishes ever in boxing. Briggs had his first significant belt, but it didn't last long. Sultan Ibragimov came in 20-0-1 and won a unanimous decision over Briggs. Briggs retired after the bout ballooned up to well over 300 pounds.

One final comeback

Date     Result                 Opponent      Briggs new rank
05/2010: Win  by TKO over  #288 ROB CALLOWAY      #97
09/2010:                                          #94

Briggs retirement lasted over two years, but he kept talking during the layoff even as he slid down the charts. Late in 2009 he came back with a string of four more 1-round knockouts: first to unrated Marcus McGee (which became a No Contest after Briggs tested positive for steroids that he says were linked to his asthma medication). Briggs faced two more unranked fighters before defeating Rob Calloway which stopped his downward momentum in the rankings and was enough to sign him for a bout against Vitali Klitchko.

Currently Briggs is at #94 with a 51-5-1 record. He's reportedly under 250 lbs. for the first time since 2001 and says he has his asthma under control. He's said that before, of course, but the weight is a good sign if true. At 38, Briggs probably won't get another serious title shot.

Update: At weigh-in, Briggs weighed 262 pounds.

Vitali Klitschko vs. Chris Arreola Saturday, September 26: Preview, Odds, and Prediction

No heavyweight fight this year will be bigger in America than the bout on Saturday, September 26th when Vitali Klitschko puts his WBC belt on the line against Chris Arreola in Los Angeles.

Klitschko, ranked #2 by SportsRatings to his brother Wladimir, faces #7 Arreola, the first American to fight a Klitschko on U.S. soil since Calvin Brock lost to Wladimir in November, 2006. Surprisingly, Vitali has never fought an American in America: he fought Lennox Lewis (UK), Kirk Johnson (Canada), Corrie Sanders (South Africa), and Danny Williams (UK) in successive fights in the United States, and beat Jamaican Ricardo Kennedy in Miami in 1998. Meanwhile brother Wlad fought recent defenses against Ray Austin, Lamon Brewster, Tony Thompson, and Hasim Rahman all in Germany.

Styles Comparison

The fight features two big punchers with remarkable KO percentages. Vitali has scored a knockout in 36 of his 37 wins, meaning he wins by KO 97.3% of the time (Timo Hoffman was the only decision). His two losses have come on injury stoppages to Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis. Arreola has had only one foe go the distance (Andrew Greeley in 2005); in 24 of 25 fights (96%) he's scored a stoppage. The two other contests were disqualifications, including the win over Chazz Witherspoon (currently # 28) which could have been ruled a KO. Arreola has a relentless style where he sometimes lunges forth punching with his entire body and keeps coming like a juggernaut, while Klitschko remains squared and upright as he delivers devastating punches with his long reach. Klitscho is 6' 7" and around 250 pounds. Arreola stands nearly 6' 4" and his weight could be anywhere from 240 to 260. Much has been written about Arreola's weight as it has increased over the years and most would say the leaner he comes in, the better. 

Both fighters can hit hard. At the same time, both are willing to take shots themselves. Despite this Vitali has never been on the canvas, even after taking a beating from Lennox Lewis. Arreola, on the other hand, was down in round two against Travis Walker (though completely unhurt) before scoring a third round TKO (interestingly, Walker is rumored to have floored Klitschko when sparring in 2005). It's certain that Vitali's chin has been tested about as much as possible, while Arreola hasn't faced the same level of competition.

Vegas Line/Odds

Klitschko is a heavy favorite to win, with lines running at -600 (place $600 to win $100). Arreola is a -400 to -450 underdog (place $100 to win $400 or $450). Translated, this means that the oddsmakers and bettors give Klitschko about a 75%-85% chance to win, with the odds also favoring the fight ending before the middle of the seventh round.

Vitali's Klitschko's Résumé

Here are the top fighters Vitali Klitschko has faced this decade:

Date     Result         Sep rank Fighter      (rank at time)
04/2000: LOSS by  RT   to   # 31 CHRIS BYRD       (# 24)
11/2000: Win  by  UD  over  #224 TIMO HOFFMAN     (# 27)
01/2001: Win  by  KO  over  #368 ORLIN NORRIS     (#140)
12/2001: Win  by TKO  over  #390 ROSS PURITTY     (#137)
02/2002: Win  by TKO  over  #398 VAUGHN BEAN      (#227)
11/2002: Win  by TKO  over  #177 LARRY DONALD     (# 30)
06/2003: LOSS by TKO   to   # NR LENNOX LEWIS     (#  1)
12/2003: Win  by TKO  over  # 78 KIRK JOHNSON     (# 15)
04/2004: Win  by TKO  over  # 73 CORRIE SANDERS   (#  6)
12/2004: Win  by TKO  over  # 43 DANNY WILLIAMS   (# 14)
10/2008: Win  by  RT  over  # 14 SAMUEL PETER     (#  3)
03/2009: Win  by TKO  over  # 12 JUAN C GOMEZ     (#  7)

Going back to the time of his first loss (due to a shoulder injury), Vitali has faced 9 fighters in the top 30, and six that are still ranked in the top 100 to this day. His biggest fight was of course the controversial loss to world champion Lennox Lewis, who hasn't fought in over five years and is now unranked. Klitschko has fought only twice since 2005, but both foes were in the top ten and are still in the top 15, while the three fighters he beat after the Lewis loss are still in the top 100.

Chris Arreola's Résumé

Here are the ranked fighters that Chris Arreola has faced:

Date     Result         Sep rank Fighter      (rank at time)
10/2005: Win  by TKO  over  #288 DOMONIC JENKINS   (# 38)
05/2006: Win  by  KO  over  #384 SEDRICK FIELDS    (#275)
08/2006: Win  by TKO  over  #216 DAMIAN NORRIS     (# 41)
11/2006: Win  by TKO  over  #215 DAMIAN WILLS      (# 73)
02/2007: Win  by TKO  over  #175 ZAKEEM GRAHAM     (# 70)
05/2007: Win  by TKO  over  #217 MALCOLM TANN      (# 74)
07/2007: Win  by  KO  over  #327 DEREK BERRY       (#266)
09/2007: Win  by  KO  over  #235 THOMAS HAYES      (#166)
02/2008: Win  by TKO  over  #335 CLIFF COUSER      (#239)
06/2008: Win  by WDQ  over  # 28 CHAZZ WITHERSPOON (# 29)
11/2008: Win  by TKO  over  #188 TRAVIS WALKER     (# 65)
04/2009: Win  by TKO  over  #185 JAMEEL MCCLINE    (#128)

Note that in the time that Klitscho has had just two fights, Arreola has fought 12 ranked fighters, though only one is still in the top 100. But he's beaten seven fighters that were ranked in the top 100 at the time of the fight, including four in a row in late 2006-mid 2007. He had three easy opponents before dominating Chazz Witherspoon in what is still Chazz's only loss. Interestingly, though Arreola was criticized for weighing 255 against McCline, that's exactly what he weighed against Jenkins in November, 2005. During the stretch where he beat Norris, Wills, Graham, and Tann in a total of 22 rounds, he weighed between 230 and 240, and he was at 239 for the Witherspoon fight.

Arreola's Chances For the Upset

Clearly Arreola's lack of top-notch competition is the main reason for being the underdog; he hasn't proven that he can beat a fighter ranked in the top 25. Though he almost certainly would beat most of today's top 25, he just doesn't have the experience of being in the ring with a very top-notch heavyweight let alone one of the current era's best. Other factors: his defense is poor; his stamina is untested, especially if he comes in at a higher weight; and he gives up height and reach. His willingness to take punches is seen to be his undoing against a hard puncher like Klitschko. The logic goes, if Travis Walker can give him an 8-count, what will Vitali do? If Chazz Witherspoon can deliver an "oh shit" jab (Arreola's words), how will Dr. Ironfist's jabs feel?

Arreola has a few intangibles in his favor. The crowd should be heavily on his side in Los Angeles. He hasn't shown as much in his fights—or hasn't had to—so if he has anything new up his sleeve Klitschko will be less prepared for it. Even at larger sizes Arreola is fairly quick for a big heavy, and his stamina is always questioned but hasn't let him down yet. His style—bulling his way into his opponent's space—is one that neither Klitschko has had to deal with very often, especially from a big, hard-hitting opponent. Arreola is a slugger and likes to "bang" so the fight should be a fun one to watch, but his main chance of an upset still comes from Klitschko himself. Vitali is 38 years old and has a track record of injuries. Some thought he didn't look as sharp against Gomez six months ago, and if he's slowed since then Arreola has an opportunity. It's an unfortunate truth, but Arreola's best chance counts on a decline in performance by Klitschko. Unless we see a dynamic Arreola (or an aged Klitschko) we haven't seen before, Vitali is the likely winner.

How it ends is anybody's guess. Depending on what strategy the fighters use the bout could be over very quickly, in a blaze in the first three rounds, a more measured but still frenetic pace leading to a mid-rounds KO, or in a late stoppage as one fighter doesn't rise from the chair. Common sense dictates that the longer the fight goes, the less likely Arreola is to win, especially by decision. Neither fighter has been knocked out, and both KO their opponents almost all the time, so something has to give. My guess is that Arreola scores his best shots early; weakens but holds on in the middle rounds; and Vitali takes a big lead on the cards late. Arreola should be able to make it to the end, though, in front of an adoring crowd. His best chance of winning comes early, and after the first few rounds the tone of the fight will be established; things won't get better for Arreola after that, so he has to take advantage if he's doing well and build a big lead. I see Vitali Klitschko the probable winner, by a card of around 116-111.

Rankings Ramifications

Arreola wouldn't take the SportsRatings belt with a win, but it would put him #2 to Wlad Klitschko. Neither would Vitali jump to #1 for beating Arreola, as Wlad is far ahead in points after his brother's four-year layoff through most of 2005-2008. Lose, however, and he would fall to #7, meaning the fighters would essentially switch places. Arreola wouldn't fall as far with a loss, as there's quite a big gap between #7 and #8 due to the relative derth of strong heavyweights at the moment. Arreola will remain in the top ten regardless of the outcome.

Fight preview: Ibragimov could hurt Klitschko

Saturday will witness the second prominent heavyweight fight in just eight days—and the first heavyweight title unification bout in eight years—as IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko (49-3-0, 44 KOs) faces WBO belt-holder Sultan Ibragimov (22-0-1, 17 KOs) at Madison Square Garden at 9:30pm eastern time. Klitchko is ranked #1 in the SportsRatings Heavyweight ratings while Ibragimov is ranked #7. The fight is being televised on HBO.

The fight is the first step toward a long overdue unification of the heavyweight division. In addition to the IBF belt, Klitschko holds the lesser-known IBO title, while Ibragimov's WBO belt doesn't carry the prestige of the Big Three organizations. So while three belt groups will be consolidated in one fight, the main three organizations will still have different champions. But you have to start somewhere, right?

Ibragimov is a heavy underdog in the bout. Despite being undefeated, he has a distinct size and reach disadvantage against Klitschko, as most do. Though he has defeated big fighters such as Shannon Briggs, none could match the skill and experience of Klitschko. In those categories, Evander Holyfield certainly qualifies as skilled and experienced, but at 31 Klitschko is in his prime unlike the 45 year old Holyfield.

Sultan Ibragimov career overview

Ibragimov, like many Russian boxers, had an impressive amateur career. He won the 2000 Olympic silver medal, losing to Cuban great Felix Savon. He turned pro in 2002 at age 27 and within 2 1/2 years was 13-0-0, beating up on a series of lesser fighters. Ten of these fights were KOs or TKOs.

After knocking out three mediocre but experienced fighters (James Walton, Al Cole, and Zuri Lawrence) in the next six months, Ibragimov debuted in the SportsRatings Top 100 at #83 in April of 2005. Another KO over Andy Sample and a cut win over Friday Ahunanya (which he was leading) made him 18-0-0 and put him just outside the top 50. He then faced #45 Lance Whitaker, and in what would be Whitaker's last fight. Ibragimov scored three knockdowns on the way to a 7th round TKO, bumping him up to #29.

But following his first win over a respected fighter Ibragimov suffered the only blemish on his pro record. In July of 2006, he fought to a draw with 25th-ranked Ray Austin. Austin went down in the 4th round, while Ibragimov, who tired late in the match, fell in the 10th. On the final cards, one judge had Ibragimov ahead by 4, another had Austin by 2, the third even. That fight was supposed to be a qualifier to face Klitschko. Ultimately Austin was selected...and knocked out by Wlad in the second round.

Since the Austin fight, Ibragimov has come in weighing about 10 pounds less (indeed, he weighed in at 218 for Saturday's fight). Whether he felt he wasn't in the best of shape for Austin, the lower weight helped him win three fights in 2007: A first round KO of Javier Mora; a unanimous decision over Shannon Briggs for the WBO belt; and a successful defense against Evander Holyfied last October.

The Briggs fight showed that he could beat a much bigger opponent. Briggs, rated #9 after his last-second win over Sergei Lyakhovich, came in a 273 pounds. Ibragimov moved well and hit Briggs with fast shots while avoiding the big punches. Not that Briggs threw many punches at all; he cited asthma for his poor performance and retired soon after the fight. Ibragimov jumped into the top ten with the win.

Against Holyfield just four months ago, Ibragimov didn't let his second opportunity for a Klitschko fight to pass by. Originally scheduled to battle Ruslan Chagaev in a belt unification, Holyfield jumped in when Chagaev withdrew for unclear health reasons. Though nearly 45, Holyfield was still ranked #32 after winning four minor fights in a row, and he put forth an admirable effort. Ibragimov was too fast and too young for the former champ, however, and the decision was unanimous. Sultan Ibragimov moved up to #8 in the SportsRatings rankings, and has since slid past Wladimir's retired brother Vitali into the #7 position.

Fight analysis and predictions

Wladimir Klitschko is close to reaching a level where most observers consider him invincible. Not that he is unbeatable, but there aren't many challengers that people consider worthy. His improvement over the years, coupled with the heavyweight division's weakness, has elevated him head and shoulders above the rest, even though he's not considered the official champ by Ring Magazine and others. But a win by Klitschko in a given fight is now assumed. And that's where it gets dangerous for him.

Upsets happen when least expected; that's the definition of an upset. While I'm not picking one in this fight, I think Ibragimov will do better than most people expect. The odds have ranged anywhere from 6:1 to 3:1. I believe Sultan is a tough fighter who will do his best to go the distance, meaning he will only be stopped by a TKO. Over the course of the fight he will have his moments, too, that will hurt Wlad Klitschko.

Ibragimov is smaller, but he is quick and has fast hands. He'll use this to get inside and get quick body shots and back out, farther enough away to avoid Klitschko's reach. Inside, and far outside; both ranges avoid Klitschko's main advantage. Shots to the ribs and body will bend the champion forward to protect himself, so he isn't as tall in his fighting stance.

But ultimately this will come at a cost. Ibragimov will not be able to avoid Klitschko's counters all the time; he will be hurt, too, and worse than the champion. In order to attempt to win the fight, he will have to take risks, and with the reward will come punishment. I foresee Ibragimov taking a lot of damage, getting cut, and possibly having the fight stopped. But short of a stoppage, I think Sultan Ibragimov will fight all 12 rounds and gain a lot of respect from this bout.

Klitschko looked a bit gaunt during the weigh-in, as if he had overtrained. He was very defined, but a bit thin, and at his lowest weight for some time. This will mean he isn't at his best; his reaction time may be slower, and may have energy problems from the start, allowing Ibragimov some success at his plan. But he will also be focused, and in good overall shape, perhaps not tiring noticeably after the first few rounds, and he shouldn't be in serious trouble during the fight. Simply put, it will not be the best of days for Wladimir Klitschko, but he doesn't have to be at his absolute best to win a unanimous decision over Sultan Ibragimov.

He will very likely win, and the scorecards will make it appear like an 'easy' win, but it won't be easy by any means. But he will retain his title (for those who consider him a title holder) and gain Ibragimov's belt.

Should Ibragimov prevail, due to whatever relapse Klitschko may have into his worst moments, he would take over the #1 ranking in the SportsRatings heavyweight top 100, but just barely; right behind him would be Ruslan Chagaev. From there, the #1 ranking could change hands based on who wins the most and best fights from that time forward. The ideal, of course, would be a match between the two.

A win would move Klitschko higher on the All-Time list. Already at #27, he would place around #22 after defeating Ibragimov. I'll post about the All-Time list, its mechanisms, its strong points and its shortcomings, at another date.

 

Valuev-Lyakhovich preview: The strange career of Sergei Lyakhovich

As the battle between #4 Nicolay Valuev and #20 Sergei Lyakhovich is about to commence, here is a review of the "White Wolf" Lyakhovich's odd career, where triumph in big fights was twice was followed by late-round knockout losses.

Lyakhovich turned pro at age 22 after a lengthy and successful amateur career which included a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships, participation in the 1996 Olympics for his native Belarus, and a knockout win over Audley Harrison. Wikipedia lists his overall amateur record as 145-15.

1999-2000 He was brought along slowly at first; in his first year as a pro he won five fights, all over nobodies, with four knockouts. He fought some recognized names in his second year, including Marshall Tillman and Everett "Bigfoot" Martin, as well as professional punching bag Bradley Rone. Though these fights left him 12-0 late in 2000, he was unranked in the SportsRatings heavyweight top 100, as he hadn't beaten any solid fighters yet.

2001 His next win, in December 2000 over Derrell Dixon, put him on the charts, albeit only at #95. He followed that up with a decision over Sedrick Fields, in a match where Fields had a full 2 points deducted for after-the-bell agressiveness; without this deduction, the fight may have been a draw. He had managed to dodge the bullets that would later hamper his career.

Instead, he rose to #70, then scored big in handing #23 Friday Ahunanya his first loss and taking the NABA heavyweight title in a unanimous 12 round decision. Lyakhovich replaced Ahunanya in the Top 25 at #23, and pushing his record to 16-0-0—which was Ayunanya's record, too, before the loss.

2002 But then the first bullet hit. On June 1st, 2002, Lyakhovich suffered a late-round knockout to Maurice Harris, who was just 18-12-2 at the time. The loss dropped him to #68, and he also lost his status as one of the most promising up-and-coming boxers; he would have to prove himself again.

2003-2004 Naturally the competition level fell. He KO'ed Joe Lenhart, which put him back in the top 50, but three more knockouts of even lesser fighters (Sione Asipeli, James Walton, and Ron Guerrero) and a decision over Onibe Maxime (who had lost 18 of his last 19) didn't move him up the rankings. The win streak was enough, however, to get him better fights, and he took advantage of it, beating #32 Dominick Guinn in December, 2004 and moving himself back into the top 25 at #20. The upset win made people pay attention again.

2005-2006 He didn't fight again for over a year, but eventually Lyakhovich got a shot at #5 Lamon Brewster's WBO title. On April 1st, 2006, he outpointed Brewster, who suffered a detached retina in the first round that left him blind in that eye for the rest of the fight. Still, Brewster managed to force Sergei to "take a knee" in the 7th round, which Lyakhovich said was intentional on his part to escape Brewster's best attack of the night. He recovered to win a punishing fight that left both men drained and bruised.

With the win, Lyakhovich achieved his highest rating in April of 2006, jumping to #6:

lm num Fighter          rated record rating notes
1   1. LENNOX LEWIS      (34- 2- 1)   54.90 inactive 34 months.
6   2. WLAD KLITSCHKO    (31- 3- 0)   46.34 beat CHRIS BYRD      
3   3. NICOLAY VALUEV    (17- 0- 0)   40.12
4   4. VITALI KLITSCHKO  (22- 2- 0)   35.22 inactive 16 months.
2   5. CHRIS BYRD        (23- 3- 1)   32.32 lost to WLAD KLITSCHKO   
22  6. SERGEI LYAKHOVICH (11- 1- 0)   30.07 beat #5 LAMON BREWSTER   
7   7. JOHN RUIZ         (18- 5- 1)   29.17
8   8. HASIM RAHMAN      (17- 5- 2)   28.12
9   9. JAMES TONEY       ( 4- 0- 1)   27.57
10 10. DANNY WILLIAMS    (18- 4- 0)   26.85

His celebration, as well as his holding of a title, was again short-lived. He met challenger Shannon Briggs, then rated #36, who was on a 3-year, 11 fight win streak but hadn't proven himself since taking the Lineal crown from George Foreman in a controversial decision. The fight was close; Lyakhovich led after 11 rounds by 3, 3, and 1 on the judges' cards. Though he needed only hold on and avoid a catastrophic round to win—and almost any outcome would still be a draw—he couldn't have known this, and his corner believed he needed to win the round to insure victory.

For two minutes the tired fighters traded sluggish blows, but Briggs staggered Sergei with a minute left, and knocked him down with 30 seconds to go. Then, trying to survive to the bell, Lyakhovich crouched by the ropes and Briggs knocked him out of the ring and onto the scorer's table; the fight was stopped with 1 second remaining, giving the TKO victory to Briggs.

Here's that crazy final round:

The loss dropped Lyakhovich to #14, and with subsequent inactivity he has fallen to #20. A win over the highly-rated Valuev would jump him right back where he was before the Briggs loss, however, into the top ten. Given his propensity for late-round disasters, it will be interesting to see how he copes with the huge Valuev, who outweighs even Briggs by 50 pounds.

And if he can win, will success again lead to disappointment if he then faces yet better technical fighters, such as Ruslan Chagaev? It seems that Lyakhovich has reached about as high as most observers think he can go with his abilities. If he wants to prove them wrong, he'll need to both beat Valuev, and follow it up with more wins to show consistency against higher-level competition. If he can accomplish that, a *real* title fight (i.e. Klitschko) might be on the table at some point for Lyakhovich, who at 31 still has time to make it happen.