Wladimir Klitschko's gutsy decision victory over the feared Sam
Peter proved three things. One, that Wlad could survive against a proven
puncher. Two, that Sam Peter is not a fluke. He's just a little rough
around the edges. Three, this fight was just the beginning of a series of
upcoming heavyweight match ups that are sure to shake up and shape the
heavyweight division going into 2006.
Next up, Lamon Brewster defends his WBO version of the heavyweight
title against Luan Krasniqi. On paper, big, bad Brewster should win but
with heavyweights anything can happen. If Lamon does win, he's been called
out by previous victim Wladimir Klitschko. After Wlad's win over Peter,
this would be an attractive match up. What if Krasniqi pulls the upset?
Wlad-Krasniqi would probably draw very well in Germany.
On October 1st IBF heavyweight titleholder Chris Byrd will defend against
DaVarryl Williamson. Sorry...Williamson does not deserve this title shot. He
can hit a bit so I'll give him a slim puncher's chance. Still Byrd is
much quicker and he should have little trouble retaining his "crown." A
more interesting fight to me is the under card battle between James Toney and
once highly regarded Dominick Guinn. Is Toney the most talented heavyweight
out there? He may not be the best. Time will tell. For boxing style,
knowledge, etc, he's a master. I truly enjoy watching him ply his trade.
When his fighting days are over, he should become a trainer. Old school...
Then on November 12th you have Vitali Klitschko defending his WBC crown
against the respected former champion Hasim "Rock" Rahman. I was not impressed
by Rahman in his victory over talented Monte Barrett. Still this is a very
stern test for Vitali. In this fight Vitali may need to bring every ounce of
the inner toughness he always seems to bring to the table to defeat
Rahman. He will only beat Rahman if he can out gut him.
Somewhere down the line there is talk of WBA title tender John Ruiz
defending against Tyson thumper Kevin McBride. My initial thought was, you
have to be kidding. I would rather see Mike take on Ruiz. Mike has been
reduced to a three round fighter but in that nine minute span he can be very
dangerous. Ruiz is usually a slow starter. Also if he lays back and
tries to jab at Mike, he has a very slow jab. Even the ghost of Tyson that we
have today would be able to slip under that jab, counter and do some serious
damage. If Ruiz trades early, well, it might be a replay of the Tua
fight. Good night John...
Think about this one... Krasniqi upsets Brewster and Ruiz defends against
McBride and loses. In a battle, a WBO and WBA unification to boot, Luan
Krasniqi-vs-Kevin McBride. Oh my...John L., Jack, Joe, Rocky and Sonny are
doing some serious spinning in their graves.
