wlad the man to beat.... but who will do it?

i know a lot of people have given up on the heavyweight division, with haye the only real contender, and comprehensivley outpointed by wlad recently it seems like we will have to be content with a few decent heavyweight domestics. but im wondering if any of you have any prospects that you have hopes for, or even any established heavyweights who havent been making much noise lately. just thought i'd give you a bit of info on a few who i've seen and see what you think. now please dont think that i mean they are ready for wlad now, they ALL have quite a bit to learn but these are the guys i expect to be at the top of the next generation of heavyweights. i refer only to wlad as i feel vitali will have retired before these guys are where they need to be. i've tried to pick a few from around the world, not just england.


ROBERT " THE NORDIC NIGHTMARE" HELENIUS 15(0)-0-0 current WBO/WBA intercontinetal champion, from finland.

he has won a silver medal in the europiean amatuer championships, is current promoted by mr sausland, has previous wins over samual peter, gregory tony and lamon brewster. he is undefeated and i think he has a good chance of grabbing a world title.

ARTRUR SPILKA 6(4)-0-0 6'3" 230lbs well conditioned, only turned pro recently, from poland.

this guy was fighting with a bunch of football hooligans when spotted and turned to boxing. he has been in prison for brawling at a nightclub and is a bit of a wildcard. he is still virtually a novice but is strong, winning his last fight against a guy 8-0-0 by 1st round KO (in 28 seconds)

ALEXANDER POVETKIN 21(15)-0-0 6'2" challenges for WBA heavyweight title against chagaev, from russia.

has moved to new york to train under teddy atlas. probably the most established of the bunch, although imo still alittle green to face wlad. he has good wins over firtha, eddie chambers and chris byrd but should not rush in against wlad. should see what level he is at in his next fight, but i have hopes from povetkin.

BERMANE "B WARE" STRIVERNE 21(20)-1(1)-1 6'2" WBC mandatory challenger, from canada

again a semi-established contender, has decent wins over kerston mansell and ray austin. he has KO power and a iron chin, if his skill level increases as well i think he will definetly fight for a title at some point. he already holds wins in the amatuers over david price and robert helineus.

RICHARD "INFERNO" TOWERS 11(8)-0-0 6'8" 31 years old.

has only suffered one defeat as a amatuer. has been in prision 6 1/2 years, on a kidnapping charge- but now is out and is looking good. he has a fight in september as yet against a unknown opponent. he is a sheffield lad like me and is been trained by paul ingle, looks stong and tough, he is huge and should present a real challange to most domestics at the moment, cannot wait until he is a little more seasoned as see what he can do.



added to that list adamek, david price, dallas, solis, haye, perez and a few others i think there is hope for the heavys yet.

I would like to see him in with Adamek depending on how his fight with Vitali goes, or Povetkin, i'm sure Povetkin had been mandatory challenger on a few occasions though and stepped aside, they are the best shots at the moment for me but Wlad will be extremely confident after his win over Haye, they only chance they have is if he takes his eye of the ball.

None of the heavyweights out there including Vitali will beat Wlad imo, i'm not buying this the past heavyweights etc, past welterweights were great but never get compared to Pacquiao and Mayweather, etc. The guy can't dig Ali, Foreman up and fight them, he's a quality fighter.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are always compared to fighters from the past difference being neither are at their best weight at Welterweight

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Pacquiao and Mayweather are always compared to fighters from the past difference being neither are at their best weight at Welterweight

No it isn't difference being people don't find Wlad exciting, Mayweather's boring but a top fighter, Wlad's boring but a quality fighter, if they were american they would be hailed as the best things.

Not at all, Wlad isn't hailed as a quality fighter because he's lost to chaff on 3 occassions as well as beating nobody of any note, Mayweather is a skillful fighter who's beaten numerous good fighters, completely different.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Not at all, Wlad isn't hailed as a quality fighter because he's lost to chaff on 3 occassions as well as beating nobody of any note, Mayweather is a skillful fighter who's beaten numerous good fighters, completely different.

Oh so Haye's a nobody as well now? laughable and baffling, Chambers, Chagaev, Ibragimov, Haye, Peter (2), all good quality wins, Wlad's beat numerous good fighters as well Chagaev, Ibragimov and Haye, your deluded, Mayweather is the better fighter i wasn't disputing that, i was saying they aren't good to watch imo but Wlad isn't black and american and in a barnburner every week that's my opinion on it. Nobody of note though that was hilarious, he's just schooled 'the saviour of the heavyweights' and won unification fights against good quality unbeaten fighters. I forgot you can't lose. Wlad is hailed as a quality fighter now anyway, he's p4p about 4 or 5 years overdue and most know he's quality now, he just doesn't get the respect he should.

I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

Young_Towzer wrote:None of the heavyweights out there including Vitali will beat Wlad imo, i'm not buying this the past heavyweights etc, past welterweights were great but never get compared to Pacquiao and Mayweather, etc. The guy can't dig Ali, Foreman up and fight them, he's a quality fighter.

When were they buried?

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

What so your trying to tell me that at the time of him beating B level like Gatti, Baldomir, Judah, Marquez who wasn't a ww there better wins than Haye, Ibragimov, Chagaev? stop it. You don't rate Haye? well all the journalists did, he's the best heavyweight of his generation.

Wlad and Vitali are head and shoulders above everyone else at present. Makes it pretty boring, but they can only fight those in front of them. I would like to see Wlad fight Valuev, as he would have to change tactics. He'd still win, though

I thought Valuev had retired.

You could be right. He's pretty inactive at present if he isn't

John Bloody Wayne wrote:I thought Valuev had retired.

Young_Towzer wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

What so your trying to tell me that at the time of him beating B level like Gatti, Baldomir, Judah, Marquez who wasn't a ww there better wins than Haye, Ibragimov, Chagaev? stop it. You don't rate Haye? well all the journalists did, he's the best heavyweight of his generation.

YOU didn't rate Haye...

BALTIMORA wrote:

Young_Towzer wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

What so your trying to tell me that at the time of him beating B level like Gatti, Baldomir, Judah, Marquez who wasn't a ww there better wins than Haye, Ibragimov, Chagaev? stop it. You don't rate Haye? well all the journalists did, he's the best heavyweight of his generation.

YOU didn't rate Haye...

Who me? get me where i haven't said he's a good fighter before, oh no i forgot your lying, i've said the opponents he was fighting were poor, and he's a walter mittee and a disgrace in the way he talks, but a good quality fighter. Cheers

I can't be bothered to resell through your posts right now, but please refrain from being quite so aggressively defensive. Paradox though that may seem.

On several occasions you've made comments indicating a strong disdain for Haye and playing down his achievements and ability.

http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=019904&cat=boxer

Oh I'm sorry, he is active! Like Hamed...

BALTIMORA wrote:I can't be bothered to resell through your posts right now, but please refrain from being quite so aggressively defensive. Paradox though that may seem.

On several occasions you've made comments indicating a strong disdain for Haye and playing down his achievements and ability.

He's beat a lot of nobodies, he's a solid fighter and has many qualities, aggressive? hardly, saying wins over B level Baldomir, Gatti probably C level and a fat lightweight are better than a win over Haye who was live and dangerous at the time is pathetic imo. No aggression here though, please do look through posts, i don't like Haye and think he's a disgrace for fighting the likes of A-Farce, his mouth, but he's a good fighter. Ciao, here seen as though you think or know i'm being 'aggressive', what round will the Khan fight finish, so i can have a cheeky grand on it.

Have been impressed with Robert Helenius. Looks like he can bang and has good soild european fundamentals along with being pretty nimble for 6ft 8 or whatever he is. The only turn off is his association with Sauerland, which is not a good thing.

yeah he's 6'6 1/2" and can bang. i think height is an important factor in heavyweight boxing, especially if your got any hope of beating wlad. if your small enough to get stuck behind the jab then you really are going to struggle through.

Super D Boon wrote:Have been impressed with Robert Helenius. Looks like he can bang and has good soild european fundamentals along with being pretty nimble for 6ft 8 or whatever he is. The only turn off is his association with Sauerland, which is not a good thing.

This is a guy who was getting outboxed by Peter before the KO and lets not forget that David Haye beat the sh!t out of him in sparring...Dont rate him too be honest.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

If you dont think Haye is a good quality win then I feel very sorry for you...I guarantee if they fought in black and white tv you would be hailing both the greatest of all time...You need to stop disrespecting the modern era and show some respect.

he's only had 15 fights so he is a work in progress, he also got beat by B WARE in the amatuers, but those kind of experiences are what shapes a fighter, he is doing well and in a year or two will be a big name i feel. and if he is getting outboxed and can still land a KO, surely thats a good thing? means he's never out of a fight.

The genius of PBF wrote:

Super D Boon wrote:Have been impressed with Robert Helenius. Looks like he can bang and has good soild european fundamentals along with being pretty nimble for 6ft 8 or whatever he is. The only turn off is his association with Sauerland, which is not a good thing.

This is a guy who was getting outboxed by Peter before the KO and lets not forget that David Haye beat the sh!t out of him in sparring...Dont rate him too be honest.

What are you talking about?

eddyfightfan wrote:he's only had 15 fights so he is a work in progress, he also got beat by B WARE in the amatuers, but those kind of experiences are what shapes a fighter, he is doing well and in a year or two will be a big name i feel. and if he is getting outboxed and can still land a KO, surely thats a good thing? means he's never out of a fight.

You cant keep relying on knockouts to save you once in a while it will catch up with you but if your getting outboxed by Samuel Peter then there isn't much hope.

The genius of PBF wrote:You cant keep relying on knockouts to save you once in a while it will catch up with you but if your getting outboxed by Samuel Peter then there isn't much hope.

Lucky he didn't then.

Scottrf wrote:

The genius of PBF wrote:You cant keep relying on knockouts to save you once in a while it will catch up with you but if your getting outboxed by Samuel Peter then there isn't much hope.

Lucky he didn't then.

He did watch the fight again

The genius of PBF wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

The genius of PBF wrote:You cant keep relying on knockouts to save you once in a while it will catch up with you but if your getting outboxed by Samuel Peter then there isn't much hope.

Lucky he didn't then.

He did watch the fight again

Sure, and afterwards I'll rewatch Dempsey-Willard and watch Willard school him until the stoppage.

one judge has the fight 76-76 at the time

Scottrf wrote:

The genius of PBF wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

The genius of PBF wrote:You cant keep relying on knockouts to save you once in a while it will catch up with you but if your getting outboxed by Samuel Peter then there isn't much hope.

Lucky he didn't then.

He did watch the fight again

Sure, and afterwards I'll rewatch Dempsey-Willard and watch Willard school him until the stoppage.

Carry on being a WUM...a quiet one because no one cares about your sarcastic so called smart comments.

Peters was outboxing him before the stoppage and I stand by that.

eddyfightfan wrote:one judge has the fight 76-76 at the time

There you go then Peters getting a draw on one card against a European fighter in Germany says it all.

a european fighter promoted by saulsand

eddyfightfan wrote:a european fighter promoted by saulsand

Also Peters was shot and Helenius still struggled with him.

Was Peter shot when it took Wlad 10 rounds to finish him off?

Union Cane wrote:Was Peter shot when it took Wlad 10 rounds to finish him off?

Wlad was winning every round and is not the kind of boxer too take out his man early...Mosley went the distance with Pacquiao is he not shot then?

The genius of PBF wrote:

eddyfightfan wrote:a european fighter promoted by saulsand

Also Peters was shot and Helenius still struggled with him.

to be honest i only saw that fights last 3 rounds, just playing devils advocate- but i expect boxers to gain skill and knowlegde/ring savvy as they progress, and at 15-0 if he can last against a veteran like peters and find ways to win at this stage in his career then that for me can only be a positive. peters maybe shot, but he isnt losing again any tom dick and harry, he has only lost to quality opposition.

It needs to be someone with an iron chin, and a frame that can withstand Klitsckho's strength sapping hugs. There are only 2 guys out there that tick these boxes. One seems to have gone underground after the Haye defeat, and the other is currently hosting a gypsy knees up in his brand new 6 berth autohome.

razzaq wrote:and the other is currently hosting a gypsy knees up in his brand new 6 berth autohome.

Wasn't he popping round to Strangeways this afternoon?

[quote="Union Cane"]

razzaq wrote:

Wasn't he popping round to Strangeways this afternoon?

After a couple of words with his saviour the lord jesus christ, yes.

Agree with PBF regarding Helenius.
He's a big guy with a strong dig but is terribly limited.

When he fought Peters, the Nigerian weighed in 20lbs heavier than he did when he fought Wlad, yet was still out-boxing Helenius with relative ease at first.

Its only when Peters gassed (due to the extra bulk) that Helenius was able to take control.

I think the big Fin could end up losing to another contender rather than a Klitschko and end up just competing at Euro level (a la Dimtrenko).

Anyway, to answer the OP, I think Solis has the best chance but that's only if he recovers from his injury and improves his conditioning.

yeah, i'm looking forwards to seeing solis's return, think he did give vitali (breifly) something to think about, however im not convinced the fight would have carried on in the same way, vitali would have landed a few and thats the point where most fighters shut up shop against them.

i also highly rate mike perez, prizefighter winner 16(12)-0-0 although im a little concerned by silence from him and his camp, a breif mutter of him and harrison, but nothing confirmed

Perez is on holiday.

The genius of PBF wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:I don't rate any of Chagaev, Chambers, Ibragimov, Haye or Peter as good quality wins, they're decent fighters but nothing more than that, the combination of all those wins is good but none of them stand out in the slightest. He doesn't get much respect because his era is so poor and devoid of any sort of quality, the losses to Purrity, Brewster and Sanders counteract any wins he has. You may find Mayweather boring but I enjoy watching the perfection with which he fights, personally would far rather watch him fight than someone like Gatti for instance.

If you dont think Haye is a good quality win then I feel very sorry for you...I guarantee if they fought in black and white tv you would be hailing both the greatest of all time...You need to stop disrespecting the modern era and show some respect.

Strange how my top 4 of my top 5 heavyweights fought in colour then and in no shape or form is beating Haye a quality win, the guy had proved next to nothing in the division.

There is one obvious candidate that has all the equipment neccessary to beat Wlad but luckily for Wlad the fight wont be happening.

I would have said Valuev but to be honest i don't see how he could win. He doesn't have devastating power, speed or a particularily good jab. He'd either get knocked out late or lose every round in an UD.

would be interesting to see how wlad dealt with a 7" opponent though

For me it is more of a question of: Wlad the man to beat.... but do I care?
He just doesn't really gain my interest really...

i actually find vitali good to watch, but wlad is boring. shame we only have 2-3 more vitali fights at the most.