pictured: Brothers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are far and away the two best heavyweight fighters in the world
Joe http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=4306’s Column
White fighters finish 2008 holding 17 of the 20 belts from middleweight to heavyweight. This is up one from the end of 2007 and includes all the belts at heavyweight, super middleweight and middleweight. One belt (WBO cruiserweight) is vacant and will likely be picked up by Enzo Maccarenelli in early 2009. The only two blacks above 160 to hold belts (Chad Dawson and Guillermo Jones) will have mandatories against white opponents next year so it is possible that our fighters could hold all 20 belts by the end of 2009.
Two white boxers are in The Ring Magazine’s Top 10 “Pound-for-Pound” ranking. Joe Calzaghe is rated #2 and Ricky Hatton is ranked #10. Yahoo lists 5 more whites in their top 20 including Wladimir Klitschko, Vic Darchinyan, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Kelly Pavlik. New cruiserweight king Tomasz Adamek is no doubt lurking near the top 20 as well.
Almost every ranking, including the The Ring, has a white man as the top fighter at heavyweight (Klitschko), cruiserweight (Adamek), light heavyweight (Calzaghe), super middleweight (Kessler), middleweight (Pavlik), junior welterweight (Hatton) and junior bantamweight (Darchinyan).
Here is a brief rundown on each division from heavyweight to lightweight:Heavyweight
Wladimir Klitschko continues to be the class of the division. He holds the IBF and WBO belts while brother Vitali has the WBC strap. Nicolai Valuev keeps a tenuous grasp on the WBA belt but will likely lose it to Ruslan Chagaev this summer. Hopefully, the winner of that fight will unify with Wlad. Vitali will take on the latest black hope, David Haye, this summer in London. A pair of Alexanders – Dimitrenko and Povetkin – should get title shots next year but will lose if they fight a Klitschko. American Travis Kauffman continues to improve and is 13-0. Look for him to make some noise in 2009.
Cruiserweight
Tomasz Adamek is the top fighter in the division and joins Giacobbe Fragomeni as a white champion at cruiserweight. The WBO belt is vacant but Enzo Maccarenelli will fight black American David Banks for the title in 2009. Guillermo Jones is the only black champion at 200 and is very vulnerable. He is due to meet Russian Valery Brudov early next year. Look for hard-hitting prospect Alexander Alekseev to emerge as a major star by the end of 2009.
Light Heavyweight
Joe Calzaghe is the best man at 175 but does not hold a belt at light heavyweight due to boxing politics. If he does not retire, Joe could fight Chad Dawson, the only black titlist in the division. Zsolt Erdei will soon mark his 5th anniversary as WBO champion. A pair of victories over current WBA king Hugo Garay (a white Argentinean) somewhat make up for his subpar competition over the years. Romanian Adrian Diaconu holds the WBC belt but only fights once a year (like most Don King boxers).
Super Middleweight
When Calzaghe left 168 and moved up to light heavyweight his belts became vacant. It is a testament to the talent of white boxers that they were able to win them all back. Mikkel Kessler (WBA), Lucian Bute (IBF), Carl Froch (WBC) and Dennis Inkin (WBO) lead a historically deep division for white fighters.
Middleweight
Kelly Pavlik was headed toward stardom and a showdown with Joe Calzaghe before losing a decision to Bernard Hopkins this fall. But that fight was at 170, meaning Pavlik kept his WBC and WBO belts despite the loss. A tune-up this February should lead to an all-white superfight with IBF champion Arthur Abraham in the summer of 2009. Felix Sturm is improving and remains the WBA titlist.
Junior Middleweight
Sergei Dzindziruk remains the lone white champion at 154 and holds victories over current WBA king Daniel Santos and respected contender Joel Julio. He will defend his belt against Antonio Margarito conqueror Paul Williams next year. The Ukrainian has a better chance of winning than many think and is real hidden gem. Yuri Foreman, an Orthodox Jew from Belarus, remained undefeated in 2008. Though short on power (8 knockouts in 27 fights), Foreman is a master boxer and could take a belt if matched correctly.
Welterweight
One of the deepest classes in boxing has been dominated by names like Mayweather, Cotto, Margarito and Mosley in recent years. There are a few white fighters of note at 147, however. England’s Michael Jennings will fight Miguel Cotto for the vacant WBO belt this winter but would seem to be in over his head. It is the same situation with Ukrainian Yuri Nuzhnenko who is a mandatory challenger for Antonio Margarito. But some Eastern European names are starting to break into the rankings and it is only a matter of time before they rise to the top.
Junior Welterweight
Ricky Hatton dominates at 140 though he does not currently hold a major belt. He will meet Manny Pacquiao (the top pound-for-pound boxer in the sport) this May in the biggest fight of 2009. Hatton beat Paul Malignaggi in November but Paulie will likely get his IBF belt back next year. Ukraine’s Andreas Kotelnik is the WBA champ.
Lightweight
This division is a little like welterweight in that it is dominated by big names such as Pacquiao, Marquez, Casamayor, Diaz and Campbell. Australian Michael Katsidis fell just short of dethroning Joel Casamayor this year but seems to be a step below the elite. Yuri Romanov is the only other white fighter of note at 135.
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