Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Mike Tyson. Legendary figures in the heavyweight division and all of them from the good old U.S. of A, So, you might ask yourself, what has happened to the production line? Instead of their fists, do the kids in America feel they need a knife or a gun to protect themselves on the streets nowadays – or are the x box and the play station more of an attraction than an hour or two in the gym every day? Shannon Briggs, hardly a household name, was the last American holder of any version of the world title but since he lost the WBO crown to Sultan Ibragimov in June 2007, the heavyweight division has been dominated by fighters from Eastern Europe – where is Rocky Bilboa when you need him, eh? The latest to try and end America’s barren spell was Chris Arreola, a tough guy from the mean streets of LA on a 26-fight winning run with a reputation for being able to outsmart his opponents. But Vitali Klitschko simply toyed with him. Such was the dazed Arreola‘s complete destruction that his corner had to physically restrain him on his stool to stop him wandering into the ring at the start of the 11th round where an unmarked Klitschko was waiting to deliver the coup de grace. Next in line should be ‘Fast’ Eddie Chambers, a slick counter-puncher from Philadelphia, one of the few cities where boxing gyms still thrive. His CV simply doesn’t compare to Klitschko and his brother Wladimir, however, and if we’re looking for someone to break the Ukranians’ stranglehold it may well be our own David Haye. The British former world cruiserweight champion posted notice of his potential with a five-round stoppage of American Monte Barret earlier this year and is only ranked below Ricky Hatton among Britain’s best pound-for-pound fighters. Haye, who faces Russian former WBA champion Nikolai Valuev next month, is 33-1 with Ladbrokes to hold all four versions of the world title by the end of 2010.
Meanwhile, the heavyweights are in action in the latest in the Prizefighter series this week. Audley Harrison and British champion Danny Williams are the biggest names taking part and dominate the betting. In previous bouts the score stands at one-all between the pair, who are 8-13 to meet in the final (skybet). This ‘Twenty20’ version of boxing may suit the more explosive Williams, however, and the 6-4 on offer looks the right bet.
