BoxRec

very much liked wilders ko punch. solid
technique. haye made a comeback. true,
both opponents (especially haye's) were not
top notch, but still. nice trash talking by
tyson in the ring with wilder. scene is set
for things to come.

so there is a handful of people who will
slug it out. my personal current ranking is:

joshua
wilder/fury (could go either way for me)
haye
ortiz

no idea how this will play out, but i would
imagine there will be interesting fights with
substantial amount of action among these.
no grabber in there.

it is healthy too that wlad didn't retire before
being defeated. i for one do not see him
winning a tyson rematch, rather have him
being taken out when he takes more risk.

all in all: the heavies are (almost) back and
in five years we will see how that crowd
ranks in ATG spheres. still clear to me at
this point that they top the last ten years
in terms of overall quality.

It only took ten years, but it's finally here and it feels good to have an exciting heavyweight division again. The way I see it, too many top fighters and prospects for fights not to get made.

On all-round ability, Haye is possibly the best heavyweight in the world right now. Then there are the guys who have proved more in the current scene : Fury, Wilder, Ortiz, Povetkin, but one good win for Haye can change all that. And then there are the up and coming Joshua and Parker, who seem poised for a good win to move them from prospects into contenders.

As important to the discussion as they are now, I don't see Wilder, Fury or Povetkin having much longevity in this scene with Haye, Joshua, Parker around. On ability I think Ortiz can beat everyone, but sadly he is going to be a non-factor due to age and being frozen out. So I think everything comes down to those three guys. Haye, Joshua, Parker.

As to how it all happens, it's a tough one to map out, but here is my take in no particular order:

Wilder

Deontay could be in for a long gravy train with Haymon trying to milk that title for as long as possible. But there are only so many soft touches. I tend to think he would be the first to get to Fury, especially after their standoff in the ring the other night and its promotional power. He will beat Fury too I think, but finally will fall.

Prediction: dumps current belt, beats Martin for IBF, beats Fury in 2017 to unify, defends a couple of times vs soft touches, falls to Haye in 2018.

Fury

Fury is on borrowed time. Folk are fooled by his latest win but will see his vulnerabilities before long.

Prediction: I expect him to beat Wlad in the rematch via another dull points decision, then defend his lineal title in England vs a Pulev-level type before coming unstuck against Wilder in 2017.

Ortiz

Sadly, Ortiz is going nowhere in this scene. As good as he is, he is too old and will be a non-entity promotion wise. Not marketable enough to bring the money.

Prediction: Will have a string of fights against other non-draws before quietly retiring.

Haye

Haye is back in the mix and looks a threat, despite a poor opponent last time out. He will be a promotional force and as such can bring money to the table as always. I think he may emerge to be the man to beat in the next three years but age will prevent him being a long-term dominant force.

Prediction: Will have one or two more 'biding time' fights at the O2, then win the WBA 'title' vs Ruslan Chagaev at the O2 in 2017. He will use that as a bargaining chip to try and unify against Wilder. Beats Wilder in 2018 to be recognised lineal champ. Perhaps fights Povetkin, Parker or Joshua after that and cashes out.

Povetkin

Povetkin is in the mix right now after some good performances, but the fight vs Wilder won't transpire I feel since Wilder has an easier job vs Martin and can jettison one title for another.
Prediction: Povetkin is left fighting whoever the WBC likes in Russia for the vacant belt. Defends one or twice and maybe lures Haye to Moscow for big Russian money before retiring.

Joshua

Anthony Joshua is the long-term future of the division in my view, who will emerge as a dominant champ.

Prediction: It may be a couple of years of development with a European title win and some treading water, but by 2018 Joshua will be top dog. Depending on how he is managed, Parker may be a viable option for a big fight within five years.

Parker

As with Joshua, a time of gradual development and progression. Based in Australasia this will be harder and Parker will soon be forced to find his way onto American bills, where he should excel.

Prediction: By 2018 he will be among the top of the division and could be in line for a Joshua showdown if handled correctly.

I honestly can't see Haye hanging round too long.
He will hope to get in and cash out before the shoulder goes again.

Haye will not beat any of the real Champ's not even Martin

i think haye is indeed a player in there.
but he had no idea what to do against
a taller man in wlad and that might be
a factor against fury or wilder as well.

i still think he can do it, since wlad had
a unique destructive style on the defense.
a fight against a top ten heavy will tell
the real story about the ring rust.

Division is still the same
Only mega elite guy us fury
Wilder haye just good guys in a weak division

campfire wrote:Haye will not beat any of the real Champ's not even Martin

He will beat Martin and Deontay Wilder, but I don't see him winning against Anthony Joshua and neither against Tyson Fury.
There's a reason he ducked him several times.