Chris Byrd vs. Alexander Povetkin October 27th
Calvin Brock vs. Eddie Chambers November 2nd
The four men listed above will be competing in a four man, single elimination tournament to determine who will get the chance to fight IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko. The first thing that has many boxing fans scratching their heads about this tournament is the fact that two of the fighters have already fought Klitschko, and lost, emphatically. Chris Byrd (40-3-1 21 KO’s) in fact has lost to Klitschko twice. The last time was April 2006, where he was beat from pillar to post for seven rounds, before the referee finally stopped it. Before that he faced him in 2000, losing a very wide decision. Calvin Brock (31-1 23 KO’s) was also the recipient of a 7th round KO from Klitschko. Yet, Brock fought bravely and evenly with the champion for a few rounds before Klitschko took control.
Many hope that one of the two young fighters make the cut, because there is not very much drama in seeing Klitschko beat either of the mentioned two again. Alexander Povetkin (13-0 10 KO’s) and Eddie Chambers (29-0 16 KO’s) are considered two of the best prospects in heavyweight boxing today. They both have fairly impressive resumes for being so early into their careers, and both of their first round fights are easily the biggest of their career. Here is a quick preview of the fighters participating in the event.
Chris “Rapid Fire” Byrd is the former WBO and IBF Champion. Not bad for a guy who started his career at 169 pounds. Byrd has often been criticized about his fighting style, opting to get in and out with quick combinations, and try to avoid punishment at all costs. But, now he is 37, and he has had to rely more on fighting than boxing, due to losing some speed. That loss of defensive ability was never more noticeable then in the one-sided loss he suffered to Klitschko. Byrd has only had one fight since then. In April, nearly one year after his loss to the champ, he defeated Paul Marinaccio by 7th round TKO. The early stoppage was actually Byrd’s first stop since 2002, also against an overmatched opponent.
Byrd’s opponent, Alexander Povetkin is the least experienced of the four, at least in the professional ranks. Povetkin is actually one of the most celebrated amateur fighters of all time, ending with a 2004 gold medal in the Olympic Games. Povetkin has one of the best early career resumes in recent history. In just his sixth fight out he defeated the 17-1 Richard Bango by second round KO. Every fight since then has been with a fighter with at least a decent record. In his last outing he defeated former heavyweight champion challenger Larry Donald. Although Donald is 40, he has given many top fighters great fights, including the fight previous to the Povetkin loss, when he dropped a split decision to Nikolay Valuev in a WBA eliminator. Povetkin won every round against Donald. That was the first time Povetkin had gone more than six rounds in a fight, and still looked fresh at the completion of the fight. The only concerns some have against Povetkin is that he is only 6’2” and around 220 pounds. He is often compared to Holyfield, a young one, not the one fighting for titles now at 44. Against Byrd the size will not be a problem, but if he makes it through the tournament and finds him self in the ring with the 6’6”, 245 pounder, he may have a problem. First things first though for the former Olympic champ: get by Byrd
Calvin “The Boxing Banker” Brock has also already had his chance to fight the champ as mentioned. Since then Brock has had two fights. He beat Ralph West by first round KO and Alex Gonzales by an eighth round unanimous decision. Those fighters may not be household names, but at least Brock has bounced backed fairly well after being bounced off the ground himself. As his record suggests, he has some pop, but critics have often wondered how dedicated he is to the sport. The second he retires from boxing he has a nice job, as his nickname would suggest, at a bank. This is not necessarily bad, but many feel that Brock never really intended to get hit in the face for a living.
The wildcard in this event is “Fast” Eddie Chambers. Chambers, at 25, is sort of a younger version of Byrd. Chambers’ nickname suits him well, he is easily one of the fastest in the heavyweight division, but like Byrd, lacks a big punch. Two fights ago Chambers stopped fellow undefeated prospect Derrick Rossy in seven rounds. After that he faced one-time top ten heavyweight Dominick Guinn, and beat him in a wide unanimous decision. Like Povetkin, his next fight will also be his biggest. Chambers’ hand speed will give a lot of people trouble, but it is unclear what it will do against bigger foes that may be able to counter with big shots of their own. Chambers appears to be more than up for the challenge.
The finals of this tournament will be determined after the first round of bouts. A lot of it depends on who wins and if there are any injuries, like cuts, that would need proper time to heal. It is also unclear if Klitschko will fight before this tournament ends. As of the time of this writing, Klitschko does not have any fights planned, but there is nothing saying that he can’t defend his title if he wants to. For the purpose of staying busy Klitschko will probably do that, instead of waiting over a year, potentially, between fights.
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