A Closer Look at Upcoming Heavyweight Matchups

By Dave “Madcap” Mroczek

Anyone who has read my columns, or viewed my YouTube videos knows that I’m a massive fanatic of heavyweight boxing. I love great fights at any weight class but the added element of huge punching power with the big boys holds a special place in my heart. Not to mention I still believe the world heavyweight championship is the greatest prize in the world. After the long-time domination of the division by Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, the division is wide open again, and dare I say it…..exciting? Here’s a look at four upcoming clashes that are sure to offer excitement.

Anthony Joshua, 16-0, 16 KO’s Vs Dominic Breazeale, 17-0, 15 KO’s – June 25 – O2 Arena, London, England

Newly crowned IBF title holder Anthony Joshua defends his trophy for the first time against unbeaten American Dominic Breazeale. This may not be the most scintillating matchup ever devised, considering Joshua looks so good, and at times Breazeale has struggled to show top class. The American, however, remains undefeated and is looking to make a name for himself. He is very tall and possesses a long, solid, jab, and has shown tremendous heart in getting off the floor to obtain victory over Amir Mansour. He will have to play spoiler. Joshua is a belt holder, of course, but he is a few levels away from the very top and still has his sights set on climbing his way up from being “a champion” to “the champion”.

He is a terrific boxer-puncher who can do a little of everything: he can box, he can set up his punches, and he can brawl against the ropes. His only downside could be that he appears a bit stiff at times, but other than that he looks like a new Joe Louis for this era. Anthony Joshua could be the man to beat for this era, and if you have not seen any of his fights yet, he is one to watch for sure.

Tyson Fury, 25-0, 18 KO’s Vs Wladimir Klitschko, 64-4, 53 KO’s – July 9 – Manchester Arena, Manchester, England

This is it, fight fans, the big fight for all the heavyweight marbles. THE heavyweight championship of the world. This time former long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko takes up the role of challenger in a rematch of last Novembers championship fight. Brash, young, and outspoken champion Fury is up to his old antics, showing off his beer belly at the preliminary press conferences and claiming to have “eaten every pie in Lancashire, and drunk every pint of beer in the UK”. While he likes to clown around, in the ring he seems a lot more focused. Though he has struggled with his conditioning in the past, he came to the last fight in shape and took the world’s crown from Klitschko. Now he is looking to prove it was no fluke. Champion Fury is an extremely tall heavyweight who moves well, fights very long, has good speed, and shows very good defense. He doesn’t possess much power to speak of, but hasn’t needed it so far with his skill set. Wladimir Klitschko on the other hand is very familiar to heavyweight boxing fans. Before his loss to fury he held the world championship for many years.

He showed an unwillingness to trade punches in his championship loss and has vowed to correct his mistakes this time around. Wlad has the skills: a great jab, a steel hammer of a straight right, a good left hook, great defense, and the ability to neutralize his opponents inside game with expert clinching. The questions surrounding the challenger remain though. Does he have any gas left in the tank? Does he have the stomach for a real fight anymore? Weather the loss in the first matchup was a simple mistake, or the manifestation of a prizefighter actually going over the hill remains to be seen on July 9.

Deontay Wilder, 36-0, 35 KO’s Vs Chris Arreola, 36-4-1, 31 KO’s – July 16 – Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama

Another prize belt is up for grabs in this one as the WBC titlist Deontay Wilder defends against underwhelming opponent Chris Arreola. Deontay is a terrific looking boxer who brings size, speed, power, and athleticism with him into the ring. A much more exciting matchup against #2 world ranked heavyweight Alexander Povetkin just recently fell through due to the Russian testing positive in his VADA test. So in essence this is another stay busy fight for Deontay. Unfortunately for fans just about every fight this guy has had has been a “stay busy” type fight. While we continue to thirst for a big matchup featuring Deontay Wilder and a lot of anticipation, in the meantime we get the opposite, a fight that features very little excitement, and two men who are not on the same level. Chris Arreola is a tough guy. He is a brawler, unafraid to go in and trade with anyone. He will bring everything he has with him into this fight. Unfortunately fans have seen him for years and years bringing his all and coming up short time and time again at the top level. While a valiant attempt is not in doubt, it is difficult envisioning a path to victory that Arreola has, and he will likely end up as another spectacular knockout of an overmatched opponent on Wilder’s resume. Not exactly the type of fight to give you goosebumps.

Oscar Rivas, 19-0, 14 KO’s Vs Amir Mansour, 22-2-1, 16 KO’s – July 16 – Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama

This heavyweight matchup on the Wilder vs. Arreola undercard is a gem of a fight. Rivas is a young, compact, overhand punching, prospect who is among the most interesting and exciting young heavyweights in the world. He has been on a freight train to the top levels for years, which has been derailed recently due to injury issues. It appears those issues are resolved and it is time to make a statement by taking on a very good opponent in Amir Mansour. This will be his first step up to fight a world class opponent. Mansour is a solid veteran who has produced some tremendous fights over the years. He is an infinitely likeable character who is game as a man can be. Both of these men fight in a compact, brawling, overhand punching, hooking, and head bobbing style that can only be described as modeled after Mike Tyson. Plus, they both kind of look like Mike Tyson. That is the massive appeal of this fight, if you squint your eyes just so, in the ring it will look like young Mike Tyson vs. old Mike Tyson. Not to mention this could be one hell of a punch up. Who is going to argue with that?

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