Heavyweight Boxing Tournament is Coming!

For those of you who like to bet on boxing, here’s something to keep an eye on.

The heavyweight division is arranging a tournament of sorts, with four fighters slugging it out for the right to challenge Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. These fighters include Chris Byrd, Alexander Povetkin, Calvin Brock and Eddie Chambers. And while these men are battering each other senseless, the champ will be taking the rest of the year off in order to allow his injured left hand to heal.

ENTER THE DRAGON

This tournament doesn’t have John Saxon or Jim Kelly, but it should still be pretty damned interesting.

In the first match of the tournament, Chris Byrd (40-3-1, 21 KOs and has lost twice to Klitschko) will be taking on 2004 Russian gold medalist Alexander Povetkin (13-0, 9 KOs). Povetkin is viewed as one of the rising young heavyweights in the world, but he could have a tough time against the cagey Byrd when they meet on October 27th in Germany.

The second bout will be between Eddie Chambers (29-0, 16 KOs) and Calvin Brock (31-1, 23 KOs) and will take place November 2nd on Showtime.

After the two winners have been decided, a final fight to determine the top contender will take place sometime in early 2008.

CALVIN BROCK

“The Boxing Banker” Calvin Brock suffered the only loss of his career when he was knocked out by Klitschko back in November. Since then, the 32-year-old fighter has been on the comeback trail, winning two straight matches. Although smaller than many heavyweights, Brock is a slick southpaw who moves well in the ring. In the past, this has allowed him to run rings around some of his larger, less agile, opponents.

EDDIE CHAMBERS

Chambers, 25, is excited about the opportunity to showcase his skills.

“This is the opportunity I’ve been looking for,” he said. “It’s sort of like the NFL playoffs. Win a couple of rounds and get to the Super Bowl against Wladimir Klitschko. That’s just what I intend to do -- not only get to the Super Bowl, but win it too, a world heavyweight title. But my focus and attention right now is preparing for my semifinal opponent, Calvin Brock.”

ALEXANDER POVETKIN

Povetkin, 27, positioned himself for the tournament by dominating his way to a decision win over contender Larry Donald in June.

According to his co-manager Kalle Sauerland, “This is the chance Alexander has been waiting for. We have no doubt he will prevail in this interesting tournament.”

CHRIS BYRD

But he first has to get by 37-year-old Chris Byrd, a former Olympic champion himself. Byrd has lost twice to Wladimir but has also defeated brother Vitali. Byrd has taken on all comers in his career, and many fighters have ducked him over the years due to his difficult style and tendency to make opponents look bad.

Maybe this is just the shot in the arm that the lackluster heavyweight division needs. Let’s hope so, or we may find that more and more rising young stars defect to the ranks of MMA.

Be sure and keep an eye on sports books like Bodog, as odds for these fights will be appearing in the near future.
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Heavyweight Boxing Tournament is Coming!