It may be the land of the big boys, but it's been incredibly easy beating up the heavyweight division for the last couple of years. Of course the blows that have been administered have come in the forms of pens and microphones, but words can sometime cut deep enough to cause a lot of damage. The blows that have been landed have made an impact mainly because the truth hurts.
This weekend Top Rank will bring you the newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion, Hasim 'The Rock' Rahman, 41-5-1, 33, as he makes his first defense of his title against the challenge of James 'Lights Out' Toney, 69-4-2, 43, live on HBO from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The aims for these two fighters are simple, distance themselves from the other players, and make us all out to be liars.
The notion is that the current crop of heavyweights is the worst class seen in years - that's undeniable. The question is, how deeply rooted is that heavyweight notion? Is it the majority or is it all?
Back in the days of Ali, Foreman and Frazier, the heavyweight division was like that of a tree, where the division was the trunk that sprouted healthy branches. Fast-forward to 2006 and we see that the division's trunk is like one that can break with a sudden wind - there is no foundation. Even during the reigns of fighters like Tyson, Holyfield and Lewis, true it wasn't like the seventies, but they themselves added some firmness and kept the division standing sturdy. A decisive victory by either Rahman or Toney will add some strength to a division that has been teetering.
Both Rahman and Toney deserve their props, but both also can't run from their knocks. Both of their varied knocks come more in the form of question marks; Is Toney a real heavyweight? What will happen when, or in his case - if, a heavy-handed fighter like Rahman lands that big punch? With the fluctuation of weight, Toney's body has been more susceptible to injury - Is he truly healthy? In the heavyweight waters, it's hard to see if Toney is a shark or just a big fish that looks more dangerous than he really is.
Rahman has worked his way back up to the top the old fashioned way - by fighting, but being awarded the WBC belt hasn't placed him into a position to be called the very best. He may have been given that tag if his fight with then WBC champ Vitali Klitschko hadn't fell through. The boxing thought of 'To be the man you have to beat the man' may have played it's part as most everyone had placed Klitschko in the position of the man to beat after Lennox Lewis' departure. Now his quest for that acknowledgement continues, but we all wonder what Rahman will show up? Will the hungry 'Rock' make his presence felt, or will the too laid back version surface to let the fight slip away?
The slip and falls that have taken place with Rahman doesn't help his persona, as he has dropped the ball in some major outings. These balls have been picked up by Toney and he has gone on to make the score. Rahman's losses to Evander Holyfield and John Ruiz, and Toney's subsequent easy victories over those two, have given many the feeling that the former middleweight champion, Toney, can and will be able to stand in and stand up to Rahman, who is the natural heavyweight. This is all evident with Toney being install as the betting favorite in this fight, but in boxing, on any given night, anything can and will happen.
Sitting in Madison Square Garden and watching James Toney make his victory speech after seemingly winning the WBA heavyweight championship from John Ruiz, you couldn't help but think that the heavyweights just received that much needed shot in the arm. A positive Toney steroid test, and him being stripped of his WBA heavyweight laurels turned our optimism into furthered frustration and disappointment. It was a disappointment, not only for us, but also for Toney himself.
Rahman's disappointment in not facing Klitschko does it's part in that pattern of heavyweight letdowns, as a victory over Klitschko would have truly placed Rahman back in a prominent position on the heavyweight map. It would have also given us a clearer picture of that subliminal map. Unfortunately for us, that current heavyweight map is like one that takes a magnifying glass to lead us in the right direction - no fighter truly stands out. At this point, that includes both Toney and Rahman.
On March 18th questions should be answered and props should be bestowed. It will be a case of power vs. elusiveness; question mark vs. question mark, and in the end, the more real vs. more fake in the heavyweight landscape. Truth always overcomes lies; if Rahman and Toney are as good as they would like us to believe, then it will be proven this weekend.
If we can't find quality in the heavyweight roster as a whole, then a marquee name and presence will have to do. Who will step up and take that mantle? Both Rahman and Toney are headed in the right direction; let's hope it leads fans of the heavyweights and their thoughts in that direction as
well.
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By Rob Scott (March 18, 2006) 
