The Great Undefeated Heavyweight Prospect Watch

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This is the heavyweight prospect hit list. This list consists of the current "unbeaten and unproven" heavyweights. Each boxer has their name and current record listed. When an undefeated prospect loses, their name will be crossed out, and their conqueror, the result, and date will be listed. Who knows, maybe a legit star might rule the heavyweight scene someday ...

... hell, I'm probably dreaming. Here's the list (Mind you, the list first started during a hot August afternoon in 2004) :

Updated February 1, 2010: It's hard to believe it's been almost four years since the last update. Needless to say there has been a good amount of change here: along with a completely updated table, I added a section of What's Happened Since 2006?, so you can relive the adventures of the heavyweights who occupied this list many moons ago.

Updated 9/30: Say goodbye to Bagrat Ohanyan and hello to Valery Chechenev. Chechev earned his tenth win, hence he is added to the list. Also, Rune Lillebuen is added to the list due to his recent comeback.

Updated 10/02: Lillebuen managed to leave the list the same day he was added ... somehow he found a way to lose to Toto Mubenga.

Updated 10/23: Alvin Manley is added to the list with his tenth win.

Updated 11/20: Valery Chechenev is off the list due to a recent loss.

Updated 12/10: Good lord, Luciano Zolyano exists after sixteen amazing seconds with Shannon Briggs. Audley Harrison is off the list as well.

Updated 12/14: Some quick updates to the schedule. Plus, Volodia Lazebnik has been added to the list.

Updated 3/4: Lots of changes. Check them out.

Updated 4/22: Because I'm bored and due to the lack of heavyweights, I waived the 10 fight minimum rule for certain fighters if they're ranked highly in the boxrec ratings.

What the Hell Has Happened Since June 2006?

(Blue name font means still undefeated!)

Let's see, uh, I graduated college and found a job a few months out of school, which considering this economy isn't bad- oh. You mean the heavyweights. Well, put on your favorite montage music and let's relive the glory days:

Nicolay Valuev – As of the last update he was 44-0 (31) and the WBA champion. After making two more defenses against Monte Barrett and Jameel McCline, Valuev lost his title and undefeated record (the curse of Marciano strikes again!) to Ruslan Chagev. Valuev managed to win the WBA belt again in 2008 by beating John Ruiz for a second time. After barely regaining his title in a terrible performance against Evander Holyfield, he lost his title to David Haye in an even worse bout. Many boxing aficionados are hoping he doesn't come back any time soon.

Faruq Saleem – Ah, Faruq. As of the last update he was 35-0 (31). Faruq kept up his impressive level of inactivity by fighting only twice in 2007 and once in 2008. Of course, he didn't fight anybody dangerous, but still managed to almost lose a decision to “Big Buck” Sedreck Fields. Finally in September 2009, boxing fans were put out of their misery thanks to a 3-4 fighter named Shawn McLean, who shockingly stopped Saleem in four rounds. Why Saleem never chose to cash out his unbeaten ledger will forever remain a mystery. For now, his record stands at 38-1 and nobody knows if he'll fight again.

Joe Mesi – At our last update, Mesi was 30-0 (25) and one bout into his comeback after getting licensed to fight again. Mesi would go on to fight six more times throughout '06 and '07 (looking very shaky at first, but looked better in efforts against George Linberger and Shannon Miller). However, Mesi has recently expressed more interest in politics than boxing. He has been in the ring since October 2007, and while he's not technically announced his retirement, a comeback at age 36 is looking less likely, so he may retire with a mark of 36-0 (29).

Calvin Brock – Brock was 28-0 (22) at our last update and was preparing to fight Timor Ibragimov, a fellow unbeaten heavyweight. Brock ended up winning and got himself a shot at Wladimir Klitschko in November 2006. Sadly for Brock, he came up short, getting dominated and stopped in seven rounds. After winning two fights in 2007, he faced Eddie Chambers in November of that year in an IBF eliminator. Brock came up short, losing a split decision. To make matters worse, Brock suffered a severe eye injury in that bout and was forced into retirement, finishing with a 31-2 (23).

Eddie Chambers – At our last update, Eddie was 26-0 (14). As of 2010, few heavyweights have put themselves in better positions than Chambers, who at the time was a rather unknown and untested fighter. However, after pulling off good wins over Derric Rossy, Dominick Guinn and Calvin Brock, Chambers got himself into an IBF title eliminator against Alexander Povetkin. Though he came up short, Chambers continued to test himself and had a big 2009, improving his conditioning and pulling off unexpected wins over Sam Peter and Alexander Dimitrenko. Chambers is now expected to face Wladimir Klitschko in March 2010 and currently has a record of 35-1 (18).

Leo Nolan – Nolan was 24-0 (10) as of June 2006. He picked up two more wins in 2006 before losing a surprising majority decision in January 2007 to 12-5 Hector Ferreyro. Nolan went M.I.A. until October 2008, when he picked up an eight round decision win. After another year long layoff, he reappeared in Germany in 2009 and was crushed in three rounds by Alexander Povetkin. He is currently 27-2 (10).

Malik Scott – Still undefeated, he has fought eight times since our last update, beating nobody of note. He took all of 2009 off and currently is 32-0 (11).

Jean-Francois Bergeron – Was 24-0 (17). Picked up three more wins before getting a big opportunity against Nicolay Valuev in September 2007. He lost a unanimous decision and was out of boxing for year until he was stopped in two rounds in Canada by underachieving Dominick Guinn. He is now 27-2 (19) and hasn't fought since.

Donnell Holmes – As of the last update, he was 23-0-1 (22). He went 8-0-1 fighting weak competition until finally stepping up against Brian Minto in August 2009. He lost a controversial four round technical decision. Hasn't fought since and has tried to call out Minto for a rematch on various message boards to little avail. He's now 31-1-2 (27).

JD Chapman – Still undefeated, he continued to rack up wins against easy foes (including a win over Rich Boruff in Dubai of all places). Apparently had some promotional issues with Don King (other reports have been of him having no desire to fight and turning down opportunities to cash out against guys like David Haye). Hasn't fought in two years and is currently 29-0 (26).

Alonzo Butler – Big Zo was 23-0-1 (18) at our last update. He was slowly increasing his difficulty of competition before losing unanimous decision to Friday Ahunanya on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights in June 2008. He ended up also suffering a detached retina and had to sit out a year. After two comeback bouts in late 2009, he's 28-1-1 (21) and ready for another chance to prove himself.

Roman Greenberg – Roman at the time was 22-0 (15) and had captured the interested of many boxing fans, due to being one of the few active Jewish heavyweights. Roman continued to rack up wins over C and D level opposition until he failed the Cedric Boswell Challenge in August 2008, getting absolutely exposed and demolished in two rounds. Greenberg hasn't attempted a comeback since that bout and his ledger stands at 27-1 (18).

Timor Ibragimov – Ibragimov was 21-0-1 (13) at our last update. He suffered back-to-back decision losses to Calvin Brock and Tony Thompson, losing his status as a prospect. However, since then, he's gone 5-0, with wins over Timo Hoffman and a beyond shot Al Cole. He has a fight scheduled for Feburary, so it appears Ibragimov is bent on being more active again and is currently 26-2-1 (14).

Alexander Dimitrenko – Unviersum's young heavyweight was being groomed for a title shot in 2009, picking up wins over Timo Hoffman and Luan Krasniqi in the process. However, he came up short against Eddie Chambers in 2009, losing a majority decision and a chance to fight Wladimir Klitschko. Now 29-1 (19).

David Rodriguez – At our last update, David was 21-0 (20) with a record built with wins over stiffs. The only difference now is that he's 32-0 (30), with his competition being improved ever-so-slightly. Will 2010 be the year he takes a big risk? Doubtful, but we'll see.

Ruslan Chagaev – Ruslan was 20-0-1 (16) at our last update and was poised to fight for a world title in the future. After wins over Michael Sprott and John Ruiz, he fulfilled his potential by beating Nicolay Valuev for the WBA title. While he made two defenses of his belt, his reign was plagued with injuries and the always pesky hepatitis B. In June 2009, Chagaev met Wladimir Klitschko, got stopped in nine rounds and lost his title and unbeaten mark. Since the loss, he's now 25-1-1 (17) and doesn't have an announced future fight.

Damian Wills – Wills was 20-0-1 (15) at our last update. He ended up getting stopped in seven rounds by fellow unbeaten heavyweight Chris Arreola in November 2006 and shutout in a decision by Kevin Johnson in August 2007. He's won four straight, including three wins in 2009 and is 26-2-1 (20).

Sultan Ibragimov – Sultan was 19-0 (16) at our last update. He ended up being lucky to get a draw against Ray Austin in July 2006. Despite the draw, he got a shot at Shannon Briggs and his WBO title in June 2007. Sultan was able to win a unanimous decision and fulfill his destiny as world champion. After a routine defense over Evander Holyfield, he became one of the many prospects to get easily defeated by Wladimir Klitschko, losing a unanimous decision in Feburary 2008. He hasn't fought since then and is now 22-1-1 (17).

Rene Dettweiler – Rene was 18-0 (9) and completely untested at our last update. He ended up losing for the first time against Michael Sprott in November 2006, coming up short in a split decision loss. He suffered another loss in August 2008 to Cengiz Koc with a few wins sandwiched in between before losing again in just two rounds days ago to current prospect Edmund Gerber. Dettweiler is now 25-3 (12).

Travis Walker – Walker was 18-0-1 (15) as of June 2006. While he remained one of the most active fighters on the list, his chin has proven to be his ultimate downfall. He finished off 2006 strong by putting the first loss on Jason Estrada's record and beat another unbeaten fighter in George Garcia to start off his 2007. However, come October 2007 he was completely exposed, managing to get stopped by an out-of-shape TJ Wilson in 15 seconds. While Walker easily won a rematch, his chin let him down again, as he was stopped by an undefeated Chris Arreola in three rounds in November 2008. He suffered another one round knockout loss to Manuel Quezada in July 2009, and while he is quick to pad his record with wins, his chin seems to keep him from ever getting a career-defining victory. He's now 34-3-1 (28).

Justin Blevins – A product of Stacy Goodson's matchmaking, Blevins hasn't fought since January 2006 and his record remains 16-0 (14).

Scott Gammer – Gammer seemed to be one to watch as he was 16-0-1 and British heavyweight champion at the last update. While he defended his title once, he was lucky to run into a resurgent Danny Williams, who knocked Gammer out in nine rounds in March 2007. Soon, Gammer became just an opponent and has now lost four straight to various up and comers and is now 18-5-1 (9).

Chris Arreola – Arreola's big heart, waist and punching power made him into an HBO media darling since our last update. From 2006 to mid 2009 he remained undefeated, running through fellow prospects like Chazz Witherspoon and Travis Walker. He got his big opportunity against Vitaly Klitchko in September 2009, and while he showed a big heart, his inability to get into top shape proved to be his downfall and he was stopped in ten rounds. Three months later, he stopped Brian Minto in four rounds and 28-1 (25), he'll surely get another shot at a title down the line.

Shane Cameron – The popular heavyweight from New Zealand was 15-0 (13) at our last update. He finally took a big step up against Friday Ahunanya in November 2007, but was surprisingly stopped in the twelfth round. He rebuilt himself with four wins and got a big money fight against fellow New Zealander David Tua, but got wiped out in two rounds. He's now 23-2 (20) and due to fight again in March.

Egon Roth – Roth fought twice in 2007 and once in 2008, beating nobody worth noting. He hasn't fought in two years (possibly retired due to injury?) and is still undefeated at 19-0 (14).

Michael Marrone – Marrone, the Lou Duva trained heavyweight, was slowly being brought along and was 14-0 (11) at our last update. He passed his first test in April 2007, beating fellow undefeated heavyweight Malachy Farrell over eight rounds, but was stopped in two rounds more than a year later by Francesco Pianeta in Germany. Marrone hasn't fought since and is now 18-1 (13).

Denis Boystov – Boystov was 14-0 (14) at our last update. He's still undefeated, being brought along slowly by Universum, but picked up an eye -opening sixth round stoppage of Taras Bidenko in June 2009. He's currently 27-0 (22) and must only be a few fights away from a title shot.

Malachy Farrell – As previously mentioned, Farrell lost his unbeaten mark to Michael Marrone in 2007 and lost in three rounds to Travis Kauffman in December 2008. Hasn't fought since and is now 16-2 (12).

Chazz Witherspoon - Chazz was 12-0 (7) at our last update. He spent 06-07 remaining very active and stepping up his competition. However he failed his first test against Chris Arreola, getting easily defeated in a third round disqualification. After beating Adam Richards in a November 2008 thriller, he lost in his next major test against Tony Thompson in December 2009, getting stopped in nine rounds. He's 26-2 (18) and can be labeled as a disappointment.

Volodia Lazebnik – Fought twice since our last update. Hasn't been seen in a ring since November 2008. Now 14-0 (8).

Derric Rossy – Was 11-0 (7). He got stopped in his two biggest tests (by Eddie Chambers and Alexander Dimitrenko, respectively). However has built a winning streak and is now 23-2 (13).

Michael Alexander – Lost to Chazz Witherspoon in July 2006, moved down to cruiserweight and has lost three straight. Now 12-4 (8).

George Garcia – Lost to Travis Walker in April 2007, had a draw with Kendrick Releford a month later and hasn't fought since. Now 13-1-1 (4).

Roderick Willis – Was 11-0-1 (6). Has lost five straight, dating back from 2007. Now 14-5-1 (8).

Teke Oruh – Was 10-0-1 (5). Won fought straight before losing back to back decision losses to Joey Abell and Manuel Quezada. Hasn't fought since November 2008. Now 14-2-1 (6).

Kevin Johnson – Was 10-0-1 (5). Actually won twelve in a row and built his record up well enough to get a shot against Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in December 2009. Put on one of the worst performances in recent memory and lost a wide UD. Now 22-1-1 (9).

Mariusz Wach – Was 10-0 (3), and is still undefeated currently. Hasn't fought anybody to note (except maybe Julius Long) but is now 21-0 (9).

Johnnie White – Was 10-0 (9). Built his record up to 21-0 until he was exposed in two minutes by Domnick Guinn in April 2009. Has fought once since and is now 22-1 (18).

Rick Dyer – Another Goodson heavyweight. Got up to 13-0 before getting knocked out in two rounds by both David Rodriguez and Manuel Quezada in 2007. Hasn't fought since.

Mario Preskar – Was 9-0-1 (6). Still unbeaten at 16-0-3 (10) but was in the hospital after an eight round draw this past June. Unknown if he'll fight again.

Leaf OD Larsen – Leaf fought once since the last update, winning a four rounder against a 1-26 fighter. Now 10-0 (8) and hasn't fought since December 2007.

Alex Mazikin – Was 9-0 (2). Has been a major disappointment, going 4-4-2 (1) since our last update. Worst loss was to Odlanier Solis in fourty-three seconds in 2007. Now 13-4-2 (3).

Devin Vargas – Was 9-0 (4). Finally stepped up in May 2009 against Kevin Johnson but got stopped in six rounds. Now 18-1 (7).

Carlos Barnett – 3-2 since the update, getting stopped by Domonic Jenkins and Franklin Lawrence. Now 11-2 (8) and hasn't fought since May 2008.

Alexander Povetkin – Currently is 18-0 (13), rated #1 by the IBF, trained by Teddy “Legs” Atlas, seen as a future hope. Has a series of nice wins but it's yet to be seen if he can turn it into a title win in 2010.

Jason Estrada – Major disappointment. Currently 16-2 (4). Lost a pair of decisions to Travis Walker and Alexander Povetkin. Seen as cannon fodder for his fight against Tomasz Adamek in February 2010.

Last Updated: February 1, 2010

Loser List (Newest losers as of this update in red)

(Needs to be updated at a later date)