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Heavyweight Rankings
1. Vitali Klitschko (14-0-1, 13 KO)
2. Samuel Peter (17-2, 16 KO)
3. Jack Dempsey (13-1, 13 KO)
4. John L. Sullivan (15-3, 14 KO)
5. Nikolay Valuev (10-1, 9 KO)
6. Jack Johnson (13-2-1, 12 KO)
7. Sultan Ibragimov (9-2, 8 KO)
8. Oleg Maskaev (12-2, 12 KO)
9. Shannon Briggs (8-2, 8 KO)
10. Wladimir Klitschko (10-3, 9 KO)
Vitali is the only undefeated fighter at present. I decided I would use performance points as the sole rankings basis, at least to start. Here, the debatable victims are Jack Johnson and Nikolay Valuev. John L. Sullivan, who sits 15-3 with 14 KOs, lost his last two fights. Performance points-wise, he's #3. But you can make a case a guy who loses his last two fights (a knockout loss to Jess Willard (6-1, 5 KO) and a TKO shocker to Sultan Ibragimov) SHOULD drop in the rankings.
Another note for Sullivan, though, is that he's the only fighter in the heavyweight division who has moved to PRIME. He will get a chance to knock off Vitali in the first round of the tournament.
Vitali's draw came against Jack Johnson. Were it not for the draw, Johnson would probably have gotten the #4 slot and a tournament entry.
Tournament Pairings
Vitali Klitschko vs. John L. Sullivan
Samuel Peter vs. Jack Dempsey
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