The Heavyweight picture is booming. Tyson Fury shredded the remains of the Klitschko Era, Luis Ortiz established himself as a force to be reckoned with after knocking out legitimate contender Bryant Jennings, and while Deontay Wilder is waiting for his chance at the lineal title, handfuls of Heavyweight prospects are looking to make a mark on the now clean-slate division.
It’s been a while since the boxing world has seen the Heavyweight division produce a number of interesting dramatis personae, but not all of its characters are new.
Eddie Chambers (42-4, 23 KOs), once in boxing’s limelight as the IBU and USBA Heavyweight title holder and as a top-ranked contender for the lineal Heavyweight throne, is looking to return to the top of a division where there is no shortage of opportunity.
After former U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale (17-0, 15 KOs) stopped gatekeeper Amir Mansour (22-2, 16 KOs) on the undercard of the Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero card, Chambers’ fans took to Twitter to verbally spar over how they believe Chambers would handle the rising Breazeale with ease. And while that fight is currently a mere mythical matchup, it would be one that could be easy to make.
In June 2015, Chambers announced his signing with manager Al Haymon, whose Premier Boxing Champions showcase is currently in the process of gathering one of the most notable Heavyweight stables today consisting of Wilder, Breazeale, and IBF title holder Charles Martin. Being a piece of that roster’s puzzle, Chambers has nowhere to go but up.
Chambers’ most recent bout was a technical knockout against no-hoper Galen Brown in an effort to stay busy and shake off any possibly acquired ring rust. But in Chambers’ personal narrative, Brown was a stepping stone to much larger stages.
“I’d like to get some opportunities to fight for a world title,” Chambers said. “Right now there are so many names you could fight to put yourself in that position. And there’s a lot of hype surrounding that division with the ending of the Klitschko era and it’s starting to free up a lot of space in there for you try to get your own section.”
But for Chambers to get his own section, he would have to get himself into the ring with a ranked contender first—something that is difficult to do as an unranked fighter. Currently Chambers is not ranked by any of the major sanctioning bodies, regardless of his record or the fighters in his portfolio including Wladimir Klitschko, Derric Rossy, and Tomasz Adamek.
“They mostly think of someone like me as old or no longer a marquee name to put up in lights,” he said of the ABC bodies. “Most of the organizations are going to look at the new guys that they like. To a degree they’re overlooking me, but I’ve never been well-liked because of my [in-ring] style…They’re looking for what’s different or for what’s new.”
When asked about his thoughts on actually stepping into the ring with Breazeale, Chambers didn’t hesitate.
“If that’s an opportunity that comes up I would love it. A lot of opportunities haven’t been jumping off the page at me recently. I have to take them when I can get them.” It’s been five years since Chambers’ last big win against Rossy, but the prizefighter’s confidence hasn’t faded as he, much like his fans, firmly believes he could win against someone like Breazeale—but was sure to give all due respect to his stablemate.
“Without a doubt I feel like I could win, but I’m not going to look at it like it would be an easy fight. He has a good amateur pedigree and he’s becoming a name himself,” he said.
Chambers appears rejuvenated by the rekindled interest in the Heavyweight picture, sure of himself that he’ll make the most of any large-scale chances Haymon might give the soft-spoken veteran.
“There’s a lot of opportunities out there,” he noted, “And I want to be right in the middle of it.”
