By Glenn Wilson

When Hasim Rahman and James Toney square off this weekend, the clouds that have darkened the Heavyweight skies for the last six months should begin to clear off, and hopefully the Heavyweight picture will become a little clearer for the world of boxing. The winner will undoubtedly be considered the top dog. Chris Byrd had been seen as the number one man, especially with the retitrement of Vitali Klitschko late last year, but questionable decisions and less than stellar performances have diminished Byrd's appeal.

Rahman and Toney have maintained their status as two of the division's best by staying active and fighting the upper echelon of the Heavyweight division.

Byrd and Wladimir Klitschko will fight in April in a fight that has taken on added significance because of Klitschko's recent victory over promising young hopeful Samuel Peter.

Rahman, 32, of Baltimore, Maryland, is the only one of the four that is able to claim that he was at one time the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, having ko'd Lennox Lewis in April 2001. But typical of the current crop of top ten Heavyweights, Hasim has been spotty at best, losing fights that many experts believed that he should have won.

Still Rahman may be likely to emerge at the top of the heap because of his physical gifts, he is a naturally big Heavyweight who possesses a big punch and a wealth of big fight experience. If the same Rahman shows up that stopped Lewis and beat Corrie Sanders in a slugfest, then he would have to be considered the odds on favorite to retain his heavyweight title.

If "The Rock", that was knocked out in the Lewis rematch or bored fans to tears in his clinchapalooza with John Ruiz, shows up, then it is easy to see him losing to anyone in the division.

James Toney, 37, of Ann Arbor, Michigan is currently the hottest commodity among all the Heavyweights. He resurrected his career with a sensational performance over tough Vassily Jirov for the IBF Cruiserweight Title in April of 2003. Jirov pounded Toney on the ropes in possibly one of the best Cruiserweight fights ever, but Jirov found that the ropes were exactly where Toney wanted to be. Toney could be the most relaxed fighter in boxing history, he lays on the ropes making opponents miss with his defensive mastery and countering with short, crisp shots.

When "Lights Out" moved up to Heavyweight he took on tough but aged Evander Holyfield, even an over the hill Holyfield was thought to be too big of a step for Toney to take. Toney won nearly every round before stopping Holyfield in the ninth round.

In April of last year he challenged John Ruiz for the WBA belt and easily outpointed Ruiz, but a subsequent drug test changed the decision win to a no contest. He rebounded in October with a win over Dominick Guinn. His pure boxing skills could give anyone fits but the jury is still out as to whether he can withstand a true Heavyweight punch, that question should be answered when he fights Rahman.

Chris Byrd, 35, of Flint, Michigan, seemed poised to take over the title of best Heavyweight once Lennox Lewis retired. Byrd, like Toney, a blown up Middleweight, was able to maintain his quickness while moving up in weight, his hand speed and ability to slip punches frustrated David Tua and Evander Holyfield, the later earning him the IBF Heavyweight belt.

But since winning the belt he has earned a reputation as being a lucky fighter instead of a great fighter. His first defense was against Fres Oquendo and while Byrd got the nod it appeared to most that Oquendo had indeed won the fight.

In 2004, he defended his title against Andrew Golota, the bout was scored a draw but once again most boxing experts believed that Byrd had retained his belt by a highly questionable decision. Good friend Jameel McCline faced Byrd in November 2004, while Byrd won a split decision there was still little in the way of positives, Byrd was down in the second round and a fight that many felt Byrd could win going away ended up being a very close affair.

In October of last year he won a unanimous decision over DaVarryl Williamson in perhaps the most boring fight of 2005.

Now he takes on newly invigorated Wladimir Klitschko, who knocked down Byrd twice and won by scores of 14, 10 and 12 points on the judges scorecards in their first fight in October 2000.

Of the four, Byrd appears to have run out of miracles and could be the one with the least chance of retaining his share of the title.

Wladimir Klitschko, 29, was thought to be the heir apparent to the Heavyweight throne just four short years ago. Klitschko is a gifted athlete who at 6'6" was full of promise and unbridled offensive possibilities , he possessed a tremendous jab,a thundering right hand and the ability to throw punches per round at a Welterweight's pace, but Klitschko began to slowly become exposed as a fighter with a multitude of defensive liabilities.

In December 2002, he fought Jameel McCline in a bout that featured two fighters who were scared to trade with each other, when Klitschko opened up it was already the tenth round and McCline seemed content to lay down. Three months later Corrie Sanders showed the world that Wladimir's chin was suspect, Sanders repeatedly knocked down and hurt Klitschko until the fight was stopped, lasting less than six minutes.

In April 2004, Klitschko was holding his own against Lamon Brewster when he appeared to collapse from exhaustion, this happening after only five rounds.

After a couple of easy wins Klitschko was pitted against hard hitting Samuel Peter. The September fight was thought to be Peter's coming out party, a bout to showcase his considerable power. But Klitschko fought a smart jab, jab, punch and jab, jab, grab kind of fight that while not pleasing to the eyes was quite effective.

Now Klitschko gets another shot at further redemption, an impressive win, which is not out of the question, could get him the title reign many felt he was previously destined for.

Rahman-Toney, Byrd-Klitschko, two fights that should clear up one of the most confused divisions in boxing. If the four fight as they have in previous fights then we may end up praying for the return of Vitali Klitschko. But if they fight up to their potential then the Heavyweight division may return to being the glamour division it once was.