was ranked No.10 heavyweight in the world by The Ring. He was also ranked No.2 contender by WBO, No.3 by WBC and No.7 contender by WBA and IBF. WBO world heavyweight title eliminator After two reigns as WBO Inter-Continental champion, Dimitrenko was scheduled to face Eddie Chambers in a WBO world heavyweight title eliminator. At the time of the fight, Chambers was ranked No.6 heavyweight contender by The Ring, while Dimitrenko was ranked No.8 by the same publication. Dimitrenko was also ranked within top 5 by all major sanctioning bodies. Dimitrenko weighed in at 253 1/4 lbs, outweighing Chambers by 45 1/2 lbs. The fight took place at Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany and was televised by ZDF. Dimitrenko was outboxed for most of the fight, visibly unprepared for Chambers' unusually aggressive approach. Dimitrenko received a standing count in the seventh round after a left hook to the body, and was knocked down in the tenth after another left hook, this time to the chin. Dimitrenko lost the fight by majority decision. The judges scored the bout 117–109 and 116–111 in favor of Chambers, and 113–113 even. Later fights; inactivity and return Looking to regain his stock, Dimitrenko agreed to face Luan Krasniqi in a rematch on 28 November 2009 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Some observes criticized the fight, pointing out that Krasniqi hadn't fought in the ring since their first encounter. Dimitrenko dismissed these criticisms, claiming that Krasniqi, despite the long stretch of inactivity, was still a dangerous, highly experienced fighter. Three weeks before the scheduled date, Krasniqi was forced to pull out due to sprained Achilles tendon on his right leg. The fight was postponed, then cancelled altogether. Shortly after Audley Harrison (26–4, 20 KOs) defeated Michael Sprott (32–14, 17 KOs) on 9 April for the vacant European heavyweight title, EBU ordered him to fight the mandatory challenger Dimitrenko in his first defense. During the Sprott fight, Harrison allegedly suffered an injury that was going to keep him out of action for four months. Dimitrenko expressed doubt over the alleged injury: "[Harrison] was wildly celebrating the victory, jumping and waving his arms. Then he had a surgery. The surgery took place on 24 April. So he was walking in pain for more than two weeks? And only after that he went under the knife? But I have not seen a single official document confirming the injury of an