Jan 3

Jan 3 The Future of Boxing : Top 10 Boxing Prospects

10 Up and coming boxers you should look out for in the future

Despite the rise in MMA’s popularity, boxing still (just) retains the throne as being the number one combat sport in the world.

The credit for this goes to the numerous stars that risk getting their faces disfigured to entertain millions of fans with their skills and charisma.

While the sport is considered an outlet for YouTubers to settle their respective beefs, the heart of it is still fueled by numerous prospects and contenders from the late 2000s.

The following is a list of the next batch of stars that will set the boxing world on fire in years to come.

10. Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois (19-1, 18 KOs)

Starting off with the heavyweight division, the 23-year-old Dubois is a top prospect, who has used his powerful punches to earn 14 of his 15 wins via knockout. He skipped the 2020 Summer Olympics to turn pro, signing with Queensberry promotions.

Daniel Dubois is a former British and Commonwealth champion with most of his fights ending before the third round. He is also the third-youngest fighter to win the British Crown.

There’s no doubt that Joe Joyce got the better of his then-undefeated record, but Dubois’s exhilarating striking abilities will make sure that he’ll bounce back.

9. Jaime Munguía (41-0, 33 KOs)

This Mexican hotshot has been clobbering contenders in the welterweight, light-middleweight, and middleweight divisions for about 8 years now.

While many of those “contenders” may be considered “nobodies”, Munguía has also grabbed wins against Gary O'Sullivan, and Dennis Hogan. Before these victories, he also took apart Sadam Ali for the WBO light-middleweight title in 2018 and beat the Bahamian Tureano Johnson for the WBO Inter-Continental middleweight championship in his most recent fight.

With his boxing style, Munguía is likely to get a taste of elite fighters sooner or later, and his attitude makes the fans wait even more.

8. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs)

This American/Mexican 22-year-old is one of Golden Boy Promotion’s hottest future-makers. His powerful, hard-hitting style has won him 16 of his 16 bouts by knockout.

Ortiz’s stock value increased when he beat the veterans Antonio Orozco and Brad Solomon via knockout, and then continued the tradition by stopping Samuel Vargas in his most recent fight.

With his explosive striking and Golden Boy constantly promoting and hyping him, it won’t be long until Ortiz gets a hold of the welterweight title. Ortiz was a former Ring magazine making him 2019 Prospect of the year.

7. Jaron “Boots” Ennis (29-0, 27 KOs ((1 no contest)))

One of Philadelphia finest; Jaron Ennis is a 23-year-old boxer that can change stances quicker than his opponent can blink. Boxing runs in Ennis’s family and only the truest fans know how underrated he is.

Ennis’s most recent victories were against Juan Carlos Abreu and Bakhtiyar Eyubov, ending in dominating stoppages. He would’ve been 27-0 against Chris van Heerden, had he not bled like a fountain.

His next bout is scheduled against Sergey Lipinets in April 2021, and his athleticism and speed should result in him challenging for the welterweight title soon.

6. Teofimo Lopez Jr. (18-1, 13 KOs) – IBF, WBO, WBA, The Ring Lightweight Champion

Teofimo Lopez is already an established face in boxing as he has held the IBF lightweight title for about 3 years now. He added the WBA, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles to his collection, with a decisive win over big-time boxer, Vasyl Lomachenko.

Teofimo Lopez has overcome many outside influences to retain his undefeated streak, and his future depends on him retaining his explosive finishing ability and unorthodox style.

5. Ryan “KingRy” Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs) - WBC Lightweight Champion (interim)

Another boxer who’s had his father as a father figure in the sport, the 22-year-old Garcia has proven to be more than just a pretty boy adored by millions of female fans. His cocky attitude is backed by his bullet-fast striking ability.

Backed by Golden Boy, Garcia is coming fresh off his TKO win against the Olympic gold-medalist Luke Campbell, where he picked up the interim WBC lightweight title.

All eyes are on him to see if he can become the undisputed titleholder, as some still doubt his ability.

4. Devin “The Dream” Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) - WBC Lightweight Champion

The 22-year-old Haney won the interim WBC lightweight title in 2019, and became the full champ soon after. Haney has won several regional WBC, and IBF, titles, while becoming one of the youngest ever to hold the world title.

He successfully defended his title against Alfredo Santiago and then Yuriorkis Gamboa. His diverse punching ability and fluidity of movement continue to make him a difficult target for his opponents.

3. David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs)

The 24-year-old David Benavidez is a two-time WBC super-middleweight champion. An individual who has been boxing since he could talk, Benavidez became the youngest-ever super-middleweight champion when he beat Ronald Gavril in 2017; he would retain the belt against him soon after.

Benavidez was stripped of the title after cocaine was found in his system. He would come back to win the title for the second time more than a year later after beating Anthony Dirrell.

The undefeated Benavidez is only going to get better, should he keep his demons under control.

2. Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) - WBO Featherweight Champion

If a boxer is named after the legendary Tupac Shakur, then you know he’s going to be a solid spectacle. An Olympic silver medalist, he has been compared to Floyd Mayweather for his charisma and trash-talking.

The youngster beat Joet Gonzalez to win the WBO featherweight title and has also held the IBF Inter-Continental title, and several regional titles. His most recent fight was a decisive win against Toka Khan Clary.

Considered to be very calculated in the ring, Shakur is also lightning fast and has incredible stamina. The only downside is that he has gotten into fights outside the ring.

1. Gervonta “Tank” Davis (27-0 25 KOs) - WBA "Regular" Lightweight and Super Featherweight Champion

The oldest fighter on this list, but still the best; the 26-year-old has been fighting for 8 years and is 24-0, with 23 of those wins by knockout. The TBRB has called him the world’s top Super Featherweight.

Davis has held the IBF super featherweight title. He won the regular lightweight belt by beating Yuriorkis Gamboa via TKO. His last fight ended in a knockout win over Léo Santa Cruz, where he won the super featherweight belt.

Davis is a true natural in the game and is gifted with raw punching power. The only enemy he has got is himself, as he has had multiple scuffles outside the boxing ring. Nonetheless, he continues to dominate and sell PPVs despite the shortcomings and looks to be the biggest star in the game in the future.