Merry Christmas to y'all, first and foremost. And since we are at the end of the year/beginning of the new year, I figured it would nice to see who everyone will have their eye on for 2016. 1- Errol Spence- Is moving up the IBF rankings and is very close to being Kell Brook's mandatory. Even if he doesn't get that fight, he'll at the very least be in position for a title shot and will likely be mixing it up with the top contenders of 147 lbs. If for whatever reason Brook-Khan isn't made, hopefully they can Spence-Brook in the latter part of 2016. That said, I suspect we'll see the best of Spence when he moves up to 154 lbs. He has the perfect frame and build for that weight, similar to Terry Norris. 2- Felix Verdejo- Has really progressed from his early fights where he looked rather unpolished. He has definitely tightened his game up and he has adapted quite well to the pro style of boxing. He's got two dates lined up already in MSG on February 27th as a co-feature with Terence Crawford and again in June on the weekend of the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and it's said he'll face guys in the top 10, and then presumably a title shot against Linares or Flanagan. 3-Anthony Joshua- Have watched all his fights on Youtube and caught on stream his fight with Whyte, and I have to say that I am impressed. He has some flaws, but for the most part he's got all the necessary attributes to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by 2017. He has gotten better and better in each fight and it seems[ that they are building towards a summer 2017 fight with David Haye which will be a huge event. If Fury is still the heavyweight champ by that time, it would be logical to make that fight. His next fight is set for April 9th. 4-Sergey Kovalev- Might be too good to be true, but he seems poised to have a big year. If he could get Stevenson in July and then Ward in December and WIN both those fights, he would without any shadow of a doubt be the fighter of the year. And I think he would be the favorite to win both of those fights, honestly. I don't see Ward being that successful at 175 like he was at 168 and I also believe his love for the sport has diminished. Kovalev should be able to take him. Just love Sergey's style in the ring. Skillful approach, with ice cold water running through his veins. The equivalent of an assassin in the boxing ring. 5-Vasyl Lomachenko- Arguably the best pure boxer in the world today. Offense and defense combined, and he proves that you can have interesting fights with a skillful approach. Probably the lightest guy on his feet in the boxing world as we speak, the way he can move to different angles seamlessly almost in one motion. He has some good fights that could be made as well though it seems to me that we probably won't get the Rigondeaux fight. Nevertheless, he has Walters, Santa Cruz, and at 130 there's Uchiyama, Pedraza, and the winner of Martinez-Salido 3. Honorable mention Terence Crawford- He just missed it but nevertheless he's still a favorite of mine. Love his style and he takes risks. Hoping he gets Pacquiao. Others- Callum Smith, Julian Williams, Nicholas Walters, Scott Quigg, Carl Frampton, Golovkin.
Merry Christmas to you too dude, good thread. Mine would be: 1. Lomachenko 2. Kovalev 3. Joshua 4. Golovkin 5. Spence Smith gets an honourable mention from me too. I wasn't expecting much when I tuned in to see him for the first time but he seemed pretty good.
Crawford too, I'd like to see him get a big fight. The Gamboa fight was excellent but due to the size difference he won't get full credit from boxing fans.
1. Felix Verdejo....P4P KING motherfuckers!!!! 2. Kovalev....a killer..a racist...white beast..from the east. 3. The Charlo Twins...not the most skilled work in progress... 4. Anthony Joshua: Reminds me of 90's Holyfield...the future of the division if he's chin hold up. 5. Tyson Fury...not because of his boxing but the entertainment outside the ring he will bring to the heavyweight divsion. I don't know if he knows but he's very vulnerable he's reign could end in his next fight even if he doesn't fight Joshua or Wilder.
01. Canelo Alvarez 02. Deontay Wilder 03. Lucas Matthysse 04. Terry Flanagan 05 tie. Amir Khan/Leo Santa Cruz
1. Kov 2. Spence 3. Crawford 4. GGG 5. Verdejo HM: Julian Williams and Loma. If Joshua dispatches of that dreadful gypsy in 2016, he'll definitely make my list.
1. Miguel Cotto - that robbery against Ginger doesn't count, 2. Felix 'El Demento' Verdejo- will grab a belt before next year's end. 3. Oscar Valdez - will also grab a belt next year. 4. GGG- if Oscar DeLa Hoya grows a pair and allows the unification fight we want then the handsome one will give the deserved beating Ginger is destined for at 160. 5. Andre Ward- better shake that rust if Kovalev is in his immediate future.
Danny Garcia - excellent boxer, very enjoyable to watch and puts power into every shot too Canelo Alvarez - underrated, very skilled, will beat GGG King Kong - skilled but i havent seen him much, hoping he can knock around some more folks on the way to a HW title Arthur Abraham - dude has balls and power and knows how to be the aggresor, he's old but i still like watching him fight Fury - for his shit talk and helping put an end to the Klitschko era not his fighting
Stevenson- hes been a disappointment lately. If he doesnt upgrade his opposition soon, ill turn on him faster than peter turned on jesus. Hes supposed fo be fighting alvarez next, which is a decent enought matchup. Fury- even after humiliating wladerina, hes still massively underrated. Kovalev- A killer with balls of steel Cotto- Been a fan of him since the beggining. Never ducked anyone and always fought top notch opposition. And love the way he digs to the body. Wilder- While he might not be as good as i once thought, the guy is a warrior
