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Which of these Heavyweight prospects will reach the top?


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The Heavyweight debate: Which fledgling prospect holds the keys to the future?

by Anson Wainwright

 

Last month the eyes of the boxing world were on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua heavyweight title fight in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

 

Would Joshua become one of only a handful of men to regain the title in a direct rematch, or would Ruiz repeat his sensational upset performance? We had an inkling it would be the former when Ruiz came in at a hefty 283 pounds, some 15 pounds heavier than the first go around, while a svelte Joshua was 10 pounds lighter at 237. Joshua soundly out boxed Ruiz over 12 rounds to regain IBF, WBA and WBO titles.

 

Joshua, who is rated No. 3 by The Ring at heavyweight, will be back in action soon, but the opponent is still to be confirmed. Rumors abound that the hard-hitting Englishman may vacate the WBO title and face IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev, which would clear the way for former undisputed cruiserweight champion Aleksandr Usyk to meet Joseph Parker for the vacant strap. Outside of the Joshua sweepstakes, there’s the massive heavyweight rematch on February 22 between WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, which will also decide a new Ring Magazine champion.

 

However, it’s worth noting that there are several up-and-coming heavyweights that are looking to crash the party. Some will rise and some will fall, but it’ll be fun watching things unfold. Here, in alphabetical order, we look at 10 glamour division prospects that are worth keeping an eye on:

 

Efe Ajagba (12-0, 10 knockouts): Ajagba caught the eye with a highlight reel knockout at the 2016 Olympics. Even though the 6-foot-6-inch Nigerian didn’t medal, he was courted and signed by Richard Schaefer’s Ringstar. Ajagba, who doesn’t have particularly strong amateur credentials, moved to Texas and hooked up with acclaimed trainer Ronnie Shields. He has been kept active, fighting regularly on PBC cards and in August 2018 he gained unique attention when opponent Curtis Harper stepped out of the ring as soon as the bell rang. Ajagba, 25, has beaten some solid opponents, including battle-harden veteran Amir Mansour (RTD 2), Michael Wallisch (TKO 2), and he survived a gut-check, getting off the canvas against Iago Kiladze (KO 5). With PBC behind him, he should make the transition from prospect to contender this year.

 

Daniel Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs): Dubois went 69-6 as an amateur. As a teenager, he signed professional forms with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren, who expertly maneuvered the now 22-year-old to British and Commonwealth titles. Massive at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, “Dynamite” lived up to his billing by impressively taking out Nathan Gorman (KO 5) in an all-British dust up last summer, and in his most recent outing he scored a one-punch knockout of Japanese heavyweight Kyotaro Fujimoto (KO 2). Dubois could potentially be heading toward a huge domestic showdown with Joe Joyce in the spring, which will give us a good indication of how far both men can progress.

 

Junior Fa (19-0, 10 KOs): Fa took bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth games and also scored two wins over countryman Joseph Parker in the unpaid ranks. The New Zealander turned professional in February 2016 after failing to make the Olympics and won his first nine fights at home before making his U.S debut on the undercard of Deontay Wilder’s title defense against Gerald Washington. He is promoted in the U.S by Lou DiBella and has fought on PBC and Top Rank shows. The 30-year-old isn’t the biggest puncher or a blue-chip prospect, but he’ll likely secure a fight-changing opportunity as the B-side – the rest is up to him.

 

Jermaine Franklin (20-0, 13 KOs): Franklin is a solid if unspectacular heavyweight. He lost in the final of the 2013 Golden Gloves to the more experienced Cam F. Awesome, however, showed grit by returning the following year to beat Awesome in the final. He turned professional in April 2015 and has quietly gone about his business. The 26-year-old Michigan native won three times in 2019, all on ShoBox, with mixed reviews. He labored against Rydell Booker (UD 10), struggled with Jerry Forrest (SD 10) but looked better dropping and widely out-boxing Pavel Sour (UD 10). Franklin’s lack of power and frequent inability to finish off dazed opponents suggest he’s not a top-drawer heavyweight. But he’s a solid enough addition and, like Fa, will probably get his chance against a more fancied opponent.

 

Filip Hrgovic 10-0 (8 KOs): The big Croatian was a top amateur for several years, winning gold at the 2010 World Youth Championships by defeating future WBO heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker and Tony Yoka in the final. He also competed in three World Championships and received bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Aligning himself with Sauerland Event as a professional, Hrgovic is coached by well-respected trainer Pedro Diaz in Florida. The 27-year-old made his DAZN/ U.S debut in May, stopping Gregory Corbin (TKO 1) and earned a spot on the Ruiz-Joshua II undercard where he blitzed one-time fringe contender Eric Molina (KO 3). The Sauerland’s are bullish about Hrgovic and keen for him to face the best. Expect Hrgovic to face improving opposition and be a bona-fide top 10 contender by the end of the year.

 

Bakhodir Jalalov (6-0, 6 KOs): The 6-foot-7 Uzbekistani southpaw is only 25 and has competed in three World Championships. In a highly controversial maneuver, his 2019 gold medal victory was tarnished by the fact that he’s already turned professional by that point. Jalalov turned over in May 2018 and has won all six fights inside four rounds. With his size, southpaw stance, power and amateur pedigree, he should have a bright future. This year should be big for the Lou DiBella promoted boxer.

 

Joe Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs): Joyce enjoyed a very impressive amateur career, winning Commonwealth and European gold, World Championship bronze and Olympic silver. He also earned wins over Hrgovic, Jalalov and Tony Yoka in the unpaid ranks. Joyce turned professional in his 30s but has moved quickly, posting more notable wins than anyone else on the list: Kiladze (KO 5), one-time prospect Joe Hanks (KO 1), Bermane Stiverne (TKO 6), Alexander Ustinov (TKO 3) and Bryant Jennings (UD 12). “The Juggernaut” is 6-foot-6′ and approximately 250 pounds. He often looks slow and has been caught, but his chin has passed every test. The 34-year-old was set to face Marco Huck for the vacant European title, but the former cruiserweight titleholder suffered an injury. Next up could be a mouth-watering fight with domestic rival Dubois.

 

Mahammadrasul Majidov (2-0, 2 KOs): Majidov was a fixture of the amateur scene for much of the 2010s. The burly Russian represented Azerbaijan as an amateur and won gold at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships. He also fought at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, taking bronze at the former. Majidov boasts amateur wins over likes of Joshua, Ivan Dychko and Tony Yoka. It looked like he would miss the boat as a professional but finally turned over last September, just weeks before his 33rd birthday. He has won both fights to date with considerable ease. With his background and advancing age, look for him to take calculated risks and move quickly.

 

Arslanbek Makhmudov (10-0, 10 KOs): The formidable Russian was a top amateur and regularly competed in the World Series of Boxing. During that time the 30-year-old caught the attention of Eye of the Tiger management, who moved him into the paid ranks in December 2017 under the tutelage of Marc Ramsay. At 6-foot-5 and roughly 260 pounds, he is an imposing physical specimen. Although not the quickest, he is immensely strong and powerful. Recently, Makhmudov demonstrated his power by blowing through a faded Samuel Peter in one round. His team are extremely high on him and looking to put him in big fights this year. All 10 of his bouts have taken place in Canada.

 

Tony Yoka (7-0, 6 KOs): The poster boy of French boxing was a top amateur. He fought at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, winning gold at the latter, and also took a gold at the World Championships in 2015. As an amateur, Yoka posted wins over Hrgovic and Joyce. At 6-foot-7 and around 235 pounds, he possesses size advantages over most of his opposition and is more athletic than most. But it remains to be seen if Yoka, who was banned for 12 months after “missing” three drugs tests, can deal with the physicality of the sport or if he’s just a pretty boy.

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I haven't seen everyone on the list in action yet but of those that I have, I think DDD has the most potential to reach world champion status. Of course 1 punch on the right night could catapult any of those prospects there but on current ability and expected improvements my money's on Dubois.

 

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Efe Ajagba: Nope.

SUPER fast hands, and always in shape. However -

I think his power is EXTREMELY overrated. His technique is not very good, he literally THROWS LIKE A GIRL

Not for nuthin: He’s landed flush on opponents many times, without even stunning them. Then a later, a similar punch puts them down. I smell pay offs, right & left.

He’s also painfully 1-dimensional. He just throws a basic 1-2, trying to punch through his opponents’ guard.

 

Daniel Duboiis: Hard to say. A "dubious" future.

He's definitely improving, but still awfully stiff. I just don't see him ever beating an elite HW.

 

 

Junior Fa: Feh.

Big, Strong, long reach. - Has a HUGE body shot! He also shows excellent patience, never recklessly attacking his opponent even when that opponent is outclassed or hurt.

However, he has an extremely limited & one-dimensional style, and his defense is very suspect. Maybe if he finds a better trainer

 

Jermaine Franklin: Not likely.

The former Golden Gloves champ is fast heading into "Audley" territory. He has gifts: Very relaxed in the ring, butn he can explode like WIlder when on the attack.

He’s also REALLY good at closing the gap fast & attacking. (The gazelle leap) And he has surprising hand speed.

However: His power appears to be only average. He also wastes a lot of energy punching through his opponents’ guard. He should jab more and set up openings. I can see his talents taking him very far, but you can't beat a huge puncher like AJ or Wilder withoiut having enough opower of your own to slow them down. (Or if you can rise from the dead like Fury.)

I'm a big Frankilin fan & wish him the best, but I just can't see him winning a major belt.

 

Filip Hrgovic: Nope.

The dirtiest POS in the game today. This rabbit-punch specialist needs to do something bad outside of the ring & get sent to prison for ten years. Just fuck him.

As for his actually talent: Solid skills, great jab, great balance, excellent defense. Not the fastest hands, though. - Plus he doesn’t seem to have that killer instinct.

 

## Bakhodir Jalalov: OH YES !

6’7” but lanky, and moves like a middleweight! He also looks to have a HUGE reach. Great footwork, great jab. Loves to go to the body. THIS GUY IS SERIOUS !

- but it's a bit worrying that he hasn't fouyght in 9 months, and has nothing scheduled.

 

Joe Joyce: Not a chance.

He does some things very well, esp his footwork and more recently his head movement. But he's another HW that THROWS LIKE A GIRL! His jab & his rt cross are literally laughable.

His people won't be able to keep getting name opponents to take a dive, the way Ustinov did. The end is near.

 

 

Mahammadrasul Majidov: I've never seen him fight.

 

#### Arslanbek Makhmudov: BOY HOWDY !

HUGE power, reasonable hand speed for his size, and he throws massive combos when his opponent is hurt. - But he’s also pretty calm and patient. Nicely varied offense, including a deadly right-uppercut. He also has very solid defense, via a typical Euro earmuffs stance.

In 2015 he looked sloppy and lunged in a lot, but by 2018 he was showing very nice defensive footwork and head movement.

 

Tony Yoka: Not likely.

Yoka looks pretty good. A tall fighter that moves really well, and has excellent balance & footwork.

He may not have huge power, though. In June 2018 against David Allen, he was landing flush for 5 rounds, and Allen took every punch without even wobbling.

Also, Yoka's defense is very suspect. He takes WAY too many flush punches, from average opponents.

=====================================

 

HW's WITH THE MOST POTENTIAL, (IMO) NOT MENTIONED:

 

Trey Lippe

Michael Hunter - Born to be a HW, not a CW.

Martin Bakole Llunga - One loss means nothing, esp vs the vastly-underrated Hunter.

Tyrone Spong - If he can stay clean.

Apti Davtaev

Darmani Rock - If he can stay in shape, and starts fighting real opponents.

Ivan Dychko

Lukasz Rozanski - if he ever leaves Poland.

Petar Milas

Roney Hines

Sonny Conto

Edited by Cableaddict
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--- Watched the Joyce/Usyk highlights a few days ago.

 

Usyk struggled with the size, strength and aggression the first rd, but rd by rd afterwards he was really putting a tattooing with a beautiful array of sharp punches.

 

Had as the fight gone longer than 5, Usyk tkos him. Might see that rematch for real in 2020.

 

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Dychko looks formidable and terrifying and certainly so far has a promising record and amateur credentials (getting screwed against Joshua in the Olympics, reportedly) and at 6'9 is HUGE and seems to have the power. I hope he gets the right fights and in not too long.

 

 

Yeah, he's one of my top three. But sadly it seems that Dychko has bad management.

No one will fight this guy, he's too scary. And his people don't seem to have the juice (or deep pockets) to finagle better opposition. THis may be another case of a great fighter literally never getting a chance to shine, until it's far too late.

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Yeah, he's one of my top three. But sadly it seems that Dychko has bad management.

No one will fight this guy, he's too scary. And his people don't seem to have the juice (or deep pockets) to finagle better opposition. THis may be another case of a great fighter literally never getting a chance to shine, until it's far too late.

 

Yeah, lol-he def has the air of IVAN DRAGO! :laugh: I fear that too, he's too intimidating and too good to get fights with these SISSIES from US and UK! :ranger:

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--- Fast Eddie could make a big splash with him.

 

Sounds like Ivan needs better mgt. He could be fighting 5-6 fights a year across the vast Russian population centers to become this exotic legend of the Russian steppes, the new and improved Ivan the Terrible within the year.

 

And Uncle Bob back in the heavy div, so no excuses in an era pregnant with heavy opportunities.

 

 

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  • 1 year later...
Martin Bakole Llunga - looks like a man no one will fight unless they have to.

 

 

Indeed. He's another monster, with bad management. (What a great win for Hunter, BTW.)

 

LLunga vs Babic would be one helluvan exciting fight. - But the winner of that one would STILL likely get shut out from any title shots.

Edited by Cableaddict
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Speaking of HW prospects:

 

What do you guys think of Johnny Fisher?

He's getting ridiculous hype from the British fans, which makes me automatically hate him. (lol) But actually he looks the goods.

 

So far.

 

 

 

I don’t think he’s in the greatest shape, from the looks of him, but his skill level is excellent, and he can definitely bang.

 

Edited by Cableaddict
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Just checking some of my favorite prospects from the above list.

 

 

 

Lukasz Rozanski is still looking good, though he had a couple of easy bouts after taking out the extremely dangerous Ugonoh. - But He KO'd Artur Szpilka in the first round, this past May. (I missed that fight.)

 

Trey Lippe & Ivan Dychko with a few more KO's over guys you never heard of, but nothing new scheduled. Big surprise.)

Same for Roney Hines, who is at least managed by Ken Sheer. (Not the worst out there, by far.)

Is Lippe still with Freddy Roach?

 

Darmani Rock, Peter Milas & Apti Davtaev all suffered their first losses this year. Well, that could be a good learning experience. I'm not writing either of them off just yet. Especially Rock, who's still only 25 y-o, and Milas who's only 26. Plus, Milas got TKO'd by Tony Yoka, so no shame in that.

Yoka's defense is still suspect, but his punch technique seems to be improving. I may have to change my mind about him soon. :haha:

 

 

Tyrone Spong hasn't fought in over two years! Maybe h got Covid? Or maybe he's in jail?

 

 

And finally, Sonny Conto continues to rid the world of cab drivers. (Good thing there's UBER.)

- But at least he has a fight scheduled for November. I was afraid he might retire from boxing and take a role in that new Soprano's prequel show, "The Many Saints of Newark." (I think he'd be great in that, BTW.)

His opponent has lost his last four bouts, also to guys you nevah heard nuttin' about. - so EYYYY! OHHHH ! FawGEDDABOUDIT !

Edited by Cableaddict
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Ajagba (definitely NOT on my list) finally stepped up and, to no big surprise, lost a wide decision to Frank Sanchez.

 

I won't call that being "exposed" since Sanchez is really quite skilled (typical former Cuban amateur) but this is probably the beginning of Ajagba's fade into nothingness.

 

 

Hard to call Sanchez a prospect, since he has 19 bouts, but h's still only 29 y-o and has JUST started fighting recognizable names, so he's SORT OF a prospect.

Nice to have a skilled inside-fighter in the division.

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Darmani Rock conqueror Michael Polite Coffie suffered a stoppage defeat in June. Coffee is big but his unbeaten record is gone. Wasn't really a prospect, as is 35-years-old.

 

Decent journeyman Jonathan Rice took the Coffie zero. Rice went the full ten with Efe Ajagba but got stopped by undefeated Aussie Demsey McKean and Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov.

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Darmani Rock conqueror Michael Polite Coffie suffered a stoppage defeat in June. Coffee is big but his unbeaten record is gone. Wasn't really a prospect, as is 35-years-old.

 

Decent journeyman Jonathan Rice took the Coffie zero. Rice went the full ten with Efe Ajagba but got stopped by undefeated Aussie Demsey McKean and Russian Arslanbek Makhmudov.

 

 

 

I forgot to check on Makhmudov, so thx.

 

He's sure kept busy in the pandemic era, though he did have to fight in a Holiday Inn and at Center Gervais Auto. That's some Joseph Parker level venues right there.

 

Erkan Teper is a nice scalp, though. No surprise to see Big Mak still undefeated and all KO's.

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Some North American Heavyweight's that are building.

 

Stephan Shaw (15-0, 11 Kos), from Saint Louis. 'Big Shot' is 6'4 and holds wins over Jonathan Rice, Donovan Dennis, Gregory Corbin, Lyubomyr Pinchuk. He's 29 and needs to start stepping up in 2023.

 

Jared Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio. 'Big Baby' is, only, 21 and stands at 6'4. He holds wins over Kingsley Ibeh, Jeremiah Karpency and Vladimir Tereshkin.

The young man has plenty of time, he fights in December against Oleksandr Teslenko (17-1) and has been on ESPN regularly.

 

Cassius Chaney (21-0, 14 KOs), from Connecticut. 'COG' is 34 and 6'6. Been moved very slowly and no notable names apart from a couple of familiar journeymen.

 

Brandon Moore (10-0, 6 KOs) from Florida. He's a young Heavyweight at 27-years-old. 6'6 in stature. No names on the record. Fighting on a big Canadian card next month, so might see what he has to offer.

 

Roney Hines (10-0, 7 KOs) from Cleveland, Ohio. Promising and only 26. Good size at 6'6. Nothing notable on his record, at this point.

 

Jeremiah Milton (3-0, 3 KOs) from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 27-years-old and 6'4. He is one to watch. His nickname is DreamLand. Has already been on ESPN and sparred the likes of Tyson Fury.

 

Steven Torres (5-0, 5 KOs) from Pennsylvania. Only 23 and stands at 6'7. Done the business, so far. Long way to go but worth keeping an eye on.

 

Timothy Moten (10-0-1, 6 KOs) from Louisville, Kentucky. 29-years-old and only 5'9. Been sparring AJ a lot. A fun watch.

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Speaking of HW prospects:

 

What do you guys think of Johnny Fisher?

He's getting ridiculous hype from the British fans, which makes me automatically hate him. (lol) But actually he looks the goods.

 

So far.

 

 

 

I don’t think he’s in the greatest shape, from the looks of him, but his skill level is excellent, and he can definitely bang.

 

I like the guy. Only saw him in his last fight. Comes across well and has huge support. 22-years-old and raw but powerful. They'll have to take it slow but he's in superb hands, his trainers are the Tibbs who have huge experience. He didn't have much amateur experience - 10 fights, scoring 9 first-round KO's.

 

The UK has got quite a few prospects and it'll be interesting to see, who can get to the higher levels. Fabio Wardley (10-0), David Adeleye (7-0), Solomon Dacres (3-0).

Edited by WelshDevilRob
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Some North American Heavyweight's that are building.

 

Jared Anderson (10-0, 10 KOs), from Toledo, Ohio. 'Big Baby' is, only, 21 and stands at 6'4. He holds wins over Kingsley Ibeh, Jeremiah Karpency and Vladimir Tereshkin.

The young man has plenty of time, he fights in December against Oleksandr Teslenko (17-1) and has been on ESPN regularly.

.

 

 

 

Woah. That's a great fight.

 

I wonder if Tyson Fury will be part of Anderson's corner team. That would be bloody cool.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Softly, softly from Filip. Treading water until the IBF eliminator.

 

IBF rankings

1. NOT RATED

2. Charles Martin

3. Filip Hrgovic

4. Joseph Parker

5. Anthony Joshua

6. Tony Yoka

7. Joe Joyce

8. Agit Kabayel

9. Murat Gassiev

10. Luis Ortiz

11. Andy Ruiz Jr

12. Demsey McKean

13. Zhang Zhilei

14. Hughie Fury

15. Martin Bakole

 

----------

Heavyweight star Filip Hrgović (13-0 11 KOs) will defend his IBF International title against Scott Alexander (16-4-2, 8 KOs) on the December 4 Haney-Diaz undercard at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. After this bout, Hrgović has an IBF final eliminator in the works for 2022. (Source: Fightnews)

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Softly, softly from Filip. Treading water until the IBF eliminator.

 

IBF rankings

1. NOT RATED

2. Charles Martin

3. Filip Hrgovic

4. Joseph Parker

5. Anthony Joshua

6. Tony Yoka

7. Joe Joyce

8. Agit Kabayel

9. Murat Gassiev

10. Luis Ortiz

11. Andy Ruiz Jr

12. Demsey McKean

13. Zhang Zhilei

14. Hughie Fury

15. Martin Bakole

 

 

 

 

OK now, even going by the absurd standards of professional boxing, someone has to tell me how the IBF has Charles Martin at #2.

 

Even the WBA wouldn't try something that ridiculous.

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