Via Gav Duthie: We probably only have two years at the most to battle top heavyweights like Oleksandr Usyk, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. So far, we’ve had five matches, but most of them haven’t faced each other yet. Given their age, we won’t see them for long. It hopes to be an exciting couple of years, but then, who will take over? Who will be the champion when these four retire?
Can we get into a situation where the heavyweights lose stars with no one to excite us? Back when Lennox Lewis retired, Vitaly was injured and Wladimir wasn’t ready yet, we had champions like Siarhei Liakhovich, Samuel Peter, Sultan Ibragimov, Oleg Maskaev, Chris Byrd and the late Corrie Sanders, who, wearing despite being able to fight. not eye-catching. There are some people who look like they can keep the momentum going for the department. But who is the runner and the runner? For the sake of this article, candidates must be 30 years of age or younger and have competed professionally at least five times. Here it is.
Agit Kabayel 22-0 (14)
Age 30
Boxrec # 33
The German had a breakout fight and performance against Derek Chisora in 2017 but, unfortunately, hasn’t done much since. He gave up the European title in pursuit of bigger games, but he really went the opposite way. A late-2021 fight with Tyson Fury has failed and his only outing in 2022 is against cruiser Pavel Sour. He was also scheduled to take on fellow countryman and former cruiser legend Marco Huck, but multiple defeats eventually dragged the fight to the fore. Kabayel was also set to fight for the EBU title again against Frenchman and Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka, but after losing to Martin Bakole, he lost his rank.
There’s no major news about any upcoming fights for him other than he’s facing Tyson Fury, but he’s not high on that list. He’s a clumsy skilled boxer with good moves, but no one seems to want to fight him, and he doesn’t seem popular enough to stand any big chance.
Highest ranking in the world: WBA 7th place
Future World Champion: Very unlikely
Jermaine Franklin 21-0 (14)
Age 28
Boxrec # 56
Like Kabayel, his career somewhat stalled. Consecutive wins over Rydell Booker, and Jerry Forrest gave him a bit of a hype. He has only fought once since the covid pandemic against the journeyman Rodney Moore. It was rumored that he would face Dillian Whyte in November, but those two were supposed to fight before, but it never happened.
Franklin is fine, but I’ll fully support Whyte for his best if the fight starts. The US will likely look elsewhere for their future star.
Highest ranking in the world: WBO 13
Future World Champion: No Chance
Filip Hrgovic 15-0 (12)
Age 30
Boxrec # 15
There is a high probability that the next person to get the world title will be the big Croat. Hrgovic beat Zhileil Zhang on the Usyk/Joshua 2 undercard. It was an odd performance given his stop/start style but was enough to beat Zhang.
In terms of mandates, WBO is likely to be next as the IBF did not have a mandate until recently. However, knowing the IBF and taking into account the Tyson Fury / Vyacheslav Glaskov situation where Fury was disqualified for not facing him, it is certain that at some point Hrgovic will get that shot. If Usyk is vacant, the next highest ranked boxer is Andy Ruiz, followed by Anthony Joshua.
Highest ranking in the world: IBF #1
Future world champion: most likely
Daniel Dubois 18-1 (17)
25 years old
Boxrec # 17
The controversy over whether the regular WBA title is actually a world title will never really be settled. For the sake of this article, I claim he is a legitimate world champion. If it was good enough for Roy Jones in 2004 and David Haye in 2009, I’d call it legit. Saying that the title has been a travesty since 2014 and that winning it over Trevor Bryan doesn’t make Dubois the top challenger to the big boxers.
It is assumed he hasn’t improved his defense since his loss to Joe Joyce, but his offensive arsenal and mental prowess return is commendable. We won’t know how good he is until he flips a rematch with Joyce or defends against a solid opponent.
Rumor has it that he will face South African Kevin Lerena next after a proposed competition with Lucas Browne was rejected by the British boxing control board. Lerena is a former IBO cruiser champion and I got the call. He’s a deft man in Usyk’s mold, though clearly not on the same level. This battle will definitely test his abilities.
World’s Highest: WBA Regular Champion
Other world titles: Yes
Martin Bakole 18-1 (13)
Age 29
Boxrec # 12
The younger brother of WBC Cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu struggled to get anyone to fight him. He seems to have become the President of the high risk, low reward club after losing to Michael Hunter and does not have such a large fan base. After defeating top amateur tennis player Sergey Kuzmin and, more notably, Olympic Gold medalist Tony Yoka, he actually has a shot at winning the world championship title. He is improving all the time and his coach Billy Nelson says he can beat anyone in the discipline.
Nelson recently mentioned Joyce as a competitor and has also suggested Joshua a match. He’ll still have to fight hard to get his chance, but he’s on the right track.
Highest ranking in the world: WBA #4
Future World Champion: Probably not
Frank Sanchez 21-0 (14)
Age 30
Boxrec # 13
A great breakout fight against Efe Ajagba put the Cubans on the map. The fight was supposed to be 50/50, but Sanchez won nearly every round and knocked out the tough Nigerian in the later stages of the match. For some reason, the brakes seem to have been placed on the slick fighter’s progression. He’s boxed twice since the Fury/Wilder 3 win but against veteran rivals Christian Hammer and Carlos Negron, this hasn’t really moved him much forward.
He said he was aiming for the next Joe Joyce for a possible forced fight. He feels he is the most talented heavyweight in the world and has enough skill to beat Joe. Joyce has been mandatory for Usyk and the interim WBO champion, and I can’t see him risking his status for Sanchez. The fight against Ortiz could be a good pass of the torch contest for the Cubans hoping, but it’s uncertain what Sanchez’s next move will be.
Highest ranking in the world: WBC and WBO #3
Future World Champion: Yes
Justis Huni 6-0 (4)
23 years old
Boxrec # 35
Eddie Hearn mentioned a possible showdown between Anthony Joshua and Demsey Mckean, who has a 22-0 record. Despite having to play 16 more matches, Australia was more excited with Justis Huni. He beat two of the best in his country, Paul Gallen and Joseph Goodall. He is also an excellent amateur.
Highest ranking in the world: not in the top 15 of any
Future World Champion: Maybe
Jared Anderson 12-0 (12)
Age 22
Boxrec # 55
Certainly the most market and the greatest hope of American success in the future. Tyson Fury used him as a sparring partner and said he was the man to take over. After Anderson’s most recent destruction of Rovcanin, he called many of our big names.
He told Sky Sports:
“Filip Hrgovic, Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois, I could name a million names, so many different people. All the candidates, the prospects, all the comings, Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz, all of them, anyone. I want to fight anyone.”
On that list, it will most likely be Takam, as this is a good step forward. The French player still played actively and somewhat revealed Makhmudov in the recent match despite losing. This will be a great contest and will show how good Anderson is.
Highest ranking in the world: Not in the top 15 of any
Future World Champion: Sure
Lenier Pero 8-0 (5)
Age 29
Boxrec # 80
Frank Sanchez may be the Cuban in everyone’s hearts right now, but Pero is considered a much better amateur. Sanchez was unable to join Olympic teams before Pero, Erislandy Savon or Jose Larduet, which prompted Sanchez’s decision to turn professional. Pero has beaten Sanchez five times in amateur matches. Pero is a slick Southpaw with quick hands and good defense but can also punch.
He’s signed with PBC, so a rematch with Sanchez is possible.
Highest ranking in the world: WBA #7
Future World Champion: If there is a chance Yes
Bakhodir Jalolov 11-0 (11)
Age 28
Boxrec # 47
The Uzbek boxer won 8-0 as a professional when he won the Olympic gold medal in Japan in 2021. He is currently on the 11-0 team, winning all by knockout. An impressive record, but he hasn’t really faced anyone of his importance as a pro. He also competed in the 2016 Olympics losing to Joe Joyce and was beaten 5 times by other prospect Ivan Dychko 12-0 (11) (Does not qualify for this list at age 32).
Highest ranking in the world: Not in the top 15 with any
Future World Champion: No
