I'm not a fan but I'm gonna go ahead and give my early prediction as Teofimo.
This will probably come back to bite me in the ass and I'll be completely wrong about it. I own it and say, this is just an early guess. :lol1:
I honestly don't know though. Canelo could maybe win it as well but is he really going to fight until he is 40? Or even past 34 years old? He's 31 this year.
Teofimo right now started the decade by beating the myth of Lomachenko. Unify or lineal from 135 to 147? He has to be it.
Inoue is a good shout but he’s 28 already and Bantamweights don’t generally stay as a major force well into their 30’s. Not to say he can’t, but realistically he could only have a solid 3 in him left.
Teofimo seems the obvious choice now in terms of the young crop. His win over Loma showed he is the real deal.
as for the likes of Shakur and Haney and Garcia, time will tell when they step up more.
The thing with Haney is I’ve never been that impressed by him but at the same time he looks like the kind of fighter that could win fights even if it’s winning very boring, which could actually see him being very very successful. Im not really sold on him though.
I highly rate Gervonta Davis but it’s time he gets a move on. People say he is young but he’s 27 this year and time goes fast in boxing, before you know it, he will be 30 years old. It didn’t seem that long ago Crawford was a young fighter and now he’s well into his 30s with no real big fights to his name.
mayweather :lol1:
LOL! Froid fought Andre Berto in 2015. That MMA guy was in 2017 (non boxer does not count). Sorry dog you are barking up the wrong tree.
The young pups.
Teofimo Lopez and Vergil Ortiz Jr are my two to watch. Haney is another. Tank has no discipline and while I rank Ryan Garcia highly, I think he'll be chin-checked.
Very hard to say I don't know, anything can happen between now and late 2029
That's a really good question, larry. Taking a run through:
Obviously eliminated:
Too Old: Usyk, Crawford, Golovkin, Pac, Wilder, Beterbiev
Little guys don't age well: Estrada, Roman
Close, but no cigar:
Spence - already 30, don't think he ages well, close fight vs. Porter, couldn't knock Mikey out.
Joshua - has potential, but has gotten buzzed a few times, vs. Whyte, Wlad and Ruiz. Likely to suffer another loss.
Callum - excellent skills, good resume. Lack of marquee opponents at SMW/LHW, looked vulnerable. Already 30.
Bivol - good, but not great fighter at every dimension. 29. Don't think he has the power to keep elite LHWs away from him. Will he get premier matchups?
Navarette - excellent fighter, right age, but don't think he'll get enough marquee opponents
Loma - has a shot, but in effect is too old. He'd need to clean up 135 and 140 in next 3 years, including the trifecta of Haney/Lopez/Tank - I doubt all 3 will take the fight until he's older.
Loprez - has a shot, but IMO he's just not skilled enough and will get outboxed eventually.
Tank - good skills, good power, not disciplined, Will be undersized for glamour divisions. Likely to get outboxed later.
Shakur - will lack power as he ages and will get overwhelmed. If he can pump some roids or significantly improve his frame at 135, he has a shot. For Floyd comparisons.. Floyd was a devastating puncher at lower weights.
Ramirez - was a solid boxer with OK power at SMW. Need to see more at LHW if he filled out. Poor promotion, may not get defining fights in his career.
Contenders:
Canelo - slightly on the older side (will be 39 in 2029). Has fought most of the guys at his natural weight (160). As he ages and his reflexes slow, likely to get outboxed against bigger, longer fighters. But.. doubt Canelo at your own peril!
Benavidez - only 23, barely unlocked his potential. Has that extra gear. Looked vulnerable vs. Gavril though.
Inoue - right age, are there enough marquee match ups? Small fighters are historically at a disadvantage for FOTY though.
Fury - has a really good shot if he can keep the head on his shoulders. Will there be enough marquee matchups if he beats Wilder again and then Joshua? He's proved he has a chin and the skills. HWs age well. Wild card.
My pick:
Haney - only 21, excellent skills, good power, good head on his shoulders. Should grow into a WW, a prestigious division. If he can beat Lomachenko before he turns 35, that's a great scalp for him.
Good Break Down!
Tanks got the potential maybe but I don't like the way he's handling himself, specially with blowing up between fights and repeatedly struggling with weight... Kid needs to get his head on straight I think.
Young Ryan's gonna get the star treatment and all the opportunities I think, but to my eye Vergil has a higher Ceiling by a margin, although maybe its just my old man bias... Ryan just looks like a pretty high school kid to my old ass and I imagine him folding when the going gets tough which is probably unfair.
But yeah, barring some unforseen weirdness Canelo is gonna be the superstar of the 20s with everyone else clamouring to get some of them $$$s. An epic unbeaten run at Heavy for Fury or AJ might also be in the running or some insane run by Inoue up to 126 or 130 but honestly those biannual Vegas slots pretty much trump anyone else almost regardless of what they do. yessir you make too much sense, you’re right I forgot about Vergil he def has the goods and if he keeps winning the Mexican fans will follow his career and make him the next man up. David Benavidez has potential too... to be FOTD if he keeps winning
Canelo easy. Seems to be everyone favorite. I'm not that big on him as most are but he gets the easiest fights to make. Everyone wants a piece of that canelo money.
Just keeping it real, only way he doesn’t get it will be if he loses the cash cow status... Ryan and tank are the ones who are young that have talent and have a big following but I don’t think they’ll take over until maybe late in the decade
Tanks got the potential maybe but I don't like the way he's handling himself, specially with blowing up between fights and repeatedly struggling with weight... Kid needs to get his head on straight I think.
Young Ryan's gonna get the star treatment and all the opportunities I think, but to my eye Vergil has a higher Ceiling by a margin, although maybe its just my old man bias... Ryan just looks like a pretty high school kid to my old ass and I imagine him folding when the going gets tough which is probably unfair.
But yeah, barring some unforseen weirdness Canelo is gonna be the superstar of the 20s with everyone else clamouring to get some of them $$$s. An epic unbeaten run at Heavy for Fury or AJ might also be in the running or some insane run by Inoue up to 126 or 130 but honestly those biannual Vegas slots pretty much trump anyone else almost regardless of what they do.