-
-
Horrible choice. *** himComment
-
Had a good year, it is great that Showtime supporting guys like Devin Haney and Boots Ennis Early in their careers and helping them become bigger stars
Agree, Teofimo easily has a argument here, he been the most impressive as far as Knockouts and Closing the ShowLast edited by sicko; 12-30-2018, 01:59 PM.Comment
-
Yes they really F-up this time, they made it sound like well, we like this guy more so we will go with him no matter what. Is BS turning into fight hype.com? I know that the ring Magazine gave that distinction to Lopez over Ryan Garcia, no bias right there, but honestly either one of those would be well deserved.Comment
-
I like Shakur, he's showing improvement, while Haney looked regressed vs Burgos. Lopez is a ticking bomb, like a pinata filled with big money. I don't think this type of award fits his ambitions. He celebrated the Heisman after his ko of the year outing, that's a tell.Comment
-
http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/i...-prospect-year
Teofimo Lopez Jr. named ESPN 2018 prospect of the year
2. Shakur Stevenson (21, Newark, New Jersey, featherweight, 9-0, 5 KOs): Stevenson, a 2016 U.S. Olympic silver medalist who has former two-division champion Andre Ward on his management team, was 5-0 in 2018 and improved with each fight, including showing more power to go with his fast hands and skills. A southpaw who began boxing at 5 and once lived on Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Stevenson had his best performance against his best opponent in October in a first-round knockout of Viorel Simion.
3. Ryan Garcia (20, Victorville, California, lightweight, 17-0, 14 KOs): The 2017 ESPN.com prospect of the year has power, speed and a deep amateur background (215-15 with 15 national titles) but needs to sure up his defense. He's already a popular attraction with a big fan base and Golden Boy believes he can be a star. He was 4-0 in 2018, including a near-near shutout of former title challenger Jayson Velez and a tough 10-rounder against Carlos Morales. After that fight, Garcia knew he needed a more professional corner and began working with trainer Eddy Reynoso, who brought him into Canelo Alvarez's camp.
4. Vergil Ortiz Jr. (20, Dallas, junior welterweight, 11-0, 11 KOs): The Robert Garcia-trained Ortiz, a seven-time national amateur champion who was 140-20, is as exciting a prospect as there is. He has tremendous power in his right hand, a reason he has yet to go past three rounds even though Golden Boy stepped up his opposition in 2018, in which he went 3-0. A fourth fight on Dec. 15 was canceled when the New York commission wouldn't license Ortiz because of a recent procedure to improve his vision though it shouldn't be an issue going forward.
5. Jaron "Boots" Ennis (21, Philadelphia, welterweight, 22-0, 20 KOs): The younger brother of former pros Derek and Farah Ennis, Jaron has boxed only since he was 15 but has come a long way in 2½ years as a pro following a standout amateur career in which he was 58-3 and a 2015 National Golden Gloves champion. He's the full package of speed, power, skills and charisma. He won all five of his 2018 bouts by knockout, including finishing his year in explosive fashion with a highlight-reel second-round KO of Philly rival Raymond Serrano on "ShoBox" in November.
Junior middleweight Josh "Pretty Boy" Kelly, left, keeps improving with each fight. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
6. Josh Kelly (24, England, junior middleweight, 8-0, 6 KOs): "Pretty Boy," a 2016 Olympian, has looked good in his 20 months as a pro and Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has him on the fast track. Kelly, who has tremendous hand speed, was 3-0 in 2018 and already has taken a big step up in opposition by hanging a lopsided 10-round decision loss on former world titlist Carlos Molina in March.
7. Devin Haney (20, Las Vegas, lightweight, 20-0, 13 KOs): Haney is a dynamic fighter with all the tools necessary to be a champion. He turned pro at 17 in Mexico in 2015, has sparred with Floyd Mayweather, Shawn Porter and Jessie Vargas and is beginning to come into his own. He has become a darling of Showtime's "ShoBox," where he fought both of his 2018 bouts against solid opponents, a ninth-round stoppage of Mason Menard and a lopsided 10-round decision over former world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos.
8. Filip Hrgovic (26, Croatia, heavyweight, 7-0, 5 KOs): The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Hrgovic was 2016 Olympic bronze medalist who has looked good since turning pro in September 2017 after a stint in the World Series of Boxing. He has good power, throws nice combinations and has a high boxing IQ. He was 5-0 in 2018 and Team Sauerland has already begun stepping up his opposition. In his past two fights, Hrgovic, who has sparred with David Haye and Kubrat Pulev, had homecoming fights in Croatia, where he's a major star, and stopped fringe contender Amir Mansour in the third round and routed former title challenger and steppingstone Kevin Johnson.
9. Daniyar Yeleussinov (27, Kazakhstan, welterweight, 5-0, 3 KOs): A two-time Olympian, 2013 world amateur champion and 2016 Rio gold medalist, Yeleussinov, a southpaw, turned pro in April and has quickly made the transition to pro boxing. Trained by John David Jackson, Yeleussinov, who is very technically sound, is being kept busy by Matchroom Boxing and boxing all over: U.S., U.K. and Monaco. Yeleussinov could move very quickly.
Efe Ajagba, of Nigeria, is one of the top heavyweight prospects to watch in 2019. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
10. Efe Ajagba (24, Nigeria, heavyweight, 8-0, 7 KOs): The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Ajagba, a 2016 Olympian who went 41-2 with 30 knockouts as an amateur, including a gold medal at the 2015 African Games, is an imposing figure with lights-out power. Now based in Houston, where he trains with Ronnie Shields, Ajagba has an all-star team behind him in Shields, Premier Boxing Champions, manager Shelly Finkel and Ringstar Sports promoter Richard Schaefer. Ajagba has already scored highlight-reel knockouts but drew national attention in August when opponent Curtis Harper exited the ring rather than fight him after the first bell rang, resulting in a disqualification.
11. Daniel Dubois (21, England, heavyweight, 9-0, 8 KOs): Many think the 6-foot-5, 239-pound Dubois can become a star. He was limited to three fights in 2018, with illness knocking him out of a December bout. He's built like a truck, has quick hands, concussive power and respectable defense. He has faced decent opposition, and promoter Frank Warren, hyperbole or not, calls him "the most exciting young heavyweight prospect" that he has had in almost 40 years of promoting. Dubois, who has sparred with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, cruised to a 10-round shutout of ultra-experienced former title challenger Kevin Johnson in October.
12. Shohjahon Ergashev (27, Uzbekistan, junior welterweight, 15-0, 14 KOs): Ergashev, a three-year pro fighting out of Detroit (where he's trained by Javan "Sugar" Hill, the nephew of the late, great trainer Emanuel Steward), was a four-time Uzbekistan national champion during a 202-14 amateur career. A southpaw with superb power and an exciting style, he has boxed mainly in Russia but has had four U.S. fights, including an impressive third-round destruction of then-unbeaten prospect Sonny Fredrickson in January in the first of his five wins in 2018.
13. Joshua Buatsi (25, England, light heavyweight, 9-0, 7 KOs): As a young boy, Buatsi moved from Ghana to England, where he became a decorated amateur and claimed a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. With unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua as his manager, Buatsi has fought on major Matchroom Boxing cards and shown huge potential. He's well conditioned, has toughness and can punch. In 2018, he was 6-0 and claimed a regional title.
14. Rubin Villa (21, Salinas, California, featherweight, 14-0, 5 KOs): Villa, a southpaw, doesn't get the same hype as some prospects, but he's a skilled boxer with tremendous potential. He began boxing at age 5, was a two-time National Golden Gloves champion, two-time Junior Olympic National champion and went 166-17 as an amateur. Promoters Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions kept him busy with five fights in 2018 and he'll get his first TV exposure Jan. 11 on Showtime's "ShoBox."
15. Joseph Adorno (19, Allentown, Pennsylvania, junior lightweight, 11-0, 10 KOs): The Robert Garcia-trained Adorno, who grew up in Puerto Rico, has explosive power and a tremendous left hook that has drawn comparisons to the money punch of Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto. Adorno was 6-0 in 2018 and though he has yet to face serious opposition he looks like he has all the tools.Comment
-
Swear I watched an interveiw of this guy getting mad that people still consider him a prospect.Comment
Tweet
Comment