Up-and-Coming Boxers Who Will Make Their Mark in 2015

Vasyl Lomachenko was firmly on the radar for serious boxing fans before he ever stepped into a professional ring. His progress in 2014 has been exceptional, and it seems quite possible that he will be a major star by the end of 2015. 

The boxing scene is always on the lookout for new stars. Aside from Lomachenko, a few other names on this list look ready to fill those spots. 

Even the fighters here who never reach true stardom should factor prominently in their divisions. Most of them should do so in 2015. 

10. Callum Smith

A lot of very good super middleweights have come out of the United Kingdom in the past few years. Carl Froch, of course, is a longtime fixture at the top of the 168-pound rankings. But James DeGale and George Groves have pushed into the spotlight recently as well. 

Expect Callum Smith to be the next English super middleweight contender. The 6'3" Smith has outstanding length for the division and good power. So far, he's 15-0 with 11 KOs.

He still might be more than a year away from a title fight, but the level of competition he aced in 2014 suggests he is ready to move into contender-status fights. Last year he beat rugged Vladine Biosse and captured the WBC International title against Nikola Sjekloca. 

9. Willie Monroe Jr.

Willie Monroe Jr. is the latest member of a highly respectable boxing family. His father, Willie Sr., was a talented contender in the 1990s. His great-uncle, Willie "the Worm" Monroe, is the only man to ever give an undisputed professional loss to Marvelous Marvin Hagler. 

Monroe Jr. took a major step into the spotlight in 2014 when won the ESPN Boxcino middleweight tournament. In the space of three months, he beat three fellow hungry contenders. 

In the first round of the tournament, he handled Donatas Bondorovas. In the second and third rounds, he gave Vitaliy Kopylenko ad Brandon Adams their first professional losses. 

The win over Adams made him the NABO and NABA middleweight champion, which automatically makes him ranked with the WBO and WBA. Monroe's only loss in 19 fights was a close decision to the enigmatic Darnell Boone.

Boone is a much bigger fighter than Monroe, and he holds a win over Adonis Stevenson and knocked down Andre Ward. He took Sergey Kovalev to a split decision. So Monroe is at least in good company to have struggled against him. 

Monroe has just six knockouts, so a lack of power could be a problem at the elite level. But he was an outstanding amateur and can box with anybody. When I talked to him after his fight with Adams, he was confident that he could make 154 pounds for the right fight. 

At 160 or 154 pounds, Monroe should be in a major fight in 2015. 

8. Anthony Joshua

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While I doubt very much that 2015 will be the year that Anthony Joshua emerges as a true heavyweight contender, I do think interest and excitement will continue to grow around the big Brit in the coming year.

The 2012 Olympic gold medalist has the size and physique to become the next big thing in the sport's glamour division, and his skill level continues to grow at a rapid pace. This is a guy who never even started boxing until age 18 and was able to beat the best amateurs on the planet within five years.

So far as a professional, he's 10-0 with 10 KOs. He fights former title challenger and current trial horse Kevin Johnson in January. It should be the start of a big year for the big man.

7. Billy Joe Saunders

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Billy Joe Saunders is a member of the British Romany community and grew up as part of a Traveller's Caravan. He comes from a long line of bare-knuckle fighters. 

But that rough heritage is mixed with an outstanding amateur pedigree. Saunders represented England in the 2008 Olympics. 

Saunders has an outstanding backstory for a prizefighter and the skill to compete at a very high level. So far, he has compiled a record of 21-0 with 11 KOs. He took a major step into the spotlight on the last weekend in November, when he edged fellow unbeaten Chris Eubank Jr.

This was a fight of major interest to British boxing fans, and it got plenty of attention from serious U.S. fans. Eubanks Jr. is the son of a legend, and Saunders is clearly a rising star.

Middleweight is an extremely competitive weight class, and there isn't a lot of room for new stars. But Saunders deserves the opportunity to stake his claim in 2015.  

6. Errol Spence

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Although he failed to medal, Errol Spence looked to me like one of the best professional prospects on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. As a professional, his promise has seemed even more obvious.

So far, Spence is 14-0 with 11 KOs. His level of competition has been very respectable for a prospect with his experience level.

Spence is still a couple of years away from being ready for a title shot, especially in the super-competitive welterweight division. But expect him to start to emerge into the spotlight in 2015. An Olympic pedigree still has promotional value, and Spence should be ready to make a move up.

5. Francisco Vargas

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One of multiple Olympians on this list, Francisco Vargas now stands ready to jump to the top of the professional rankings. Vargas clearly earned a significant amount of attention for his Round 3 stoppage of Juan Manuel Lopez on the Saul Alvarez-Erislandy Lara pay-per-view last July. 

But that performance was hardly a surpise for anybody who has been following the rising Mexican star. He beat Abner Cotto in the fight before that one and handled Jerry Belmontes with with far more ease than Omar Figueroa did. 

Vargas combines the best of the classic Mexican style with the kind of technical skill you would expect to see from a world-class amateur. If Mikey Garcia moves up from super featherweight, I'd like Vargas' chances against any other North American-based fighter in the division. 

Expect him to hold a world title before the end of 2015. 

4. Artur Beterbiev

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One of the biggest stories of 2014 has been Sergey Kovalev's unification of three of the four light heavyweight titles. As the new year begins, fans will clamour for a unification bout between him and WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. 

But by the end of 2015, I think it will be obvious that the biggest threat to Kovalev at 175 pounds is another former Russian amateur standout. Olympian Artur Beterbiev is ready to emerge as Kovalev's most compelling challenger. 

So far, Beterbiev is 6-0 with six KOs. His last stoppage came against former IBF champion Tavoris Cloud. 

Beterbiev is based out of Montreal, a fight-mad city famous for embracing foreign-born fighters and adopting them as their own. Like Vasyl Lomachenko, he is wasting no time in his professional career. He has everything lined up to emerge as a star by the end of next year. 

3. Jermall Charlo

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Jermall Charlo is the slightly taller of the two Charlo twins. He nearly got the chance to make his big splash in 2014, when he was scheduled to face Carlos Molina for the IBF light middleweight title on the Saul Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo pay-per-view.

That bout fell through, due to Molina's legal problems, but the fact that Charlo's people were willing to match him with a tough, veteran champion like Molina tells you everything you need to know about his potential.

Long term, Jermall looks more like a full middleweight to me. Now 19-0 with 15 KOs, he looks ready to face nearly anybody at 154 or 160 pounds.

2. Jermell Charlo

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Jermell Charlo is a few minutes younger than his twin, Jermall, but so far his boxing career is slightly more advanced. He's fought more times than his brother and faced better opponents.

In 2013, Charlo edged Demetrius Hopkins. But the victory that really made me take notice of the rising talent was his unanimous decision last January over the always-tough Gabriel Rosado.

Rosado has been in with some of the best fighters in the world and turned in gritty, tough-nosed rounds. I thought he deserved to win over super middleweight J'Leon Love and felt he was battling on even terms with then-WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin, when he was stopped due to cuts.

But Charlo completely schooled Rosado. It was a breakout performance against a dangerous opponent. Charlo should be ready for the type of fight that will give him the chance to step up to the top of the rankings in 2015.  

1. Vasyl Lomachenko

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Vasyl Lomachenko has already made a pretty big mark in the world of boxing. He won two Olympic gold medals and compiled an amateur record of 396-1. He captured the WBO featherweight title in just his third professional fight.

But the Ukrainian sensation is just getting started. By the end of 2015, he could very well be near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings.

To me, Lomachenko's most impressive 2014 performance might have been the one that came in a defeat. Orlando Salido did not even try to make weight against Lomachenko, and the crafty veteran subjected the fledling pro to a grinding, dirty fight. 

But in his first 12-round performance, Lomanchenko made veteran adjustments and nearly won late. He showed the kind of ring intelligence that great fighters need.