5 British Fighters Whose Stock Has Risen over the Course of 2015
Back in August, when the boxing world was taking a summer break, Bleacher Report picked out five British fighters who had raised their profiles in the first half of the year.
Now, with 2015 nearly over, it is time to recalculate the stock market and see whose price is continuing to rise. It has been quite a year, too. Heading into 2016, Britain boasts 12 world champions.
These selections appear in alphabetical order.
Feel free to say who should top the pile in the comments section. Alternatively, you can argue the case for someone who wasn't included.
Just remember it is all a matter of opinion.
Honourable Mentions
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Plenty of boxers should be praised for their performances in 2015.
Brothers Callum and Stephen Smith continue to impress, and both could follow in the footsteps of sibling Liam by winning a world title within the next 12 months.
Terry Flanagan already has that honour, with the Mancunian in possession of the WBO lightweight belt.
Lee Selby, meanwhile, is the IBF champion at super featherweight. The Welshman dazzled against Evgeny Gradovich in May but was less impressive against Fernando Montiel in October.
Kell Brook's stock was already high, considering he won a world title in 2014, so he missed out on the top five.
The same can be said about super bantamweight rivals Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg, who meet in a huge unification battle in February 2016.
Luke Campbell was an honourable mention in August, but he suffered his first defeat as a pro in December.
Billy Joe Saunders—now the WBO middleweight champion—is on the rise, but still he requires a career-defining performance. Perhaps that opportunity might come in a rematch against Chris Eubank Jr.?
The toughest omission of the lot, though, was Jamie McDonnell. The bantamweight twice travelled to Texas to successfully defend his WBA crown against Japan's Tomoki Kameda.
Sorry, Jamie, please don't take the snub personally. However, other fighters just squeezed ahead of you, having raised their profiles over the past year.
Anthony Crolla
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A year ago, Anthony Crolla (30-4-3, 12 KOs) was laid up in the hospital, wondering if his opportunity to become a world champion may have gone.
The Mancunian suffered a fractured skull and a broken ankle after confronting burglars in December 2015.
The injuries forced the cancellation of his world-title challenge against Richar Abril.
His trainer, Joe Gallagher, said, per the Guardian: "His title dream is gone. Whether he will ever get another shot at it in the future, I don’t know. His dreams are in tatters."
It wasn't the only robbery that caused a setback for Crolla during the year. On his return to action against Darleys Perez, some debatable scoring denied the Million Dollar the WBA title.
However, the story of Crolla's year had a happy ending.
In a rematch with Perez in Manchester, England, the 29-year-old made sure the judges were not required by knocking the Colombian out in Round 5.
Promoter Eddie Hearn wrote in his November column for the Mail: "I had a meeting with Anthony Crolla this week and you couldn't get the smile off his face. If there is a better sporting story this year then I don't know what it is."
James DeGale
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James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) has been a success story in 2015, as he went from hopeful challenger to headlining champion.
Chunky claimed the vacant IBF super middleweight belt in May with a points victory over Andre Dirrell on his American debut.
He headed back across the Atlantic in November for his first defence, travelling to Quebec City, Canada, to face former champion Lucian Bute in his own backyard.
DeGale—the first British Olympic gold-medal winner to go on and become a world champion in the paid ranks—overcame both Bute and the home crowd to retain his title.
A slick southpaw who now has Al Haymon advising him, the 29-year-old from London will fight anyone in the division—provided the price is right.
He told Declan Taylor of the Mail: "'Don't tell me money doesn't motivate you. When you are in a hard sport like boxing and you are in a position where people want you, you start changing."
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Tyson Fury
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Tyson Fury's choice of words may have seen him face a public backlash of late, but this slideshow is just sticking to boxing.
And, in the ring, Fury's stock has never been higher.
A character who was never afraid to promote his own cause, the heavyweight got his shot against undisputed champion Wladimir Klitschko in November.
From the moment he dressed up as Batman at the initial press conference, Fury seemed to have his opponent confused. After being serenaded in the days prior to the fight, Klitschko didn't seem to know what to do once the first bell sounded. He threatened to throw a punch but rarely bothered to actually deliver one.
With the points victory, Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) became the new IBF, WBF and WBO world champion.
Since then he has made headlines for different reasons, while the IBF has already stripped him of its crown.
Still, the 27-year-old is the top dog in the division. As Kevin Mitchell wrote in the Guardian: "Any temptation to underplay Fury’s achievement should be sternly resisted."
Klitschko seems keen on a rematch, but his aura has been shattered by a man he branded a "bipolar psychopath," per Will Esco of Bad Left Hook.
Who knows what will happen with Tyson Luke Fury in 2016?
Anthony Joshua
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Anthony Joshua was an honourable mention in August, but he has forced his way onto the list with two contrasting victories in the second half of 2015.
The heavyweight became Commonwealth champion with a Round 1 destruction of Gary Cornish in September, which set him up for a rematch with Dillian Whyte.
The rivals had previously fought in the amateurs in 2009, with Whyte coming out on top on points.
However, Joshua gained revenge at the O2 Arena in London, overcoming a second-round wobble to stop The Villain in Round 7.
The victory means Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) now also has a British title in his collection. The aim, however, is clear: to become a world champion.
That was also the case a year ago, but the Joshua bandwagon is filling up quickly. Such is the level of interest that his bout with Whyte sold out in six hours, according to Sky Sports.
But the fighter understands he cannot get too carried away, per Michael Kelleher of Sky Sports: "Experience is key for me right now, so the next 12 months will be about building."
Liam Smith
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While Callum and Stephen missed out, Liam Smith (22-0-1, 12 KOs) made it into the top five.
A pressure fighter who excels at working up close to an opponent, Beefy recorded four stoppage wins in 2015.
He made family history in October when he became the first of the four brothers (eldest sibling Paul being the other) to win a world title. The 27-year-old knocked out American John Thompson at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, to claim the vacant WBO super welterweight belt.
Returning to the same venue for his first defence, Smith recorded a TKO victory over the brave but overmatched Jimmy Kelly.
Now, Smith has his sights set on some of the biggest names at the 154-pound limit—Bleacher Report previewed five potential opponents for the Liverpudlian.
However, he remains grounded, revealing to David Anderson of the Mirror after beating Kelly: "I had to clean my room this week because I've been away for a couple of days for this fight and I can't leave my room untidy."
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