10 Boxers to Keep an Eye on for the Future

After watching a recent fight where a fighter captured a title in his 10th pro bout, I thought Hmm maybe I should keep on eye on this guy.

Then that got me thinking who else should I be watching so I can tell my kids and my grandkids, yeah, I saw him fight 8, 9, or 10 times.

I think boxing is in a very exciting phase there are a lot of old stars ending their careers or just hanging on to them and a lot of young guys champing at the bit.

Of course everyone I put on here won't pan out like we all hoped, but these guys I think have a great shot at being superstars.

I only looked at guys who were 26 or younger and tried to find guys who were already really established.

After putting this together I realized that the junior welterweight division is going to be a fun one to watch as it dominates this list.

(Records from Boxrec.com)

10. Nathan Cleverly

Division: Light Heavyweight
Age: 22
Record: 18-8 (8)
Biggest win: Danny McIntosh (TKO 7)
Titles: Commonwealth (British Empire) Light Heavyweight Title, BBBofC British Light Heavyweight Title

Nathan just cracks the top 10, as he has a long way to go until he is fighting top opponents in the light heavyweight division, but I see promise.

He won the Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Title in his 13th fight, so the kid has some skills to be sure, but he lacks a real big time name on his resume.

They are moving him along slowly and there is nothing wrong with that, as he is only 22 and has time on his side.

He does fight for the vacant EBU (European) light heavyweight title in his next fight. If he wins this fight, he may be ready for the world stage. Something that may hurt him is his lack of power, but I think his boxing skills will make up for that, and I see him contending for a title in late 2011 or early 2012.

9. Devon Alexander

Division: Junior Welterweight
Age: 23
Record: 19-0 (12)
Biggest Win: Junior Witter (RTD 8 Won WBC Title)
Titles: WBC Junior Welterweight Title

At 23 years old, it is crazy to think that Devon is almost a 7 year pro. He turned pro at age 17 and hasn't looked back.

Devon didn't have any real big names on his resume when he got his shot at Junior Witter in 2009. His best win up to that point was against a past his prime DeMarcus Corley.

Once Devon was given a chance though he took full advantage against a experienced pro. He won when Witter hurt his left hand and decided to quit, but up to that point Devon was up on all score cards by scores of 79-73 (2x) and 80-72.

He was clearly the better man that night and I see more nights in his future where he is the man in charge.

8. Robert Guerrero

Division: Super Featherweight
Age: 26
Record: 25-1-1 (17)
Biggest Win: Spend Abazi (TKO 9 Won IBF Featherweight Title)
Titles: IBF Super Featherweight

The Ghost would be higher on this list but two things are going against him. His total lack of will against Daud Yordan and his wife having leukemia.

The no effort against Yordan really turned me off to Guerrero as I tuned into that fight expecting to see a future superstar in the ring.

I did not see one that night. As far as his wife goes it is understandable that he may take some time off of boxing to be with her. One thing he has going for him is that he is already a 2 division champion.

He has great boxing ability and has some pop in his punches as well. If he can regain focus and put his all into boxing he will be a very good fighter.

7. Victor Ortiz

Division: Junior Welterweight
Age: 23
Record: 25-2-1 (20)
Biggest Win: Antonio Diaz (RTD 7)
Titles: None

Victor Ortiz was tabbed as the next Oscar De La Hoya and so far it seems like that is a little off.

As far as the two losses go the first was a DQ that shouldn't be counted towards him and the second was an all out war with Marcos Maidana.

He is a fun guy to watch, has heavy hands, likes to get in the trenches and trade bombs.

Sometimes this isn't the right thing to do (against Maidana) but it is fun to watch. At 23, he has time to get back on track and I believe he will.

I actually think that the loss to Maidana will help him in the long run and when it is all said and done he will fulfill his potential and be a very good world champion.

6. Andre Ward

Division: Super Middleweight
Age: 25
Record: 21-0 (13)
Biggest Win: Mikkel Kessler (TD 11 Won WBA Title)
Titles: WBA Super Middleweight Title

Ward is coming off the biggest win in his career over Kessler and seems poised to break through and become a star in the super middleweight division.

He has some solid wins already and should get some more in the Super 6 tournament if he wins out. The only reason I have him at 6 is that the super middleweight division is stacked and it may be hard for him to rise to the top.

He has the skills and will to do so and I think it will be hard to stop this guy.

5. Beibut Shumenov

Division: Light Heavyweight
Age: 26
Record: 9-1 (6)
Biggest Win: Gabriel Campillo (SD 12 Won WBA Title Defended IBA Title)
Titles: WBA/IBA Light Heavyweight Titles

This is probably the most unknown fighter on the list but I am very high on him. I had the chance to catch his last fight on FSN against Campillo.

While he won in controversial fashion, I think this guy is the real deal. He has 10 fights and is a champion and has beaten the likes of Donnell Wiggins 24-11 going into that fight (4th fight for Beibut), Lavell Finger 26-2 going into the fight (5th for Beibut), Montell Griffin 49-7 going into the fight and was a former champion (6th fight for Beibut) Epifanio Mendoza 28-6-1 going into the fight (7th for Beibut) Byron Mitchell 27-4-1 going into the fight and former world champ (8th for Beibut) Gabriel Campillo 18-2 and WBA light heavyweight champ going in to the fight (9th for Beibut).

He was moved at a rapid pace and responded very well. He has heavy hands, is in good condition, and is very athletic.

I think he will hold a title for a long time and be the man of the light heavyweight division for years to come.

4. Timothy Bradley

Division: Junior Welterweight
Age: 26
Record: 25-0 (11)
Biggest Win: Junior Witter (SD 12 Won WBC Title)
Titles: WBO Junior Welterweight Title

He has already held the WBO and WBC titles and beaten Witter, Edner Cherry, Kendall Holt, and gave Lamont Peterson his first loss.

He was also on his way to winning against Nate Campbell until a head butt stopped the fight. Most people are opening their eyes up to him, if they haven't already and they like what they see.

He isn't a huge hitter but he can put people down (ask Kendall Holt) and has great skills. He is a guy who just knows how to fight and loves doing it. I think he will be a guy who always has a belt and is always near the top.

3. Marcos Rene Maidana

Division: Junior Welterweight
Age: 26
Record 27-1 (26)
Biggest Win: Victor Ortiz (TKO 6 Won Interim WBA Title)
Titles: Interim WBA Junior Welterweight Title

I will admit that I may be jumping the gun on this one but I just have a feeling about Marcos.

He could be another big puncher from South America who gets exposed and then does nothing else in his career but I don't see it with him.

He showed great heart against Ortiz by getting off the canvas and KO'ing Ortiz in the sixth.

He has the power to go with the heart and I think that will take him a long way. I don't know if how long he will be around, but I know he will be exciting while he is.

2. Amir Khan

Division: Junior Welterweight
Age: 22
Record: 22-1 (16)
Biggest Win: Andriy Kotelnik (Won WBA Title)
Titles: WBA Junior Welterweight Title

I really wanted to put Khan as the top guy. He is a world champion who has defended his belt once. He has power, he is very young, and he is marketable.

Despite all of that, I had to put him at number two. He hasn't had that fight against a really good guy that made me go hard for 12 rounds.

His jaw is suspect to say the least and it may be the thing that holds him back. I believe with improved defense his chin won't be an issue and he will be a very good world champion for a long time.

It is scary to think that he is just really starting to believe in himself, too. He is someone I see beating top guys for many years to come.

1. Juan Manuel Lopez

Division: Featherweight
Age: 26
Record: 28-0 (25)
Biggest Win: Daniel Ponce de Leon (TKO 1 Won WBO Super Bantamweight Title)
Titles: WBO Featherweight Title

This guy is without a doubt going to be a big time attraction for many years to come. I will never forget watching his title-winning fight.

I was tuned in to see Kelly Pavlik and was a fan of Ponce de Leon so I was excited to see his fight.

When the bell rang and Lopez destroyed him I knew I was seeing something special. Since that fight he has won another title and hasn't taken any easy fights.

Being the first to KO Gerry Penalosa was very impressive and caught my eye even more than the beatdown of Ponce de Leon.

The fight that made me sure he was a future star was the Mtagwa fight. That struggle showed that he has the heart to go with the power (and boy, does he have power). He seems to have all of the ingredients of a superstar.