Boxers Most Likely to Have Their Breakout Moments in 2015
Excitement has been growing among boxing fans about the potential of Keith Thurman and the Charlo twins for the past two years. And 2015 should be the year when all three of them have their first fights against opponents from the very top of the division.
The winner of Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder's championship tilt next weekend should also emerge as a genuine star. For a while, at least, there will be a North American fighter legitimately hoisting a banner in the heavyweight division.
Making predictions for a list like this requires doing a little bit of guessing as to potential matchmaking over the year ahead. That's never an easy task.
Still, the fighters on this list are all lined up to win their first truly major fights in 2015.
Francisco Vargas, Super Featherweight
1 of 8
Undefeated super featherweight Francisco Vargas used 2014 to put himself in a strong position for big fights going forward. In March, he won a hard-fought decision over Abner Cotto, and in July, he smashed former featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez in three rounds.
Lopez has made it a habit to get knocked out in recent years, but it was still an impressive, high-profile win for Vargas. Vargas also looked terrific in December 2013, when he shut out Jerry Belmontes, a tough contender who went life-or-death with WBC lightweight champion Omar Figueroa this past April.
Super featherweight is a wide-open division as the year begins. A fight with WBO champion Orlando Salido could be Vargas' quickest way to win a belt. I'd also like his chances against IBF champion Rances Barthelemy.
Viktor Postol, Light Welterweight
2 of 8
If I were the czar of boxing, Danny Garcia would have defended his light welterweight titles against Viktor Postol last year.
Postol has length and outstanding skill. I think he'd be the toughest fight out there for the champion.
What he doesn't have is a ton of name recognition in the United States. But that has been building. The undefeated Ukrainian stopped Selcuk Aydin last May on a premium-cable fight.
That's better than Robert Guerrero was able to do against Aydin in 2012, and that win was a large part of what earned Guerrero his shot at Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
Postol should get a title shot at some point during 2015, even if it is for Garcia's vacated belts. I'd pick him over most of the likely opponents.
Keith Thurman, Welterweight
3 of 8
In the past two years, Keith Thurman has emerged as one of the hottest rising stars in the sport. The undefeated welterweight contender has the kind of explosive, fight-ending power that excites fans.
But he's also got the sort of boxing intelligence that allows a fighter to adjust and alter strategy in the middle of a fight, as he showed against brawlers Diego Chaves and Jesus Soto Karass. It's easy to watch Thurman in action and think you are seeing a future superstar.
Thurman has built up expectations so much that when he shut out veteran, undefeated European Champion Leonard Bundu 120-107 on all three cards, it was viewed as a disappointing performance.
In 2015, Thurman will almost certainly step into the ring with another top fighter in the division. Marcos Maidana seems like a good possibility. I'd also love to see Thurman paired off with IBF champion Kell Brook.
When a fighter starts competing at that level, nothing is guaranteed. But those are the kind of wins Thurman needs to start collecting to truly fulfill his potential.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Julian Williams, Junior Middleweight
4 of 8
In truth, junior middleweight contender Julian Williams might still be another year away from collecting a breakout win. The waiting line for big fights in the 154-pound division is a long one.
But talent and pedigree like Williams boasts can help a fighter jump spaces. Williams is a Philadelphia fighter with a deep amateur background.
He is also just 24, so he has time to continue developing. But Williams was already pounding veterans like Joachim Alcine over a year ago. Now 18-0 with 11 stoppages, there's a good chance he'll win a major fight before the end of 2015.
Jermall Charlo, Junior Middleweight
5 of 8
Jermall Charlo is the oldest of the Charlo twins by about a minute. He also appears to be the brother with the most power, having stopped 16 of the 20 opponents he's faced.
Charlo was an outstanding amateur and is trained by the great Ronnie Shields. In addition to his brother, he spars routinely with junior middleweight standout Erislandy Lara.
The undefeated Charlo nearly got his big break last year, when he was supposed to face IBF junior middleweight champion Carlos Molina on the Saul Alvarez-Alfredo Angulo undercard. But Molina was picked up on an outstanding warrant when he entered Las Vegas, and the fight had to be scrapped.
But Charlo's time will come. Expect to see him in a title shot in 2015.
Jermell Charlo, Junior Middleweight
6 of 8
Of the two Charlo twins, Jermell has faced the better competition to date. He is 25-0 with 11 KOs, and the opponents he's beaten include Demetrius Hopkins, the nephew of boxing legend Bernard Hopkins.
But the win that really made me start paying attention to Charlo was his dominant win a year ago against rugged journeyman Gabriel Rosado. Rosado's record doesn't show it, but he's been one of the toughest outs in the sport in recent years.
Rosado gave WBO middleweight champion Peter Quillin all he could handle, before losing on cuts. Rosado was robbed against then-undefeated super middleweight prospect J'Leon Love, in a fight that was later changed to a no-contest, when Love tested positive for PEDs.
But Charlo completely undressed Rosado. It sent notice to the entire boxing world that a new threat had emerged at 154.
The Charlo twins could be two of the biggest stars in the sport in coming years. They should both fight major opponents in 2015.
Deontay Wilder, Heavyweight
7 of 8
North American boxing fans have been waiting for a long time for a hero to emerge at heavyweight. I love boxing precisely because it is a weight-class sport and I appreciate all the stars, from the lowest division on up.
But I came of age as a sports fan in the late 1970s, when the Heavyweight Championship was still the biggest title in sports. I went to high school during the Tyson era and left the Army and started college just in time for the Holyfield-Bowe rivalry.
I appreciate the Klitschko brothers and think it's a shame they've never received the respect they deserve in the United States. But there's no doubt that the Klitschko era has been a low point in heavyweight history, which means the status of boxing as a whole has suffered in the United States.
Deontay Wilder is the most promising United States heavyweight to emerge in a generation. The Bronze Bomber medaled in the 2004 Olympics and has knocked out his first 32 opponents within the first four rounds.
He's also years overdue for a serious step up in competition. But next weekend, he'll finally get it when he faces off with WBC champion Bermane Stiverne.
I'm actually picking Stiverne to win this fight. But Wilder's power is undeniable. To beat Wilder, Stiverne will have to get close enough to hit him, and that means the champion will be in danger during the fight.
For that reason, Wilder has to be viewed as among the most likely fighters to record a breakout win this year.
Bermane Stiverne, Heavyweight
8 of 8
You could argue that Bermane Stiverne had his breakout moment last May, when he stopped Chris Arreola in a rematch and captured the vacant WBC heavyweight belt. But the bump he took in recognition after that win is very small compared to what will await him if he can turn back Deontay Wilder next weekend.
Stiverne is a Haitian native and a Canadian citizen, but he's based out of Las Vegas now and is currently undergoing the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. American boxing fans have been waiting for years for a heavyweight who can get our hopes up.
Even though he's the champion, Wilder is the less well-known fighter heading into his showdown with Wilder, who has stopped 32 straight opponents to start his career. But he's a far more dangerous fighter than anybody Wilder has faced.
I'm picking Stiverne to prevail, and emerging from this kind of heavyweight showdown will bring his reputation to a new level.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
