5 Fighters to Look Out for in 2016
With 2016 almost upon us, it is time to get out the crystal ball and attempt to gaze into the future.
Bleacher Report has turned into Mystic Meg and picked out five fighters who could be set for big things in the year ahead.
Okay, so you hardly need to be a leading psychic to work out some of the names that feature in this slideshow.
However, predicting anything in boxing is always dangerous, considering career paths can be completely altered by a dodgy result, a bad choice of opponent or even just one big punch.
The criteria for selection was as follows: You must have had fewer than 20 fights as a professional, while you could not have challenged for a world title.
The emphasis here is on those who could make an impact at the highest level.
Honourable Mentions
1 of 6
Luke Campbell (12-1, 10 KOs) would have made the final cut had he not lost to Frenchman Yvan Mendy in December.
Just like lightweight Campbell, Mitchell Smith came a cropper in his final outing of the year. The super featherweight (13-1, 7 KOs) was surprisingly beaten by domestic rival George Jupp.
Apologies to light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez, who boasts a 19-0 (10 KOs) record and has yet to win a world title. He is, though, in line to challenge Adonis Stevenson, per Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook.
Another fighter in the same division as Alvarez who missed out was Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KOs), while Puerto Rican lightweight Felix Verdejo (19-0, 14 KOs) and Mexico's up-and-coming super featherweight Oscar Valdez (18-0, 16 KOs) were also considered.
Also, a brief mention for two fighters who blatantly failed to meet the selection criteria but could have big things in store for 2016: David Haye and Demetrius Andrade.
Good luck to them and all the other names mentioned.
Anthony Joshua
2 of 6
Division: Heavyweight
Record: 15-0 (15 KOs)
Anthony Joshua is an obvious choice for this list. The heavyweight is unbeaten since turning pro and is already the British and Commonwealth champion.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist was given his first serious test by arch-rival Dillian Whyte in December.
Whyte defeated Joshua in the amateurs and looked on course to make it two wins from two when he wobbled his opponent in Round 2 of an ill-tempered bout at the O2 Arena in London.
However, Joshua recovered from the shock of seeing someone finally throw a punch at him. He regained his composure and went on to produce a knockout in Round 7.
Per Richard Damerell of Sky Sports, former world champion Carl Froch was impressed by the performance: "Everybody is blowing the Anthony Joshua trumpet, that he's going to be a world champion—me as well—and that solidified my opinion that he will be a world champion one day."
It is hard not to get carried away by Joshua—he is a man mountain with muscles on muscles who just keeps knocking opponents out.
But heavyweights can come a cropper in a hurry. David Price was seen as the great heavyweight hope from Britain not so long ago, but his career nosedived in a hurry.
Good matchmaking is needed to put Joshua on the correct path to a world title late in 2016.
Joseph Parker
3 of 6
Division: Heavyweight
Record: 17-0 (15 KOs)
Unbeaten heavyweight Joseph Parker doesn't lack in self-belief.
According to David Skipwith of the New Zealand Herald, the 23-year-old believes he is already capable of beating the biggest names in the division: "If I train hard and have a great training camp and I'm as prepared as I can be, I can take any heavyweight in the world."
Such statements can come back to bite you, but the New Zealander has shown in his 17 fights to date that he can progress quickly to the top table.
Parker recorded five victories by knockout in 2015 and is the current WBO Oriental champion.
Ring Magazine have been suitably impressed by the fighter's progress to date, as they included him on their list of finalists for Prospect of the Year for 2015.
The experienced Kali Meehan—who has been 12 rounds with Lamon Brewster and Ruslan Chagaev in a long career—is the most notable name on Parker's list of victims.
Parker faces Jason Bergman on January 23, but the time has come to test him in deeper waters.
As is the case with fellow heavyweight Joshua, it is about picking the right foes for a young fighter with huge potential.
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Callum Smith
4 of 6
Division: Super middleweight
Record: 18-0 (13 KOs)
Callum Smith captured the British title in stunning fashion in November, flattening Rocky Fielding inside a round.
The clash between the two super middleweights from Liverpool, England, always had the potential to be over quickly, but few thought it wouldn't even get past the opening three minutes.
Mundo is unlikely to hang around at domestic level to defend his Lonsdale belt.
According to Phil D Jay of World Boxing News, the European Boxing Union set a deadline of December 17 for purse bids for a fight between their current champion, Hadillah Mohoumadi, and Smith.
However, Eddie Hearn—the Englishman's promoter—could bypass the European title completely.
Hearn wrote in his column for the Daily Mail in November: "Right now the target is Badou Jack for the WBC world title. Callum is ranked No 1 with them but there is no way Jack will fight him as a voluntary defence. Not after what Callum did to Rocky."
Smith is tall (standing at 6'3") and has a career knockout ratio of 72 per cent.
A move up to light heavyweight looks likely in the long run—but not before he's had a crack at winning a world title at the 168-pound limit.
Errol Spence Jr.
5 of 6
Division: Welterweight
Record: 19-0 (16 KOs)
The unbeaten Errol Spence Jr. is nicknamed The Truth.
The truth is, however, that we could find out exactly how good the welterweight is in 2016.
The southpaw from Texas failed to pick up a medal at the 2012 Olympics in London but seems much better suited to life in the paid ranks.
He stopped Samuel Vargas, Phil Lo Greco, Chris van Heerden and Alejandro Barrera all by TKO during 2015, with his profile boosted by appearing on Premier Boxing Champions cards on free-to-air television.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated selected the 25-year-old as his top prospect in his end-of-year awards for 2015, writing:
"Stories about Spence in sparring have only boosted his profile. He gave Mayweather a black eye. He knocked down Adrien Broner. Mayweather has already tabbed Spence as boxing’s next big thing and says he is ready for a world title fight, citing Keith Thurman as a preferred opponent. For those reasons and more, Spence is SI.com’s 2015 Prospect of the Year.
"
The 147-pound division is a crowded scene right now, but Spence Jr. is ready to be thrown into the mix.
Per Fightnews.com, he is now ranked in the top 10 by both the WBC and the IBF. A shot at a world title looks a certainty at some stage over the next 12 months.
Khalid Yafai
6 of 6
Division: Super flyweight
Record: 17-0 (11 KOs)
Khalid Yafai has already won both the British and Commonwealth titles at super flyweight.
The fighter from Birmingham, England, might have had a world-title opportunity already had his career not been held up by a bicep injury.
He told Alistair Hendrie of BoxingScene.com: "I was told by the doctors that because I’m young and healthy I would be less at risk, but a lot of older fighters would have retired after similar injuries."
Still, at the age of 26, he has time on his side.
Yafai quickly impressed after turning pro for his ability to throw spiteful body punches, leading to a string of quick finishes. He has 11 knockouts on his CV, with four of those stoppages coming in Round 1.
However, Kal has also shown he can go the distance. He has twice gone 12 rounds, including against Jason Cunningham in October when he picked up the Lonsdale belt.
A member of Britain's boxing team at the 2008 Olympics, Yafai was team-mates with current world champions James DeGale and Billy Joe Saunders.
He will hope to follow in their footsteps and pick up a major belt of his own in 2016.
Is there a fighter you think is destined for big things in the coming months? Let Bleacher Report know by using the comments section.
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