The fighter: Haney became one of boxing's youngest-ever world titleholders at the age of 20 last year, and he has recently been training with former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather. Devin Haney (24-0, 15 KOs), 21, WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney owns the WBC lightweight title and is hoping to unify the division. Stevenson is the precocious type he wants to go belt hunting as soon as possible and quickly cement his legacy at junior lightweight. Stevenson's run at 126 pounds was short-lived, as he recently moved up in weight and vacated this belt.įuture/ceiling/expectations: Hopefully, Stevenson gets to fight any of the junior lightweight titleholders - Miguel Berchelt, Joseph Diaz Jr., Leo Santa Cruz and Jamel Herring. Boxing from the southpaw stance, he has a great understanding of spacing and distance.Īccomplishments/biggest moment: Back in the fall, Stevenson decisively outpointed Joet Gonzalez to win the vacant WBO featherweight title. Stevenson is a smart fighter inside the ring with an unerring confidence in his own abilities. Stevenson developed quickly, and he has become one of the very best young boxers in the sport. The fighter: Stevenson, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, was signed with much fanfare out of the Olympics, and he hasn't disappointed. Shakur Stevenson (14-0, 8 KOs), 24, former WBO featherweight champion Benavidez will probably move up to the ultra-competitive light heavyweight division at some point, but he should wait until getting his opportunities at 168. Benavidez peaked early by winning a world title at age 20, and I don't think he can upset Canelo or dislodge Callum Smith from the top spot at super middleweight but a unification fight with IBF titlist Caleb Plant is one he wins. Two years later, Benavidez won back the belt after stopping Andre Dirrell in the ninth round.įuture/ceiling/expectations: A big, money-spinning fight would be a clash against middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez - or if that match doesn't materialize, a fight against any of the other world titleholders at 168 pounds. 2 in the division in the latest ESPN divisional rankings, and he has revived his career following a positive drug test for cocaine in September 2018, resulting in him being stripped of the title and kept out of the ring for 13 months.Īccomplishments/biggest moment: In September 2017, the then-20-year-old Benavidez became the youngest ever super middleweight titleholder when he defeated Ronald Gavril by split decision to win the WBC belt. The fighter: Benavidez is a two-time WBC super middleweight titlist. David Benavidez, (22-0, 19 KOs), 23, WBC super middleweight titlist David Benavidez is only 23, but he is already a two-time super middleweight world titleholder. A win against Lomachenko would make Lopez the sport's youngest superstar - and he would've done it the right way. Sometimes it's not if you win a title, but how you do so.įuture/ceiling/expectations: There has been talk of a showdown with unified lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, the best fighter in the division and ESPN's No. He has great counterpunching skills, incredible timing, accuracy and power.Īccomplishments/biggest moment: In an era during which many boxers win a watered-down version of a world title, Lopez went out and dominated the respected - and normally durable - Richard Commey in a second-round TKO victory in December to win Commey's IBF belt. From the time he turned professional in 2016, Lopez consistently showed he was the Top Rank prospect with the highest ceiling. (15-0, 12 KOs), 22, IBF lightweight titlist It wasn't an easy task to rank them, but this incredible collection of talent shows that boxing is in good hands in the years to come. The list, composed by a panel of ESPN boxing contributors, shines a spotlight on the best prospects in the sport as well as some promising up-and-comers, title contenders and a few fighters who are already world champions, including Teofimo Lopez Jr., Shakur Stevenson and Ryan Garcia. In putting together a list of the best 25 fighters under the age of 25, Ortiz was an obvious selection. Ortiz scored stoppage victories in all four of his fights in 2019, and this year was supposed to be when he made the jump to title contender in a stacked welterweight division. Vergil Ortiz, the 2019 prospect of the year, returns to the ring Friday for his first fight of 2020.
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