Top Rank has a long history of signing fighters out of the Olympics and developing them into champions and superstars. The company has done it time and again, including with three of the biggest stars of their time: Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto.
Ask anyone at the company and they'll say they think they have a young fighter in lightweight Teofimo Lopez Jr. who has a chance to follow in their considerable footsteps.
Lopez, 21, was born in New York, raised in South Florida and now fights out of Las Vegas, but he represented his parents' home country of Honduras in the 2016 Olympics and was high on Top Rank's wish list. So far, he has been everything the company hoped for.
From the time Lopez turned pro two years ago he has looked like a future star, and nothing changed in 2018 when he won all four of his fights (three by knockout) and stepped up in competition in a sixth-round knockout of William Silva in July followed by a devastating 44-second knockout of Mason Menard, whom he put to sleep face first with a single right hand that opened an ESPN telecast Dec. 8.
"As every opponent gets better I make it look easy," he said. "My skills are getting to the point where the world title will be coming close. You don't let [the hype] get to you. You don't let it get to your head. You just keep doing what you're doing. I could easily, with a lack of concentration, have that all be gone with one fight, with one mistake.
"I've developed a lot since the Olympic Games and we're only getting better. We've grown a lot and I just can't wait for what's to come in 2019."
Besides his deep amateur background, he has gained tremendous experience sparring with numerous top pros, including Shawn Porter, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Gervonta Davis, Yordenis Ugas and Luke Campbell.
Lopez will open 2019 with another fight that is supposed to be a test against former lightweight title challenger Diego Magdaleno (31-2, 13 KOs) on Feb. 2 on ESPN and says he believes he'll fight for a world title by year's end.
"2019 is going to be very huge for me," he said. "No matter what, I declare that in 2019 I will become world champion. I have all the tools. I have everything set for me to become world champion. Every time I fight I'm taking over. I'm doing everything to always steal the show."
jamamb wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 02:49
if im banking on a prospect, it might be jaron ennis
Ennis is very good and has started stepping up his level of competition. He could be the next world champ from Philadelphia, which has a long-standing tradition of world champs like B-Hop & Joe Frazier, all the way back to old-timers like Philadelphia Jack O'Brien from the early 1900s.
jamamb wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 02:49
if im banking on a prospect, it might be jaron ennis
all the best welterweight prospects are from europe
Kavaliauskas ( if you still call him a prospect)
Besputin
Lejarraga
Kelly
Golub
Butaev
Stanionis
Ennis would dispute that shallow claim. Your boy Golub already lost to an American prospect named Jamontay Clark. Malik Hawkins, Mykal Fox & Jamal James are other solid US prospects at welter too.
Sounds like you might qualify as what "jamamb" refers to as a European fan boy.
jamamb wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 02:49
if im banking on a prospect, it might be jaron ennis
all the best welterweight prospects are from europe
Kavaliauskas ( if you still call him a prospect)
Besputin
Lejarraga
Kelly
Golub
Butaev
Stanionis
Ennis would dispute that shallow claim. Your boy Golub already lost to an American prospect named Jamontay Clark. Malik Hawkins, Mykal Fox & Jamal James are other solid US prospects at welter too.
Sounds like you might qualify as what "jamamb" refers to as a European fan boy.
I dont know if you watched Golub-Clark fight, but that was big time robbery. But if we talk about prospects of year, im going with Jaron Ennis. On the other hand, i dont think he belongs to the ring with current champions, 147 is very talented
Skalamanga wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 01:23
boxing media and fans only wanna mention the USA prospects, being ignorant to other nations prospects who are just as good if not better.
My choices would be
Filip Hrgovic
Alexander Besputin
Alexey Egorov
Vladimir Shishkin
Artem Chebotarev
Chistian Mbilli
Serhii Bohachuk
All elite prospects. ^
Very good list. Besputin would be my choice, though.
all the best welterweight prospects are from europe
Kavaliauskas ( if you still call him a prospect)
Besputin
Lejarraga
Kelly
Golub
Butaev
Stanionis
Ennis would dispute that shallow claim. Your boy Golub already lost to an American prospect named Jamontay Clark. Malik Hawkins, Mykal Fox & Jamal James are other solid US prospects at welter too.
Sounds like you might qualify as what "jamamb" refers to as a European fan boy.
I dont know if you watched Golub-Clark fight, but that was big time robbery. But if we talk about prospects of year, im going with Jaron Ennis. On the other hand, i dont think he belongs to the ring with current champions, 147 is very talented
He probably wont be ready for a world title challenge until he's got about 28-30 pro bouts under his belt. Because you are definitely correct when you say he's not ready yet for the likes of Crawford, Spence or Thurman!!
Skalamanga wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 01:23
boxing media and fans only wanna mention the USA prospects, being ignorant to other nations prospects who are just as good if not better.
My choices would be
Filip Hrgovic
Alexander Besputin
Alexey Egorov
Vladimir Shishkin
Artem Chebotarev
Chistian Mbilli
Serhii Bohachuk
All elite prospects. ^
There is some media bias but numerous non-American prospects have been spotlighted in the past. If you had read the article linked above you would know that 9 of the 19 ESPN Prospects of the Year have been non-American fighters:
Rafael's Prospects of the Year
2018: Teofimo Lopez Jr.
2017: Ryan Garcia
2016: Erickson Lubin
2015: Errol Spence Jr. 2014: Felix Verdejo
2013: Vasiliy Lomachenko
2012: David Price
2011: Gary Russell Jr. 2010: Canelo Alvarez
2009: Daniel Jacobs
2008: Victor Ortiz 2007: Amir Khan
2006: Andre Berto 2005: Joel Julio
2004: Samuel Peter
2003: Jermain Taylor 2002: Miguel Cotto
2001: Francisco Bojado
2000: Julio Diaz
jamamb wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 02:49
if im banking on a prospect, it might be jaron ennis
all the best welterweight prospects are from europe
Kavaliauskas ( if you still call him a prospect)
Besputin
Lejarraga
Kelly
Golub
Butaev
Stanionis
Ennis would dispute that shallow claim. Your boy Golub already lost to an American prospect named Jamontay Clark. Malik Hawkins, Mykal Fox & Jamal James are other solid US prospects at welter too.
Sounds like you might qualify as what "jamamb" refers to as a European fan boy.
OK you've just exposed yourself there. I can actually tell you DEFINITELY haven't watched that fight.
There you go ^ watch that fight. and Tell me how the hell Clark won that fight. That was the biggest robbery I have ever seen in my life. Golub won every single round. At least read the comments section! Golub hasn't done nothing wrong as a pro so far.
No fan boy. All those guys ( apart from Lejarraga) were all top amateurs they are all relatively young and they all can punch. Any list of Welterweight prospects without them would be void.
James is a bum who lost to Ugas , Fox couldn't crack an egg, and I've never even heard of Hawkins till now.
Welterweight is the only division USA still dominate, that's why a lot of yanks ONLY talk about the welterweight division. But judging by the prospects coming up looks like it'll go exactly the same way as many of the other divisions have gone you're gonna have to deal with that I'm sorry to say.
You got me on that one. I hadnt seen the Clark-Golub video but that does not validate your ridiculous claim that Jaron Ennis doesnt belong in the same discussion as Euro prospects like Lejarraga, Golub and Butaev.
Ennis is a slick-boxing, power-punching switch-hitter whose smooth transition from southpaw to right brings to mind Terence Crawford.
I hope you are open to a prediction thread for Current Scene where we all predict who will be the first 2016 Olympian to win a major world title as a pro. Are you willing to back up your boasts with some predictions? I'll be working up something for the near future
Best Coast wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 20:11
You got me on that one. I hadnt seen the Clark-Golub video but that does not validate your ridiculous claim that Jaron Ennis doesnt belong in the same discussion as Euro prospects like Lejarraga, Golub and Butaev.
Ennis is a slick-boxing, power-punching switch-hitter whose smooth transition from southpaw to right brings to mind Terence Crawford.
I hope you are open to a prediction thread for Current Scene where we all predict who will be the first 2016 Olympian to win a major world title as a pro. Are you willing to back up your boasts with some predictions? I'll be working up something for the near future
I didn't quite say that. Ennis looks good. I'll rephrase then instead of 'all the best welter prospects are from europe', I'm saying the vast majority of the best welterweight prospects are from Europe
