The NEW "Face of Boxing"

[Taansend]

I know this is more US based than UK but you lot are knowledgeable so here we go.

Now that Crawford is gone & Canelo & Usyk are on the way out, who will be the new 'face of boxing'?

Inoue is still at the top of his game and if he beats Bam, especially in Vegas, then he'll be a crossover star but he'll have just a year or two left.

If Bam beats Inoue then he can claim to be P4P Number 1 but he's smaller & Americans don't really look below 147. Maybe if he gets a Featherweight belt that might change.

Benavidez is the obvious choice. If he does manage to beat Opetaia & move up to Heavy that would be huge. I'm not saying he'll win at Heavy but with his handspeed he has a chance against the right opponents. Saying that, beating Opetaia is no easy feat.

Opetaia could also be that man but less likely.

The other big choice is Ryan Garcia. He's in his prime now & has looked good in his last two fights but the two fights before that was a drug win & a lackadaisical loss to a poor Rolly. If he can beat Lopez or Haney (again) he'll be a proper superstar.

The last three names I have are Boots, Haney & Shakur.

In the ring Boots is a superstar but he's not anywhere on the publics radar yet. Haney is kind of known but mostly disliked. Shakur is amazing but not eye catching for the general public.

What's your view?

[Taansend]

Just wanted to add, if Dubois just keeps knocking people out it might be him if he wins a big fight in the USA.

[Grilling Machine]

Boots just feels destined to remain unheralded. Vergil Ortiz and Kabayel seem the most likely to me right now.

[gilgamesh]

David Benavidez

But ya never really know. I don't know if any of us would've suspected Canelo to become the dominant force in Boxing he became after getting shut out by Floyd but he did.

[Grilling Machine]

I'm not on board the Benavidez heavyweight hype train. He was obviously special at 175 but didn't meet the other two Bs, and thus far has a good win from his only cruiserweight fight.

But then maybe he'll beat Opetaia and resist the temptation. There's more fame and money at heavyweight until you lose. I think Benny could well become a cruiserweight star, especially if Bert moves up.

[gilgamesh]

I'm not on board the Benavidez heavyweight hype train. He was obviously special at 175 but didn't meet the other two Bs, and thus far has a good win from his only cruiserweight fight.

But then maybe he'll beat Opetaia and resist the temptation. There's more fame and money at heavyweight until you lose. I think Benny could well become a cruiserweight star, especially if Bert moves up.

A losing Heavyweight star makes more than a dominant Cruiserweight Champion. There's money at Heavyweight even if you lose. It's THE Glamour division of Boxing.

[overhand_right]

Dubois, Boots, Haney and Shakur don't have an iota of charisma between them. You need charisma to get over. Garcia has it to an extent but he's pretty flimsy and unlikely to sustain a winning run.

I see no one on the horizon.

[joshj909]

Benavidez has the potential as he's American, Hispanic and in a higher weight class. He just needs some name opponents to face like Bivol, Benavidez, or the heavyweights, for him to become more recognised. He would also need to win those fights.

The smaller guys like Shakur, Haney, Garcia, Tank etc. all need each other. The more they face each other, the more famous they as a group get.

Inoue is not going to be eclipsed by his fame in a single country by any of these guys but that doesn't translate to a global superstar.

Boots and Ortiz need to face each other for anyone to pay them attention.

Then there's the obvious one. Whoever becomes the most dominant heavyweight champ unless it's someone like Jalolov who doesn't have much charisma. Dubois also doesn't come off particularly well, so that leaves Hrgovic, Itauma and Kabayel, or perhaps if someone else steps up, and if they can become dominant.

[keithmoonhangover]

Depends which part of the earth you're talking about.

[jameswilson]

If you don’t think it’s Price Patel then you’re a raging racist.

[JamesPhilips]

Not sure about the face, but certainly the Voice of boxing is undisputed - Adam Benedict Smith

[PRINCEKOOL]

And what does this new face of boxing do? Appear on magazine front covers?

Note: There is no such thing as a face of boxing 'there is just a bunch of popular fighters'.

And the facts are? Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Canelo Alvarez are still the biggest fighters on the planet.

I don't think there are any current fighters just beneath them that can duplicate their scale of popularity 'but that is just my opinion'.

Joshua won the 2012 Olympics, Fury was the first fighter in 11 years to beat Wladimir Kiltschko, and Canelo Alvarez became a World Champion during the back end of the second greatest welter-weight era ever i.e. Mayweather, De La Hoya, Mosely, Cotto, Wright. Canelo Alvarez was active during that era'.

Now, fighters such as Daniel Dubois, Moses Itauma, David Benavidez 'all of those guys can be popular if they win, and have appeal. But it will be extremely difficult for them to approach the levels of Joshua, Fury and Alvarez'

Dubois has already been smashed numerous times, Itauma has just loss his first mega fight quite brutally, and David Benavidez is overrated' etc.

[gilgamesh]

Depends which part of the earth you're talking about.

That's very true. Inoue is surely the face of Boxing in Japan. Benavidez and Canelo I'm sure are the top 2 in Mexico I'd think. In America it's a toss up between those 3 still I guess.

Fury and Joshua are honestly still bigger names and bigger draws than Usyk I feel like even in spite of all Usyk has achieved.

Any of the other fighters who seem to have potential to be that level of star just don't fight enough to become it.

[gregregegg]

The old dogs are holding the spotlight and I think given that inoue is likely fading it will be too late for him to become the face of boxing....

I'd say ryan garcia and Moses .... (popular weights, popular countries, big talents, fun styles, and young enough)...

Bam, boots, benevidez, ddd, jai, could all in theory... (and plenty more I guess I'm just drawing a blank)

[CaptainSpacerod]

I’d like it to be Shakur.

In terms of achievement, Benavidez’ chemist must have a a good chance.

[KiwiRider]

Dubois, Boots, Haney and Shakur don't have an iota of charisma between them. You need charisma to get over. Garcia has it to an extent but he's pretty flimsy and unlikely to sustain a winning run.

I see no one on the horizon.

Yeah I'm inclined to agree.
Especially Dubois
Also they don't fight often enough. Canelo made his name by winning, but also by being in so many fights.

[golden_labrador]

I'm not on board the Benavidez heavyweight hype train. He was obviously special at 175 but didn't meet the other two Bs, and thus far has a good win from his only cruiserweight fight.

But then maybe he'll beat Opetaia and resist the temptation. There's more fame and money at heavyweight until you lose. I think Benny could well become a cruiserweight star, especially if Bert moves up.

Zuffa should buy Bert and lure him up to cruiserweight for his last few fights. Go out with a monster bang