AMATEUR STANDOUTS WHO RECENTLY BEGAN FIGHTING AS PROS

[Best Coast]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

[jamamb]

aside from more money its just easier to get into other sports too. a sport such as basketball is in pretty much all schools no matter the social level and they do them from a young age. how many amercan teenagers can serously say theyve never played some basketball?

and you can just grab a ball and play w/o gettng a bloody nose

[Best Coast]

aside from more money its just easier to get into other sports too. a sport such as basketball is in pretty much all schools no matter the social level and they do them from a young age. how many amercan teenagers can serously say theyve never played some basketball?

and you can just grab a ball and play w/o gettng a bloody nose

Great point. When a boxer is asked how he got involved with the sport he usually says a relative, friend or local cop took him to the gym to help him give direction to his life. So a kid/teen has to be pro-active to seek out a place where he can learn the sport, unlike the school/playground environment you mention where he never leaves the neighborhood and the sport comes to him.

[damianhucker1]

Maybe could include Ekow Essuman in this thread http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/780772
6-0 in slightly over a year since turned pro, next scheduled to be out again end of march
Former member of British Lionhearts in WBS
Currently signed to Frank W arren

[oogiebe]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

Sometimes when I see a tight end or power forward, I imagine what kind of fighter he would have been...

[Escorpioza]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

thats just an excuse why the USA is bad in boxing while the real reason is is that boxing has become much more popular worldwide.. In all other countries except USA football is the most popular sport and pays much better then boxing so u can say the same argument other countries are losing boxers to football

[Cent0089]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

thats just an excuse why the USA is bad in boxing while the real reason is is that boxing has become much more popular worldwide.. In all other countries except USA football is the most popular sport and pays much better then boxing so u can say the same argument other countries are losing boxers to football

Boxing was always popular worldwide, but proffesional boxing was restricted in many of them. Lot of solid guys from eastern Europe in recent years because of professional boxing legalization after USSR collapse. Imagine if Cubans went to pro.

[candyslim]

Watched Efe Ajagba. Nice fighter.

Very promising to be sure. And while on the subject of promising African heavies, Martin Bakole Ilunga and Onoriode Ehwarieme (I might have spelt that wrong but I don't think so) are the other two of the three to keep a track of.

[candyslim]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

Actually that's rather depressing.. i mean money aside I'm sure it must be very rewarding to be thought of as, say for example, the best linebacker currently playing in the NFL, but surely it doesn't compare with being the Heavyweight Champion of the World does it?

I should probably STF up, because i don't really khow what I'm talking about when it comes to US team sports and my opinions about boxing were formed long ago when everyone everywhere knew who the HC of the W was. Carry on.

[Best Coast]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

thats just an excuse why the USA is bad in boxing while the real reason is is that boxing has become much more popular worldwide.. In all other countries except USA football is the most popular sport and pays much better then boxing so u can say the same argument other countries are losing boxers to football

Your twisted 'logic' makes zero sense. First off the US is not "bad in boxing" but currently devoid of talent in the HEAVIEST weight classes that we used to dominate for MANY decades (until early 2000s). American football is a contact sport, unlike soccer, called football everywhere else. NFL (and even most US college football players) are much taller and heavier than their non-American soccer counterparts. So European (or other non-US) players who are lured away from boxing by soccer would be much smaller than the 6'4"+/200+ pound American athletes lured away from boxing into MUCH more lucrative careers in NFL/NBA.

Next time think it through before spewing your nonsense.

[Best Coast]

Maybe could include Ekow Essuman in this thread http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/780772
6-0 in slightly over a year since turned pro, next scheduled to be out again end of march
Former member of British Lionhearts in WBS
Currently signed to Frank W arren

Thanks...do you know what his amateur achlevements were? I havent found anything on him...

[jamamb]

although one another hand the us has 330m ppl. maybe even wth large guys gong to other sports overall theres stll as many gong to hw boxng as smaller countres

uk for example only has 65m ppl but has had 3 hw number 1s wth lennox fury and aj

but on the other other hand ppl tend to frame thngs as usa vs euorpe whch then puts several countres together vs just the 1 usa

[Best Coast]

For years, the USA is losing heavyweights to NFL and NBA...smart athletes. Bad for us.

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

Actually that's rather depressing.. i mean money aside I'm sure it must be very rewarding to be thought of as, say for example, the best linebacker currently playing in the NFL, but surely it doesn't compare with being the Heavyweight Champion of the World does it?

I should probably STF up, because i don't really khow what I'm talking about when it comes to US team sports and my opinions about boxing were formed long ago when everyone everywhere knew who the HC of the W was. Carry on.

Your input is valid despite lacking any deep knowledge of US team sports (unlike "Escorpiozola" who THINKS he knows American sports). NFL took over as America's most popular sport several decades ago. Just to illustrate how much it has dominated the American sports scene, it wasnt until about 2009, when Manny Pacquiao became a genuine global superstar by beating DeLaHoya that he became the best known "Pacman" in American sports. Before that point if you said the name "Pacman" to the average American sports fan he would think you were referring to Adam "Pacman" Jones, a good but far-from-great NFL player.

Even today, when it comes to general American sports fans, most average US fans who could name 50-75 NFL players couldnt even tell you who Deontay Wilder is. Some would say boxer but few would ID him as HW champ. Boxing has become a niche sport in the US.

If you asked your average American sports fan to name any current boxers they would name Floyd, Pac and (for Mexican-Americans) Canelo. Beyond that very few general sports fans recognize names like Crawford, Spence, Wilder, etc.

[Best Coast]

although one another hand the us has 330m ppl. maybe even wth large guys gong to other sports overall theres stll as many gong to hw boxng as smaller countres

uk for example only has 65m ppl but has had 3 hw number 1s wth lennox fury and aj

but on the other other hand ppl tend to frame thngs as usa vs euorpe whch then puts several countres together vs just the 1 usa

Europe's rise in HW boxing has coincided with America's decline: Dempsey > Louis > Marciano > Ali > Frazier > Foreman > Holmes > Tyson > Holyfield (all household names) were winding down right at the turn of the new millennium just as Lewis > Klitschkos > Joshua were starting to ascend. Things transpire in cycles...cycles rise & fade. Who knows what the future holds but that is the CURRENT trend.

[damianhucker1]

Maybe could include Ekow Essuman in this thread http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/780772
6-0 in slightly over a year since turned pro, next scheduled to be out again end of march
Former member of British Lionhearts in WBS
Currently signed to Frank W arren

Thanks...do you know what his amateur achlevements were? I havent found anything on him...

I dont know what tournaments he won etc tbh

Best i can do for now (while i dig around, or just ask him) is to post this video that was put together when he was pushing for the olympics in rio, although he didnt go as Josh Kelly was selected ahead of him so decided was the time to turn pro instead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... -coTWNMBbk

[oogiebe]

Absolutely agree!! Deontay Wilder is the closest we have had to a great American HW in almost 2 decades. Why should a 6'6" super athlete from the US turn to boxing when he can make millions more in the NFL or NBA? Most NFL/NBA stars make WAY more than 98% of today's boxers with salaries surpassed by only the biggest boxing names: Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, etc . Even Deontay is making FAR less than star football/basketball players in the US.

thats just an excuse why the USA is bad in boxing while the real reason is is that boxing has become much more popular worldwide.. In all other countries except USA football is the most popular sport and pays much better then boxing so u can say the same argument other countries are losing boxers to football

Your twisted 'logic' makes zero sense. First off the US is not "bad in boxing" but currently devoid of talent in the HEAVIEST weight classes that we used to dominate for MANY decades (until early 2000s). American football is a contact sport, unlike soccer, called football everywhere else. NFL (and even most US college football players) are much taller and heavier than their non-American soccer counterparts. So European (or other non-US) players who are lured away from boxing by soccer would be much smaller than the 6'4"+/200+ pound American athletes lured away from boxing into MUCH more lucrative careers in NFL/NBA.

Next time think it through before spewing your nonsense.

[Best Coast]

Maybe could include Ekow Essuman in this thread http://boxrec.com/en/boxer/780772
6-0 in slightly over a year since turned pro, next scheduled to be out again end of march
Former member of British Lionhearts in WBS
Currently signed to Frank W arren

Thanks...do you know what his amateur achlevements were? I havent found anything on him...

I dont know what tournaments he won etc tbh

Best i can do for now (while i dig around, or just ask him) is to post this video that was put together when he was pushing for the olympics in rio, although he didnt go as Josh Kelly was selected ahead of him so decided was the time to turn pro instead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... -coTWNMBbk

Thanks...he's got great hand speed. Did he have any amateur experience in Botswana before coming to UK?

[Best Coast]

Recently added 2 Uzbeks who were medal winners in the 2016 Olympics plus a handful of Americans. The Uzbek prospects just debuted as pros on Evander Holyfield's "Real Deal Boxing" promotion in NYC last weekend. Here's the new guys:

MIDDLEWEIGHT

JONATHAN ESQUIVEL U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Jonathan_Esquivel

SUPER WELTERS

RANDY FOSTER U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Randy_Foster

ALEX RINCON U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Alex_Rincon

WELTER

SHAKHRAM GIYASOV Uzbekistan http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Shakhram_Giyasov

LIGHTWEIGHTS

MALIEK MONTGOMERY U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Maliek_Montgomery

FRANK MARTIN U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Frank_Martin

FEATHER

MURODJON AKHMADALIEV Uzbekistan http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Murodjon_Akhmadaliev

Giyasov & Akhmadaliev join Gaibnazarov & Tulaganov (on the main list above) as 2016 OG medalists from Uzbekistan now campaigning as pros and ALL FOUR are based in the US.

It's unprecedented for that many Olympic medalists from a former Iron Curtain country to turn pro in such a short time (11 months). The only times so many Olympic medalists from ANY country turned pro in such a brief time span were 1984 and 1976 when a bunch of US Olympians did it.

[damianhucker1]

Thanks...do you know what his amateur achlevements were? I havent found anything on him...

I dont know what tournaments he won etc tbh

Best i can do for now (while i dig around, or just ask him) is to post this video that was put together when he was pushing for the olympics in rio, although he didnt go as Josh Kelly was selected ahead of him so decided was the time to turn pro instead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... -coTWNMBbk

Thanks...he's got great hand speed. Did he have any amateur experience in Botswana before coming to UK?

Im fairly sure he moved to the UK as a child so i wouldnt have thought so.

[Best Coast]

Just added Russian 2016 Olympian Petr Khamukov, who turned pro this past weekend at a club show in SoCal:

PETR KHAMUKOV Russia http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Petr_Khamukov

[Best Coast]

Added another U.S. amateur star Brian Ceballo, who finished 3rd at 152 in the U.S. Olympic Trials for Rio and just won his pro debut last night in SoCal.

BRIAN CEBALLO U.S. http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Brian_Ceballo

[oogiebe]

This is great stuff! Keep it going!

[Best Coast]

This is great stuff! Keep it going!

Thanks...every time someone knew is add to the ranks I will bump it up to page 1 of Current Scene. Feel free to let me know of anyone new I might be missing. There are amateur stars CONSTANTLY turning pro these days!!

[oogiebe]

This is great stuff! Keep it going!

Thanks...every time someone knew is add to the ranks I will bump it up to page 1 of Current Scene. Feel free to let me know of anyone new I might be missing. There are amateur stars CONSTANTLY turning pro these days!!

Great...thanks...that makes it more convenient. It's like watching minor league prospects in baseball come through the ranks. Awesome!

[Boxing Prospect]

Seiya Tsutsumi and Shu Utsuki both debut earlier this week, both were standouts on the Japanese amateur scene and have signed with a leading Japanese promoter

http://www.asianboxing.info/asian-news/ ... e-on-debut

Konshin Takeshima has now got a Pro license in Japan and will be debuting this year
http://www.asianboxing.info/asian-news/ ... grade-test