BoxRec

British boxing is currently in a healthy state in my opinion with a few champs, some great prospects and some exciting amateurs. However, we no longer have anyone who rules their division like Hatton at LWW, Calzaghe at SMW and Haye at CW. Froch had a slight claim at one point with Ward being out for so long, but now Ward's back and Froch is close to retirement.

Is there any of the current champs or prospects you can see being their division's number 1 in the not too distant future? The only ones I can think of at the moment are AJ and Callum Smith but both are miles away from that status at the moment.

danamba7 wrote:British boxing is currently in a healthy state in my opinion with a few champs, some great prospects and some exciting amateurs. However, we no longer have anyone who rules their division like Hatton at LWW, Calzaghe at SMW and Haye at CW. Froch had a slight claim at one point with Ward being out for so long, but now Ward's back and Froch is close to retirement.

Is there any of the current champs or prospects you can see being their division's number 1 in the not too distant future? The only ones I can think of at the moment are AJ and Callum Smith but both are miles away from that status at the moment.

Joshua, smith as you say, Khan if he gets a big win. Fury if Wlad retires. Paul butler

Near future: Fury, DeGale, Frampton
Medium future: Awad, Joshua, Campbell
Distant future: Hughie Fury

Only Callum Smith imo.

Fury, DeGale, Groves, Butler.

No one is going to agree with me here but I think it's a weak division so i'm going to go Bellew at cruiserweight. Lee Selby at featherweight. Paul Butler at super flyweight.

broomy7s wrote:No one is going to agree with me here but I think it's a weak division so i'm going to go Bellew at cruiserweight. Lee Selby at featherweight. Paul Butler at super flyweight.

Huck, Hernandez, Lebedev, Kalenga, Drozd. It's not a weak division, not one of the top divisions right now, but there's a lot of good fighters about, Bellew would get pasted by the five I listed, he was a European level light heavy, at cruiser he's no better than domestic level.

Only Joshua imo, the other potential candidates are in divisions with much higher levels of opponents. Once Wlad retires, HW is wide open for AJ.

expe wrote:

broomy7s wrote:No one is going to agree with me here but I think it's a weak division so i'm going to go Bellew at cruiserweight. Lee Selby at featherweight. Paul Butler at super flyweight.

Huck, Hernandez, Lebedev, Kalenga, Drozd. It's not a weak division, not one of the top divisions right now, but there's a lot of good fighters about, Bellew would get pasted by the five I listed, he was a European level light heavy, at cruiser he's no better than domestic level.

Huck will thrush him. Hernandez beat him with one hand tied behind his back. Lebedev will outbox and KO him within 4. Mchunu and Usyk will dance his head off. So you are right no one is going to agree. :)

That's a big ask! I fancy Luke Campbell to become a top dog! Joshua once wlad has gone.
We have more great talent but to run a division like Lennox or calzaghe takes some doing!!

hurlock wrote:That's a big ask! I fancy Luke Campbell to become a top dog! Joshua once wlad has gone.
We have more great talent but to run a division like Lennox or calzaghe takes some doing!!

Even then it took Joe a million years to be in charge of his division.

Absolute rulers of a division from these Isles are few and far between!

I echo Smith and Joshua, but still early days to say the least for these two. The rest stand little chance of being the true number 1, let alone dominating.

Selby and fury are only guys imo who could potentially beat anyone in there division right now........unfortunately can not see any super mid being number 1 as ward is still young and has just sorted out his promotional problems even tho imo that is britians strongest division with smith groves froch degale and fielding

For those saying Butler at 115...can I assume you've not seen much of the Ohashi gym fighters...the Inoue's (Noaya is currently there and Takuma will ikely be there when his bro moves us) and Ryo Matsumoto

Im still not convinced by Callum Smith defensively no one has hit him back properly yet.

Boxing Prospect wrote:For those saying Butler at 115...can I assume you've not seen much of the Ohashi gym fighters...the Inoue's (Noaya is currently there and Takuma will ikely be there when his bro moves us) and Ryo Matsumoto

I'm not saying Butler due to Inoues potential for sure

Naandrew wrote:Im still not convinced by Callum Smith defensively no one has hit him back properly yet.

Agreed.....

expe wrote:

broomy7s wrote:No one is going to agree with me here but I think it's a weak division so i'm going to go Bellew at cruiserweight. Lee Selby at featherweight. Paul Butler at super flyweight.

Huck, Hernandez, Lebedev, Kalenga, Drozd. It's not a weak division, not one of the top divisions right now, but there's a lot of good fighters about, Bellew would get pasted by the five I listed, he was a European level light heavy, at cruiser he's no better than domestic level.

Mine are

Degale, Frampton maybe Campbell and Johsua but another 18months will give a better picture of those two.

Naandrew wrote:Mine are

Degale, Frampton maybe Campbell and Johsua but another 18months will give a better picture of those two.

By picking degale and frampton your saying they could be beat ward and rigo?

Frampton, but he's waiting a while for Rigo to move up and cash in or get old.

Selby? Gonzales, Walter, Vetyeka, Mares, Lomachenko = not a hope in hell. He will beat Gradovich but i dont fancy him against any of those guys.

Callum Smith will never beat Degale. Degale has a chance to dethrone Ward IMO, but even thats a longshot. Also depends how good Dirrell is.

AJ will struggle in 12 rounders in my opinion, he will be the man, but not over a sustained period.

bradley saunders

Some good points and suggestions here. One thing that's clear from the posts is it depends so much on who's still at the weight, who retires etc. fighters move so much at the weight that of the dominant guy moves up (EG Ward, Golovkin, Mayweather etc) it's a totally new game

Naandrew wrote:Im still not convinced by Callum Smith defensively no one has hit him back properly yet.

Nor his offense is GGG level exactly. He seems too mechanical, unimaginative to me. Unless he shows more quality I cant see him beating likes of DeGale, Ward or Andre Dirrell in a million year.

Yes We Can wrote: Selby? Gonzales, Walter, Vetyeka, Mares, Lomachenko = not a hope in hell. He will beat Gradovich but i dont fancy him against any of those guys.

Lot of people are taking Gradovich granted. I am not entirely sure how Selby takes sustained pressure from a world class fighter. But even if he beats him what chances he has against Lomachenko or Walters? None.

Will Murray be seen as best MW if he beats GGG? If so he's only one fight away. Hear Golovkin is 7lbs heavier with 30 days to go until their fight than he was for his last fight with 30 days to go! Seeing Murray as a gimmie, maybe?

Aside from that long shot i'd say Joshua must have a shout, although never judge a HW till youve seen them get a crack on the chin. Nobody else is tearing a division up tbh.

No one.
We have world champions, "world champions" and potential belt holders coming through the ranks.
But I'm not convinced by 1 single fighter in the British scene at present, that they could become the undisputed no1 in their respective division.

The best prospects like AJ, Luke Campbell and Callum Smith are competely untested and have a hell of a lot to prove before I'm convinced they can reach the very top. Personally I think they all might get found out at the top level and theres far too much hype getting piled on guys like these by Sky and Matchroom.
As with Frankie Gavin, James Degale and BJS 4 years earlier.

Froch has been proven to be no2 and will retire as no2. Groves and degale aren't even no1 in their own country in their division.

Tony Bellew? Don't make me laugh.

Someone suggested Khan? In the welterweight division? Seriously?

Frampton < rigo

Butler < inoue

We have no one currently, among our established top names, that can lay claim to being No1 and I'm yet to be convinced that the next generation will provide one.