Boxing has been in good hands for quiet some time now. Fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, and the Klitschko brothers have long been superstars. Even if some of them (Cotto & Mosley) have faded in recent years. As those fighters enter the twilight of their careers and for some the finish line is just inches away big time boxing fans eagerly await the next generation of could be superstars. Some of the following fighters could crack the top 10 p4p rankings as early as 2014 while others have a little more work to do but still have the ability to be superstars in the near future. Here is a list of those fighters broken up by different catagories.
Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27 KO)
Garcia is as close to a sure thing as you can get. He comes from a family of boxers and is trained by his brother Robert Garcia who just so happens to be one of, if not the best trainer in boxing. Garcia is a detective in the ring, he is patient for the first few rounds until he learns every weakness of his opponent and then exploits those weaknesses. Garcia has it all, he makes exciting fights, he is an extremely accurate puncher, and his power is ridiculous especially in the featherweight division. He also has very sound defense, a trait that isn't often found in such a young fighter. This all adds up to Garcia being a top 10 p4p fighter in 2014.
Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KO)
If you're looking for the next Floyd Mayweather you can stop right here, his name is Adrien Broner. Broner has all the charisma to be a superstar for years to come expecially since he is only 24 years old and can seemingly fight from 135-147. But don't be fooled by his trash talk, the man has the skills to back it up. Adrien Broner is best described as an offensive minded Floyd Mayweather. Broner has elite defensive skills using his shoulder roll to perfection. He also has lightning fast hands and huge power. Broner not only has the skills to crack the top 10 p4p rankings in 2014 but to be an all-time great fighter. As of now it seems like the only thing that could derail Broner's career is Broner himself. As long as he keeps his head on straight the future is his.
Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO)
Of all current title holders in the sport of boxing it is Golovkin who has the highest percentage of knockouts. The man has a rare kind of power where even his jabs seem deadly. He is already 31 years old but his career his really been picking up steam and 2014 could be a monster year for him, even bigger than 2013 where he is currently the frontrunner for Fighter of the Year. The one question about Golovkin is how his chin will hold up against a real power threat, a question that will be answered when he fights Curtis Stevens in November. He does get touched up a little to much which is something he should work on. Besides that he is force in the boxing world and his raw power will make him a fan favorite for years to come.
At this point in his career Wilder is still completely raw. He has never really been tested by a top heavyweight so fans don't really know how good he truly is. One thing is undeniable, the man has absolutely ridiculous punching power and at 6'7'' he has a chance to actually compete eye to eye with either Klitschko brother. Also Wilder is in excellent physical condition, he looks like a throwback to when heavyweights were great athletes and not guys who had a little to much water in the basement. American fans have long been waiting for their next great heavyweight champion and have seen countless heirs to that thrown fail to seize it. Wilder still has a long way to go but based on his raw power and physical prowess he stands as the best hope to become the next great American heavyweight champion of the world.
As far as Mexican fans are concerned Alvarez is already the best in the world. Let's not rush to judgment though. Alvarez wasn't really tested until he fought Austin Trout and he didn't exactly look spectacular in that fight and his next fight against Floyd Mayweather in September could easily earn Alvarez his first career loss. But Alvarez is a top tier talent, he has big power and is very intelligent in the ring. His defense is much better than advertised but one real knock against him is his lack of hand speed. Even if Alvarez does lose to Mayweather it shouldn't hinder his future as a star. Already beloved in his native Mexico, Alvarez is now learning English in the hopes of crossing over to the American market. It wouldn't be shocking to see Alvarez rule the middleweight divisions for the next 10 years.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO)
Chavez Jr. is an interesting fighter. Perhaps no other fighter in the sport has so many fans but just as many haters. You can say what you want about his work ethic (sub par at best) but his skill level is unquestionable. Chavez Jr. has the best chin in the sport and seems like he could withstand a head on collision with a mack truck as long as it hit him right on the chin. He also has big time power and works well to the head and body. If Chavez Jr. gets his work ethic up to snuff he could be one of the most dangerous men in boxing and the pride of Mexico. The immediate future is a little cloudy but the long run should prove historic.
Matthysse is known as "The Machine" and that is a perfect nickname for him. He seems to drop opponents with machine like perfection and is by far one of the most exciting fighters to watch. He does have two career losses but most knowledgeable boxing fans view him as an undefeated fighter because both losses against Devon Alexander & Zab Judah were highly contested. He faces a tough test on September 14th against Danny Garcia but if he beats Garcia he is well on his way to superstar status. What may prevent that from happening is the fact that he doesn't speak English and he is from Argentina which doesn't have many fans in the U.S. If Matthysse keeps winning he will be a star, if he keeps winning and learns to speak English he will be one of the top superstars in boxing.
2014 P4P List Here We Come
Mikey Garcia (32-0, 27 KO)
Garcia is as close to a sure thing as you can get. He comes from a family of boxers and is trained by his brother Robert Garcia who just so happens to be one of, if not the best trainer in boxing. Garcia is a detective in the ring, he is patient for the first few rounds until he learns every weakness of his opponent and then exploits those weaknesses. Garcia has it all, he makes exciting fights, he is an extremely accurate puncher, and his power is ridiculous especially in the featherweight division. He also has very sound defense, a trait that isn't often found in such a young fighter. This all adds up to Garcia being a top 10 p4p fighter in 2014.
Adrien Broner (27-0, 22 KO)
Gennady Golovkin (27-0, 24 KO)
The Pride of their Countries
Deontay Wilder (29-0, 29 KO)
At this point in his career Wilder is still completely raw. He has never really been tested by a top heavyweight so fans don't really know how good he truly is. One thing is undeniable, the man has absolutely ridiculous punching power and at 6'7'' he has a chance to actually compete eye to eye with either Klitschko brother. Also Wilder is in excellent physical condition, he looks like a throwback to when heavyweights were great athletes and not guys who had a little to much water in the basement. American fans have long been waiting for their next great heavyweight champion and have seen countless heirs to that thrown fail to seize it. Wilder still has a long way to go but based on his raw power and physical prowess he stands as the best hope to become the next great American heavyweight champion of the world.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO)
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO)
The Wild Cards
Lucas Matthysse (34-2, 32 KO)
Matthysse is known as "The Machine" and that is a perfect nickname for him. He seems to drop opponents with machine like perfection and is by far one of the most exciting fighters to watch. He does have two career losses but most knowledgeable boxing fans view him as an undefeated fighter because both losses against Devon Alexander & Zab Judah were highly contested. He faces a tough test on September 14th against Danny Garcia but if he beats Garcia he is well on his way to superstar status. What may prevent that from happening is the fact that he doesn't speak English and he is from Argentina which doesn't have many fans in the U.S. If Matthysse keeps winning he will be a star, if he keeps winning and learns to speak English he will be one of the top superstars in boxing.
Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KO)
Garcia is most definitely a wild card. He is a young American undefeated fighter who has already beat some legends of boxing. However Garcia doesn't seem to have a huge fan base and he takes way to many punches if he wants to be a top 10 p4p fighter. A positive though is the fact that Garcia is a good puncher with a devastating left hook and has a high ring intelligence. Garcia faces by far the toughest test of his young career when he takes on fellow wild card Lucas Matthysse on September 14th. If Garcia wins this fight his star shines at a whole new level. If Garcia losses this fight it shouldn't be career ending but he will have some work to do to get back to the elite level. One reason his fan base may not be very large is because he isn't the most exciting fighter in the world, he just seems to go to work and get it done every time, nothing flashy, just effective. Learning some trash talking skills from his father (who might be insane) would certainly help raise fan awareness and make it easier to promote fights which is key to becoming a superstar.
Leo Santa Cruz (25-0-1, 15 KO)
There may only be one factor that could keep Santa Cruz from becoming a true superstar in the world of boxing, his weight class. Santa Cruz fights in the junior featherweight division and it is always tough for such a small fighter to truly cross over to super stardom. On the positive side Santa Cruz is only 25 years old so he should be able to move up in weight over the next few years. He is pretty tall for his current weight division so fans could see him move up rapidly much like a young Manny Pacquiao did. Don't expect him to move up as far as Pacquiao did, but going up five weight classes isn't out of the question. Another positive for Santa Cruz is the fact that he is from Mexico but now lives in Los Angeles and is very well spoken in both Spanish and English. Also Santa Cruz is already one of the most exciting fighters in the sport. The reason for that excitement is the volume of punches he throws. It seems like from the opening bell to whenever the fight ends, Santa Cruz is doing nothing but throwing combinations. He will have a great career ahead of him and if he can add on some pounds the word superstar will soon be attached to his name.
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