The Heirs

This is list is incomplete***More fighters to come

Adrien Broner

The heir apparent to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Adrien Broner seems to have it all. He is flashy and charismatic, he can punch and take a punch. He is fast and he loves to fight, unlike Mayweather Jr. Another great thing for boxing fans is Adriens level of maturity. He is very intelligent and doesn't throw temper tantrums like a spoiled brat. He is a pleasure to watch in the ring and just as fun to listen to outside of it. He has proven, thus far, that he is potentially the future of boxing after Mayweather and Pacquiao make their exit from the sport.

Gary Russell Jr.

Gary Russell Jr. is a fast, hard punching southpaw that somewhat reminds me of Pacquiao, which is why I nicknamed him 'Blacquiao'. That is what we know about Russell Jr, a very talented individual who is potentially another future boxing kingpin. What we don't know? If he is really that good. He is not battle tested yet and with his high level of skill, should have been. We know he is fast, we know he can punch, we know he is an all around fighter, but we don't know if he can take as good as he can give and this is the big question mark with Russell. I am hoping to see him in with higher level competition very soon, so we can see what he is made of, but so far so good.

                                                              Deontay Wilder

By far the biggest disappointment of all the american prospects. The 27 year old Wilder sports a padded 25-0 record, with 25 knockouts. To casual fans this 100% knockout ratio might seem impressive, that is until they realize that they don't know a single opponent on his record. Wilder is a bronze medalist with a good amateur background, it seems ridiculous that he has not been in with anyone of note in those 25 fights. Even Seth Mitchell, who was no amateur experience, has a better ledger than Wilder. Again this seems quite odd since Wilder has plenty of experience to draw from. Wilder is a guy that I am sure all of us want to do good, but its hard to root for a guy we know little about, in terms of boxing. His opposition has been soft, and that doesn't look to change anytime soon as he is set to face Kelvin Price in December. At this stage Wilder should be fighting trial horses and gate keepers, at the very least, or even other prospects, like David Price of England. I hope Wilder does well, but as of right now he is just a guy knocking out tomato cans for a living.

Mikey Garcia

Garcia is most certainly one of the most well rounded fighters on this list, and that is saying a lot. He is a very well schooled fighter with a bloodline to back it up. He can punch and he can box. He is mature and patient in the ring, which is the mark of a great fighter. He is set to fight the hard as nails Orlando Salido in January so it will be a big test, but he should pass. This is the type of fight in which we will get to see, or should get to see, the very best of Garcia. Salido is a tough pressure fighter who has a had a string of victories against world class opposition, namely Juan Manuel Lopez, whom he twice knocked out. Garcia has so far shown himself to be the complete package, on January 19th, we will see if that is true.

Jose Benavidez

This may be a bit premature to consider Benavidez as an heir to the boxing greats that are on their way out, but it isn't all together unfair. Benavidez is a 20 year old welterweight with a great amateur pedigree but remains untested as a professional. I think it will be some time before we see him tested but I think will be matched tough very soon. Like Russell Benavidez has shown tremendous skill in the ring, albeit against limited opposition. Only time will tell with Benavidez but judging by his ability and pedigree, I am betting that he will start to make his mark in 2013.

David Price

The 6'8 David Price is certainly getting the attention of the boxing public after his 1 minute demolition of the perpetually delusional Audley Harrison. Price sports a record of 14-0 with 12 knockouts, and has some decent names on his record. He is working his way through the British/European fighters, as one would expect him to, before he works his way up to the elite level. Price has a good amateur background, and it shows. He works behind a good solid jab and has a good repertoire of punches. Not only has he shown devastating punching power but a killer instinct to go with it. The only real question mark is his chin, if Price can take as good as he can give, he can go a very long way and possibly be a real threat to the Klitschkos, but without a chin, he won't get passed them. 

Robert Guerrero

Robert the Ghost Guerrero is unlike everyone on this list, as he is a battle tested proven champion. We know what he can do and we know what he can take. He is a complete southpaw boxer/puncher who also carries with him a solid chin. He has won titles at featherweight, lightweight and holds the interim title at welterweight, he sports a record of 30-1 with 18 ko's and one draw. His only blemish comes against Gamaliel Diaz, a close decision loss which he avenged a few fights later by 6th round KO. He also lost to battle hardened Orlando Salido, but was later changed to a no contest as Salido tested positive for a banned substance. Also, this was at a time when Guerrero's wife was battling cancer. He is definetly someone to keep an eye on as he is always in shape and is very versatile in the ring. I believe that if he gets more exposure he will gain more fans. He is a great guy outside the ring and a warrior inside it.

James Kirkland

If you have not seen James Kirkland fight, you are really missing out. Kirkland is a throwback fighter who somewhat reminds me of one of my all-time favorites, Henry Armstrong. He comes to fight from the first bell to the last. His record is 31-1 with 27 ko's, his only loss was a shocking first round knockout loss to relatively light punching Nobuhiro Ishida. It was shocking in that Kirkland had proven his chin against hard punchers previously and that Ishida is not a power puncher, having just 8 ko's in his 20 some wins. My theory is that he was not the same fighter without his original trainer Ann Wolfe. After some legal issues Kirkland switched trainers and in my opinion did not look like the same fighter. In the few fights without Wolfe in his corner he looked complacent and not the mauler that we are used to seeing. Of course after that loss he reconciled with Wolfe and did look like the Kirkland we were used to seeing. His biggest test came against hard punching Alfredo Angulo, a Mexican destroyer known for his ability to withstand punishment and crush his foes under the weight of his two fisted attack. Watch the video below to see a classic slugfest between two hard punching brawlers.The ferocity this man fights with is something I have not seen for a very long time, that is why I consider him a throwback, he fights as if his life depends on it, not for a big payday but for the love of fighting and that is rare. At any rate he is someone to keep your eye on, win or lose he is fun to watch and Ann Wolfes training methods are sure to keep him around for a long time to come, hopefully.

Yuriorkis Gamboa

If you like flashy boxers, this is a guy you want to watch. If you like hard punching brawlers, well, then this is a guy you want to watch. Gamboa is a well schooled Cuban fighter who can seemingly do it all, box, punch, brawl, you name it. He has also been knocked down a few times, although never seriously hurt, making him even more exciting given that vulnerability. Gamboa has some of the fastest hands I have seen, that coupled with some serious punching power, amateur pedigree, and unbelievable athleticism make him deadly. Gamboa could easily, and most likely boringly, defeat everyone he has faced, but even he seems to get tired of outboxing his opponents which leads him into some exciting fire fights. The only bad thing is that he does not seem to take his career too seriously, while he is always in shape, he seems bored, almost like things are too easy for him, and it does seem that way at times. That and he as been inactive all of 2012 and is set to fight in December. Assuming he fights more in 2013 he should make his mark in boxing and establish himself as a pound for pound champion. Gamboa has everything you could ask for in a fighter, and then some, but we will have to see how things play out in 2013.

Brandon Rios

Well, if you love brawlers, here is another one for you. Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios, and they don't call him "Bam Bam" because he can't punch, Brandon is a two fisted 140lb titan. Rios only recently made his move to 140 after struggling to make the 135lb limit, looking terribly drained in his last two fights at that weight. He looked so drained, in fact, that I was sure those fights took everything out of him. They were not terribly difficult fights but Rios all but killed himself to make weight and he fights head on, that combination will take a big toll. That is why I was sure that Mike Alvarado would decicively beat Rios in Brandon's first fight at 140, boy was I wrong. Both fighters put on a classic slugfest until Rios eventually got to Alvarado and stopped him in the 7th. Rios has shown an excellent chin, even in the fights where he was utterly drained in making weight, which is amazing to say the least. He, like James Kirkland, seems to enjoy fighting for fightings sake, all the other stuff that comes along with that is just an added bonus. So far Rios has been impressive with each step up crushing his foes under the weight of his high pressure style and devastating punching power. Rios can certainly punch with either hand but does not rely on one punch to get the job done, he prefers punches in bunches, and seems to enjoy taking a good punch as much as giving one. If you like aggressive power punching badasses, keep watching Rios, he won't disappoint.

Keith Thurman

The jury is still out on Thurman, who sports a record of 19-0 with 18 knockouts. This passed Saturday he faced perennial spoiler Carlos Quintana, and he passed that test with flying colors. Putting Quintana down with a vicious, and very loud, body shot in the first. From then on Thurman battered Quintana around the ring until the referee mercifully stopped the bout. What we know about Thurman is that he can punch, he has good skills, he loves to fight, and he has been boxing since he was seven. However, we have not seen him really tested yet and he has been down against lesser opposition. So again, the jury is still out on Thurman but he does have some qualities that make you want to see him again. First, he can punch. The body shot that he leveled Quintana with would have kept anyone else down. Thurman has stated that he does not care about having an undefeated record and that he just wants to get in there and mix it up with the best, great attitude for fans. So he does have some promise.