We begin our Year in Review series by looking back at an important list from 16 months ago.
At the beginning of September of 2017, I wrote one of my favorite articles in the few year history of S8C. It was just a blast to rank and write. The piece in question was a pound for pound S8C Top 25 limited to fighters age 25 and under. Later today an updated version will go up on the site, but first I thought we should look back 16 months and see just how well the first go around did or didn’t age.
Remember, this is a P4P list. This means the criteria are pretty vague. In some cases, an extremely obvious high level of talent can launch a fighter up a P4P list over fighters who currently have better wins but a likely lower ceiling. Other times a better resume can rule. It really depends on a case by case basis.
The number to the left in the parenthesis is where the fighter was ranked in the last list.
Fighters Who Aged Out
These are the fighters who turned 26 and are no longer eligible.
(24) Konstantin Ponomarev – 34-1, 13 KOs – Junior Middleweight – Russia
What I said:
Ponomarev feels like another in a long line of stalled Top Rank prospects, but looking at it from the perspective of him being 24 makes it easier to forgive the lack of forward progression versus than when looking at the 32 fights.
What happened:
This isn’t a good start. I was forgiving Ponomarev for stalling and he narrowly made the list at 24th. He has since turned 26, but he wouldn’t be anywhere near the list even if he didn’t. Ponomarev afterward took his career back to Russia and Eastern Europe, moved up in weight, and lost a decision to a 6-0 prospect. Konstantin is unlikely to ever pan out.
(23) Tyron Zeuge – 23-1-1, 13 KOs – Super Middleweight – Germany
What I said:
Zeuge may lack that elite level talent, but he has a meaningful secondary title and holds a couple decent wins at the European level.
What happened:
Like Ponomarev, Zeuge not only aged out but took a loss. It is a different story with the German though. Losing to Rocky Fielding just sort of marked him as the guy we though he was. Tyron Zeuge is a high level regional guy on the European scene. He got there younger than normal, but it is still his ceiling.
(22) Eddie Ramirez – 17-2, 11 KOs – Junior Welterweight – USA
What I said:
Ramirez may have struggled with Erick Bone, but that doesn’t wipe away the consecutive dominations of Kevin Watts and Ryan Karl.
What happened:
Eddie Ramirez is one of the disaster stories of the last 16 months. PBC successfully built him up as a major prospect on their FS1 shows, but it proved to be smoke and mirrors alone when he continued to step up. First he was shockingly blown out in one by a thought to be undersized and aged Antonio DeMarco live on FOX before being completely dominated by fringe contender Argenis Mendez six months later.
(17) Marlon Tapales – 31-2, 14 KOs – Super Bantamweight – Philippines
What I said:
Tapales has risen the hard way, from unknown Filipino to world titlist without a major promoter or beneficial matchmaking. He rose up through the crowd on his own merit. Tapales lacks that top end talent, but his very real experience gives him an edge against other young fighters who maybe didn’t have to earn it in the street level way that Tapales did.
What happened:
The Filipino hasn’t lost a fight, but Marlon Tapales’s stock has certainly dropped. He lost his bantamweight title on the scale despite stopping Japanese challenger Shohei Omori and he hasn’t had an opportunity to get a belt back. All Tapales has done since was win a quick stay busy bout up at featherweight.
(16) JoJo Diaz – 27-1, 14 KOs – Featherweight – USA
What I said:
He doesn’t have the wins to really back this slotting, but the eye test demands his presence. Diaz too will have a chance to change this in two weeks when he meets fellow unbeaten prospect Jorge Lara in a title eliminator on the GGG/Canelo PPV undercard.
What happened:
Jorge Lara ended up pulling out of that fight. JoJo Diaz beat his late replacement and earned his title shot anyway, but he was outgunned by truly elite physical talent (and maddeningly inactive) Gary Russell Jr in his title shot. There is no shame there though, especially since he was competitive. Diaz also rebounded with a nice win over the underrated Jesus Rojas this year. JoJo is still a low world level player.
(15) Ken Shiro – 15-0, 8 KOs – Light Flyweight – Japan
What I said:
Shiro isn’t as powerful or as dynamic as the [other] young Japanese titleholders, but he is a steady presence in the division with a belt.
What happened:
Japanese light flyweight star Ken Shiro has solidified himself as the sport’s top light flyweight. His 2018 stoppage wins over top men at the weight in Ganigan Lopez and Milan Melindo make a contender for the main S8C Top 25 P4P list, age be damned.
(13) Julio Ceja – 32-3, 28 KOs – Super Bantamweight – Mexico
What I said:
Ceja is on a rollercoaster ride. First he stopped Hugo Ruiz in a five round war to win a belt, but then he was blown out in under a minute in the rematch, albeit with ankle injury extenuating circumstances. Ceja rebounded well from that disaster in May by stopping former titleholder Anselmo Moreno in three. He needs some consistency.
What happened:
No consistency came for Julio Ceja. He won a stay busy fight over a journeyman after Moreno and then had his nose demolished early by now fringe contender Franklin Manzanilla this past May. The injury was bad enough to have the fight called in the fourth round. Ceja has not returned to the ring.
(12) Ryan Burnett – 19-1, 9 KOs – Bantamweight – Northern Ireland
What I said:
Burnett looked great against Lee Haskins, but Haskins was one of the weakest titlists in the sport. [He] needs more wins. [Burnett] will have his chance soon in a unification fight with Zhanat Zhakiyanov this fall.
What happened:
A serious high and a serious low happened for Ryan Burnett. The fight was Zhakiyanov was a rousing success that the Irish fighter won clear. The win gave Burnett a real argument as the sport’s top bantamweight. He entered the World Boxing Super Series season two tournament to confirm it, but a freak back injury struck early in an intriguing fight against Nonito Donaire to take his unbeaten momentum and jeopardize his career.
(11) Jessie Magdaleno (25-1, 18 KOs) – Super Bantamweight – USA
What I said:
Magdaleno has the belt and the Nonito Donaire win, but there is some thought that Donaire just can’t really compete on this level anymore. He needs more quality wins.
What happened:
Isaac Dogboe happened. Though Magdaleno dropped and badly hurt the Ghanaian Olympian early, Dogboe’s unrelenting drive eventually overwhelmed Jessie. He folded under the pressure late and has been sitting out since. That was a great fight and far from a bad loss though.
(3) Joseph Parker – 25-2, 19 KOs – Heavyweight – New Zealand
What I said:
In a division where traditionally a man does not enter his prime until his 30s, it is easy to forget that Parker is younger than even Anthony Joshua by a couple years. Whereas 25 might be the prime year for a super flyweight, it is still infancy for a heavyweight. Parker does not get the respect he should have earned by now.
What happened:
The Kiwi heavyweight lost his belt and a pair of fights to Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in the UK, but I stand by what I said. 26 is still very, very young for a heavyweight. He was reasonably competitive against AJ and did better than anyone else has in nullifying the British star’s offense. Parker also would have likely finished Whyte if he had another round. Do not write the young former titleholder off.
(2) Miguel Berchelt – 35-1, 31 KOs – Junior Lightweight – Mexico
What I said:
Berchelt stands as the clear number two fighter in a talented division behind only the arguable top pound for pound fighter in the sport. He is already a top five Mexican fighter and is one of the most well rounded ring generals that country has produced in some time.
What happened:
The Mexican star remained undefeated with three wins in 2018 and took the mantle as the sport’s top junior lightweight when Vasyl Lomachenko moved up. Berchelt’s year culminated with his destruction of action oriented contender Micky Roman in November. Unfortunately his star didn’t really grow though. Hopefully he is put in front of bigger audiences for bigger fights in 2019.
Fighters Who Fell Out
These are the fighters who are still 25 or under and fell out of the list on their own.
(19) Felix Verdejo – 24-1, 16 KOs – Lightweight – Puerto Rico
What I said:
A former top prospect who has all but lost his shine without losing a fight, Verdejo has some serious work to do to ever again find that hype that he once had.
What happened:
Felix Verdejo’s bizarre fall from blue chip future Puerto Rican superstar to regional level fighter not only continued in 2018, but it accelerated. He fell apart late and was stopped by Antonio Lozada in March. Nobody could have predicted this a couple years ago.
(18) Sam Eggington – 23-5, 15 KOs – Junior Middleweight – England
What I said:
How is Sam Eggington only 23? With consecutive wins over Frankie Gavin and Paulie Malignaggi, Eggington rose from British level fighter to fringe world level contender.
What happened:
Sam Eggington went on a free fall. First he lost a European title shot to Mohamed Mimoune. That marked his ceiling at the European level in all likelihood, but it was a bad style matchup for the brawler at least. He blamed weight and moved up to junior middleweight where Eggington was thrashed by an 11-2 unknown Tanzanian out of no where in September.
(14) Mark Magsayo – 18-0, 13 KOs – Featherweight – Philippines
What I said:
Magasayo is easily the top prospect out of the Philippines right now. He has stagnated a bit since his win over Chris Avalos while fishing for a WBO title shot, but that will have been worth it if we get [a] great matchup.
What happened:
Nothing. Nothing happened. Mark Magsayo is no longer in my rankings because he is inactive. By the S8C Top 25 rules, a fighter is deemed inactive if he both goes a full calendar year without fighting AND did not have a future fight scheduled upon hitting that year mark. The Filipino is still waiting for his title shot, I guess.
(9) Erickson Lubin – 19-1, 14 KOs – Junior Middleweight – USA
What I said:
In terms of pure in ring accomplishment, maybe Lubin is a little high here. In terms pure talent, however, Lubin has an argument for being top three on this list. He passes the eye test like few 21 year olds are ever able to. The resume situation will change one way or another in October as well when he meets Jermell Charlo in his first title shot.
What happened:
Yikes. In one of the most unexpected results in recent memory, previously light hitting Jermell Charlo absolutely nuked Erickson Lubin’s chin with one shot in the very first round of the alluded to fight. Erickson has returned with one get well win. I figured he’d still make the new edition of the 25 & Under list on talent alone, but with the awesome influx of young stars Lubin ended up being narrowly pushed out. It was a huge fall, but Lubin is still only 23 and has the same talent. Anyone can get caught.
The Fighters Still on the List and the New Faces
Eleven fighters turned 26 and aged out. Three still age appropriate combatants took losses bad enough to fall out anyway. Mark Magsayo dropped off due to inactivity. That is fifteen fighters off the last version of the list, so who are the fifteen new replacements? And who are the ten boxers that stayed both young and good enough to make both lists? How did their rankings change?
Check the site later today for the new list.
