Top ten heavyweight prospects in 2019.

Top twelve heavyweight prospects in 2019.

To define what a prospect is a boxer must be either under 32 years of age or have less than 10 total fights and can not be ranked in the top ten. This isn't your father's heavyweight division. Almost all of the best prospects are between 6'4" and 6'9" tall and over 230 pounds. This is a deep group. Perhaps the deepest bunch of prospects in the past 20 years.

#1 Hrgovic. Age 26. 7-0, 5Ko's. 6'6" tall, 230 pounds. Already ranked in the top 20 in the world, Hrgovic is knocking on the door of being ranked inside Ring Magazine's top ten, and that can happen in 2019. A big man, who does lots of things well, Hrgovic likely has the best chin of the bunch. His competition has been excellent for his first 7 fights. He needs to work on defensive counters. Some compare him to Vitali Klitschko, but he lacks Vitali's punch anticipation and defensive ability to get out of the way, however, the comparison is somewhat valid. Still improving, I believe he could beat Wilder and many others in the top ten this year, and be ready for Joshua or Fury by 2021.

#2 Joe Joyce. Age 33. 7-0, 7KO's. 6'4" tall 80" reach. Joyce is a seek and destroy type of fighter, who isn't technically sound, nor defensive. He's not that fast either, but he can really hit to the head or body. A bully type and a gun slinger, he might have to roll the dice soon due to his age. His competition has been pretty good and he can intimidate people. Joyce is a finished product who won't get better. Others on the list can pass him soon, but for now he's my #2.

#3 Arslanbek Makhmudov. Age 29. 5-0, 5KO's 6'5 1/2. A brutal puncher with good accuracy, Makmudov proved he could box and take a punch in the World Series of boxing, going 5 rounds before stopping Nistor ( The durable slugger known for an amatuer stoppage over Joshua ). If he can keep that pace for 12 rounds, he'll be tough to beat. He has gone just 6 rounds in 5 fights as a pro. Getting the right opponents for him to develop will not be easy as few people will last long enough. He's got the heaviest hands in the division. Based in Montreal.

#4 Efe Ajagba Age 24. 8-0, 7 Ko's. 6'5" with a reported 88" reach. On pure potential, Ajeagab is a unicorn. A puncher with speed that can use an 88" reach? His competition has been pretty good for 8 fights. Fairly durable in the amateurs, stopped only once.

#5 Bakhodir Jalolov. Age 24 6'7. 4-0 4 KO's. A mobile hulk, who throws good straight technical punches with a lot of power, Jalolov ozzes potential. In his amather days, he didn't always fight back when hit. If he can develop better courage, he could be special. Chin is good, not great.

#6 Daniel Dubois Age 21. 6'6" tall, 9-0, 8 KO's. A tall puncher, Dubios was hyped a bit too much for his own good. He needs further development as a boxer and I'm not sure if he'll ever be more than semi-skilled in that department. He should wait 2 more years before facing a top 50 type of opponent.

#7 Ivan Dychko. Age 28. 6'9" tall. 7-0, 7 Ko's. Dychko is a very experienced mobile big man. His competition has been poor, and he needs to step that up. However, he could develop in a Tyson Fury type of boxer with a bit better power but not quite the same energy level. Proven to be fairly durable in the amateurs.

#8 Tony Yoka. Age 26. 6'7" tall, 83" reach. 5-0, 4 KO's On pure speed and boxing ability, Yoka tops the list, however, he has struggled a bit when hit already, and has been banned for a positive drug test. A much better amatuer than pro, Yoka doesn't have the power to keep people off of him. Many think he's packing glass, and those who saw his amatuer fight saw how easily he could be hurt.

#9 Evgeny Tishchenko Age 27. 6'5" tall. 3-0, 2 KO's. A very technical and fleet-footed type, Tishchenko has a style that is hard to out point. He scores and moves and can keep the pace all night long. He needs to add at least 10 pounds and might not have enough power to get the better puncher's respect.

# 10 Vladyslav Sirenko. Age 23. 6'3 1/2" tall 10-0, 9 KO's. Sirenko is a charismatic looking fellow with good hand speed and even better power. His competition, however, has been rather poor, and I think his durability is average.

#11 Nathan Gorman Age 22. 15-0, 11KO's. 6'3" tall, 73" Reach. His competition has been suspect and he lacks the power and length to threaten the best on the list. A good regional UK level fighter who can box. I see limitations once he steps up to fight bigger men. A 73" reach these days is very short. If you have a 73" reach you better hit like Mike Tyson or Tua.

#12 Trey Lippe Morrison. Age 29. 6'3" 74 1/2" reach. 15-0, 15 KO's. Son of Tommy Morrison, Trey has his father's left hook and seems to be a bit smarter in the ring. Good hand speed. The only USA project I'm listing has been out of action with injuries. He should return soon. A win over a top 40 oppoent can buy him a title shot. Marketability is not his problem. He must prove his chin, conditioning and ability to box. Roach is his trainer, so improvement is possible.

 

I gave Morrison the 12th spot. Kuzmin is likely better, but I think we've seen Kuzmin's best and he will have a tough time advancing in terms of landing a big fight. I do think Try Morrison's power is legit. He has punchers chance.

The business of boxing is clear. Morrison could fight a bogusly ranked guy WBC guy like Charles Martin and flatten him. Boom, he's ranked in their top ten. His manager pays the sanctioning fee, and a cherry picker like Wilder might pick him for a title match. It would not be hard to market.

 

He's already a champion so I don't consider him a prospect. It remains to be seen how he deals with someone much bigger than he is, who also has skills.

 

Dychko has had seven fights. If his competition level is the same after 15 fights, there is an issue. He is active and based by me. I might see him fight. I hear the man is a personality type, which could be a plus as he advances. Dychko has a way of timing his punches well.

Yoko has skills. Whether or not he can stay clean is an issue. If he is clean I'd pick him over the 9-12 spots in 2019, which is why I put him 8th.

Dubois is only 21 years old. Very young. You have to think he will improve a bit. Even with modest talent, he's still a bit man who can hit.

When I look at the list, I think spots #1-5 are very strong.