Top fighters, p4p list, where todays prospects land, retirements, etc. Basicaly, who is going to be around, champion, p4p #1, hanging around too long, or whatever other predictions you have to share.
Right now it's kinda hard to tell. But Pavlik will be on the pound for pound list, Allen Green and Andre Berto will both be P4P champs. Maybe Hopkins will still be fighting with a hearing aid and a walker. Hopefully there will be another american heavyweight champ.
I think Mayweather, Hopkins, Calzaghe, Mosley, Hatton, De La Hoya, Wright, Forrest, Tarver, Jones, and JM Marquez will retire sometime within the next 3 years. A good chunk of those guys are in the RING P4P list, so we can expect it to change up between now and 2011. Pacquiao will probably be winding down his career as well and I expect him to have picked up around 2 losses. Guys like Guzman, Vazquez, R Marquez, and Calderon will be close to retirement. Juan Diaz, Cristian Mijares, Miguel Cotto, Chad Dawson, Mikkel Kessler, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Arthur Abraham, Jorge Linares, Nonito Donaire, and Andy Lee are the next generation. Many of them have the potential to become top 10 P4P fighters. Jermain Taylor, Kermit Cintron, Michael Katsidis, and Jeff Lacy will be non-factors. In the heavyweight division, Wladimir Klitschko will be at the tail end of his career after unifying the belts and establishing himself as one of the great heavyweights. Povetkin, Haye, Boytsov, Chagaev, Ibragimov, and Peter will be battling it out for contention.
3 years from now, boxing will have fully resurrected itself from the slump that has it listed below golf on ESPN's page links. Not that Sports Illustrated means anything, but don't be surprised if they suddenly start embracing the sweet science again. Pavlik, Dawson, and Mayweather are getting heavy buzz and once a definitive HW champ stands tall again (i.e. Wlad), boxing's popular will be back to the way it used to be. The only thing that could possible derail this is if more greedy pigs like Jermain Taylor and Winky Wright find there way to the top of the heap again. That, and promoters leaning heavy on PPV like they did in the 90s to line their pockets while killing the common man's interest.
I think once we get Don King and Bob Arum out it will be in a better position... I dont know how everyone else feels but i really like fighters being promoters, they understand fighters and the game more.... Golden Boy and Mayweather Promotions i think are the future and will bring us big fights... I think boxing rise will continue, a great 2007 and 2008 so far looks to be just as good if not better and i think the big fights will continue to come... Once we get guys like RJJ, Oscar, Bernard, Tito, Mosley, Calzaghe out it will improve... Dont take me wrong i mean no disrespect some of my all time fav fighters like Mosley and Beranrd are on that list, its just that i really feel like they are holidng the guys like Pavlik and Cotto back... Theyve had their day, now let the Diaz, Cotto, Katsidis e.t.c have theirs.... All boxing needs to do is get one undisputed Heavyweight champ and keep on with the best fights and i think it will be in great spot come 2011 and beyond...
:nono no one has faith in Povetkin anymore. C'mon Brooklyn, deep down you know he just might have what it takes to dethrone Wlad. :hey And I also think that the US might just have a REAL heavyweight contender (*gasp*) in Eric Fields.....but I don't want to quite jump the gun yet
I see Chad Dawson in the P4P list as the #1 LHW, and Jorge Linares will be the #1 FW. Andy Lee will also enter the P4P rankings as the #1 MW. Junior Witter will retire as the #1 JWW beating Ricky Hatton and Paul Malignaggi.
I see Peter Quillin making his mark in the SMW division and Lucian Bute will probably the #1 SMW. I see bright things for the future of boxing.
excellent thread idea!:good The consensus will be - p4p Amir Khan Gamboa Andy Lee Cotto Kelly Pavlik (although by then he will be ducking people) Paul Williams Juan Diaz Chad Dawson Andre Ward Wlad ready to make the next step: Andre Ward JCC Jr Rock Allen Vanes Martirosyan Andre Dirrell Abner Mares I am very excited for the next couple of years because there is a lot of talent on the up and nearly all of the top fighters of taday are nearing the end of their careers (or at least their time at the top). The first list is who I think will be the next generation of stars. The second list is the people I think with a little more time and the proper guidance have the potential to be stars as well. A new golden generation is immerging in the lightwieght to welterwieght ranks. Three years from now will look a lot like the late 90s when tito, oscar, Quartey, Carr, JCC, Whitiker, Vargas were all fighting each other. It will be great. Sadly, however, I see no savior for the heavey wieght division. In fact other then David Haye I don't even see guys that can make it interesting.
