Who's the Next Posterboy of Boxing?

We're now in a post-Floyd era, love him or hate him. Floyd was the last fighter I absolutely had to watch, even when I questioned the lunacy of buying yet another Floyd pay-per-view whitewash. The same could be said of Pacquiao (I had to watch his fights), particularly while he was on his amazing run of victories several years ago. You could count on seeing both of these guys doing interviews on ESPN and being talked about outside of the standard boxing circles, and they knew how to put people in seats (Floyd with his boxing mastery and his villainous "Money Mayweather" persona, Pacquiao with his incredible combination of speed and power and his generally humble demeanor).

As I look across the current boxing landscape, I'm having difficulty seeing who could take the mantle now. Pacquiao is on the verge of retirement. Floyd is comfortably retired. De La Hoya is far too old to get back in the game. Holyfield and Roy Jones need to stay out of the game, even if they won't. Klitschko is in decline and was never popular in the United States (though he has a huge following in Germany and other parts of Europe).

The most obvious choices I see at this point are Canelo, GGG, Wilder and maybe Tyson Fury. I think that whoever emerges as the frontrunner here will do so by taking a meaningful fight that draws in the casual fans. It's a shame that Andre Ward won't stay active because he has an unbelievable heart and skillset that could make him a star.

Canelo has already been introduced to a large number of casual fans by fighting big names Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto, so he has an advantage over the others in that department. GGG has the wow factor in terms of his fighting style, but he hasn't fought anyone with enough casual name recognition to draw in a large viewership. Deontay Wilder is in the same boat, although one advantage he has going for him is his general charisma and entertainment value. Still, he will have to fight a big name to reach that next level. Tyson Fury is already well-known in Europe, especially after defeating Wlad, but he would have to come to America and beat Wilder decisively in my mind to become a superstar.

What are your thoughts on who will take the mantle in the coming months/years?

 

People said the exact same thing about Tyson Fury before he fought Wlad...and we all know what happened with that fight.

While I agree Wilder's awkward style (windmiller) and lack of top-notch competition to date leaves a big question mark over his head, he's still in the mix for me until he loses or finally steps into the ring with a top-ranked HW contender. He's certainly got the power and athleticism to be a top-notch fighter, but getting into the boxing game as late in life as he did, he still seems to lack certain boxing fundamentals even at this stage.