With each new year enters a new herd of boxing prospects. Some will graduate to contender status and some of those will win world titles. Some will disappoint and flame out. But for 2009, the following five have a chance to make a huge impact in boxing.
Junior welterweight Victor Ortiz
Before preparing for his fight against Jeffrey Resto in December 2008, Ortiz sparred with Oscar De La Hoya as the latter prepared for his match against Manny Pacquiao. Ortiz gave De La Hoya a black eye as a thank-you present.
Ortiz went on to stop the durable Resto in the second round and will face his toughest test in Mike Arnaoutis, himself a once promising prospect, in March 2009. If Ortiz (23-1-1, 18 KO) gets by Arnaoutis, the future looks very bright for this aggressive power puncher.
He had promotional problems in the early part of 2008, and that accounted for a six-month layoff. But he’s back, and he’s tougher than ever.
Junior middleweight Alfredo Angulo
The 2004 Mexican Olympian has fought only 15 times and 52 rounds during the first four years of his professional career. But the 26-year-old Mexicali native has devastated nearly every opponent he’s faced.
In the 154-pound division – ruled by aging veteran Vernon Forrest, Paul Williams (perhaps the most avoided fighter in the sport) and really, nobody else – Angulo has made an impressive impression since stopping Archak TerMeliksetian in the first round of their Nov. 30, 2007 fight. Since that bout, Angulo has knocked out his last four opponents (a combined record of 103-16-2) in devastating fashion.
Against Cosme Rivera in February 2009, he was dealt first-round adversity when a clash of heads opened a nasty gash over Angulo’s right eye. Although Angulo was boxing a tough veteran in Rivera, who had knocked down Joel Julio and Andre Berto in previous fights, Angulo fought through the cut, battered Rivera around the ring in rounds 3 and 4 before the fight was stopped in the fifth.
He’s got power and an aggressive style, and, even with barely more than a dozen pro fights on his resume, he’s going to be tough to stop.
Junior middleweight James Kirkland
Kirkland will face a monster of a test in March when he meets Joel Julio in San Jose, Calif. Kirkland is the undefeated, heavy-handed puncher who is one of the most excitable boxing prospects of the day, but when he faces Julio, another heavy-handed prospect, expect fireworks.
The biggest name on Kirkland’s resume is Brian Vera, a former contestant on the Contender boxing series, and Kirkland (24-0, 21 KO) knocked him down twice in the second round before finishing him in the eighth. Julio (34-2, 31 KO) is just as powerful, but if Kirkland can figure out a way to out-box him, he could land the win.
And from there, Kirkland – who is trained by former female fighter, Ann Wolfe – will look to fight for a world title. Although critics have worried about his defense, Kirkland remains a prospect of the highest caliber.
Featherweight Yuriorkis Gamboa
Although the Cuban-born fighter is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport, many wondered about his ability to defend punches and his ability to take them if they land. He had been knocked down in at least three of his fights, and although he came back to win them all, observers wondered if his lack of defense would stall his rise to the top.
Against Walter Estrada in February, he didn’t have to wonder – he knocked out Estrada 35 seconds into the fight. Already, Gamboa has fought twice in the first two months of 2009, and it’s clear the 27-year-old, who defected from his home country, continues to learn and improve.
But most likely, Gamboa won’t know how good he can be until he faces at least the B-class fighters in his weight class, the guys who could knock him down and stop him. That’s when Gamboa will know if his defensive liabilities will derail him or if his power will overcome all of his deficiencies.
Heavyweight Chris Arreola
For those boxing fans looking for a potential American heavyweight star, Chris Arreola just might be that fighter. He’s got a shiny 26-0, 23 KO record, and he’s got wins against Travis Walker and Chazz Witherspoon, both decent enough heavyweights.
But impediments stand in his way. He’s battled weight issues – in his last two fights, he weighed 258 ½ and 254 pounds, the heaviest he’s been since 2006 – and he’ll have to get his stamina under control if he wants to fight eventually for a world title.
Against Walker in December, Arreola looked heavy and was knocked down in the second round. And although he rebounded and knocked down Walker twice in the second before finishing him in the third, the fight raised questions about his future. If he comes into his fights weighing about 235 pounds, though, Arreola could give American fans some hope in the heavyweight division.
