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In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #1 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Israil Madrimov (4-0, 4) Age? 24 Where? Uzbekistan (but based in the US) What weight? Light Middleweight Why? One of the hottest hopefuls in world boxing right now is Uzbek hopeful Israil Madrimov, who has really turned heads since making his debut in November 2018, and comes into 2020 as a man who is expected to do huge things in the year or two. He has already generated attention, built a real buzz and looks set to build a lot more, very quickly. For those who have seen Madrimov, they'll know that he looks like the sort of fighter who could be put in to a world title fight in his next bout or two. The heavy handed, boxer-puncher appears to have it all. He's very quick for a 154lb fighter, with power in both hands, the ability to switch stances with ease, an incredible fluidity to his work and some of the most insane natural athletic ability we've seen in a fighter. He's not just a an excellent boxer, but he's an incredible physical freak. Those physical tools go with an outstanding amateur pedigree, that has taught him the basics of the sport and leas him to being a 2-time Asian Games winner. He's not yet a totally polished professional boxer, but the reality is that we don't think he ever will be. And that's not an insult. Instead we see Madrimov as being one of those unique fighters, a rule break by nature. Someone who sees the text books, gets the idea, then puts his own spin on things thanks to his athletic ability. Similar to how Roy Jones Jr and Naseem Hamed made their styles and their traits work for them. Sometimes the rules are there to be broken, and sometimes breaking them is better for certain fighters than others. What do we expect? Our expectation is that Madrimov will have a big 2020, and by big we really do mean big. Though it's not totally clear what that will actually involve. The obvious answer would be a world title, and there's no reason why he can't win a world title this year. The Light Middleweight isn't a bad one, but it's almost not an unbreakable one at the top and Madrimov will almost certainly feel he has the tools to take a title. He's currently ranked #4 with the WBA and their multiple title set up does leave it's door open to someone snatching a belt. The less obvious answer is that Madrimov puts the professional scene on the back burner in 2020 and decides to head back to the amateurs for the biggest tournament of the year. Rather than pursuing a title he may well pursue a medal and go to the Tokyo Olympics, as one of a number of Uzbeks who can easily do both codes. If he does that it would be a shame in some ways, but also a clear statement of national solidarity with other Uzbeks. If Madrimov goes the Olympic it would slow his professional ascent, ruling him out of pro fights for several months, but an Olympic medal would likely help his marketability for the longer term. On the other hand if he fully commits to the professional ranks there's no reason why can't take a title before the summer. Concerns? It's funny to say but our #1 choice for this series gives us more concerns than many of the others lower down the list. The biggest of those is boredom. Every time we watch Madrimov we get the feeling he's bored, and he's trying to amuse himself. He's like a genius doing high school maths and trying to make things more tricky for himself. He needs to be given serious tests, and stimulated by tough competition. That is when we will see how good he really is. Until then we suspect that we'll see him make a lot of mistakes, get away with them, and despite fans criticising him he won't care. It's that boredom idea that makes us feel we'll never know how good Madrimov is, until he fights at world level. Another issues is, as previously mentioned, whether Madrimov is fully committed to the professional ranks, or is open to the amateurs. This isn't a massive negative concern, but will obviously slow his climb to a world title fight. Another is whether or not his team will put the money up for him to get a world title fight. He's got the talent, but his team need to put up the money, and will have to compensate a world class fighter well to get them to face Madrimov. That compensation won't be cheap.
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In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #2 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0, 6) Age? 25 Where? Uzbekistan (based in the US) What weight? Super Bantamweight Why? Talented Uzbek fighter Murodjon Akhmadaliev was supposed to get a world title fight in 2019, before Danny Roman was ruled out due to injury. Whilst Roman is certainly not a gimme for anyone at Super Bantamweight there is a real feeling that had that injury not happened Akhmadaliev could already be a world champion. Thankfully he is still the WBA's mandatory challenger and will get his shot in early 2020, with a date of January 30th set for the clash. With a shot lined up that alone is a reason to watch Akhmadaliev, who is a heavy handed, aggressive, and exciting Super Bantamweight with a very strong amateur pedigree. He doesn't always show the polish that such an accomplished amateur should, but at the end of the day he's putting on a show rather than just getting wins. We love fighters showing ambition and drive to get to the top and Akhmadaliev has shown that from very early on. In just his 4th bout, just 5 months after his debut, he had taken his first regional title and was well into the WBA world rankings by the end of 2018, thanks to a big win over Isaac Zarate. As well as his professional career the 25 year old really was an exceptional amateur. He won bronze at the 2016 Olympics, in Brazil, a Silver at the 2015 World Amateur Championships, and scored around 300 amateur wins. He had long established himself as an international level amateur fighter and also competed in the World Series of Boxing. That WSB experience is part of the reason he has been able to be moved as quickly in the professional ranks as he has, and why his team have shown no fear of strapping a rocket to his back straight away. What do we expect? The least we expect from Akhmadaliev is a world title fight. The Roman fight is signed and set and if that doesn't take place, again, we would be absolutely gob smacked. It really is that simple for the minimum expectancy on the shoulders of the Uzbek. The truth however is that we expect much, much more from him than just fighting for a world title. We instead expect him to win a world title. Whether he beats Roman in January or needs another bite of the apple later in the year to achieve that is less clear, but he'll get there, and we suspect he'll get there in style. Longer term we wouldn't be surprised to see him moving up and having success at Featherweight in the years to come. Up at Featherweight he would need to rely more on his actual boxing skills, rather than his physicality, and he would certainly have to tighten up his defensive flaws and be more intelligent in regards to offensive work, but we do know that he can be smarter in the ring than we typically see from him. At 25, and turning 26 later in the year, Akhmadaliev hasn't yet hit his physical prime but also ticks a lot of boxes. He's already a very strong and powerful young fighter and as he continues to mature into his body that physicality will only build, making him and even more threatening fighter. If he then polishes that off we expect he'll begin the climb towards a pound for pound placing over the coming years. Concerns? The obvious concern for "MJ" is Danny Roman. Roman is an exceptional fighter and with Akhmadaliev taking him on in January it's very possible that the Uzbek will find himself biting on more than he is ready for at this particularly moment in time. We do favour Akhmadaliev, but we certainly expect him to be tested and this will not be a gimme for the 25 year old. Going forward we also have concerns about the WBA and IBF Super Bantamweight titles. Due to the injury to Roman the mandatory title fights were essentially pushed backwards and it's now hard to imagine them being unified for long, especially with Ryosuke Iwasa sitting as the IBF interim champion and Angelo Leo pushing for a mandatory fight himself. The WBA picture is also a mess with multiple champions and other pursuing title fights. As for Akhmadaliev himself, we do have concerns about his defense, his openness and how well his style will work against better fighters. He's faced "world ranked" guys a few times but the reality is that there is a massive gulf between fighters in the world rankings and the top guys in the division. His style has worked against the limited opposition that he's shared the ring with, but we're not sure how that style will work against much, much better fighters than he's been in with already. We'll definitely see that answered in 2020 though! In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #3 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Junto Nakatani (20-0, 15) Age? 22 Where? Japan What weight? Flyweight Why? The Flyweight division is probably as it's weakest in recent memory, and although there is some excellent talent at the top, it's not very deep with only a handful of fighters actually being world class. Yes the likes of Kosei Tanaka, Moruti Mthalane and Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar are sensational but fighters, but below them, there's a clear lack of really recognisable contenders, as we see from the level of challengers Artem Dalakian has been defending the WBA belt against. That opens to door to rising contenders, prospects and hopefuls all making their mark in the new year. There is a lot of rising Flyweights all jostling to make it to the top, and we've already mention Giemel Magramo as one such fighter in this series. Another of those is unbeaten Japanese youngster Junto Nakatani. The unbeaten 22 year old Nakatani had a really solid 2019, winning the Japanese national title before stopping Milan Melindo later in the year, in a bout that was clearly made to get people talking about Nakatani, rather than truly advancing him as a Flyweight contender. Having done all that's needed on the domestic scene, and by that we mean he has not only won the title but he also holds a win over the champion that followed him, it's almost certain that 2020 will be the year he moves into world title mix and we suspect that we'll see that happen early in the new year. With a freakish size, good skills, heavy hands and sharp punching he is a fantastic talent, he already proven domestically and he is on the verge of some big fights in the lower weights. He also combines his physicals and traits with a charming personality and seems to have connected well with fans in Japan, something that he'll need if he's to get the TV backing to get the big fights at home. What do we expect? Obviously the least we expect from Nakatani in 2020 is a world title fight. Whether he wins it or not is a tougher question to answer. Whilst the division is currently lacking in top names, despite Kosei Tanaka and Moruti Mthalane being champions, it does have some talent in it's ranks and Nakatani will need to pick his next move carefully. That however shouldn't be too much of a problem as he is ranked #1 by the WBA, for Artem Dalakian, and #3 by the WBC, lining him up as a leading contender for their champion Julio Cesar Martinez. Options are there for the youngster, and it really is a case of his team picking the right route to his first title fight, and whether they go a mandatory route, haggle to try and get home advantage or say sod it and travel to the lions den. Nakatani is in a position where he can rush, and given his frame it may be smart to move quickly than wait, fill out and move up. But he doesn't need to rush. He is, again, just 22 years old, and if he and his team want to hold him back a little bit they can do that. We don't expect them to hold him back long, if at all, but they are in they are in the position where they can do that. If they do hold him back whilst building up a war chest of sponsors to bring a world title bout to Japan then that would certainly be a smart idea for the MT Gym and their young fighter. If, and it's a big if, Nakatani doesn't fight for a world title in 2020 we would be massively disappointed in how he's been handled during the year. Concerns? There really isn't too many concerns about Nakatani in the ring, though he has hit downed opponents a couple of times and will clearly need to sort that out before landing a big fight. There is however plenty of other concerns about Nakatani and his career. We wonder how well the MT Gym can really back him financially, or whether they have the backing of someone bigger, for example are they happy to work alongside Teiken to secure the big fights? Are MT Gym experienced enough to get the best from Nakatani and develop his skills, ability and experience full? Also the sheer size of Nakatani does leave us with some concerns. He's young and can make 112lbs at the moment, but how long before his body simply out grows the division? On the same subject, how much success will he had at Super Flyweight where his physical advantages are potentially less significant than they are at Flyweight? A final concern is that he will have to travel for the biggest fights. Fights in Mexico, Vs Martinez, or in Ukraine, Vs Dalakian, are not places that a fighter would be rushing to go to. Needing to travel for those bouts could be a step too far, at this point, for the youngster. In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #4 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Ginjiro Shigeoka (5-0, 4) Age? 20 Where? Japan What weight? Minimumweight Why? We love fighters who are fast tracked, and it helps when those fighters tick a lot of other boxes. For Ginjiro Shigeoka being fast tracked has looked as natural as his power punching pressure style, and the former amateur standout has been nothing short of flawless in his impressively destructive professional career. Although he's fighting at Minimumweight the kid has power, with devastating body shots, and appears to have the style that could make even those who don't typically pay much attention to "the little guys" respect him. Having been raced to a regional title in just 4 fights the implication is clear, he'll be fighting at world level sooner rather than later, and as he matures he's only going to get stronger. This kid is someone who every fan should be making notes of now, and following his rise before he reaches the top. At the time of writing Shigeoka is just a day removed from having stopped former world title challenger Rey Loreto in what was an expectedly solid test for the youngster, and it's hard to imagine anyone unstrapping the rocket from his rise now. Taking on Loreto so early in his career is a clear statement of intent from the Watanabe gym, and so was facing Joel Lino in his third pro bout and Clyde Azarcomn in his 4th professional contest, but Watanabe are seemingly for sure their their youngster is a very special talent. Although a Minimumweight Shigeoka is someone every fan should be taking a note of. His team are taking risks, they are confident in their man, and they are not messing around with stay busy fights. Instead they are eyeing up statement after statement, and this is the type of thing we, as fans, should all be behind. No safe, easy match making, but prospects looking to back up their talent straight away. What do we expect? There is some feeling in Japan that there is no need to rush Shigeoka to a world title, and there may be some sincerity in that feeling. The reality though is that not many fighters below world level will actually test him. Some might show the sturdiness to see out the distance with him, as Joel Lino did, but very few have the ability to actually test him and take rounds off him. If he doesn't fight for a world title in 2020 we'd be surprised, but at the very least he'll be ending the year on the verge of a world title fight and will almost certainly be ranked in the top 15 by all 4 world title bodies. Along the way he'll also have left a mess of shattered opponents in his wake. The Minimumweight division, as we all know, isn't the deepest out there. The champions are good fighters but none of them are elite level, and it's clear that they each have a target on their back for an elite prospect, like Shigeoka and Uzbek amateur standout Hasanboy Dusmatov. If Shigeoka is, as we suspect, going to be raced to the top the key is for his team to put up the money to get the champions in Japan. This is certainly not impossible, but will take them fully getting behind the kid. The win over Loreto on New Year's Eve should be all that was needed for that to happen in 2020. Longer term expectations for Shigeoka are more questionable, and even for a Minimumweight he's small. He's unlikely to move through many weight classes, but at 105lbs and 108lbs he's going to be a force over the coming decade. Concerns? Despite being a stellar amateur and a fast tracked pro Shigeoka obviously has some real concerns. He was left marked up with a damaged hand against Rey Loreto in his 5th bout, and we need to wonder how the hands will hold up going forward? At just 20 years old, is it right to strap to the kid to a rocket, or does need more time to develop? How well does he take a shot? Is his style too aggressive? Can Watanabe easily get one of the world champions to head off to Tokyo? Obviously there is a lot of questions about him. The reality is that Watanabe are happy for him to be moved quickly, and this is the gym that did something very similar for Hiroto Kyoguchi. They have guided several other world champions as well, including the likes of Ryoichi Taguchi, Takashi Uchiyama and Kohei Kono. They aren't some novice outfit, with a sensational talent, they are instead a top class gym. They have him in the gym with the likes of Kyoguchi and former world title challenger Masataka Taniguchi. They know what they are doing. Longer term issues do leave us with questions that even Watanabe can't be sure about. Can Shigeoka move up the weights as he is lacking stature at Minimumweight? How long can he fight at Minimumweight? Will he be able to limit his body to 108lbs longer term? Has he got the speed, power and skills to compete at 112lbs in a few years time? Thankfully all these concerns are years away from needing an answer, but they will linger until he needs to answer them. In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #5 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Mark Magsayo (24-0, 14) Age? 24 Where? Philippines What weight? Featherweight Why? It feels like Mark Magsayo has been only a fight or two from a big fight for over 3 years now, and we really do wonder how a fighter who stopped Chris Avalos in April 2016 then made his US debut just a few months later, lost so much momentum. Thankfully he's managed to squeeze in 2 fights in 2019, including a dominant win over former world champion Pungluang Sor Singyu and appears to be heading back in the right direction. He is still a few fights away from a world title fight, disappointingly, but he now has the experience, the maturity and the hunger to go with his skills. If he has a team that will meet his ambition then "Magnifico" will be a major name at Featherweight by the end of 2020. For those who haven't seen Magsayo, he is an extremely skilled, offensively minded fighter, who had a strong amateur pedigree before turning professional. He's got solid power, lovely combinations and a at 24 years old is just starting to his his physical peak. He's not the complete package, but there's only tweaks to be made and improvements will be made by fighting consistently decent competition, the one thing that has been missing from his career. Magsayo has long promised to be a star, he was however unable to secure the big fights under the ALA banner, and left them on the back a protracted case that slowed his ascent and seemed to really be the catalyst for ALA's recent down turn. Thankfully, at least for him, he's out of ALA and now appears to be back in control of his career, and able to show the skills that he has in his arsenal. Fighting at Featherweight he's in a division that has got US and UK interest, and with a WBC world ranking to his name there is really no excuse to not see him in a major bout against a notable sooner rather than later. Thing is we don't just see him being in with a notable name, but actually beating them in a performance that would put him on the map, before a potential world title fight towards the end of the year. What do we expect? As suggested in the "Why?" part of this article, we expect to see Magsayo fighting against at least 1 notable fighter, making the most of his world ranking and moving towards, if not getting, a world title fight. We expect him to demand his team help him make up for lost time, with the youngster not fighting at all in 2018, and with that in mind we would expect him to fight 3 times in 2019, though in a perfect world he would be out 4 times. Magsayo's skill set is such that we wouldn't be surprised by him beating top, top contenders and a bout against the likes of Kid Galahad, Jesus M Rojas, Michael Conlan, James Dickens or Joet Gonzalez would be winnable fights, and fights that boost his reputation on both sides of the Pacific. Of course Magsayo is relatively unknown outside of the hardcore fans and the Filipino scene, and would be seen as a high risk low reward fighter by many. However his WBC world ranking does give future foes something to try and claim and that might be enough to entice a recent title challenger or fellow contender into the ring with him. As well as activity and a big name we also expect to see Magsayo on the road, and a fight in the West surely has to be in his plans for the year, potentially making a fight with bigger names more likely. Concerns? We do have concerns about how long it will take Magsayo to get the big fights. His falling out with ALA left him in the boxing wilderness for over a year and his new team have yet to get him to the point where his career once was. Time is on his side, at 24 years old, but he's not been a professional for well over 6 years and has 20 bouts to his name, so it really is time to kick on, despite his youth. We also wonder whether or not his new team can secure the bigger fights by themselves, or whether they will work with someone else to push Magsayo's career forward. It would seem ideal for them to work with someone like Top Rank, who have a plentiful supply of Featherweights and a history of building Filipino stars. On the other hand would Top Rank manage to make the most of a talent like Magsayo when they have more immediately marketable fighters in the division on their books already. In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #6 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Sadriddin Akhmedov (11-0, 10) Age? 21 Where? Kazakhstan (though fighting out of Canada) What weight? Light Middleweight Why? It's become clear in recent years that Gennady Golovkin is not the force he once was. He's still a genuine, world class fighter, but he's slipped significantly from what he used to be, an elite level fighter. With that in mind Kazakhstan will need a new boxing hero, and for us the almost ideal replacement is fast rising Light Middleweight Sadriddin Akhmedov. The excellent boxer-puncher is only 21 years old but has shown genuine maturity between the ropes alongside incredibly heavy hands, impressive ring craft, speed and movement. Not only has he shown impressive traits in the professional ranks but he was also a solid amateur before turning professional. Since turning pro he has been kept very active and is quickly building a fan base in Canada, where he's based with promoter Eye of the Tiger. A genuine star of the future, and a man who will be making real headlines in 2020. Unlike most fighters with power Akhmedov isn't just an out and out wrecking ball. Offensively he is great to watch, with head and body shots just flowing from one to the other. More recently however he has shown he can box off the back foot, and has his power whether he's coming forward, or going backwards. A real heavy handed and youngster fighting in both directions For those who haven't yet managed to see Akhmedov, and there will be some, he should be one of those guys you make a conscious effort to scout as soon as you can, as he is something else, and is going to become a huge name in the coming years. It will not be long before he his promoters begin to market him to a wider audience, and American and European fans will, sooner or later, get the chance to see just how good he is. One other thing to make a note of, Akhmedov has a look that can be marketed very easily. He's a very good looking kid, with a wife who's had a career as a teenage musical star in Kazakhstan. He has the looks to be a genuine cross-over and feature in things like adverts down the line, if his ring career goes in the direction we expect. What do we expect? We don't think we'll see Akhmedov in a world title fight for a year or two yet, however that doesn't mean we don't have big expectations for the Kazakh youngster. We expect him to be busy in 2020, with 4 if not 5 fights through the year. The level of activity we expect isn't a stark change to what we've seen from him already. He fought 6 times in 8 months, in 2018, and 5 times in 2019, so that's a pretty fair expectation. Not only do we expect him to be active, but also take his skills on the road, with fights not only in Canada but also a bout in Kazakhstan and potentially one in the US as he looks to build his international profile, which has lacked despite some excellent performances. We also expect to see Akhmedov taking on better competition. So far he's yet to face a real notable name, instead taking on a variety of opponents who lack in terms of name valuable but have been gradually better tests. Another one or two opponents like he has been facing won't be a big issue, but we'd expect him to take on a world ranked fighter or a former world title challenger. If Akhmedov isn't in at lest 1 of the world rankings by the end of 2020 we'd consider the year a big disappointment, but it's hard to imagine all 4 world bodies ignoring Akhmedov, his marketability, his style and the excitement he brings. Concerns? Concerns when it comes to Akhmedov are very few and far between. The main one is stagnation, with his opponents needing to be stepped up sooner rather than later. He's such a natural in the ring that he will need challenging soon, forcing us to see what he can do in the ring and ironing out any bad habits before they become part of his boxing. Eye of the Tiger Management have a mixed record on how they bring through hopefuls, and hopefully Akhmedov will be brought through tough next year. There is also a risk, albeit a small one, of him burning out and being washed young. So far he's not had any real wars but he has been very active, and has suffered an injury or two. This is only a minor concern, and he was given time to rest up and heal after his injury, but if the injury recurs it could be a longer term issue. In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #7 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Hinata Maruta (10-1-1, 8) Age? 22 Where? Japan What weight? Featherweight Why? Japanese youngster Hinata Maruta has long been tipped as a star in the making and whilst his career hasn't been bad it's certainly not lived up to the expectations we, and others, had had for him. In the space of just 11 months however he has beaten Tsuyoshi Tameda, Coach Hiroto and Takenori Ohashi, earning himself a Japanese title fight in 2020 and has began to work on the flaws that did show themselves early in his career. He's worked on things like his urgency and now appears to be putting together everything he needs to be the star that many thought he would become. He's incredibly talented, heavy handed, slick, and fast, with freakish dimensions and a lot of natural ability. If he can make the few adjustments needed to make everything click, and build on his talent by adding to the mental side of his game, he could be a genuine elite level fighter by the end of 2020. When you watch Maruta in action it's clear is an exceptional young fighter, that was clear from his days as an amateur and is just as clear now, though he's still very much a work in progress, and he needs to add to the tools he has. If can he tweak things just a little then next year will be huge for him, and we wouldn't be surprised if he manages to over-come the brilliant Ryo Sagawa for the Japanese Featherweight title. With a title fight lined up, buckets of natural ability, a really good look, which could be incredibly marketable to the relatively untapped female market, Maruta has everything needed to be a huge star. He is, even with a loss and draw on his record, someone to be very excited about. What do we expect? We already know that Maruta will fight for the Japanese Featherweight title during the 2020 Champion Carnival, where he'll likely face Ryo Sagawa. It won't be an easy bout for Maruta but he certainly has the ability to not only win, but to look good winning, and announce himself as the special talent we know he is. Whilst the 2020 Champion Carnival, and the Japanese Featherweight title, will clearly be his #1 focus for the year we don't think that'll be the only thing he's looking to accomplish in the new year. In an ideal world we'd see him a card in the US, picking up some valuable Stateside experience as part of a longer term plan. We know the Featherweight division has top fighters in the US, like Shakur Stevenson and Gary Russell Jr, and other top Featherweights are looking to make their mark on the US. For Maruta to get a taste of the US scene in 2020 would be ideal for him, even if it's a year or two before he launches any sort of real attack on the US market. Not so much an expectation but more of a hope, is that we see Maruta fighting 3 times next year. He's had 2 fights in 2019 and it feels like a frustrating year, given he really should be more active as he looks to get some experience under his belt. Finger crossed he gets 3 fights makes his US debut and wins the Japanese title next year. Concerns? Although we do fancy Maruta to win the Japanese title in the Champion Carnival it's certainly not a foregone conclusion, and he will need to be at his very best. It is a genuine concern that he will come up short in his title effort, though we would be surprised if he didn't capture the title sooner rather than later. Another concern is his team. He's been a long term member of the Morioka Gym, and his relationship to the team there is very well reported. We don't think a change would be a good idea, at least not yet, but we do wonder what money they have behind them, and what money they can put behind their star man. It may be that the Morioka Gym need to work with someone else, like Teiken perhaps, to get their man to the top of the sport. That shouldn't be a major issue, but we always worry about fighters with out the big financial backing and the opportunities they can end up getting. A similar issue is that Maruta is based in Hyogo, not exactly a Japanese hotbed for boxing. Thankfully he had shown a willingness to travel to Tokyo and Osaka for fights, but there is a potential problem getting him a big home coming fight. Again not a major issue, but something worth considering. One final minor issue is TV, and it's unclear which TV channel will back Maruta going forward. This will be something his team will want sorting out sooner rather than later. (Image - Morioka Boxing Gym) In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #8 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? Bektemir Melikuziev (4-0, 3) Age? 23 Where? Uzbekistan (but based in the US) What weight? Super Middleweight (though suggestions are that he could drop lower down the scales) Why? A number of Uzbek fighters have proven to be god damn terrors since turning professional, and one of those is the frighteningly good, hard hitting, heavy handed and incredibly skilled Bektemir Melikuziev. The destructive Melikuziev is fighting above a weight we suspect is natural for him, and yet it taking out experienced professional like they are nothing, with some of the most fearsome body shots in the sport. He has also shown an ability to box, to go rounds, and to go to plan B if he needs to, and likely has plans C and D in his locker for the future. Not only has Melikuziev been impressive in the professional ranks but he also shone in the amateurs, winning gold the Asian Championships twice, winning the the Asian Youth Championships twice and Youth Olympics, and winning silver at the Olympics in 2016. He's experience, very strong, heavy handed and is linked with Golden Boy Promotions. Given Melikuziev has already beaten veterans like Martin Fidel Rios and Adrian Luna Flores we know he's a monstrous puncher, his body shots are brutal, his amateur pedigree is exceptional, he has strong promotional links and unlike many on this list he already looks like he can be let loose on world ranked fighters. He is one of the most complete offensive fighters we've seen and he appears to be someone who needs to be given really serious tests really early in his career. With that in mind we would not be shocked at all if Melikuziev fights for a world title in 2020, in his first 7 fights. He's supposedly a natural Super Middleweight, and given the state of the division there's no reason for him to be worried of any of the fighters there. A fight with someone like Billy Joe Saunders should be focus for the year. What do we expect? We made our expectations for Melikuziev pretty obvious in the "Why?" but we need to reiterate them again. We expect Melikuziev to win a world title in 2020, and do so at Super Middleweight. The reality is that the likes of Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith haven't looked great recently. Saunders has never made us feel he's fighting at his best weight class whilst Callum Smith appears to have out grown the Super Middleweight division. Both men fight on DAZN, and essentially that will be where Melikuziev makes his name, so the bout shouldn't be impossible to make from a boxing politics point of view either. Longer term expectations for Melikuziev are really hard to make. He's only 23 now, but already looks like a nailed on future world champion and could either have a very, very lengthy reign, or find himself committing to a career at Light Heavyweight down the line, and that could be where he finds himself really being tested. That however seems likely to be several years away, and is unlikely to come until after he leaves a notable mark on the Super Middleweight division, the division that his body seems most suited for. Talking about Light Heavyweight he would be a small fighter there, but we suspect his power and physical strength would be more than enough to make him a very serious threat in the division. Concerns? One concern when it comes it Central Asian fighters in the West general is just how much their promoters are willing to financially back them. It took years for Golovkin to make his mark, and even then it wasn't until very late on that the reward for facing him out did the risk. If Melikuziev's promoters don't financially back him from the off his career could potentially be a frustrating one, and he may end up waiting far longer than needed for a shot at a world title. Given how powerful and destructive he is there is also the potential issue in getting suitable opponents in the ring. He's been able to spar with top guys but his opposition are going to want solid pay days to step in the ring with him. Again strong promotional backing should alleviate this concern, but even then he might still struggle to get opponents willing to risk rankings and titles against him. Longer term issues are whether or not he will still be as destructive at Light Heavyweight, when he finally commits to the division. At Super Middleweight we genuinely see him winning a world title with ease. The division should be on alert for his final arrival there, but his pursuit for titles in multiple weight classes is a concern as he will be dwarfed by some of the top fighters at 175lbs. This concern is, thankfully, not one that will rear it's head in 2020, but is something to consider in 4 or 5 years time. (Photo: Tom Hogan / Golden Boy) In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #9 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who? KJ Cataraja (11-0, 9) Age? 24 Where? Philippines What weight? Super Flyweight Why? Not for the first time we've started one of these by suggesting that the Philippines needs a new star, and suggesting that one of the 20 for 20 may be the man to become a that new star. Maybe the pick of the bunch is the focus of today's article, as we look at the super talented Super Flyweight hopeful KJ Cataraja, who is only 24 years old but has shown enough in just 11 fights to really get the juices flowing. The youngster was a top amateur fighter in the Philippines, racking up a reported 271-16 record, with numerous tournament wins and was generally regarded as one of the countries best young talents, with so much potential in either the pros or amateurs ranks. In 2015 he went professional and quickly impressed on the domestic scene before stepping up in 2018. It was last year that he took the WBO Youth Super Flyweight title with an excellent win over Victor Hugo Reyes. That win, a 10 rounder, should have been followed up with some good fights in 2019 but ALA have struggled to remain relevant this year and have certainly slowed Cataraja's career as a result. At 24 years old, blessed with incredible natural talent, and a great amateur background the future is bright for Cataraja, especially if ALA can get themselves back into gear in 2020. If they can't then we suspect someone else will chase Cataraja's signature and will work alongside ALA to make the most of the sensationally talented young fighter who really should be on the a world title fight by the end of the year, if his team can buck up their ideas. What do we expect? We're expecting a year that could be huge for Cataraja who will be hoping to make up for lost time as we head into 2020. We don't see him mixing at world level during the year, but given ALA's long standing success and their ability to create stars they were never going to rush him head first into a loss anyway. What seems more likely is that 2020 will see him fighting against a string of decent international opponents, climbing up the rankings and getting experience abroad. The smart option is for him and his team to get him on the road, take him over to Japan to spar with some of their champions and try to slide him onto a card in either Japan, Mexico or even the US. Given that Cataraja didn't fight at all in the first half of 2019 we do not expect the same to happen in 2020, he's now at the point of his career where he needs to be active, if he's fit, and ideally they'll get him 3, if not 4, bouts during the year. Those bouts should all be a step up from the domestic level fighters he's been facing in 2019, such as Crison Omayao and Delfin de Asis, as he needs to be tested. His bouts in 2019 have all been a big step backwards from the win over Reyes in 2018, and that's a huge disappointment, and not something that can be repeated next year. Concerns? Whilst we rate Cataraja extremely highly, and genuinely could rave about his potential all day long, we have more concerns regarding him than many in this series. Firstly there is the quite fair concern that he will have another year where he is simply too inactive and his match making is too regressive. We saw it in 2019 and there's a chance we'll see it again in 2020. It would be a huge shame if it were to happen, but there's a very real chance of it. With ALA not really looking like they are set to do some sort of phoenix like comeback we could again see more frustration for Cataraja. His former amateur rival Mark Magsayo left ALA a few years ago and their may be some temptations for Cataraja to follow suit if the one time promotional power house can't secure Cataraja the bouts he needs to press forward with his career in the way he should be. Unfortunately when Magsayo left it took several years for him to get back on track, and he still isn't where he should be. Cataraja has all the potential in the world but there's a risk, albeit a small one, that the best years of his career could be wasted whilst waiting for his team to sort things out. This is a genuine long term concern and one we really wish we didn't have for someone this talented. In November we counted down a number of honourable mentions for our 20 for 20. Now it's time to look at the 20 fighters who have managed to make it into the list properly, and they come from all over Asia and all over the weight classes. Some of these you may already be aware of, some are perhaps less well known, but either way these 20 men are going to be well worth following in the new year as they look to push forward in their career and move towards major success. For these fighters we will look at the the reason why you should follow them, our expectations for them in the coming year and the issues they may face going forward. The one rule with all of these fighters is that they can have fought for a world title at the time of writing, as the fighters who have are, essentially, already ones to watch having dabbled at world level. Some of these are world ranked, and some of these may well be set for world title fights in the near future, but so far they have not had that top level bout. Without any further ado, lets take a look at the man we have ranked #10 in our list of Ones to watch in 2020  Who?
Reymart Gaballo (23-0, 20) Age? 23 Where? Philippines What weight? Bantamweight Why? The Bantamweight division got a huge shot in the arm in November, when Naoya Inoue beat Nonito Donaire in the WBSS final and then again at the end of the month when John Riel Casimero showed what he could do in stopping Zolani Tete. One of the best things about the division, alongside the brilliant fighters at the top, are the emerging talents in the division. Few of those look as exciting as unbeaten 23 year old Reymart Gaballo. The "Assassin" is a fighter who does everything in a way that screams "star", and has been quietly building his reputation without too much fanfare or attention. We suspect that could change, in a big way, in 2020 when he's expected to get his first proper world title fight, and his first chance to shine on a bigger stage. The talented Gaballo has already made his US debut, doing so back in 2017, and has now fought 3 times on US soil whilst recently linking up with PBC in the West, opening the door to some huge fights. Not only does Gaballo have some powerful people paying attention to him, but he also has a style that will quickly win over fans and help catch the eye of those who may not typically give the lower weights the time of day. What do we expect? The expectation for 2020 is that Gaballo, who held the WBA "interim" Bantamweight title back in 2017 and 2018, is that he will get some notable TV exposure in the US. Given the fact PBC work with a number of world class Bantamweights he's in a great position to get a chance to impress, make his mark and prove what he can do whilst moving towards a proper world title fight. At the 23 years old it's not too much of an issue if Gaballo doesn't get a world title fight next year, especially given the talent in the Bantamweight division, but we would expect him to move towards a shot at the top. A former title challenger, or even a former world champion, should be in his sites for the new year and someone like Rau'shee Warren or McWilliams Arroyo or Carlos Cuadras could well be a good match up for Gaballo late in 2020. Outside of the ring we would expect Gaballo to be getting top work as a sparring partner and wouldn't be surprised if someone like Naoya Inoue sparred with him before the end of the year to prepare for a bout. We also expect that he will become a man that fight fans will fall in love with very quickly. Concerns? There are a quite lot of concerns about Gaballo, the most notable of which is that he can be a bit too reckless at times, and will need to tighten up defensively before fighting at the top level. There is also a case that his career could be a tricky one to manage. He's dangerous and a threat to the the bigger names but there it little to entice fighters to face him. He brings power, speed and aggression, but little in terms of reward. A similar possible concern is that Gaballo becomes too focused on exciting fans that he may lose focus on winning. We haven't seen this yet, but it does seem that he fights in a style that is about making his fights fun to watch and impressing viewers. This entertainment first style is something he will need to temper before moving to world class. The bigger issue, at least for now, is that Gaballo is, unfortunately, in a division packed with top talent. The Filipino is incredibly talented, but there is a gulf between him and fighters like Naoya Inoue, and he may well find himself being forced to wait for the division to empty out at the top before putting him in with an top divisional fighter. |
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