The Heavyweight contenders are an interesting bunch which probably could be split into "veterans and established world level contenders" and "emerging novices". It's a relatively deep division on paper, but a number of the fighters are probably only a loss away from retirement, whilst a lot of the emerging talent still have some way to go to get a world title fight.
 
Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20)
Lineal champion Tyson Fury is the most awkward boxer in the division but the 31 year old Englishman hasn't scored a win of note, officially, in over 4 years. His huge 2015 win over Wladimit Klitschko was the changing of the guard that the division needed in some ways, but his inactivity following that win, then his competition since it really have killed his momentum. An excellent performance in 2018 saw him controversially held to a draw by Deontay Wilder, and the two are set for a rematch later this month.
 
Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13)
Former undisputed Cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is the WBO mandatory challenger for the and at 33 years old we don't expect him to wait long for his shot. We do wonder what Usyk will be like at Heavyweight, but stylistically he's the best pure boxer in the division, with a high out put, sharp punching, a lot of skill and high ring IQ. We do wonder if he will be under-sized, and whether he has the skills to over-come the size difference, but he is definitely a top contender, just based on what he did at Cruiserweight.
 
Kubrat Pulev (28-1, 14)
Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev is lined up for a second world title fight, with a bout against Anthony Joshhua expected to take place in May. The 38 year old Pulev had one of the best jabs in the sport, but we do wonder what he has left given his age. In his only world title fight to date he was dismantled by Wladimir Klitschko way back in 2014, but has rebuilt with 8 straight wins to earn his second shot.
 
Luis Ortiz (31-2-0-2, 26)
We suspect we've probably seen the end of Cuban veteran Luis Ortiz, who has twice for world titles, as a world title challenger. The 40 year old "King Kong" has shown enough in both of his losses, both to Deontay Wilder, to suggest he belonged at world level, but with a brutal KO loss last year, and one in 2018, we suspect he'll be too much "risk" and not enough "reward" to get another big fight before he hangs them up.
 
Joseph Parker (26-2, 20)
Former WBO world champion Joseph Parker seems to have been around for years, but the 28 year old is more than young enough to mount another series run, if not a couple of runs, towards the top. Parker has proven to be skilled, tough, talented and deserves to be in the mix despite a 2018 loss to Dillian Whyte. Sadly his competition since losing to Whyte, in July 2018, have been poor and his February 2020 bout with Shawndell Terrell Winters has done little to get people excited in the former champion. Lets hope he begins to demand better from his team going forward.
 
Andy Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22)
Mexican-American Andy Ruiz Jr had a weird 2019. He reached the top of the world in June, stopping Anthony Jsohua to claim the WBA "super", WBO and IBF titles, with one one the biggest upsets in recent memory. Then put on 25lbs, and came in looking like a tub of large in December's rematch. He admitted there was issues with his commitment to training, then split with the trainer that had helped him beat Joshua. It's fair to say that 2020 is going to be a massive year for the 30 year old "Destroyer" who needs to find his hunger back in the ring, not the kitchen.
 
Dillian Whyte (27-1, 18)
Outspoken and controversial Jamaican born British fighter Dillian Whyte has one of the best records of anyone in the division, and on paper he certainly deserves a world title fight. The issue however is that he's offered opportunities and pulled out or turned them down, including fights with Joshua, and a world title eliminator with Kubrat Pulev. His fans will scream that Deontay Wilder has avoided him and Wilder's fans will scream that Whyte is all talk. At the end of the day Whyte is very much a controversial figure, despite his talent. He'll likely get a shot, but questions need to be asked in why he has turned down previous opportunities whilst suggesting he is being ducked.
 
Alexander Povetkin (35-2-1, 24)
Russian veteran Alexander Povetkin looked like he was pretty much spent last time out, when he fought to a draw with Michael Hunter in Saudi Arabia. Although still a very talented and heavy handed fighter Povetkin looked slow, old, and like a man who can no longer do 12 rounds at a comfortably pace. Expect him to retire in 2020 if he can't win a big fight. He's very talented, but father time has almost caught up with the 40 year old. 
 
Michael Hunter (18-1-1, 12)
Former Cruiserweight world title challenger turned Heavyweight contender Michael Hunter has seen his career have a breathe of new life since moving up in weight and scoring wins over the likes of Iago Kiladze, Alexander Ustinov, Martin Bakole and Sergey Kuzmin. Technically Hunter is sound, sharp, quick and smart. Sadly a lack of real fire power at Cruiserweight and a relative lack of physicality is likely to be an issue going forward. In 2019 he fought to a draw with Alexander Povetkin and a rematch between the two would be great to see later this year.
 
Filip Hrgovic (10-0, 8)
Croation fighter Filip Hrgovic is a hard fighter to get a read on. He sometimes shows flashes of real potential, and was a very good amateur, but at other times it seems like he's going through the motions. We'd like to see him get a meaningful fight in 2020, though we suspect his slow burn rise to the top will continue. Sadly it seems like a lack of tests could prove to be a very series problem for Hrgovic who put on a significant amount of weight last year, adding over 16lbs between his first and third bout. If he doesn't get a serious test we expect his weight will continue to increase, taking away some of the fluidity that makes him a compelling prospect.
 
Efe Ajagba (12-0, 10)
US based Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba is an interesting hopeful who had a rather curious 2019. He had entered the year 8-0 (7), with his only none T/KO win being an opening DQ win over Curtis Harper and looked like an invincible puncher. In 2019 however he was taken the distance by Ali Eren Demirezen and then dropped by Iago Kiladze, in a sensation December bout. Those two fights showed that Ajagba needs to be given time, and developmental fights, but they could be hard to land for such a perceived danger man.
 
Daniel Dubois (14-0, 13)
Englishman Daniel Dubois is one of the most interesting prospects in the division. Although he comes across as a genuinely boring person outside of the ring, he is as exciting as they come inside of it. Blessed with power in both hands, under-rated speed and skills that are developing well he is one of the true stars of the future in the division. At 22 years old he ticks every box inside the ring. Give the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, who love to talk, Dubois is kinda refreshing in that he wants his work in the ring to speak for him. He'll be back in the ring on April 11th, when he faces Joe Joyce, in a mouth watering British showdown in London.
 
Joe Joyce (10-0, 9)
Olympic silver medal winner Joy Joyce is a very weird guy to get a read on. Watching him he looks slow, stationary, sluggish, and easy to beat. At 34 years old he's not going to get any quicker or more fluid in the ring. Despite that he's physically strong, power, rugged, tough and seems to just grind down fighters, taking wins over decent, though not great opponents. Last time out took a decision over Bryant Jennings, showing he could do 12 rounds, but looked like he was struggling at times with the faded American veteran. He'll be in action, as mentioned, in April against Daniel Dubois in a mouth watering clash. A loss there could well spell the end for the "Juggernaut"

Whilst the Super Middleweight division has a talented, yet incredibly frustrating, array of champions the division is sadly lacking in quality in and around the ranks of contenders. Many of the top fighters in and around the world mix have been exposed, are on the way out and are old, rather than vibrant new up and comers. It gives the division a real lack of appeal and excitement. There are some solid contenders, but generally it's a division that is lacking depth and youth. Whilst we could run through the list of fringe contenders who are past it, we'd rather look at the up coming contenders here.
 
John Ryder (28-5, 16)
Englishman John Ryder should, if we're being honest, be the WBA "super" champion right now. He seemed to do more than enough last November to take the title from Callum Smith and was hugely unfortunate. Sadly Ryder has had a career of misfortune and was also very unlucky against Rocky Fielding in 2017. Although he has 5 losses the reality is that he is much, much better than his record suggests, and "The Gorilla" is one of the few legitimate, proven, contenders in the division, who isn't several years beyond their best.
 
Vladimir Shishkin (10-0, 6)
Fast rising US based Russian Vladimir Shishkin failed to impressed last time out, when he looked rather uninspiring against Ulises Sierra, but with stoppages against Siarhei Khamitski and Najid Mohammadi there's little doubting his ability. Shishkin is likely to be one of those contenders that fighters don't want to face, but yet doesn't look too impressive on camera and is potentially too much of a high risk low reward fighter, at least at the moment.
 
Vincent Feigenbutz (31-2, 28)
It's hard to believe that German fighter Vincent Feigenbutz is still only 24, but in many ways we may well have seen the best of the young German, who gets an IBF mandatory shot later this month. Once touted as the future of German boxing it feels like Feigenbutz has come around almost a decade too late and missed out on what the German scene once was. He's not a bad fighter, by any stretch, but he's also not as good as his record suggests and a loss to Caleb Plant on February 15th will push him way down the queue for another shot. He's powerful, but crude amd open and there to be out boxed by a smart fight like Plant.
 
Kevin Lele Sadjo (14-0, 14)
French puncher Kevin Lele Sadjo is dubbed the "The Phenomen" and with good reason, he can bang. Although not well known outside of France, as we begin 2020, we expect to see him getting some big fighters later in the year. The 29 year old has WSB experience and is a brute in the ring, with an aggressive style, very heavy hands, and a high intensity work rate. He looks like he could be out boxed by someone with very sharp counter punching, but in fairness to Sadjo, his shots are short, and crisp and he looks like a real emerging dangerman in the division
 
Evgeny Shvedenko (13-0, 6)
Another unbeaten Russian is Evgeny Shvedenko, who has slowly been making a name for himself in Europe, with recent wins against the likes of Nuhu Lawal and Nadjib Mohammedi. Although certainly not a name we expect many to be familiar with he is making his mark slowly and we would expect him to be moving towards an eliminator through the coming year. He's yet to really make a big statement, but we expect to see that sooner rather than later given he's not 29 years old.
 
Roamer Alexis Angulo (26-1, 22)
We said we wanted to focus on upcoming fighters but the 35 year old Roamer Alexis Angulo is certainly no spring chicken. He's also someone who has come up short in the past, losing in 2018 to Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez. However he has earned a second show on the back of big wins over the previously unbeaten pairing of Reinaldo Gonzalez and Anthony Sims Jr. The Colombian is big, tough, hits hard and appears to be on a good, so don't be too surprised if the US based Colombian gets a second title fight before this year is over.
 
Nurzat Sabirov (10-0, 9)
Canadian based Kazakh hopeful Nurzat Sabirov is a real hidden gem among the ranks at 168lbs, but is clearly some way away from a world title fight. The 26 year old has looked skilled, heavy handed and is getting good rounds under his belt, but clearly needs to be stepped up this year if he's to heading up into the fringes of the title mix. As with many of the Kazakhs based in Canada he's being matched well and getting experience, though do wonder when, or if, the promoters will pull the trigger and get any of them big fights in 2020. Sabirov probably won't be ready by the end of the year, but it'll be interesting to see whether Batyrzhan Jukembayev or Sadriddin Akhmedov get a big fight and lead the way for Sabirov.
 
Christian Mbilli (16-0, 15)
Cameroonian born Frenchman Christian Mbilli is one of the most promising fighters in the division, and one of the most exciting. He turned professional after a very successful amateur career, that included an appearance at the 2016 Olympics and time competing in the WSB, and since 2017 he has been building his reputation as a future world champion. He's talented, explosive and very exciting, and he's also proven he can go longer in fighters, with each of his last 3 bouts going 8 or more rounds. Don't be surprised at all if Mbilli gate crashes the title scene before the end of 2020.
 
Bektemir Melikuziev (4-0, 3)
Unbeaten Uzbek Bektemir Melikuziev looks like not just a future world champion but a future star of the sport. The "Bek Bully" has an exciting in ring style, but has proven he can box as well as bang, he's a devastating body puncher, a former amateur standout and someone who is being fast tracked like no one else in the division. Melikuziev is pencilled in to fight again later this month, against former world title challenger Marco Antonio Periban, and a win there will almost certainly put him on the verge of a world title fight. He might not be a big name, yet, but Melikuziev ticks all the boxes of a future star, and is someone to get very, very excited about.
 
Aidos Yerbossynuly (13-0, 9)
Another Central Asian making waves in the division is 28 year old Kazakh Aidos Yerbossynuly, who has cracked the top 10 with the WBO and the top 3 with the WBA, showing just how worthless their rankings are at times. The Kazakh has picked up wins in various countries, with his most notable win coming last August in Australia, where he beat Rocky Jerkic, and we expect to see him getting higher profile wins this year. The unbeaten fighter, who is managed by Sulieman Promotions, is certainly someone who deserves to be on the periphery even if his rankings are currently way too high.
 
Azizbek Abdugofurov (13-0, 5)
Ranked #2 by the WBC unbeaten Uzbek Azizbek Abdugofurov once looked like he was on the fast track to the top, but his rise has certainly in recent times, with "AAA" unable to land a bout of note in 2019. That was a shame as he had momentum coming into the year on the back of good wins over Dmitrii Chudinov and Wuzhati Nuerlang. Fingers crossed he can land a big fight this year and make up for lost time. At 27 years old he has time to get back to where he was, but feels a lot like he's wasted a year of his career, when he should have been getting bouts to prepare him for an eventual world title bout.

​The contenders at the Middleweight division make for an odd bunch, with very few fighters in the mix who have previously world titles, and many who are really more prospects than contenders. In fact really the division is really lacking in terms of top tier contenders, with only a handful who have proven they belong in and around world level. It's a bad division as such but it's one that is clearly in transition
 
Rob Brant (25-2, 17)
American fighter Rob Brant shocked the boxing world in 2018 when he out pointed Ryota Murata to claim the WBA "regular" title. Sadly for him however his reign was a short one and it ended in 2019 when he travelled to Japan to face Murata in a rematch. Brant is a talented volume fighter who belongs in the title mix, but he'll need to rebuild in 2020 if he's to get a shot at the big time. Sadly it feels like his short reign at the top is going to be as good as it gets for Brant.
 
Chris Eubank Jr (29-2, 22)
Second generation fighter Chris Eubank Jr received a lot of attention in his homeland early in his career, under the guidance of his enigmatic father. In recent years however he has seemingly vanished off the face of the planet. Wins over James DeGale and Matt Korobov in 2019 are impressive, but the profile of the two fights was miniscule compared to the quality of fighters in them. Since losing in 2018 to George Groves Eubank has really struggled to get attention, no matter how solid his competition has been. Fingers crossed 2020 is a better year for the 30 year old, who is talented, charismatic and exciting.
 
Jaime Munguia (35-0, 28)
Former WBO Light Middleweight champion Jaime Munguia moved up to Middleweight for his last fight, and 11th round TKO win over Gary O'Sullivan. The 23 year old Mexican is an exciting, high volume fighter, but a pretty limited one and someone who we expect will struggle to make a mark on the division if he doesn't tighten up his defense, significantly. If we look at Munguia as a fan friendly fringe contender, and are willing to give him time to improve, he could become a solid contender. In reality however he's too well known to be given time and the division is too weak to stall a title fight for him. His biggest issue at Middleweight was his biggest strength at Light Middleweight. His size. At Light Middleweight he was huge, but being huge has forced him to move up and face bigger fighters. We suspect this is going to be a really tough year for Munguia and his management team.
 
Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-2, 10)
Talented Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko is an unlucky man. The technically excellent, solid punching 34 year old could, well have had wins over Daniel Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin had judges just seen things a little bit different. Both of his losses, to legitimate world class fighters, have essentially been decided by 2 rounds, and he has given both men one of their toughest bouts. Sadly at 34 years old Derevyanchenko is likely on the slide, and may get 1 more shot at the top, if he's lucky. On the other hand he may well find himself as part of the "who needs him?" cub following his impressive performances in defeat.
 
Liam Smith (29-2-1, 16)
Englishman Liam Smith is a former WBO Light Middleweight champion who has moved up in weight but is yet to really show what he can do at Middleweight, having scored a couple of rather low level wins since moving up. At Light Middleweight he was a strong, powerful and tough, yet relatively basic, fighter. At 31 years old Smith does have time to mount a real charge at 160lbs, but he can't keep wasting time against B tier competition. This year has to be one where he steps back up to the fringes and gets the chance to prepare for a top Middleweight.
 
Liam Williams (22-2-1, 17)
Another British fighter looking to make their mark at Middleweight is Liam Williams, a 27 year old from Wales. Both of his losses came to Liam Smith at Light Middleweight but since changing trainer Williams has looked a more powerful and devastating fighter. He's not the most polished or rounded fighter out there, but he's strong, powerful and is still very much an improving fighter with a very fun style. It's going to be fun to see him mixing at world level, and given his Decemeber 2019 win over Alantez Fox a world title fight isn't going to be far away.
 
Kamil Szeremeta (21-0, 5)
Poland's relatively unknown Kamil Szeremeta is next in line for Gennady Golovkin and is the IBF mandatory challenger. The 30 year old has become the mandatory more on the volume of his wins than the quality of them but the former European champion is certainly not a bad fighter. He's been unbeaten since his pro debut in 2012 and has a couple of past it fringe contenders on his record, in the form hand Rafal Jackiewicz and Kassim Ouma. He's strong, despite not being much of a puncher, but shouldn't really be much of a test for Golovkin, even a much faded 2020 Golovkin.
 
Kazuto Takesako (12-0-1, 11)
It's unlikely we'll ever see Kazuto Takesako making a mark at world level, but the hard hitting Japanese fighter is knocking on the door of the top 15 and has unified the Japanese and OPBF titles, whilst being fun to watch, powerful and exciting. There is, obviously a gap between him and the top guys in the world, but given the relative lack of depth at 160lbs the 28 year old could end up finding himself as fringe contender sooner rather than later. He's here more because the division is weak, rather than being anything great, but we would advise fans do at least make a note of his name, as he is very fun to watch.
 
Janibek Alimkhanuly (8-0, 4)
Top Rank promoted Kazakh Middleweight hopeful Janibek Alimkhanuly is a former amateur standout who took some time to adapt to the professional ranks, but now appears to have settled at the weight. In 2019 he racked up 4 wins, 3 by stoppage, and took on progressively better competition. We would be a little bit surprised to see the 26 year old southpaw get a world title fight in 2020, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him knocking on the door as we go into 2021.
 
Edgar Berlanga (13-0, 13)
The divisional wild card is American puncher Edgar Berlanga, who may end up being a genuine star, if his power carries up through the levels. In 13 fights he has blown away 13 opponents, all in the first round. His competition has, admittedly, been limited, but not terrible and his December win over Cesar Nunez was particularly notable as Nunez had gone 8 rounds with Vincent Feigenbutz in his only previous loss. He's still very much a work in progress but if he keeps blowing opponents up and taking steps forward it's going to be very, very hard to hold him back from world level contenders for long.

​As well as the champions at 130lbs we also have some interesting contenders in the division, with a mix of established names and emerging hopefuls.
 
Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12) 
IBF mandatory contender is Tajik born Russian Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, an aggressive, raw fighter with heavy hands and brutal body shots. He's mostly fought in Russia where he has notched solid wins over Malcolm Klassen and Robinson Castellanos, though did travel outside of Russia for his last bout, an 8th round TKO win over Azinga Fuzile. Rakhimov can certainly be outboxed, but he's a hard man to beat with his power, toughness and physicality.
 
Oscar Valdez (27-0, 21)
Former WBO Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez has abandoned the 126lb division and began his pursuit of a second divisional world title as he's moved up to 130lbs. On paper this looks like a move that may not be the best for the Mexican. At 126lbs Valdez was a brutal, explosive boxer-puncher but he didn't look good at all in his Featherweight debut, where he was dropped by Adam Lopez and given a real test. At 29 years old we understand him outgrowing the Featherweight division, but we do wonder whether he can replicate his success at 130lbs.
 
Andrew Cancio (21-5-2, 16)
American puncher Andrew Cancio lost the WBA "regular" title last time out, when he was stopped by Rene Alvarado. That bout saw Cancio lose the WBA title and later leave Golden Boy Promotions under a cloud dissatisfaction, following a very public falling out between fighter and promoter. Cancio has since signed with Top Rank and is likely to get opportunities under Bob Arum who has several top names in the division under his promotional banner. Although not the most talented fighter out there the 31 year old can punch and a bout between him and some of the other contenders in the division would be fantastic to watch.
 
Joseph Diaz (30-1, 15)
Joseph "Jo Jo" Diaz is a former is a 2012 Olympian who has banged on the door a few times, albeit at Featherweight. He lost a competitive bout in 2018 to Gary Russell Jr, then beat Jesus M Rojas, but failed to make weight. Since the Rojas mishap Diaz has moved up to the Featherweight and looked a bit hot and cold. He looked solid against Freddy Fonseca but struggled with journeyman Jesus Cuadro. He'll be getting his first crack at a Super Featherweight world title at the end of the month, when he takes on IBF champion Tevin Farmer. For Farmer the bout is a chance to legitimise his much maligned reign whilst Diaz will be looking to prove he's world class.
 
Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov (15-0, 9)
Another Tajik born Russian in the division is 24 year old Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov. He's not on the same level of development as Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, despite the two men having the same number of bouts, but he is another very talented, very aggressive and very fun to watch fighter. In recent years Yaqubov has beaten the likes of Ernie Sanchez, Emanuel Lopez, Jhon Gemino and Abraham Montoya. The unbeaten Yaqubov is really fun to watch but will need to alter his style if he's to make the most of his abilities, and is likely to take longer to get into the mix than some of the other contenders in the division.
 
Carl Frampton (27-2, 15)
Former Super Bantamweight champion Carl Frampton singled his intent to be a player at 130lbs last year, when he took on Tyler McCreary and took a clear win over the previously unbeaten American. At the age of 32, and turning 33 in February, time is ticking on Frampton's career and it really does seem like it'll have to be this year for him to make a mark on the 130lb weight class. There has been a lot of talk of the "Jackal" fighting against Jamel Herring, though the original plans for that bout have had to be pushed back.
 
Joe Cordina (11-0, 7)
Welshman Joe Cordina is a former Olympian who is inked to the powerful Eddie Hearn. Talented, well schooled and at 28 years old Cordina looks like he's ready to push on with his career and 2020 could be a really big year for him. He turned professional with a very strong amateur background, though didn't have much hype. He has since developed carefully and it would seem almost a given that Eddie Hearn will secure the Welsh Wizard a title fight sooner rather than later. Expect him to fight in at least 1 eliminator this year, and potentially make his US debut to try and drum up interesting in him facing the Tevin Farmer or JoJo Diaz winner.
 
3 bouts we want to see in 2020:
Leo Santa Cruz Vs Rene Alvarado
Oscar Valdez Vs Andrew Cancio
Miguel Berchelt Vs Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov