You could say that British boxing is once again looking very healthy with the likes of Anthony Joshua, George Groves, James DeGale and Lee Selby, amongst others, all holding world title belts. For Britain to remain as one of the powerhouses in world boxing, it’s vital that they continue to produce generation after generation, so that’s there’s always a steady stream of quality coming through. Britain undoubtedly has all of the necessary facilities, trainers and promoters but is there talent coming through? You bet! Let’s take a look at some of Britain’s current boxing prospects that will be looking to follow the champion’s before them and take the world by storm.
Anthony Yarde
Anthony Yarde was a bit of a latecomer to the boxing world and pretty much sidestepped the amateur division in order to turn pro. The Beast is now 26 and has so far had 13 pro fights, winning all 13 and 12 of those by the way of knockout. He’s the current WBO European light-heavyweight holder and will certainly be looking to quickly try and establish himself as a world champ, especially with so many brutal knockouts behind him already.
Daniel Dubois
There has been a lot of talk surround 20 year old Londoner Daniel Dubois of late and it’s certainly clear as to why. The 6’5” big hitter has already been talked up by promoter Frank Warren as the best heavyweight he’s seen in British boxing and after only 5 pro fights he has 5 victories all by the way of knockout to his name. It has been claimed by a source at the renowned sports betting firm Unibet that there’s already talk of him ready to compete for a world title in 12 months’ time.
Lawrence Okolie
Lawrence Okolie started out as a heavyweight fighting for Team GB at the 2106 Rio Olympics before turning pro and switching to the cruiserweight division. The 24 year old, nicknamed The Sauce, has so far had 6 pro fights, winning all 6 and 5 of those by knockout. The Hackney born boxer is signed up to Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport and will be targeting the big time in the not too distant future after leaving every opponent so far in his wake.
Conor Benn
The first thing most people say about Conor Benn is that he’s the son of former world champion boxer Nigel Benn. Conor Benn though is a very good boxer in his own right though. Using a similar nickname as his dad, The Destroyer has so far fought 9 times as a professional, winning all 9 and 7 of those by KO. He’s brushed aside opponents for fun so far and his next fight is said to be in the USA. It will be interesting to see how he fares as a boxer in his own right.
Josh Kelly
Josh Kelly is a 23 year old welterweight who hails from Sunderland. After competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics he went on to turn pro in April this year. He’s so far had 4 pro bouts, winning all 4 with 3 of those victories by the way of knockout. He’s another boxer who is expected to deliver on the world stage and the fact that Eddie Hearn swiftly moved to sign him up adds further weight to this.
Ohara Davies
Two Tanks as he’s commonly know is a 25 year old light welterweight who is currently trained by Tony Sims. The Hackney born fighter is the former WBC silver champion as is also the former English super lightweight champion too. So far he’s had 17 pro fights, winning 16, with 13 by the way of knockout. He has one defeat on his record after losing to Josh Taylor but Davies is still ranked in the top 10 world light welterweights by the WBC and IBF.
Michael Conlan
Michael Conlan comes from a family of boxers, with his brother Jamie currently a pro and his fa-ther John his coach. The 25 year old super bantamweight competed at the London Olympics in 2012 winning bronze and went on to win gold in 2015 at the World Championships in Doha. He’s so far fought 4 times as a pro, winning all 4 inside the distance, with big things expected of the Top Rank fighter.
Zelfa Barrett
Nicknamed ‘The Brown Flash’ current 24 year old English lightweight champion Zelfa Barrett is unbeaten in 19 fights, with 12 of those ending inside the distance. This exciting prospect really does have the lot. Her is slick in his movements, fast and fluid, has a great jab and can bang with either hand hard to head and body. It won’t be long before he is knocking on the door for a British title and he has all the tools in his locker to be one of the next big things in British boxing.
Lyndon Arthur
A cousin and gym mate of Zelfa Barrett, Lyndon Arthur didn’t start boxing until late into his teen years but went on to achieve great amateur exploits. He was part of the GB squad and was selected to be part of the WSB, representing the Great Britain team. He has since turned pro in the light-heavyweight division and in the first year has racked up a record of 9 wins with 6 stoppages. Arthur has one of the best jabs of any boxer currently on the UK circuit and with some other big prospects coming through the domestic rankings it won’t be long before we see him in some eye catching matchups. This guy is going to take some beating and could be the dark horse to come through big time from the pool of light-heavyweight hopefuls.
Josh Taylor
It is not often you can call a fighter world class after just 11 pro fights, but there could be an exception to the rule here! Josh Taylor was a junior taekwando champion, before pursuing a boxing career. He turned to boxing at 15 and went on to win a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Taylor became the first lightweight Scottish boxer to qualify for the Olympics since Dick McTaggart, who won a gold medal in Melbourne in 1956 and a bronze in Rome at the following games. In the Commonwealth Games final again in 2014 this time at light welterweight he won the gold medal. Taylor also represented the British Lionhearts at the World Series of Boxing to cap an excellent amateur pedigree. He has now taken to the professional game like a duck to water and is now unbeaten in 11 with 10 by early finish. He came to the knowledge of many new fight fans when he dismantled another top prospect in Ohara Davies in July and last week he took apart and stopped the experienced Mexican and former world champion Miguel Vasquez in epic fashion, a fight that on paper appeared well ahead of his years but he handled it with ease. Already being called the UK version of Vasyl Lomachenko because of his slick moves, Josh Taylor has broken through his prospect tag and become one of the boxers who could become a genuine high class mover in world boxing.
These are just 10 of the best up coming prospects who are capable of making big moves in the coming year or so, but there are plenty more and to fit 10 in wasn’t easy. British boxing is having a great period and the sport is as popular as it ever was and our boxers and promoters are leading the way. We will look at another 10 prospects to watch soon, if you have any suggestions please leave a message or follow us on Twitter: @brititshboxers
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