With Floyd Mayweather about to exit the sport – quite likely for good – his throne will become vacant for others to fill. But what does it take to become seated on that ‘throne’ exactly? Elite boxing ability? Great commercial appeal? Arguably a bit of both, and that is the criteria we’ll be using to evaluate who’s most likely to fill that esteemed position. We’ve also taken boxing history trends into account, i.e. which weight classes, fighting styles and characters have proved the most popular and revered.
It’s worth noting that this is not a list of the world’s best fighters based on ability alone, but more so one of those most likely to capture the public’s attention in 2015/2016. Of course, with some of the fighters below about to face possible significant defeats in 2015, this list wasn’t the easiest to compile. But let’s get on with it…
Top 10 Potential Heirs to Floyd Mayweather’s Throne
1. Canelo Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KO) – Mexico, Junior Middleweight
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez may have a loss on his record – to none other than Mayweather himself – but a lot of people see the torch getting passed nonetheless. Alvarez is unquestionably one of the most marketable, mainstream fighters in boxing. A skilled boxer-puncher who’s always in a fan-friendly fight, ‘Canelo’ is an arena-filler followed by more than just his loyal band of Mexican fans. Gennady Golovkin, David Lemieux and Miguel Cotto (who Alvarez will face in November), are serious threats to the Mexican warrior. But right now, as it stands, Canelo looks within stepping distance of Mayweather’s shoes.
2. Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KO) – Kazakhstan, Middleweight
Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin will never have trouble putting butts on seats. History tells us boxing fans love a jaw-breaking wrecking machine, and Kazakhstan-born Golovkin fits the bill perfectly. He’s already entered his name into the history books as the hardest-hitting Middleweight of all time, and has further proved it by crushing his last twenty opponents inside the distance. This guy couldn’t be more marketable. If he can get by legitimate threat and fellow banger David Lemieux in October, he could be looking at a possible monetary record-breaker against Canelo Alvarez (above) – if Miguel Cotto (below) doesn’t crash the party.
3. Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KO) – US, Heavyweight
It’s not hard to describe why Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder draws in vast crowds. He’s big. A knockout artist. And campaigns at Heavyweight – a historically popular division. Wilder may have not passed a true test since Bermane Stiverne in January, but with numbers like 34-0, 33 KO, the world’s best marketing team isn’t a necessity for the 6′ 7″ fighter. Though the Alabama-native is scheduled to fight heavy underdog Johann Duhaupas in September, Wilder will come up against his second true test next year against WBC mandatory challenger, Alexander Povetkin. So the story goes, anyway.
4. Keith Thurman (26-0, 22 KO) – US, Welterweight
Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman campaigns at 147 pounds, boxing’s most competitive and marketable division right now. It’s certainly considered the ‘glamour division’, in any case. Throw in the fact Thurman is undefeated, technically sound, and has serious pop in both hands, he’s a serious contender to take Mayweather’s throne. Though the Florida-born 26-year-old already possesses the WBA title, we are yet to find out if he has to goods to compete with Welterweight elites such as Kell Brook and Timothy Bradley. Our guess is he can – but we’ll no doubt find out for sure in late 2015/early 2016.
5. Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KO) – Puerto Rico, Middleweight
Despite being 34, Miguel ‘Junito’ Cotto is still performing at a high level, headlining big shows, and bringing in serious dollars. A destined future Hall of Famer, Cotto has been in the pro ranks since 2001, which has seen him become a four-weight world champion. Aging Cotto may be, but if he can get past Canelo Alvarez (above) – and look good doing it – he’ll come awfully close to cementing himself as the sport’s highest earning athlete. All that would be left for him before retiring would be to face the winner of Gennady Golovkin (above) and David Lemieux.
6. Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KO) – UK, Welterweight
Kell Brook isn’t known as ‘Special K’ for nothing. He’s one of the hardest hitting, technically solid fighters at 147 pounds, and, in boxing itself. As long as Brook can remain undefeated and keep looking formidable in the ring, he has a good chance of planting his backside on Mayweather’s throne. To do that, the Brit would need to face one or two marque Welterweight names. In short, Brook’s profile, though growing, isn’t quite big enough in America yet. He needs to gain stateside recognition the way Amir Khan did – just without clocking up defeats, if he can help it.
7. Terence Crawford (26-0, 18 KO) – US, Junior Welterweight
Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford stands a good chance of taking Mayweather’s mantle, and a great one if he can establish himself at Welterweight. The Omaha-native is a rare talent who often puts in seemingly effortless boxing clinics. With a breakout victory over a then-unbeasten Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2014, followed by further wins over Raymundo Beltran and Thomas Dulorme, Crawford is certainly one of boxing’s brightest rising stars. If he can do away with 140 pound top contenders such as Lucas Matthysse and Lamont Peterson, it wouldn’t be a bad start to becoming one of the sport’s most lucrative talents. The 27-year-old is set to face capable boxer-puncher Dierry Jean in October.
8. Amir Khan (31-3, 19 KO) – UK, Welterweight
‘Why is Amir Khan on this list?’ you might wonder? Good point. The Brit has been knocked out twice in the pro ranks, and also lost a Split Decision to Lamont Peterson. But since Danny Garcia man-handled his ass back in 2012, Khan has clocked up some decent victories. Though more disciplined under the tutelage of Virgil Hunter, Khan hasn’t lost his exciting explosive-speedster style. Khan is as popular with American audiences as he is in his homeland – possibly even more so. And since Khan is very ‘vocal’ outside of the ropes, he’s left a permanent commercial imprint on fight fans’ brains. For instance, though Khan didn’t get his Mayweather dream fight, the two fighters are almost synonymous. It’s quite amusing, but still, never a bad thing for a boxer’s marketability. Khan will need to face either Kell Brook, or another serious threat, to get in spitting distance of Mayweather’s throne.
9. Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KO) – Russia, Light Heavyweight
Another dynamite-fisted, bona fide wrecking machine. That pretty much sums up what Sergey Kovalev, fittingly known as ‘The Krusher’, is all about. The banger renders opponents unconscious – a lot – and seems to seriously enjoy blasting brain cells. And we don’t need to tell you ferocious characters like that always have a place in boxing, do we? Kovalev’s name is on the rise well beyond his native Russia, especially after he dropped and battered Bernard Hopkins around the ring for 12 rounds in 2014. If Kovalev can beat his most obvious threat, Adonis Stevenson (below), his profile would skyrocket.
10. Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 KO) – Canada, Light Heavyweight
With an alias like ‘Superman’, how can you ignore this guy? Seen as Sergey Kovalev’s nemesis, and probably only true test, Stevenson carries serious clout. Coupled with some of the fight game’s best footwork, you have one hell of a fighter. The Canadian-born boxer-puncher arguably stands the least chance of taking Mayweather’s place, however, for a number of reasons. His past three title defenses have been against fringe-contender opposition, as will his next against Tommy Karpency in September. Not only are these match-ups starting to turn off boxing fans, at 37, it wouldn’t be absurd to believe Stevenson may begin showing signs of decline within the next couple of years. Even if he can land a fight with Kovalev in 2016 and win, Stevenson would have to do serious damage at Light Heavyweight/possibly Cruiserweight to draw in vast public interest.
Heirs to Floyd Mayweather’s Throne: Best of the Rest
- Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KO) – Philippines, Welterweight
- Nicholas Walters (26-0, 21 KO) – Jamaica, Featherweight
- Vasyl Lomachenko (4-1, 2 KO) – Ukraine, Featherweight
- Roman Gonzalez (43-0, 37 KO) – Nicaragua, Flyweight
- Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KO) – Cuba, Junior Featherweight
- Gary Russell Jr (26-1, 15 KO) – US, Featherweight
- Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KO) – UK, Heavyweight
- Scott Quigg (31-0-2, 23 KO) – UK, Junior Featherweight
- Carl Frampton (21-0, 14 KO) – Northern Ireland, Junior Featherweight
- Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KO) – US, Light Heavyweight
- Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 KO) – Argentina, Junior Welterweight
- David Lemieux (34-2, 31 KO) – Canada, Middleweight
- Nayoa Inoue (8-0, 7 KO) – Japan, Junior Bantamweight
- Shinsuke Yamanaka (23-0-1, 19 KO) – Japan, Bantamweight
- Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19 KO) – Japan, Junior Lightweight
Heirs to Floyd Mayweather’s Throne: Hot Prospects In the Running
- Anthony Joshua (13-0, 13 KO) – UK, Heavyweight
- Amir Imam (18-0, 15 KO) – US, Junior Welterweight
- Luke Campbell (12-0, 10 KO) – UK, Lightweight
- Errol Spence (17-0, 14 KO) – US, Welterweight
- Jermall Charlo (21-0, 16 KO) – US, Junior Middleweight
- Jarmell Charlo (26-0, 11 KO) – US, Junior Middleweight
- Artur Beterbiev (9-0, 9 KO) – Russia, Light Heavyweight
- Dmitry Kudryashov (18-0, 18 KO) – Russia, Cruiserweight
- Sadam Ali (22-0, 13 KO) – US, Welterweight
So there you have it. But what say you, readers? Who do you think is most likely to take Floyd Mayweather‘s mantle?
The BoxingBase.com writing staff provide worldwide boxing news, coverage and analysis – they can be contacted via email and social media.
