The five best under-20 youngsters in British boxing.
British boxing’s biggest names are still around. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are still active and are expected to finally collide in the latter half of this year, provided they both get through their respective warm-up bouts beforehand.
However, Fury will be 38 this August, while Joshua will be 37 in October. They are no longer at their absolute peak, and the same goes for those who shone during their very same era.
In other words, they will both be retired at some point within the next couple of years or so, and they will leave a void so big that we should start planning ahead for who to crown as the United Kingdom’s next superstars in preparation for this.
For this list, we will be looking at some young, young talent. Specifically, those so tender in years that they have not yet reached their second decade. And in doing so, we may just identify the next big thing from the U.K.
So, with nothing further being said, let’s see who the five best under-20 prospects in Britain are.
5. Tony Curtis Jr.
Kicking it off with the most experienced fighter on this list (in terms of professional bouts, that is), Tony ‘Lightning’ Curtis Jr. (13-1, 3 KOs) began his career in a manner most unusual for a British boxer.
Making his debut in Mexico at the age of 16, Curtis fought the 1-3 Javier Perez Calderon. Weighing just 99 pounds on the night, he would lose to his Hispanic foe by a four-round points decision.
Since then, Curtis has continued to gain experience as a pro, racking up victories in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. As a result of his early start, he has fought a total of 14 professional contests at just 19 years old.
Since turning old enough to fight in the United Kingdom, the super-flyweight technician has reeled off three straight victories and had minimal difficulty in doing so.
Trained by the legendary Roy Jones Jr., Curtis has yet to win a title or beat a recognised name, but his promise is readily apparent.
4. John Joe Carrigan.
A super-welterweight with bundles of power, John Joe Carrigan (3-0, 3 KOs) has only been beyond the first round in one of his professional contests.
Having had a terrific amateur career, Carrigan has made his name on Queensberry Promotions undercards, appearing on some big shows in less than a year of fighting in the paid ranks.
Last time out, Carrigan took only a round to dispatch of Harley Hodgetts, a tough opponent 12 years his senior who had only previously been stopped by William Crolla.
That bout actually took place up at middleweight, going some way towards proving that the 19-year-old carries his power through the divisions.
It’s very early at the moment, but Carrigan really appears to very possibly be one for the future.
3. Tiah-Mai Ayton.
An individual who was simply born to fight, Tiah-Mai Ayton (6-0, 5 KOs) was a world champion in her age group across both kickboxing and Muay Thai, and she went undefeated across all 21 bouts of her amateur boxing career.
Known as “The Star Girl”, Ayton stands out in women’s boxing for one main reason: She can punch. In fact, her first two opponents had never been stopped in 10 combined defeats, yet Ayton took care of them both inside the distance.
Though she recently went the distance with the tough Catherine Tacone Ramos, Ayton would move up from super-bantamweight to featherweight and put a beating on Stevi Levy.
Levy was 15-4, had been in with some good names, and boxed for British, Commonwealth, and European honours. Ayton was the first to ever stop her.
Her power makes her very unique in the women’s side of the sport, and the 19-year-old (who will be turning 20 this August) has already had her praises sung by Katie Taylor and Skye Nicolson, the former of whom states that Ayton will be the best female boxer of all time.
Quite a bit of pressure for one so young, but honestly, it’s looking like she may just live up to it.
2. Leo Atang.
Billed as the one whom Anthony Joshua will pass the torch to, Leo Atang (6-0, 5 KOs) is a 6’6″ heavyweight from York who has taken care of proceedings in three rounds or less on five occasions.
Naturally drawing comparisons to Moses Itauma, Atang dispatched of Dan Garber quicker than Itauma did and is considered to be something of Matchroom Boxing’s answer to the Queensberry product.
Not as far along in his career, Atang is still in the learning phase and went the distance for the first time against Viktar Chvarkou in his most recent fight. On that occasion, he also received his first point deduction.
All valuable experience for the 19-year-old big man, who is currently scheduled to fight Fouad Shaili on the Josh Padley vs. Aqib Fiaz undercard.
At his best, Atang has looked nothing short of utterly destructive. It shouldn’t take much encouragement to get excited about a young, big-punching heavyweight, but we are absolutely encouraging you to get very excited about this one.
1. Adam Maca.
The youngest fighter on this list, the 18-year-old Adam Maca (5-0, 5 KOs) actually turns 19 tomorrow. And much like Tony Curtis Jr., he made his professional debut in a way most bizarre for someone from Britain.
That’s because Maca had his very first fight in Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the title fight between Richardson Hitchins and George Kambosos Jr.
All of his appearances since have been in England, and none of them have gone the distance. That is despite Maca having gone to the last round in a four-round fight on two occasions.
Maca is like a rainstorm, a many-armed beast who pelts you from all angles. His pressure is non-stop, and he is extremely exciting to watch.
Scheduled to next fight on the same bill as Leo Atang, this teen super-featherweight talent is someone you definitely want to keep an eye on.
Sometimes, you can just sense something special about someone, and that sense is very strong with Adam Maca.
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