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Boxing’s five best young boxers including Floyd Mayweather protege and Britain’s Mike Tyson
As one gifted generation comes to a close, another crop of precocious talents is waiting in the wings to take its place. The entire pound-for-pound top five currently consists of pugilists in their thirties and forties. Boxing’s pound-for-pound stars are nearing the end of their respective careersGETTY Oleksandr Usyk is 38, Naoya Inoue is 31, Terence Crawford is 37, Dmitry Bivol is 34 and Artur Beterbiev, the elder statesman of the elite, recently celebrated his 40th birthday. For the vast majority of the aforementioned, their careers will be coming to a close in the next two to three years, some even sooner. It is therefore crucial that boxing produces fresh-faced prospects that can take the reins from the big five. All sports rely on a constant conveyor belt of youth to boost their prominence. And luckily for boxing fans, there are plenty of youngsters rising through the ranks who look destined to achieve big things in the future. Here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at five of the most promising young boxers under 23 years of age. Moses Itauma (11-0, 9KOs) Heavyweight prospect, 20 years old Itauma looks destined to become a world heavyweight championGetty It is scary to think that Moses Itauma is still only 20 years old. The Chatham-based boxer has been touted to become the future of the glamour division by two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and has never lost a fight as an amateur or a pro. Itauma is off to a perfect 11-0 start to his career in the paid ranks and strung together an unblemished 24-0 record in the amateurs during a brief but fruitful stint that saw him claim golds at the Schools, Juniors, Youth European and Youth World Championships. In his last outing, at the back end of 2024, he blasted out fringe contender Demsey McKean inside the opening stanza on the Usyk vs Fury II undercard and is now expected to step up to world level in his next outing. When he first turned over there was a lot of talk about him beating Mike Tyson‘s record as the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time (20 years, 4 months, and 22 days) but with IBF title holder tied up by a fight against Joseph Parker and WBA, WBO and WBC champion Usyk set for an extended break that seems unlikely. Curmel Moton (6-0, 5KOs) Super featherweight prospect, 18 years old Moton is mentored by boxing legend Mayweather JrRyan Hafey/PBC Teenage sensation Curmel Moton has a bright future ahead of him. The young starlet is the protege of legendary four-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr and at just 18 years old he has the world at his feet. Despite his juvenility, Moton is a veteran of 163 amateur bouts (156-7) while he is no stranger to the bright lights having fought on some massive bills over the past two years. Moton made his debut on the Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo undercard in September 2023, stopping his opponent in the first round, and then followed that up by doing the same to his next foe on the David Benavidez vs Demetrius Andrade event two months later. Moton has finished five of his first six pro fights inside the distance, with four of those occurring in the opening frame. Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7KOs) Undisputed flyweight champion, 22 years old Fundora is the youngest female undisputed championGETTY Gabriela Fundora became the youngest undisputed champion in women’s boxing history when she stopped Gabriela Celeste Alaniz in the seventh round to unify the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts at flyweight. The remarkable feat earned her the 2024 Female Boxer of the Year accolade at the Ring Magazine awards. Like her brother, unified light middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, Gabriela is a towering presence at the weight, standing 5ft 9ins, and packs a punch that demands respect. Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14KOs) Lightweight prospect, 20 years old Mason is a very exciting prospect who packs a serious punchGETTY Abudallah Mason is a spiteful puncher, who possesses serious power in both hands. The 20-year-old starlet has laid almost all of his opponents to waste in destructive fashion and has barely put a foot wrong during his career so far. It wasn’t until his last outing against the ultra-tough Yohan Vasquez that Mason experienced any type of adversity in the ring. In the first round, Mason was sent tumbling to the canvas twice by the rugged Dominican but he proved he has the intangibles to make it to the top by biting down on his gumshield and knocking out Vasquez in the second stanza. Adam Azim (12-0, 9KOs) Former European super lightweight champion, 22 years old AzimGETTY Adam Azim is hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow British-Pakistani star Amir Khan. The lightning-quick super-lightweight has turned heads during his flawless 12-0 start, which includes a European belt. He won the coveted continental title by dispatching Franck Petitjean inside 10 rounds before defendin
As one gifted generation comes to a close, another crop of precocious talents is waiting in the wings to take its place.
The entire pound-for-pound top five currently consists of pugilists in their thirties and forties.
Oleksandr Usyk is 38, Naoya Inoue is 31, Terence Crawford is 37, Dmitry Bivol is 34 and Artur Beterbiev, the elder statesman of the elite, recently celebrated his 40th birthday.
For the vast majority of the aforementioned, their careers will be coming to a close in the next two to three years, some even sooner.
It is therefore crucial that boxing produces fresh-faced prospects that can take the reins from the big five.
All sports rely on a constant conveyor belt of youth to boost their prominence.
And luckily for boxing fans, there are plenty of youngsters rising through the ranks who look destined to achieve big things in the future.
Here, talkSPORT.com takes a look at five of the most promising young boxers under 23 years of age.
Moses Itauma (11-0, 9KOs)
Heavyweight prospect, 20 years old
It is scary to think that Moses Itauma is still only 20 years old.
The Chatham-based boxer has been touted to become the future of the glamour division by two-time heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and has never lost a fight as an amateur or a pro.
Itauma is off to a perfect 11-0 start to his career in the paid ranks and strung together an unblemished 24-0 record in the amateurs during a brief but fruitful stint that saw him claim golds at the Schools, Juniors, Youth European and Youth World Championships.
In his last outing, at the back end of 2024, he blasted out fringe contender Demsey McKean inside the opening stanza on the Usyk vs Fury II undercard and is now expected to step up to world level in his next outing.
When he first turned over there was a lot of talk about him beating Mike Tyson‘s record as the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time (20 years, 4 months, and 22 days) but with IBF title holder tied up by a fight against Joseph Parker and WBA, WBO and WBC champion Usyk set for an extended break that seems unlikely.
Curmel Moton (6-0, 5KOs)
Super featherweight prospect, 18 years old
Teenage sensation Curmel Moton has a bright future ahead of him.
The young starlet is the protege of legendary four-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr and at just 18 years old he has the world at his feet.
Despite his juvenility, Moton is a veteran of 163 amateur bouts (156-7) while he is no stranger to the bright lights having fought on some massive bills over the past two years.
Moton made his debut on the Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo undercard in September 2023, stopping his opponent in the first round, and then followed that up by doing the same to his next foe on the David Benavidez vs Demetrius Andrade event two months later.
Moton has finished five of his first six pro fights inside the distance, with four of those occurring in the opening frame.
Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7KOs)
Undisputed flyweight champion, 22 years old
Gabriela Fundora became the youngest undisputed champion in women’s boxing history when she stopped Gabriela Celeste Alaniz in the seventh round to unify the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts at flyweight.
The remarkable feat earned her the 2024 Female Boxer of the Year accolade at the Ring Magazine awards.
Like her brother, unified light middleweight champion Sebastian Fundora, Gabriela is a towering presence at the weight, standing 5ft 9ins, and packs a punch that demands respect.
Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14KOs)
Lightweight prospect, 20 years old
Abudallah Mason is a spiteful puncher, who possesses serious power in both hands.
The 20-year-old starlet has laid almost all of his opponents to waste in destructive fashion and has barely put a foot wrong during his career so far.
It wasn’t until his last outing against the ultra-tough Yohan Vasquez that Mason experienced any type of adversity in the ring.
In the first round, Mason was sent tumbling to the canvas twice by the rugged Dominican but he proved he has the intangibles to make it to the top by biting down on his gumshield and knocking out Vasquez in the second stanza.
Adam Azim (12-0, 9KOs)
Former European super lightweight champion, 22 years old
Adam Azim is hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow British-Pakistani star Amir Khan.
The lightning-quick super-lightweight has turned heads during his flawless 12-0 start, which includes a European belt.
He won the coveted continental title by dispatching Franck Petitjean inside 10 rounds before defending it against Enock Poulsen.
Azim then vacated the blue and gold strap to fight former English champion Ohara Davies in a crossroads fight.
Davies, who has shared the ring with Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, proved no match for Azim, who dominated the 29-fight veteran en route to an explosive eighth-round KO courtesy of a booming left hook.
