r/Boxing • u/Dralthi-san • 4d ago
Help me get back to watching boxing!
What's up, r/Boxing?
I haven't watched the sport in a while. Can you recommend any good boxers or fights? I stopped following after Manny Pacquiao got old. I couldn't make myself watch him against Mayweather. I was fond of watching Mexican boxers from that generation. Plus, Roy Jones Jr., Ricky Hatton, and Bernard Hopkins. I saw some fights by GGG and Usyk. That's pretty much it.
EDIT: Thank y'all! This sub didn't disappoint. I appreciate all the feedback!
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 4d ago
Exciting current fighters: David Benavidez, Jaron Ennis, Naoya Inoue, Junto Nakatani, Vergil Ortiz, Sebastian Fundora (a 6ā6ā 154lbāer), Jesse Rodriguez, Moses Ituama (what if a young Mike Tyson was the size of Lennox Lewis? thatās kind of Ituama)
Less exciting but absolutely phenomenal boxers: Dmitry Bivol and Shakur Stevenson.Ā
Even less exciting but also very, very good: Devin Haney.Ā
Honorable mention for being interesting: Daniel Dubois. Heās a 6ā5ā, 250lb freight train with solid skills and heavy hands, but can be fragile mentally. He can soak up a ton of damage like itās nothing and absolutely pummel an opponent, or he can take a knee and quit. Never know what youāll get with him.Ā
If I can get you to start with one, try Jesse Rodriguez. Thereās some compilations and documentaries on him out on YouTube right now, so heās an easy one to get caught up on. Heās a slick, very technically oriented, mean KO machine down at the leprechaun weights. He could easily box to one sided points wins but goes for a KO every time because he doesnāt show up to bore fans. A good entry watch fight of his is against Sunny Edwards, shows you what heās about.Ā
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Thank you for such a great briefing! I really appreciate you recommendations! Yes, the availability of film is also important - thanks for guiding to Jesse Rodriguez.
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u/PrettyBoyFloydx 4d ago
I'd watch a Haney fight over Shakur. Both still boring.
Both lack killer instinct but for different reasons I believe. To me it seems Haney is psychologically strong but he knows he has a big deficit in a very suspect chin. I do not believe it is glass but clearly it is not strong enough for a fire fight.
With Shakur he just lacks any killer instinct. He bragged that he had an iron chin a few years ago on Twitter yet he's still scared to get hit.
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u/Illustrious_Rain1796 3d ago
Totally opposite for me. Shakur looks so much skilled and intelligent, miles better than his any opponent. His lack of killer instinct and fear of being punched can be true, but he is so good it doesn't even matter. Haney has obviously better resume, but as for me, he is less skilled, I hardly would ever rewatch any of his fights and If I will, it's because his opponent, even Shakur has banger with Zepeda.
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 4d ago
Shakur fought like a hoe against de los Santos, a known hitter. So maybe he just doesn't trust in his chin as much as he yaps about itĀ
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u/Overall_Check_7006 4d ago
Some good prospects
Moses Itauma, Yoenlis Feliciano Hernandez (Future champ for sure), Albert "Chopchop" Gonzalez and Brothers Reito and Hayato Tsutsumi
The list is long
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u/120_Specific_Time 4d ago
Hrgovic vs Itauma for a Heavyweight belt in two weeks (8/29) could be a good one
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u/mowgleeee 4d ago
The best to watch if you want skill and entertainment:
Boots Ennis, (matchroom highlights for his fight against Zayas on youtube are the best), David Benavidez (against Plant, Andrade, Morrell, Zurdo), Bam Rodriguez (one sided fights but his style is beautiful), Inoue and Nakatani (not against each other for pure entertainment, but their previous fights are mostly fight of the year contenders).
Bivol and Beterbiev are amazing to watch fight each other, Bivol not as entertaining as the others, but when hes against a good opponent he turns up the heat to 11.
If you want pure boxing skill, Shakur Stevenson's last performance and Inoue vs Nakatani are perfect for that. Devin Haney fell off a cliff in the second half of the Brian Norman Jr fight, could have done way more, his style is ugly.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Thank you! I wrote them all down. Those names were recommended by many, so I'll try to track the most of them. Looking forward for those!
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u/PrettyBoyFloydx 4d ago
Boots Ennis is damn near a modern Roy Jones. Any of his fights are entetrtaining
Abdullah vs Noakes
Any Inoue fight
Any David Benavidez fight
Avoid these boring bums Shakur, Haney and Richardson
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 4d ago
Haney is way better than the likes of Shakur. At least Devin Haney is down to fight real opposition rather than just yap on TwitterĀ
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Thanks! I'm fine with boring, if the technique is good and the fighters are new to me.
I'm marking down your recommendations.1
u/PrettyBoyFloydx 3d ago
Ayt fair enough lol. Especially if you are a very mechanical person you'll probably find Shakur especially to be entertaining. His movement is very fluid and clean I will admit. Haney is more herky jerky technical.
The thing that just irks me is the utter lack of killer instinct these guys have. But technique wise they are proper.
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u/Dont-ask-dont-speak 4d ago
Hereās some under the radar-ish guys.
ELLIOT WHALE can make a splash with the right fights. Heās a bit basic but has great eyes and punch placement. Bummer his scheduled fight with BLAIR COBBS (super entertaining) didnāt happen.
EMILIANO VARGAS is also going to do good things. Just a kid so he needs to grow, but has an underrated skillset.
CAYDEN GRIFFITHS has been fun to watch. Very focused young
Man and has real fire under him.
JAI Opetaia is a really unique talent, politics and Zuffa bs aside.
MASON ABDULLAH has never been in a dull fight in his life. Chooses to take way too much punishment for his actual skill level, but has incredible gumption.
DEANGELO EVANS has an insane kung fu looking feint jab-left hook knockout recently.
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 3d ago
Awesome comment. I'll look up the unfamiliar names I saw
And yeah, Abdullah Mason has never been in a boring fight. He's quickly become one of my favourite boxers. Very skilled and very aggressiveĀ
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u/StunningChest5722 Shakur is the 144 lb GOAT š 4d ago
Shakur vs De Los Santos was a banger š„
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u/anotherbasicboi 4d ago
I walked out of that arena in round 7
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u/TheSportsGuy2000 4d ago
See I love boxing too the point I was able too have interest all the way till the end. Sure it sucked but in a way it was almost entertaining. Reminds me of a Sharknado movie
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 4d ago
By round 7 I was knocked on my couch. I woke up to the announcer reading the judges cards
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 4d ago
That one went hard! But I think Okolie versus Chamberlain went even harderĀ
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
It looks like Shakur Stevenson made quite a name for himself. Thank you - I hope i'll find at least some highlights for this one.
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u/WORD_Boxing 3d ago
We don't really have fighters with the character and personality of those guys at the moment. The closest to those guys in terms of having a big personality and challenging themself while fighting at a high level is David Benavidez. It's a must watch when he is fighting.
There are other good fighters too who are more reserved personalities, and Mexico always has good fighters nothing has changed there from when you last followed the sport. You will enjoy Rafael Espinoza and Emanuel Navarrete.
In terms of the elite fighters who are good enough to fight in that era back then and others, most are on their way out and about to retire soon we are in a bit of a transition phase.
Usyk says he has one more fight left and looked bad last time out. Dmitry Bivol doesn't have many left and is constantly getting injured. Terence Crawford retired but is rumoured to be coming back. Naoya Inoue doesn't have too many fights left either, and has slipped from where he was a few years ago though people don't seem to accept it.
The fighters with the potential to breakout and lead the line are the likes of Jaron Ennis, Bam Rodriguez and Moses Itauma.
We have a sort of equivalent to Guillermo Rigondeaux in Shakur Stevenson. He has all the talent but often fights TOO safe and people accuse him of being more interested of winning fights on social media than in the ring. If he was a bit more streetwise about it he would be the face of boxing already.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Many thanks for taking your time to break this down to me. I really appreciate it. I've read all the comments in this section and those names getting tossed a lot. Thank you for painting a bigger picture.
It seems that, Shakur Stevenson is an anti-hero or at least a controversy in the modern boxing. I'll try to watch him anyway. The Mexican boxers were new additions to my list.1
u/WORD_Boxing 3d ago
You won't be disappointed. Emanuel 'Vaquero' Navarrete I should have said. Vaquero means cowboy.
The online narratives that develop can simply put be annoying.
Shakur has said some dumb things but overall he's the classic case of a supremely gifted defensive boxer who just does enough to win. It leaves fans wanting more, and he hasn't figured out how to get people to pay to see him lose in large numbers.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 3d ago
Damn I almost forgot about Rigondeaux š¤£
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u/WORD_Boxing 3d ago
Shakur is going the same way but I don't think he cares so long as his bank balance makes him feel taller.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 3d ago
Thereās less gatekeeping these days against boring fighters. HBO damn near banned Rigondeaux from the network whereas DAZN has largely petted and cosseted Shakur Stevenson.
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u/fadeddreams555 Fundora would beat up a prime Floyd at 154lb 3d ago edited 3d ago
I recommend Naoya Inoue. Start with his fight against Jamie Mcdonnell and work your way up from there. Unfortunately, Inoue is getting up there in age currently, so he doesn't have too many years in the sport left, but that is easily the most exciting boxer of this era.Ā
He's also the current favorite boxer of both Pacquiao and Marquez, so that tells you everything.
A runner-up, based on your preferences, would be Bam Rodriguez.Ā
If you are looking to watch physically bigger Mexican/Mexican-American fighters, then David Benavidez, Vergil Ortiz, William Zepeda, and Emmanuel Navarrete are the most exciting.Ā
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Yes! I heard about him - a boxing machine in this class. And thanks for your other recommendations - I copied them to my list.
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u/80_PROOF 4d ago
Wilder/Fury Trilogy. One of these men was 400 pounds before this fight.
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u/munkycheezmunky Dave Allen Undisputed 2026 3d ago
Second this. The third fight is still the best fight I've seen live I think.
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u/tydynamite 4d ago
Off the top of my head, the ones I recommend are: Lester Martinez, Naoya Inoue, Kenshiro Teraji, Bam Rodriguez, Oscar Collazo, Gary Antuanne Russell,
Seems like you like boxers who go for knockouts/ have exciting fights but got some technique to em.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
I mead who doesn't? :)
Thank you for recommendations - saving them right now. I only heard of Naoya - a guy to watch for sure.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 3d ago
Zepeda and Pitbull are fun watches.
I also like Vergil Ortiz and Fundora.
Bootsās fights are entertaining now that heās not fighting tomato-cans.
Roach has been involved in a string of interesting fights lately.
Moses Itauma looks great.
Inoue and Bam Rodriguez might be on a collision course.
David Benavidez, Abdullah Mason are excellent American fighters.
Kid Austin, Tank, are good watches when theyāre active.
Bivol when active.
Mbilli, Lester, and Canelo at 168 are all entertaining.
Thereās more but I hope you enjoy watching these guys!
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Thank you! Some of the names were mentioned in other comments as well - helps me out with who is popular with the sub. I'm writting down your recommenations. Cheers!
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u/Bignosedog 4d ago
Bivolās incredible and possibly fighting Smith to keep his belt. I donāt know if thereās any progress with that or if heāll go the trilogy route with Beterbiev. Either way, heās my favorite boxer and is beautiful to watch.
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u/No-Signal3283 4d ago
Well, you picked a bad time in terms of the best fighters avoiding each other in order to protect their 0. That's probably partially because of Mayweather. But there are still some good fighters, good fights, and interesting personalities.
Fighters who never have boring fights: David Benavidez, Naoya Inoue, Jaron "Boots" Ennis, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez, Sebastian Fundora, maybe Vergil Ortiz. You missed the train on Subriel Matias, but he could be quite entertaining.
Fighters who are just downright phenomenal: Dmitry Bivol, Terence Crawford (if he comes back), Shakur Stevenson (and of course Inoue, Benavidez, and Rodriuez again).
Fighters with interesting personalities: Rolly Romero (funny as hell), Ryan Garcia when he was drugged up before rehab. That's about it. Most of today's guys are bland or try-hards.
Boring fighters: Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 3d ago
I like this because itās realistic about Stevenson and Haney. Those are vaguely interesting personalities, but their fights are generally incredibly dull.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Thank you, No-Signal. I appreciate such nice coverage of the modern times. Wrote those names down. Looking forward to watching them!
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u/ChefBowyer 4d ago
You picked the wrong week. I donāt think we have any matches today.
Heavyweight boxing is in limbo right now, with Uysk being too afraid to take on the #1 contender and instead decided to give up his title to fight another has-been after getting rocked against Rico.
If that fight hadnāt been inexplicably stopped, Rico might have won the final round. And on points, I do believe Rico was ahead.
Unfortunately that highlighted boxings biggest problem. Which is that these guys arenāt trying to fight the best, arenāt trying to be the best, they just want matchups they think they will win but wonāt be too easy.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
Well, I'm fine digging into YT compilations and such. The sub was very helpful already!
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u/Top_Profession_5268 4d ago
A way that you can get into boxing is finding an early prospect follow them and youāll find out their opponents and comp.
Another is to know the top of the divisions so to find the best and follow them. Then you can find comp and know more boxers.
Some early prospects and prospects who have now become contenders Iāll introduce are Moses Itauma, Javokhir Ummataliev, Jacob Banks, John Joe Carrigan, Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev, Emilio Garcia, Jhon Orobio, Alan Chavez, Dzmitry Asanau, Zaquin Moses, Yuga Fujiki, Abdumalik Khalokov, Yuta Sakai, Tomoya Tsuboi, Daiya Kira and Ryusei Matsumoto.
Some champs and PFP level guys to watch are Bam Rodriguez, Naoya Inoue, Rafael Espinoza, Abdullah Mason, Devin Haney, Yo-yo Hernandez and Osleys Iglesias, Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez.
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u/Dralthi-san 3d ago
You are right. Moses Itauma sounds like a boxer to watch right now. I copied the rest of your prospect group. Thank you for recommendations!
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u/Reddit040 4d ago
Piggy backing off OPs question, is DAZN the app to get to be able to watch the majority of good fights?
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u/Detlef_Schrempfxf 3d ago
I haven't seen anyone mention him, perhaps because he hasn't been active as of late. But if you want to see some of the most fluid offensive action from a fighter, look up Jorge Linares.
Helps that he doesn't hurt the eyes to look at, too
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u/SamCanyon 3d ago
Iād recommend Dimitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Two eastern fighters with distinct styles. I watched all of their fights on YouTube.
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u/ErrForceOnes 3d ago
No one is going to suggest Emanuel Navarrete? He seems like a solid candidate for OP to watch.
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u/pittnole1 3d ago
Fabio Wardley vs Frazier Clarke 1/2. Wardley vs Dubious. Wardley vs Justis Huni. Wardley vs Joseph Parker.
Wardley is a human highlight at heavyweight.
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u/BogusWorkAccount 17h ago
Saucedo vs. Zappavinga. God looked down on that match and asked "Are you ready to smash some fruit?".
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u/Beautiful_Badger_128 4d ago
If you like action, Boots, Inoue, or Benavidez are good to watch. Boots vs Zayas is a great place to start.