BOXING GEMS' TOP 10 UNDER 25
Nothing is more rewarding as a Boxing fan than seeing the young fighters you've invested in or watched grow become champion one day. It's not uncommon for a young fighter under 25 to make their name early in the sport. However, there is usually an outlier amongst the top 10 in their respected divisions. Finding those emerging diamonds from the dirt becomes a task but as rewarding as it heartbreaking when they let ). This list is my current top 10 fighters in Boxing as of September 2020. A mix of established champions and projected Champions.
#10
LORENZO SIMPSON
(8-0, 5 KOs)
Super Welterweight - 154
Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson jumps off the list as my number 10 best fighter under 25. Now with that said, I already know what some may be thinking. "How tf when he ain't fought nobody?" Chill out bruh. Truck is the only prospect on this list with less than ten professional fights and is purely based on projection. Truck is a young gun I've been watching since he was 15 years old in the amateurs with a 145-2 record at the time (he finished approximately 182-3). As it stands today, at age 20, Truck is still showing what I've been seeing since he was sparring with Tank Davis as a kid. The Baltimore native shows off an impressive repertoire of sharp, accurate punches out of a southpaw stance. A great high, low attack from head to body reminiscent of Errol Spence Jr. Pressure on top of pressure to break a mfer's will. The jab is consistent though I would like to see more jabs to the body. His footwork is also solid, and he seems to have a good understanding of positioning. My biggest question mark for him right now is defense. Have to see him a little more to gauge how good he is in that regard.
The thing that stands out with Truck is his strength at such a young age. As he develops more, I can see a KO streak similar to Errol Spence's coming up the ranks where it's just breaking opponents down from body work to well-placed shots to the head. He has yet to be challenged as a pro with a real test of skill. However, the raw talent is there, and I can see him becoming a champion at 154 once Jermell Charlo moves up to 160. Maybe a fight with Errol Spence at 154 awaits him in 5 years.
Best Win/Performance: vs Rafael Garcia; mostly because he looked how he has in all his sparring in this particular fight. Relentless pressure, power in every punch, and just that killer instinct. Garcia was not a challenge at all though, so this was simply just a showcase of Truck's skills offensively.
Matchmaker: vs Clay Collard ; Collard is coming off a five fight win streak, 3 of those 5 were against undefeated prospects, including a split decision W versus David Kaminsky (a hyped amateur boxer under Top Rank), which earned him the moniker "Prospect Killer." Truck has stated he would love to fight Collard, that would be a solid step-up fight for him that isn't too much for him if he is everything I think he is.