Despite being a bantamweight, he carries significant power that has produced some highlight-reel stoppages and some big wins against established veterans such as Juan Carlos Payano and Nonito Donaire. The optimistic outlook suggests Lopez is viewed favorably despite being thoroughly beaten by Kambosos last year. Fights against the winner of George Kambosos Jr. vs. If Stevenson moves up to lightweight, there are many lucrative fights to be made. Lopez has had just two fights since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stock evaluation: There are two ways to look at Lopez's spot in the Star Index. Even though he's been dominant and dropped very few rounds on the scorecards in his last five fights, he has just four knockdowns and two stoppages during that span. In 18 professional fights, Stevenson hasn't been challenged once. X-factor: In a bit of a surprise, Stevenson was considered among the least marketable fighters among those on the Star Index. Given the volatility of the sport and how quickly things change, next year's Star Index surely could include popular fighters who just missed the cut, like Tim Tszyu, Jaron Ennis, Regis Prograis, Vergil Ortiz, Edgar Berlanga and others.
Parker, who held the WBO world heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018, has been training alongside Fury in England ahead of a make-or-break fight against Chisora, and it will be intriguing to see the results of Parker's work with new trainer Andy Lee, the former middleweight world titlist. Beyond them, there is also David Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) at 168, WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) and IBF 160-pound beltholder Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs). The 24-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, is already a two-division titlist. Kambosos will have his hands full with Haney in their battle to become the undisputed lightweight champion. Stock evaluation: Kambosos was one of the best stories in 2021. He went from an unknown, mandatory lightweight challenger to the one holding three of the four belts in the 135-pound division. The fight would see Canelo return to the lightweight division and a win over Beterbiev would see him claim the WBC and IBF belts. X-factor: It's one thing to become a champion, but keeping the belts is an entirely different matter. Inoue signed a co-promotional deal with Top Rank in 2019, an indicator of his potential to one day be a top draw in the United States.
When it comes to his ring skills, Inoue earned the highest marks of any fighter on the Star Index ballot. X-factor: There's no doubting what Inoue can do inside the ring. After defending his title with a TKO4 against Kalvin Henderson, WBA super middleweight champion David Morrell declared his intention to face the best at 168-pounds. “It’s David Benavidez, it’s Caleb Plant, it’s Anthony Dirrell, it’s whoever wants to get in the ring with me,” said Morrell. “A lot of these guys say stuff, it’s like they’re forced to say it when the cameras are around. Raimondi: Maybe someone might take this as a hot take, but how can I not say Paul? We’re the ones who are willing to go over there and take that risk. As far as who he will face, it appears that Alvarez will be facing an old foe in Gennadiy Golovkin. In the 3½ years that have passed, Alvarez has firmly established himself not only as boxing's top star but as the universally recognized pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter. Even after last year's upset win, Kambosos still has to prove he can sustain his current trajectory as one of boxing's rising stars.
But the ability to truly gain traction outside of boxing's diehard fans remains the biggest question mark. They were battered and bruised and showed the world how great they really are in every facet of the Sweet Science, with fight fans already seemingly yearning for a trilogy. There may be some politics in the way as Plant is with PBC, but with Canelo being a free agent, there is an opportunity for the fight to be made. Even before Plant suffered his hand injury in rounds one through three, he didn’t look powerful enough to score a knockout. Makabu has won nine straight since his dramatic third-round knockout loss to Tony Bellew (whom Makabu dropped in the opening round). Stock evaluation: Yes, Taylor won a very controversial decision over Jack Catterall in February in a fight in which many believe Taylor was gifted a victory in his native Scotland. In the rematch in 2018, Alvarez improved dramatically and won a fair decision.