The next generation of US Stars

[robpalmer135]

Whats your thoughts on these 5 undefeared US fighters.

Chad Dawson - 29/0 (17KO's)

Former WBC & IBF Light Heavyweight Champion - 6 Defences

Notable Wins - Glen Johnson UD12 x 2, Antonio Tarver UD12 x 2, Tomasz Adameck UD12

Next Fight vs Jean Pascal (WBC Light Heavyweight Champion) - Aug 14th

Andre Ward - 21/0 (13KO's)

WBA Super Middleweight Champion - No Defences

Notable Wins - Mikkel Kessler TD11, Edision Miranda UD12

Next Fight vs Allan Green (Super Six Round 2) - April 24th

Andre Berto - 25/0 (19KO's)

WBC Welterweight Champion - 3 Defences

Notable Wins - Juan Urango UD12, Luis Collazo UD12

Next Fight vs Carlos Quintana (WBC Welterweight Title) - April 10th

Timothy Bradley - 25/0 (11KO's)

Current WBO and former WBC Light Welterweight Champion - 4 Defences

Notable Wins - Lamont Peterson UD12, Kendoll Holt UD12, Junior Witter SD12

Next Fight vs TBA (WBO Light Welterweight Title) - June 5th

Devon Alexander - 20/0 (13KO's)

WBC Light Welterweight Champion - 1 Defence

Notable Wins - Juan Urango TKO 8, Junior Witter TKO 8

Next Fight - TBA

[Lee Mc]

Chad Dawson - 29/0 (17KO's)

I used to think that Dawson was amongst the best prospects in the World, nevermind America. However, his career has taken a strange path recently with pointless re-matches with Tarver and Johnson. He doesn't seem to have had made, to me at least, any great improvement over the last couple of years but whether that is due to lack of enthuisam or he has simply become as good as he ever will be only time will tell.

He needs to fight a top contender soon so hopefully the Pascal fight will happen.



Andre Ward - 21/0 (13KO's)

I don't rate Ward highly and the win against Kessler didn't change that. He is decent but not much more than that in my opinion. He'll beat Green and should make it to the semi-final stage of the Super Six but I can't see him progress beyond that point in the tournement or as a fighter.

Andre Berto - 25/0 (19KO's)

Has a good win over Collazo in what was an excellent fight but is there anything else? The fight against Mosely would have been interesting but I see him being beaten, quite embarrassingly, if he steps it up a level. He will lose his title, and reputation, within 5 fights.

Timothy Bradley - 25/0 (11KO's)

The best of the bunch by far. Skillful, clever and fast and he appears to have a good boxing brain as well. His career is being managed well and I see him being the dominant Light-Welterweight in the World for the next 5-6 years.

I think he beats Khan easily.

Devon Alexander - 20/0 (13KO's)

The "dark horse" and unknown quanity of the bunch.

He holds good wins against Witter and Urango but Witter was finished and Urango had been up to 147 and back down again which may have had an impact on his body. Granted he had fought back at 140 against Bailey after the Berto fight but he, Bailey, was hardly going to be anything more than a "bit tricky".

So I'm not sure about him. I'd like to see him in against someone like Campbell, Kotelnik or even Ortiz before giving a strong opinion...

[Lee Mc]

So obviously no-one else gives a fuck Rob!!

What are your opinions about them?

[LP_1985]

i like alexander. think his timing was excellent on sat nite. bradley is another 1 im looking forward to seen in tougher fights and sooner these get it on the better. aint sold on the other 3 YET but were see over the next year or so. who has ward got after green. i think its dirrel but not sure

[robpalmer135]

i genuinley rate all 5 quite highly.

Dawson and bradley, the only thing they lacks is raw power. hasnt stopped anyone at world level and i think you need to be doing that to become a superstar.

Alexander, was hugley impressed with him agaisnt Urango. He seems to have every shot in the book, a bit of pop and is nice to watch. personality and a good story to.

its funny that Khan went up to Light welter to essentially avoid the quality champions at the weight........but no light welter is stacked and if he wants to become number 1 he would need to beat one of Bradley or Alexander........and i would fancy them both heavially over Khan. really hope they start to build up alexander vs bradley. would get them in with guys like Judah, Nate Campbell, build them up on the same bills even for a big fight next year.

Berto, i also rate. I think he would have won the Mosley fight but more becuase i think mosley is a tad over rated. margorito style wise was perfect for him and all the controversy before the fight clearly affected him.

Ward for me is the special one. Like all of them he has the amateur pedigree, but his includes a gold medal. i really think hes got it all in terms of skillset but most importantly he has the work ethic to go with it. i think he is cut out of the mayweather/pacquiao mold. i tip him top win the super six and push on from there. if at the end of his career his resume includes wins over miranda, kessler, green, dirrell, froch, abraham and then Bute, Pavlik, Dawson and more. go down as an all time great.

[Mazallan]

I rate all 5 as world class. I think they all need a genuine huge break through fight. Ward has that chance in the super 6 so could maybe become a modern legend if he wins that and keeps on improving.

The rest will probably be Jermain Taylor great but can not see them rising to superstardom.

[ishy]

I rank them like this:

Dawson
Bradley
Ward
Alexander
Berto

The top 4 look special, Berto is a bit "meh"

I think Dawson and Bradley are genuine top3 p4p material.

[kosaros]

How I rank them:

1. Dawson
2. Ward
3. Alexander
4. Bradley
5. Berto

[Darni187]

1. Bradley ( I rate him alot, a complete fighter, should be in top 10 P4P list now)
2. Dawson
3. Ward
4. Alexander
5. Berto

[ishy]

1. Bradley ( I rate him alot, a complete fighter, should be in top 10 P4P list now)
2. Dawson
3. Ward
4. Alexander
5. Berto

Is this just some propaganda from you trying to build up a future Khan opponent so that IF Amir beats him you can go on about how great a win it was? :think;)

[kosaros]

Is this just some propaganda from you trying to build up a future Khan opponent so that IF Amir beats him you can go on about how great a win it was? :think;)

That's exactly what I thought :yep

[Darni187]

Is this just some propaganda from you trying to build up a future Khan opponent so that IF Amir beats him you can go on about how great a win it was? :think;)

No really he seems the real deal in terms of the future of U.S and world boxing, he cant adapt to different styles, and over come them.

Just reading on the scene today, Roach was taking about a Khan-Bradley fight in the near future, he feels they both need to become more known so it could become a big money fight because he say it will be a very hard fight for Khan so big money needs to be on the line.

Also on the scene I was reading Floyd called up Alexander after his win saying ' he will pass the torch to him after he retires', so Floyd see's him as the future fighter to replace him.

[johna_83]

DAWSON
I think Chad Dawson is the real deal, and will go on to be a top 3 P4P'er within the next 18months. He has stalled slightly the last year and a half or so, but this is because he's been in a weak light heavyweight division and the rematches with Tarver and Glen Johnson were all that were realistically and contractually available to him at the time. (Cloud still working his way up, Hopkins wanted nothing to do with him, Calaghe retired, Pascal still at SMW). I think the better his opponent the better he will perform, and i fully expect him to thoroughly outclass a game Jean Pascal to unify the titles in Montreal in August.

WARD
Received alot of criticism for the head clashes in the Kessler fight which means people have discredited the win slightly, but make no mistake he absolutely dominated a world class fighter in Kessler from start to finish and was en route to a total shut out on the cards or a possible late stoppage. He hasn't lost a fight amateur or pro in well over 10 years and i can see why, looks a class act. Also won Olympic gold in a higher weight class than he should have been at, as he moved up to allow another fighter to compete in his weight class. I think the Allan Green fight is potantially his most dangerous in the Super 6, and if he comes through that which i expect him too, i see him winning it overall. I already believe this kid is the best super middleweight in the world. Another potential top 3 P4P'er within the next few years.

BRADLEY
Just seems to get better and better with every fight technically, to go with the already apparent intangibles he naturally progresses, namely heart, determination, supreme fitness and conditioning, discipline, dedication and chin. Showed in the last fight with Peterson that he can also execute a gameplan and looked technically very strong, i dont think anyone will ever get an easy fight with Bradley. Current top 10 P4P IMO but i'm still not 100% convinced he can make the leap from there to top 3 until i see him against a tall, rangey fast slick opponent.

ALEXANDER
Hadn't seen much of Alexander but going off the Witter/Urango fights another huge star potentially. A slick fast southpaw with now proven power after stopping the supposed granite chin of Urango last weekend, which nobody on here (with the odd exception No Mas :yep) saw coming. I still think theres room for improvement, he kept his left hand low at times and got tagged on a few occasions by Urango's right hook (also showing he has a decent chin) but like the others he's still young. I see Bradley/Alexander as a 50/50 now and provided they both keep on winning and building their name, this will be a megafight in the next 18 months.

BERTO
I like Berto but of the 5 i'm easily the least sold on him, there just seems to be something missing there for me. I think a Nazim-trained Shane Mosley would have took him apart within 7 rounds so career wise it was possibly a blessing in disguise that fight falling apart. Not defensively sound enough IMO to live with the elite of his division and needs alot of improvements, but seems to be a big HBO favourite (not to mention Sky Sports favourite!) so i dont think he'll struggle in getting the big fights in the future. I think Quintana could easily pull the upset in April if Berto has an off night.

[China_hand_Joe]

Ward is miles ahead of the rest, future legend of the sport.

Could maybe beat Calzaghe if Joe was on anything less than his top form.

[JonOli]

Chad Dawson - 29/0 (17KO's)
However, his career has taken a strange path recently with pointless re-matches with Tarver and Johnson.


I thinks that's possibly a bit harsh, he was under great pressure to fight Johnson again, after a questionable first result and if he hadn't, it would have been no doubt held against him by some for the rest of his career.

The Tarver rematch was a contract obligation and not one of choice.

His division is perhaps, at the moment, largely devoid of any big fights and the Pascal one seems fairly decent.

I think he may have given Kessler an offer in the past.

[JonOli]

I though Andre Dirrell looked alright (apart from being a too negative), but he seems to have been marked off as a total non entity since the Froch fight - I think he's possibly better than that.

[johna_83]

I though Andre Dirrell looked alright (apart from being a too negative), but he seems to have been marked off as a total non entity since the Froch fight - I think he's possibly better than that.

I agree i think Dirrell has the lot skill wise and physically, he just lacks something mentally IMO from what i've seen of him. The Froch fight was on a plate for him if he wanted it. He looked like a scared child when he was watching the video of AA knocking Taylor out in the last Fight Camp 360 episode.

I still believe he'll always play second fiddle to Ward though. I seen a great post somewhere the other day comparing Ward and Dirrell, basically saying Dirrell is to Ward what Zab was to Floyd and Meldrick Taylor was to Sweet Pea.