2024 Prospect of the Year: Heavyweight Moses Itauma
Plus reports on rest of the top 15 in order; past winners year-by-year
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When the legendary Mike Tyson memorably knocked out Trevor Berbick to win the WBC heavyweight title in 1986, he became the youngest fighter in boxing history to win a heavyweight crown at just 20 years, 4 months, 22 days.
If heralded heavyweight Moses Itauma could secure a title opportunity by May 19 and win it, he would surpass Tyson’s historic accomplishment — although he surely won’t get that opportunity against either lineal/unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, who is coming off his second victory in a row against Tyson Fury on Dec. 21, or IBF titlist Daniel Dubois, who is scheduled to defend his belt against Joseph Parker on Feb. 22.
But the mere fact that many in boxing would give Itauma even a chance to compete with those caliber opponents illustrates just how highly regarded he is. Boxing lifers speak of Itauma as one of the best heavyweight up-and-comers they have seen in decades, a young man with punch accuracy, power and ultra fast hands.
Oh, yeah — he’s also only 20 years old, and he is the 2024 Fight Freaks Unite prospect of the year.
If there was any question about that label, he answered it conclusively on Dec. 21, which is when the 6-foot-2½, 250-pound Itauma appeared in the co-feature of the Usyk-Fury rematch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He was still just 19 — he didn’t turn 20 until Dec. 28 — when he took a significant step up in competition, fought on his biggest stage yet, and annihilated fringe contender Demsey McKean in the first round.
Make sure to check out the other 2024 award stories
Many figured Itauma would eventually stop McKean, but two knockdowns and a first-round stoppage at 1 minute, 57 seconds? That was surprising, especially since in McKean’s previous fight he had given top contender Filip Hrgovic a good go before ultimately being stopped on his feet in the 12th round.
But the southpaw Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs), who was born in Slovakia but raised in England, destroyed McKean. He knocked him down twice, blinding him with a right hand followed by an overhand left that caught him on top of the head for the first knockdown. He eventually got to his knees and beat the count, but moments later, when Itauma landed a right jab to McKean’s chest and followed with a massive overhand left that landed on his chin, he went down for the second time.
He beat the count but was wobbly. He turned his back and walked toward the ropes as his cornerman was entering the ring and the referee was waving it off.
The resounding victory culminated a big year for Itauma, who is promoted by Queensberry’s Frank Warren. The eye-catching destruction of the 6-6, 251-pound McKean was Itauma’s fourth win of the year.
Itauma, who is trained by Ben Davison — one of the most renowned trainers in the world, who used to train then-heavyweight champion Fury and currently trains former two-time unified titlist Anthony Joshua — won all four of his 2024 bouts by knockout inside two rounds.
Before drilling McKean, Itauma took out Dan Garber in the first round in March, Ilja Mezencev in the second round in May, and 6-7, 287½-pound Mariusz Wach, a vastly experienced (albeit faded) former world title challenger, in the second round in July.
It has been a fast start for Itauma, who only turned pro in January 2023. He was 24-0 as an amateur as a standout at the junior level and two-time British national champion.
He has had valuable experience sparring with former heavyweight titlist Joshua as well as Dubois, Joe Joyce and former cruiserweight and bridgerweight titlist Lawrence Okolie.
Whether Itauma can take a big punch — always a key, especially for a heavyweight — is unknown, but it figures to be one heck of a ride finding out.
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The rest of the best
(Name, record, division, age, hometown, promoter)
2. Abdullah Mason (16-0, 14 KOs), lightweight, 20, Cleveland, Ohio, Top Rank
Mason, a southpaw with terrific speed and power, has been very impressive fight in and fight out. He’s mature for being so young, is patient, tremendously accurate with his punches and immediately passes the eye test. He was just 17 when he turned pro in 2021 and isn’t going to need much more seasoning before he is a bona fide contender. In 2024, he won all five his fights by knockout inside four rounds and all were against reasonable opponents with good records. He did have his struggles in his final fight of the year in November, when Yohan Vasquez dropped him twice in the first round but Mason also knocked him down in the wild first round and then knocked him out in the second. The knockdowns did not worry Top Rank’s Hall of Fame matchmaker Brad “Abdul” Goodman. “They were flash knockdowns and he got right back up,” Goodman said. “He has to sharpen up on defense. This year he’s gonna fight much better opposition. He’s so aggressive and offensive minded he sometimes forgets about defense. It was a wake-up call and I think he’ll learn from the mistakes.”
3. Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KO), lightweight, 29, Miami, Fla., Matchroom Boxing
Yes, at 29, he’s old for a prospect but he turned pro late after finally escaping Cuba, where he had a massive amateur career. He is moving quickly and by the end of 2025 he figures to be a serious player at lightweight. He did it all as an amateur: 2020 Olympic gold medalist, three-time World Amateur champion (2017, 2019, 2021) and two-time Pan American Games champion (2015, 2019) as one of the most decorated amateurs ever, including four wins (one in the Olympic final) against 2022 prospect of the year and current contender Keyshawn Davis. Cruz, who trains in Philadelphia under Bozy Ennis (IBF welterweight titlist Jaron Ennis’ father), fought twice in 2024 (more activity would be nice) against very solid opposition. He scored a 10-round shutout of Brayan Zamarripa followed by a seventh-round knockout of Antonio Moran, who gave Cruz a little trouble before being stopped. Cruz appears on his way to big things.
4. Imam Khataev (9-0, 9 KOs), light heavyweight, 30, Urus-Martan, Russia, Eye of the Tiger
Granted, at 30, Khataev is old for a prospect but he got a late pro start after a long amateur career that included nearly 300 bouts, a 2020 Olympic bronze medal for Russia, and a bronze at the 2023 World Championships. He had one pro fight in 2021 and one in 2022 before ramping up as a pro. He has been very impressive with a super aggressive style and tremendous strength. He signed with EOTT in 2023 and has fought primarily in Quebec. He was 4-0 in 2024, including an impressive sixth-round stoppage of veteran Ricards Bolotniks on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos Jr. undercard in Australia and a seventh-round knockout of vastly experience Ezequiel Maderna.
5. Adam Azim (12-0, 9 KOs), junior welterweight, 22, Slough, England, Boxxer
Azim has shown great maturity and ring patience while also showing plenty of skills to go with his exciting, hard-hitting style and a powerful right hand that makes him must-see TV. He has a growing fan base, big backing in the U.K. from Sky Sports and one of the best young trainers in boxing in Shane McGuigan. Azim won the European title in 2023 but he’s really still a prospect and was unfortunately limited to only two fights in 2024, in part due to injury. But when he did get in the ring he shined. He made one European defense in a fifth-round KO of Enock Poulsen in February before vacating. In October, Azim dropped fringe contender Ohara Davis twice in an eighth-round KO. He will face his biggest test on Feb. 1 against former world titlist Sergey Lipinets.
6. Yoenis Tellez (9-0, 7 KOs), junior middleweight, 24, Stafford, Texas, Warriors Boxing and Boxlab Promotions
Cuban defector Tellez first went to Russia, where he had his first two pro bouts in 2020. A two-year layoff followed before he could make his way to the U.S., where he settled in the Houston area and is trained by the great Ronnie Shields and is friends with another Shields fighter, fellow Cuban David Morrell, the WBA “regular” light heavyweight titlist. Because Tellez was so young before leaving Cuba, he didn’t have tons of amateur accolades and fights in a much more offensive-minded style than Cubans schooled for years in its amateur system. Tellez has excellent power, especially his left hook, and he has gained valuable experience sparring with Canelo Alvarez and Jermall Charlo, another Shields fighter. In 2024, he won both of his fights — more activity would be good — a shutout decision over Joseph Jackson, who entered the bout 19-0, followed by an impressive seventh-round knockout of Johan Gonzalez on Prime Video in the Bakhram Murtazaliev-Tim Tszyu co-feature in October.
7. Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KOs), welterweight, 26, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Top Rank
Polanco doesn’t get the hype of some prospects but the 2020 Olympian is a very physical fighter with a crowd-pleasing style who beats down opponents with relentless pressure. His offense is his calling card but he also has very sound defense. In 2024, he won all three of his fights against opponents with good records (13-0-1, 23-4 and 37-4-1). He went the eight-round distance in March but knocked his opponent down and then he finished his next two foes by second- and sixth-round knockout. Brad “Abdul” Goodman, Top Rank’s Hall of Fame matchmaker, likes his potential a lot. “I like his aggressiveness and his killer instinct,” Goodman said. “He’s not there to box. He’s there to knock guys out.”
8. Jadier Herrera (16-0, 14 KOs), lightweight, 22, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Queensberry Promotions
Herrera, a Cuban southpaw, is as intriguing a prospect as there is with something of a cult following. It is with good reason. He’s flashy, exciting, fast and powerful with tremendous bloodlines. His grandfather, Angel Herrera Vera, was a decorated amateur, who won Olympic gold medals in 1976 and 1980 as well as gold at the World Championships in 1978 and 1982 (where he beat Pernell Whitaker in the final). Jadier, who fought most of bouts in Dubai after fleeing Cuba, signed with Queensberry in 2024 and was 4-0 during the year. He won each bout by KO inside four rounds and really shined in his most recent fight in October on the Nick Ball-Ronny Rios card. He faced former world title challenger and vastly experienced Oliver Flores, who was supposed to be a test. But Herrera, using a hard right hook, accurate straight lefts and body punching, impressively destroyed him via third-round knockout.
9. Dainier Pero (10-0, 8 KOs), heavyweight, 25, Las Vegas, Nev., Boxlab Promotions
Pero’s handlers struggle to find opponents for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Cuban because he is that dangerous. And when they do finally get somebody willing to step into the ring with him they are forced to overpay compared to what a typical opponent would make. Pero, whose older brother Lenier is also an unbeaten heavyweight but considered by most the lesser talent of the two, was a 2020 Cuban Olympian (losing in the quarterfinals to American Richard Torrez Jr.) and a 2019 Pan American Games gold medalist. In 2024, Pero was busy, going 5-0 and winning each bout by knockout inside five rounds. He is trained by the renowned Bob Santos, who has compared him to a bigger version of Oleksandr Usyk. “Dainier Pero is the next great heavyweight in the world,” Santos said. “His power, athleticism, and high ring IQ make him stand out from everyone else in the division. He moves with the precision and agility of a young Usyk, showcasing exceptional footwork, impressive ring generalship, and true explosive power.”
10. Curmel Moton (6-0, 5 KOs), lightweight, 18, Las Vegas. Nev., Mayweather Promotions
Moton has gotten plenty of hype, partly because of his well-rounded game at such a young age and partly because promoter and mentor Floyd Mayweather has done his job touting him so well. Keep in mind that Moton is only 18 and already very advanced with excellent speed, power and ring intelligence. With more seasoning and experience he could be a monster when he is into his 20s. He turned pro on the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo card in 2023 and boxed mostly on major shows, including a very impressive eight-round shutout of unbeaten Anthony Cuba in his only distance fight on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora undercard last March. One red flag, however, may have been that he recently badly missed weight for a bout and it was canceled.
11. Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (14-0, 8 KOs), featherweight, 27, Brooklyn, N.Y., Top Rank
Carrington turned pro in 2021 with some fanfare as Top Rank, which loves his potential, gave him a coveted spot on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III. He is on a bit of a fast track because he’s a little older for an up-and-coming featherweight. He has good size for the division at 5-foot-8, good speed and overall skills to go with swagger and a growing fan base. He fights well on the inside. In 2024, he was 4-0 but was forced to go the distance in his two most recent bouts. He won a majority decision in a tough fight against the very solid Sulaiman Segawa, who was a step up, in September, and then got a chance to box on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard because Tyson, who grew up in the same Brownsville neighborhood as Carrington, likes him. In that fight, Carrington was sharp, scoring two knockdowns in a shutout eight-round decision over Dana Coolwell.
12. Jhon Orobio (12-0, 11 KOs), junior welterweight, 21, Montreal, Canada, Eye of the Tiger)
Orobio, who grew up in difficult circumstances in Colombia, originally played soccer as a child, but when he was 10 he learned about Muhammad Ali and began to pursue boxing. He had a standout amateur career, where he claimed a bronze medal at the 2021 Junior World Championships. As a competitor in international competitions, top Canadian trainer Marc Ramsay noticed him and, inspired by countryman and former world titleholders Eleider Alvarez and Oscar Rivas, Orobio followed them to Montreal to train with Ramsay and turned pro in 2023. In 2024, he was busy with seven fights, winning six by knockout, showing excellent power, a strong jab, advancing to scheduled eight-round bouts, and gaining a lot of attention due to his vast potential.
13. Callum Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs), junior middleweight, 23, Cork, Ireland, 360 Promotions
A pro since 2021, Walsh, who was a standout amateur, is an exciting and offensive-minded up-and-comer. While gaining experience he is also becoming a popular attraction, especially with the Irish community in New York, where he will headline for a second straight year at The Theater at Madison Square Garden during St. Patrick’s Day week. Based in Southern California, Walsh is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach and has developed a relationship with UFC president Dana White, a lifelong boxing fan, who likes Walsh so much he that he made a deal with 360 Promotions’ Tom Loeffler to stream his events on UFC Fight Pass. In 2024, Walsh won all three of his fights by knockout against reasonable opposition, including capping his year in September with a second-round knockout of Polish veteran Przemyslaw Runowski — who had never previously been stopped — in Dublin, Ireland, Walsh’s first pro fight in his home country.
14. Ernesto “Tito” Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs), junior welterweight, 23, Pomona, Calif., Matchroom Boxing
Mercado, who is a volume puncher with power, was built into a prospect in an unusual way in that he was not signed with a promoter. Instead, his father/trainer Neto Mercado, promoted his own small shows or found a spot for his son on other cards. Mercado has notched wins over faded former title challenger Hank Lundy (first-round KO), Xolisani Ndongeni (10-round decision), and fringe contender Jeremia Nakathila (second-round KO). In September, he signed with Matchroom Boxing. Mercado was 3-0 in 2024 (all by KO) and should have had a fourth bout in his Matchroom Boxing debut on Nov. 9. However, opponent Jesus Saracho was 6.8 pounds overweight, pushing Mercado’s next fight to Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, where he will face former lightweight and junior lightweight titlist Jose Pedraza.
15. Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez (12-0, 7 KOs), featherweight, 22, Perris, Calif., Top Rank)
A pro since 201, the Robert Garcia-trained Gonzalez really opened eyes in 2024 with a series of impressive performances. He is an aggressive, offensive-minded fighter that Top Rank chairman Bob Arum describes as “ferocious.” In 2024, he was 5-0 with four ending by KO. Top Rank, which had put him on cards but not yet signed, was so impressed with him that the company signed him in August, days after he looked outstanding in a third-round knockout of Damian Alcala, who had never previously been stopped. “I’m real high on him,” Top Rank matchmaker Brad “Abdul” Goodman said. “He does everything well. He’s a wear-you-down type of guy, who gets stronger as the fight goes on. He’s a good puncher with both hands.”
Rafael's Prospects of the Year
2024-Moses Itauma
2023-Diego Pacheco
2022-Keyshawn Davis
2021-Jared Anderson
2020-Jaron Ennis
2019-Vergil Ortiz Jr.
2018-Teofimo Lopez Jr.
2017-Ryan Garcia
2016-Erickson Lubin
2015-Errol Spence Jr.
2014-Felix Verdejo
2013-Vasiliy Lomachenko
2012-David Price
2011-Gary Russell Jr.
2010-Canelo Alvarez
2009-Daniel Jacobs
2008-Victor Ortiz
2007-Amir Khan
2006-Andre Berto
2005-Joel Julio
2004-Samuel Peter
2003-Jermain Taylor
2002-Miguel Cotto
2001-Francisco Bojado
2000-Julio Diaz
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Photos: Itauma: Ian Walton/Matchroom Boxing; Mason, Polanco, Carrington, Khataev, Gonzalez: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Cruz: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing; Azim: Chris Dean/Boxxer; Tellez: Joseph Correa/PBC; Herrera: Queensberry Promotions; Pero: Evenhandsboxing; Moton: Esther Lin/PBC; Orobio: EOTT; Walsh: UFC Fight Pass; Mercado: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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Always enjoy this list. With so much boxing available to watch these days, it’s a huge plus to have a curated list of names to look out for on deep undercards and prospect shows.
Curmel Moton could be Panchito Bojado 2.0, coming in 15 lbs overweight in his last scheduled fight. Abdullah Mason can definitely pitch. But can he catch? Wasn't much of a punch that dropped him.