Three Prospects To Watch Out For In 2023
Boxing is a sport where fans always want to be ahead of the curve. They always want to be the first one to pick out a future star and then down the line, when they’re winning titles, give it the classic “told you so” to their pals.
Well, if that sounds like you, we’re here to help as we pick out three fighters in British boxing who we believe will go from prospects to serious contenders in 2023.
Callum Simpson (Super-Middleweight/Light-Heavyweight)
Managed by Kevin Maree, the super-middleweight prospect from Barnsley has been making a name for himself as one of the most exciting prospects on the small hall scene.
Standing at well over six foot, Simpson is currently 10-0 with eight stoppage wins from his last eight fights. In his most recent outing in October, he stopped the tough Ben Ridings in emphatic fashion to claim the Central Area Super-Middleweight Title in Oldham.
Huge for the weight, Simpson likes to impose his size advantage on his opponents. His main power punches come off a range-finding jab which isn’t always thrown with the intent to damage his opponent, more often than not it’s thrown with the aim of making sure he knows he’s in range to let his hands go. Once he hurts his opponent, he’s a devastating finisher.
Simpson’s potential has been noticed far and wide with the Brit most recently heading out to Canada to spar light-heavyweight monster Artur Beterbiev as he prepares for his world title defence against Anthony Yarde.
The British title is currently held by one of his stablemates, Mark Heffron, so that fight is almost certain not to happen but with Zak Chelli and Lerrone Richards ordered to fight for the English title, Simpson versus the winner of that could be the fight to be made in the spring of this year.
Either that or he could even decide to step up to 175lbs in a weight division packed with talent domestically.
Rhiannon Dixon (Lightweight)
One of the biggest prospects in women’s boxing domestically is Anthony Crolla’s lightweight protégé Rhiannon Dixon.
From a white collar background, she went unbeaten on the unlicensed scene before deciding to turn professional in 2019. COVID then hit meaning Dixon was unable to fight in 2020, although she did eventually get an opportunity on a big show when featuring on the undercard of Joseph Parker vs Derek Chisora in late 2021.
A natural southpaw, the pharmacist who hails from Warrington has that classic easy on the eye, fluent style where she can mix it on the inside and outside. She does lack amateur experience but at the rate she is improving, you wouldn’t notice. Especially considering how much she is starting to sit down on her shots as she looks to pick up her first stoppage win.
Currently ranked #1 at Lightweight in the UK, it is a division dominated globally by Katie Taylor. However, the WBO European title has just been claimed by Jelena Janicijevic so Dixon may well be looking at that fight and fancying her chances, especially considering the bout would get her a world ranking.
Just below her in the British rankings at lightweight is Olympian Caroline Dubois who has also been faultless in her professional career so far. If both girls continue to progress at their current rate, we could well be seeing an all-British undisputed fight in the next few years.
Junaid Bostan (Super-Welterweight)
Our final name to watch out for in 2023 is Rotherham’s Junaid Bostan. Fighting out of one of the most successful gyms in England currently, Grant Smith’s Steel City Gym in Sheffield, Bostan has breezed past every challenge put in front of him as a professional to date, with all four of his bouts ending in stoppage victories.
At only 20, he’s yet to have gained much of his man strength and with plenty of filling out to do, he’s undoubtedly going to go through the weights over the years. It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that he may even end up as a light-heavyweight.
Style wise, he’s a joy to watch as with all of Grant Smith’s fighters. When he likes to keep it long, he’ll stick a solid jab out and mix it up from the outside with fast combinations that clearly have a bit behind them. He also holds his own very well on the inside considering his size and for a young man, he’s exceptionally strong.
Something else that makes him stand out from the rest is that for his age, he’s got a lot of marketability. He’s clearly got the gift of the gab when it comes to trash talk which will undoubtedly be aided by his gym mate and close friend Sunny Edwards.
What lies in store for him in 2023 then? Well, the Central Area Super-Welterweight title is currently held by Evaldas Korsakas but he hasn’t defended that title in almost four years so that would be an obvious route for Bostan to go down. Win that title, defend it a couple of times, build his way up the domestic rankings and then either look to get an English title eliminator towards the end of the year or potentially an Inter-Continental belt as he heads in to 2024.