Who to watch our for in 2023
2023 is set to be a fantastic year for boxing in general with some incredible matchups hopefully taking place. These include boxing's biggest names such as Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. We can, of course, also expect Jake Paul to return to the ring whether you like him or loathe him!
But what about the British boxing scene? What can we expect from our talent pool, and could there be any breakout runs this year? British boxing is certainly on the up and we have an incredible array of talent from all corners of the UK.
In this article, we take a look at four British boxers who have already shown their mettle but could potentially have a stellar 2023 to make their names in boxing history.
Hopefully, when their next bouts are announced, you can consider utilising some free bets and taking a punt on these upcoming superstars – if their current records are anything to go by, it should be a sure-fire win!
Dennis McCann
Super-bantamweight star Dennis The Menace McCann is exciting to watch, incredibly charismatic and certainly has the personality to become a top boxer.
At 22 years old, the southpaw still has much room for growth but has already shown fantastic potential. Due to his sense of humour, fun fighting style and relatable personality, fans are already endeared to him, and he is making quite the name for himself, plus due his background from the travelling community in Maidstone, Kent, he has amassed a huge following.
Towards the end of 2022, McCann had an excellent bout against veteran Joe Ham and won after an eighth round stoppage. This earned him his first major title, the Commonwealth Super-Bantamweight belt, which added to the pair of titles he has already claimed, including the WBO Youth and WBC International Silver.
His current professional record stands at 14-0, with eight stoppages. No one has been able to last more than eight rounds with the pocket-sized powerhouse.
His last two bouts ended via KO so he ebters 2023 with form and silverware, hungry for more! Thos year should be another brilliant year for the Frank Warren fighter, and we could potentially see a fight against stablemate Liam Davies, who holds the British and European belts, so it makes sense for an all-domestic dust up with the Commonwealth nelt also on the line.
Nick Ball
Not many had heard of Nick Ball until he lit up Wembley Stadium on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte in April last year. He was even the underdog going into that bout with Isaac Lowe, which ended after six brutal, bloodied rounds.
Entering 2023, his name is now on everybody's lips and he begins the year undefeated in 17 bouts with 10KOs.
Hailing from Liverpool, he is just 25 and enjoyed an astounding 2022 season. Last year, he had three bouts and produced three epic stoppages which made many people take notice and start asking questions. He has now won his last four fights by KO.
In April, he was the undercard fight for Fury-Whyte, but stole the show with his powerful demonstration against the headliner's close friend, Isaac Lowe, who was even accompanied on his ringwalk by Fury. After that, he successfully defended his WBC Silver Featherweight Crown twice and has been established as one of the premier British boxing talents ever since.
Trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle gym alongside Olympian Peter McGrail and KO artist Andrew Cain, Ball has already declared his intentions to fight for the WBC World title this year, currently in the hands of undefeated Mexican Rey Vargas, who is moving up to fight for the super-featherweight belt this month. If he prevails, that could leave the 126lbs strap vacant for WBC #11 Ball to aim for.
Potential fights with Gary Russell Jr, Mark Magsayo or Brandon Figueroa could await the 'Wrecking Ball' this year, who has family in America and ambitions to fight Stateside soon. Trainr Paul Stevenson has only just come back from Japan with Peter McGrail, so further trips abroad could be in store for this talented gym.
Hamzah Sheeraz
Unfortunately, Sheeraz is well-known for his seemingly random feud with retired boxing great Amir Khan. Khan publicly feuded with Hamzah and claimed that the young boxing star supposedly disrespected him – whether this is true or not remains to be seen.
Irrespective of that, Sheeraz’s talents are undeniable. His current record stands at 17-0. In 2022, he scored an impressive KO against River Wilson-Bent. The bout lasted just three rounds at the London O2 arena, and it was an excellent display of skill.
This furthered his reputation, and many believe he has what it takes to become a world boxing star. He has held the WBO European Light-Middleweight title since 2019 and with backing from Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, we expect him to go far.
Other notable wins he has enjoyed included a sixth round KTO against Ryan Kelly, and a fifth round TKO against the Argentinian Francisco Emanuel Torres.
Pierce O’Leary
Pierce O’Leary is an upcoming Irish boxer at the tender age of 22. His current professional record stands at 11-0 and his last match was against Emmanuel Mungandjela, who had previously never been stopped in a bout.
This secured him his first career silverware in the form of the WBC International Super-Lightweight Belt last November. Although the Irishman criticized his own performance – we felt it was an impressive display and showed he has the hallmarks to become a great boxer.
Hopefully, 2023 will see more competition for O’Leary. He has certainly been keeping himself busy – fighting six bouts in the last two years. If he manages to get a few more wins under his belt – this should lead to bigger and better prize bouts and a heap of well-deserved recognition.
We are certainly interested to watch how the careers of these young men unfold. Hopefully, they all exceed expectations and go on to greater things, including title wins and amazing ring performances.
Aside from that, we hope that Anthony Joshua can regain his form and reputation, and that Tyson Fury can shut up the naysayers and put the seemingly unstoppable Usyk down.