Top 25 Prospects Final Report Card

Top 25 Prospects Final Report Card
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
January 5, 2013


When I first began contributing to TQBR, one of my first submissions was a list of 25 prospects that I had my eye on. Throughout 2012, I tracked their progress, even turning in a mid-year report on how they had done up until that point.

This piece marks a final report card on how those 25 fighters fared. Together, they combined for an astonishing 74-4 mark with 53 KOs, something that far exceeded my expectations when I first compiled the list.

This also marks my final contribution to TQBR as a staff writer, as I have decided in 2013 to focus more of my time on my weekly boxing column with the Northern California newspaper, the Martinez News-Gazette. By doing so, I felt as though I wouldn't have enough time to be a full-time contributor to TQBR and decided with editor Tim Starks' blessing it was time to move forward. I plan on still contributing the odd freelance piece online, though no destination has yet been determined.

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Half-Year 25 Favorite Prospects Report Card

Half-Year 25 Favorite Prospects Report Card
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
July 4, 2012


In January, one of my first contributions to TQBR was a list of my 25 favorite prospects to start 2012. Now that we have met the halfway point of the year, compiled here is a report on how those 25 prospects have fared and a grade letter assigned. Over the first six months, prospects were 41-2 with 27 knockouts. Not a bad start.

MAKING THE GRADE 

Eleider Alvarez, light heavyweight, 28, 9-0, 5 KOs (2-0) B+ 
Alvarez didn't sparkle against Rayco Saunders on ESPN2 in April, but returned to the Bell Centre in early June to lay a whooping on once-beaten Shawn Hawk. Alvarez needs to be a little more active at 28, and if he is able to get two fights to close out '12 it will have been a good year for him. Next fight: N/A

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Twenty-Five Favorites for the Future, Part II

Twenty-Five Favorites for the Future, Part II
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
January 5, 2012

(Continued from part I.)

Joe Hanks, heavyweight, 28, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A. [18-0, 12 KOs] 
Though not as well known as American heavyweights of the future Seth Mitchell and Deontay Wilder, Hanks has quietly put together a respectable career in four years as an American heavyweight hopeful. Hanks scored an improbable one-sided win over then-unbeaten Golden Boy prospect Ashanti Jordan a few years ago and has stayed the course, though not with much fanfare. Hanks has yet to fight on television despite being one of the better kept secrets in American heavyweight boxing. With Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing backing him, Hanks should at least be able to break the barrier and make it on television moving forward. Despite being from the East Coast, Hanks established himself in the banquet halls and small houses in Southern California, fighting twelve times in all there. At one point, this writer recalls then-manager Prentiss Byrd offering to pay for Hanks’ spot on cards, yet he still had problems finding him fights. At 6’4” Hanks has good size and has good power that he has learned to utilize better recently; he’s scored six stoppages in eight fights since the opening of 2010. In a particularly shallow time in U.S. heavyweight boxing, Hanks is near the top of the class.

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Twenty-Five Favorites For the Future, Part I

Twenty-Five Favorites For the Future, Part I
Mark E. Ortega
Queensberry-Rules.com
January 4, 2012

Don't mistake this list as one to bank future successes of any of these fighters on, though I have faith that more than a handful of them will break through to the top level of the sport. No, what this list serves as is my 25 favorite prospects that I will be keeping an eye on in 2012 and beyond. What this means is the rubric is more than just in-ring ability. It takes into account whether or not they likely will emerge as big time ticket sellers, as determined by their fighting styles and personalities, among other things. One thing you can count on is this list features quite a number of names you won’t see elsewhere.

Sadam Ali, welterweight, 23 years old, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. [14-0, 8 KOs] 
The quick-fisted Ali was the first Arab-American fighter to box in the Olympics when he made the U.S. team in 2008. Since turning pro in January of 2009, the sharp punching Ali has yet to face a real test. He may be a bit undersized at welterweight and would probably find more success at 140 when he steps up his level of competition. After encountering managerial problems early in his career, Ali has begun to guide his own career. It will be interesting to see how Ali’s plans of getting to the top will work out without a major guiding influence. At 23 years old, Ali has a fair amount of time to get there.

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