It’s a tough and often asked and debated question: who is the most exciting fighter in the world at the time of asking? As in right now. It, of course, depends on what fighting style and what type of fight you as a paying fan are most preferential of – be it a masterful exhibition of The Sweet Science from a pure boxer or an all-out Pier Six brawl of a slugfest given to you by a ring savage.
It’s rare for a ring warrior to be able to provide both, to switch style and approach when needed. Over past years/decades, legends such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and a few other true greats could do it. Today, maybe you would point at Naoya Inoue, Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, and a few other modern greats.
This brings us back to the question: who is the most exciting fighter on the planet today? Promoter Frank Warren, perhaps guilty of being a little biased, seeing how he promotes the guy he named, listed the Ball of Fire, the buzzsaw he has in his Queensbury stable. Featherweight terror Nick Ball may not (yet) be familiar to millions, but the way he’s going, with Ball regularly smashing punch-stat numbers, the Liverpool warrior could be a global star one day.
But is Ball, who is guaranteed excitement and value for money every time out, really the most exciting fighter in the world today?
Here’s a list you may or may not agree with when it comes to the ring operators who are THE most watchable today:
Naoya Inoue.
Inoue can do it all – box, punch, fight going forward, fight going back, take a great shot, deliver sheer hell to both body and head, from both sides. From his crushing first-round win over Jamie McDonnell, I’ve made certain to have never missed a “Monster” show.
Oleksandr Usyk.
As gifted as he is always willing to fight the absolute best, Usyk has also shown that he can fight a different foe a different way. Yes, Usyk can both box and go deep into the trenches. Usyk can also do it all.
David Benavidez.
Another Monster, Benavidez, throws out a ton of leather, as he seems to be aiming to inflict as much damage on his prey as possible. Benavidez can take it and dish it out.
Nick Ball.
Indeed, a brilliant, non-stop blizzard puncher, one who is so much fun to watch. Ball is pure aggression, and he, too, has a solid chin to go with his engine and desire to hurt the other guy.
Artur Beterbiev.
An absolute beast of a KO puncher. Beterbiev has crushing power in his hands, so much so that no man has ever managed to last all 12 rounds with him, much less defeat him. Beterbiev’s ring demeanour adds to his appeal, the 175 pound boss (Dmitry Bivol will of course disagree; and we will soon see who is the best out of these two) being nothing short of terrifying when he sets foot into the squared circle.
