At the end of the year, everyone loves lists, and especially if your state is currently in shelter-in-place due to the national pandemic. 

This year we have taken this to heart and wrote a series based around each of the four major promoters, Top Rank, Golden Boy, Matchroom/DAZN, and a grouping of the remaining promoters so you can look for these fighters moving into next year, if you have missed boxing this year, are just falling in love with the sport, or fell out of love with the sport, and are coming back to see what you missed.

Let me explain the categories, THE PRESENT – fighters who are in their prime and I see as the forefront of the company they represent, THE FUTURE – fighters nearing their prime and generational talents, THE BUZZ – fighters with an immense buzz around them and excitement within fight fans and the industry, THE BREAKOUT – fighters who I expect to have an exceptional 2021, and THE PROSPECT – an up-and-coming fighter with not a ton of fights who should be on your radar. 

Today we’re looking at Premier Boxing Champions fighters

The Present – Errol Spence Jr. 

Errol Spence is that guy in the PBC universe. The welterweight who was a 2012 Olympian, has risen to the point of being a constant PPV draw, and has the support of the Dallas Cowboys organization, along with his life-long coach, Derrick James, as both have become stars in the sport, and are neck-and-neck with Manny Pacquiao heading into 2021 in terms of ability to draws to the sport of boxing.

The De Soto, Texas native who is 27-0 with 21 knockouts has made his footprint in the sport of boxing over the last two years.

Spence Jr. has a jab as powerful as Gennady Golovkin, and combination punches with shots to the body that look like a southpaw Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, has proven to be a tough foe for anyone. On top of that his resume of beating Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, and now Danny Garcia is as good as it gets in the division.

Spence’s walkout also to Tee Grizzley “Mr.Officer” was a seemingly rare instance in boxing in which a fighter is using his platform to speak on something bigger than boxing, something a lot of this fighters this generation, not just haven’t done, but have run from doing.

Spence’s only mishaps was a drunk-driving mishap, in which the talented boxer, was charged for DUI, and in a violent and scary car crash. Spence returned this month to defeat Danny Garcia, a fighter who has been at the top of both 140 and 147 lbs for the past decade, essentially. 

Spence is the centerpiece of the PBC boxing universe and as time goes, despite my belief that Terence Crawford is the more talented fighter, it is slowly starting to look like Spence will be the fighter history will look more fondly upon, if Spence’s career continues in this manner.

The Future – The Charlo Brothers 

Jermall and Jermell Charlo are refreshing, you might not like them all the time, but they seem sincere and honest – in a generation of fighters who are micromanaged, overtly present on social media, and/or trying to appease their promoter or fans too much. 

Jermall Charlo, a/k/a “Big Charlo” who trains with Ronnie Shields is a two-division world champion, winning belts in the 154 and 160 lbs divisions and is one of the ten best fighters in the world, and is evolving into a middleweight version of Wladimir Klitschko, composed, professional and powerful. Jermall is much quieter, and in many ways more intense, as Shields is a stern boxing coach, who has been to the upper echelon, on more than one occasion. Jermall Charlo is an underrated counter-puncher who has the ability to punch in between punches which is an elite trait as well.

Jermall Charlo is 31-0 with 22 KOs, and is the current WBC middleweight world champion.

His twin brother, Jermell Charlo, feels like the resurrection of Gerald McCellen or Julian Jackson, a transcendent puncher who wears his heart on his selves as he looks to entertain the crowd, and works with Derrick James, the coach of Errol Spence Jr. Jermell feels like a Kronk-style boxer, who benefits from a trainer who is soft-spoken and lets him process the action on his own.

Jermell Charlo is 34-1 with 18 knockouts, and unified the WBC, WBA and IBF junior middleweight world titles.

From creating content on YouTube (I see you Jermell Charlo) to entertaining interviews to dynamic fight performances, whether you like them or not, the Charlo Brothers are the future of PBC’s boxing telecast heading into 2021 as the world wants more of the Charlo brothers in the future.

The Buzz – Gervonta Davis 

The 2020 knockout of the year begins and ends with Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ stoppage of Leo Santa Cruz. “Tank” Davis who has always felt like a “mini-Mike Tyson” lived up to that moniker, as he gave up rounds to land a brutal uppercut on Santa Cruz, that might just be one of the transcendent punches landed in the sport of boxing, recently. 

Davis has the physical gifts others don’t have and has skills to boot, but his biggest strength are a team that cares about him starting with his coach Calvin Ford, and long-time PR representative Lorin Chvotkin, who rarely gets mentioned amongst Tank, but has been highly influential and helpful to the young studs career. 

Davis’ career has not been perfect, though his record is, Davis has had missteps on the scale, on his outside the ring antics to mid-30’s white dude writing this sometimes makes me scratch my head. That being said, Davis is special, and we still haven’t fully seen all that he is capable of, and at 26-years-old and with only 24 professional fights, the

Davis is currently 24-0 with 23 of his wins coming by way of knockout.

The Breakout – Chris Colbert , Vic Pasillas

Chris Colbert has a larger-than-life personality, a well-respected coach in Aureliano Sosa, a fan-friendly style, and solid boxing fundamentals. 

Colbert is yet another homegrown PBC fighter, who fought two top-tier fighters this year in former world champion, Jezzrel Corales, and headlining Showtime last week against Jaime Arboleda, and stopping Arboleda as well. Colbert is a showman with a great jab, good speed, and a willingness to trade. 

Colbert who is 15-0, with 6 knockouts, has displayed power, but also a skill-set to think with you.

My only concern is old-fashion with Colbert I was raised watching guys like Joe Louis and am not in love with hands being low and that deficit being made up by hand speed, and fear it could lead to unneeded damage long-term and could make him for vulnerability for inevitable fights with big punchers like Gervonta Davis or Xavier Martinez. 

Colbert is a guy to watch, and 2021 should be a year he emerges on the scene.

Vic Pasillas has always been a guy those in L.A. and the Bay Area know is good. His talent is immense, the man who saw sparring Vasily Lomachenko lead to meeting his manager, Greg Hannely, who has resurrected the career of the talented fighter. 

Pasillas, who only fought once this year, put a one-sided beat down on Ranfis Encarnacion, stealing the show for the evening and being crowned on-air as a future world champion by trainer Joe Goossen. 

Pasillas is 16-0 with 9 knockouts has the record and the skills to jump into a title eliminator or a world title shot especially as a talented southpaw.

Pasillas, who works with Brian Schwartz, at Undisputed Boxing Gym in Redwood City, California, is looking to put forth his amazing boxing skills, combined with his freakish strength and speed until a world title run. 

Pasillas will be a force at 122 lbs, and honestly is one of the few guys I think could beat Naoya Inoue a/k/a “The Monster”. Pasillas is the real deal, he just needs the fights to prove it. 

The Prospect – Michel Rivera

Rivera may have more fights than I like to give someone for the term “prospect”, as Rivera’s record sits at 19-0, with 12 knockouts, but I think it fits since he is criminally unacknowledged. 

Rivera stopped former A-side Fidel Maldonado Jr in February, and then on the Tank vs Santa Cruz undercard defeated Ladarius “Memphis” Miller, a good fighter, who struggled with his weight leading into the bout, but was signed to Mayweather Promotions.

Rivera is a 22-year-old puncher, who is smart and targets the body well, and combine that with being at the lightweight division, a division that a lot of contenders…we could be looking at a guy who will be in the mix for a while. 

In short, not just do I believe Rivera has the skills to compete at the top of the division, I believe he will be there for a solid amount of time and become a name-stay at the top of cards, hence why I think you should start to get familiar with him right now.