Ones to Watch: The UK's five best prospects in the heavyweight division
The UK has a history of producing great heavyweight fighters - just look at Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Here, Planet Sport looks at the next wave hoping to shake up the division.
The UK has enjoyed plenty of success in boxing's golden weight category in recent years. Anthony Joshua has held the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles on two occasions in his career and is hoping to get those belts back in a rematch against Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.
Tyson Fury held those same titles in 2015 after beating Vladimir Klitschko. After a hiatus from the sport, he came back and dominated Deontay Wilder to win the WBC crown.
Before the Joshua and Fury era, David Haye unified the cruiserweight division and went on to become WBA heavyweight champion.
Here, Planet Sport takes a look at five UK prospects aiming to make their mark at heavyweight.
Fabio Wardley
Wardley is the current English heavyweight champion and has held the title since August 2020. He is managed by world title challenger Dillian Whyte and is highly regarded by 'The Body Snatcher'.
Prior to the victory, Whyte heaped praise on Wardley by saying: "He has an air of invincibility. He hasn't lost. He hasn't even lost a round. No one has hurt him, dropped him or out-boxed him.
Wow 🚀
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) November 21, 2020
Fabio Wardley KO's Richard Lartey inside two rounds to make a big statement
📺 Watch #BennFormella now live on Sky Sports pic.twitter.com/r4aXExzM11
Daniel Dubois
Dubois got his career back on track with successive wins after that, before knocking out Trevor Bryan to win the WBA 'regular' title. He is now the number one challenger to Usyk's WBA 'super' belt, although he may have to wait until a heavyweight unification bout occurs first.
Dubois knocked Bryan out in the fourth round and made good on his pre-fight promise. "I want to make a statement in devastating fashion. By any means necessary, but I'm looking to make a statement," Dubois said.
David Adeleye
Height - 6ft 4 1/2in
Represented by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, the fighter will be looking to win a few more fights before setting his sights on the English heavyweight title - currently held by the first name on this list, Wardley.
When asked last year about fighting for the British or Commonwealth titles, Adeleye said: "Whichever belt comes first is the one I go for. I'll take all of them.
Adeleye will have learnt some tricks from Joshua and Fury after sparring with both of them previously in his career.
Frazer Clarke
At 30 years old, Clarke is the oldest fighter on this list and a relative latecomer. But that doesn't mean he is lacking experience.
Clarke, who holds the nickname 'The Eraser', picked up 68 wins as an amateur and represented Great Britain at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Clarke's promoter, Ben Shalom, knows he must move fast to get on the world title scene due to his age - just like Olympic predecessor Joyce. "He is an obvious comparison," Shalom said. "Frazer will have to move as quickly as Joe, who is now 35 and is in world title contention.
Clearly, Clarke is planning a rapid rise up the rankings so he can get in the mix with heavyweight's elite fighters.
Johnny Fisher
Fisher is the youngest and arguably least experienced of these five heavyweight prospects, but he should still be taken very seriously.
Fisher's bright future is demonstrated by his nomination for the Boxing Writers' Club Young Boxer of the Year award earlier this year, although he couldn't quite take home the accolade. He is also represented by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom and the well-known promoter is aiming to get him back in the ring soon.