The lights are far from out on British boxing

Billy Joe Saunders, right, is one of the hottest prospects in British boxing
(Pictures by CASEY GUTTERIDGE)

The state of British boxing is well debated in media circles – and more often than not there are more negative comments than positive.

Be it there being no 'world class' heavyweight to challenge the reign of the Klitschko brothers, or the lack of a Prince Naseem Hamed character, flamboyant and charismatic to get the crowds in, it could be argued that boxing in Britain is at a crossroads.

Yet this is to be expected – the likes of Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton and more recently David Haye obviously saw enough in the new breed to hang their gloves up right?

Well, one retired at the top of his game (Calzaghe), one retired when it was medically sensible to (Hatton) and one still harps on about making a comeback (Haye).

So maybe their decision wasn't because they felt they were past their best.

Frank Warren in setting up his BoxNation channel heralded that boxing was moving into a new era, and the up-and-coming talent would revitalise the sport.

Can Amir Khan bouce back from his Lamont
Peterson defeat in 2012?

And for £10 on Sky, you can witness that for yourself!

My view on the situation may well surprise you.

I believe there has never been more talent in the pro ranks than there is now.

But concentrate on the word 'talent'.

The potential of our young British pugilists is both exciting and interesting. Many are well-heralded by such promoters as Warren, Eddie Hearn and Frank Maloney; there are Olympic gold medallists, fighting travellers and eloquent and methodical tacticians.

But the number of world class and established pros is few and far between. However, how far should we be surprised with this? With retirement of those at the top of their game there is bound to be that window where others are given their chance in the limelight, their chance to shine.

Ricky Burns and Nathan Cleverly are arguably the only two at world level at this moment in time, backed up by the fact that they are our only world champions, and at 28 and 24 respectively, they should have a few years at the top yet.

George Groves, James Degale, Tyson Fury and Kell Brook should be knocking at that door soon, and then there are a whole host of fighters who will be looking to be fast-tracked to stardom.

Is boxing missing real characters like Prince Naseem
Hamed?

Mix in the likes of Kevin Mitchell who is looking to get back into the world elite, and Matthew Macklin, Darren Barker, Martin Murray, Amir Khan and Carl Froch who are all looking to bounce back from disappointing defeats, there's much excitement and intrigue about the future of British boxing.

The year 2012 is a big one for the sport. It may well be that someone we least expect from the Isles steps up and wins a world title. There should also be some great domestic battles sure to capture the imagination.

And of course there will be huge international bouts which we can watch and compare against our own.

Mayweather v Pacquaio will hopefully the benchmark for our fighters (provided the former stays out of jail and the latter finds time in his busy political schedule).

So let's all relax, fork out that tenner for BoxNation and keep tabs on the ranks of talent we have coming through. (And it's still shown on Sky don't you know)!

Whether Derek Chisora can cause one of the biggest ever upsets and defeat Vitali Klitschko is another matter. Yet the nature of us as Britons gives us that steely determination, so let's be confident in the state of British boxing, and let's pray for a miracle for Del Boy!

Frank Maloney will be keeping his eyes peeled for the
top boxing talent coming through the ranks

And here are my top five British talents to keep an eye out for in 2012 (in no particular order)

George Groves – 2012 is a big year for British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion George Groves. After claiming victory against 'golden boy' James DeGale, Groves will be eager to prove it was no fluke and push his career on. Whether that means he will grant DeGale a rematch or force a world title shot is up for debate. Either way, the win against his former gym companion has won Groves new friends in boxing circles and they will be looking for him to see off a few more top-10 ranked Brits in the super-middleweight category. First up is a rematch against Kenny Anderson on March 16 at Wembley Arena, who he knocked out in the sixth round of part one back in November 2010.

Fight record – W 14 (11) L 0 D 0

Billy Joe Saunders – Fresh after winning the Southern Area Middleweight Championship, Saunders will be looking for a couple of quick defences before looking at getting a British and/or Commonwealth shot. The 22-year-old traveller from Hertfordshire has recovered from a nasty hand injury which limited his ring action in 2011, and proved in his last two victories over Gary Boulden (where he won his title) and Tommy Tolan that he is over it. He is already ranked fifth in the Middleweight rankings, with a bout against Kevin Concepcion or Nick Blackwell an early possibility. Billy Joe is next scheduled for ring action on March 16 at Wembley Arena.

Fight record – W 12 (8) L 0 D 0

Billy Joe Saunders will be looking to challenge for a British title as a minimum this year

Kell Brook – Arguably one of the most exciting fighters in the British ranks at the moment, Kell Brook is desperate to proves he has what it takes to make it at world level. Amir Khan's recent defeat against American Lamont Peterson could well have made his dreams of meeting his compatriot one step closer at welterwight or light-welterweight level. Kell has won all 26 of his fights since turning professional, 18 by way of knockout so he really is at the top of his game. But he will have to see of Matthew Hatton, younger brother of Ricky first on March 17 in what has been dubbed War of the Roses. I expect he will.

Fight record – W 26 (18) D 0 L 0

Nathan Cleverly has had a remarkable rise to
world level - can he maintain his unbeaten
record?

Nathan Cleverly – The unbeaten talent from Cefn Fforest is Britain's only confirmed world champion (Ricky Burns is still at time of writing 'interim' lightweight champion) and will be eager to make 2012 the year when he gets his name known throughout the world. His feud with Liverpool's Tony Bellew was all-but ended with a convincing victory in October, and the Welshman now sets his sights on a WBO heavyweight title defence against Poland's Tommy Karpency. Should he come out voctorious, as expected, he could well look for a mouthwatering clash with Nottingham's Carl Froch, in what could be a career-defining contest for both.

Fight record – W 23 (11) D 0 L 0

Ricky Burns – The Scottish warrior brought the house down at Wembley Arena back in November 2011 when he defeated hard-as-nails Michael Katsidis to win the interim WBO lightweight title. Many in the media thought the fight would be a step to far for the likeable Burns, but the Coatbridge man was electric on the night, and totally dominated his Aussie opponent. He will be eager to make more people eat their words in 2012 with the possibility of a domestic showdown with the resurgent Kevin Mitchell sure to be a ticket-seller. But first Burns must defend the interim title against Paulus Moses on March 17^th in Glasgow.

Fight record – W 33 (9) D 0 L 2

Tyson Fury – Just edged it ahead of the ever-improving David Price for the simple fact that he is closer to a world-title shot and 2012 will be the year when he proves himself or joins the list of British heavyweight Mr Averages. Fury has looked frightening in some, and labouring in others, yet his record still says 17 straight wins in spite of the critics. And his first assignment could well be against Olympian and red-hot in form David Price, who last week destroyed John McDermott in a round. As they say, someone's 0 will have to go!

Fight record – W 17 (12) D 0 L 0

And my dark horse for 2012...

Frank Buglioni – With just two fights under his belt, you may think it's far too early to be analysing this Enfield fighter's credentials. Yet this is one talented pugilist. In his first fight he knocked out the tough Sabie Montieth (who had previously never been stopped) in just 124 seconds, and then he totally overwhelmed Paul Morby, knocking him down twice in the first round before the referee stepped in. The light-heavyweight division is particularly strong in the UK, yet if Buglioni continue's his fine development, Frank Warren can be the man to fast track him to the top.

Fight record – W 2 (2) D 0 L 0

Please leave your comments and thoughts. Who do you think we should be keeping an eye out for in 2012. How do you see the state of British boxing?

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