Sunday, December 09, 2007

New Beltway Boxing Poll: Who is the 2007 Prospect of the Year?

I don't know whether we'll get more than 31,000 votes for this poll, but I think the discussion will be just as spirited. The new poll asks: Who is the 2007 Beltway Boxing Prospect of the Year?

My poll can only hold 10 names. I know there are others, but here are the ones I feel are the top 10 prospects in the area:


Ty Barnette -- 12-0-1, nine KO's

Tim "Pit Bull" Coleman -- 14-0-1, three KO's

Andrew "The Doo Man" Farmer -- 9-1, six KO's

Horace "The Reason" Grant -- 10-1, seven KO's

Jessie "The Beast" Nicklow -- 14-0-1, five KO's

"The Persecutor" Mike Paschall -- 14-0-1, two KO's

"JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles -- 9-0, four KO's

Terry "T-Brick" Roy -- 7-0-1, six KO's

"Thomas "KO" Snow -- 9-0, seven KO's

Reginald "Rat Man" Taylor -- 7-0, four KO's


The combined won-loss records of these 10: 105-2-4 with 53 KO's

Before you even ask:

John Mackey is not included in the poll because, although he was born in DC, he told me personally that Montgomery, AL is his home.

The Peterson Brothers are not included in this poll because they should be considered contenders at this stage, not prospects.

Please vote in the poll, but do it with a civil tongue. Thanks.

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting that at 7:53 in the morning, Juan has 97 votes. Shame, since he wasn't nearly that busy in the ring in 07. I am sure he will explode in '08 if he doesn't fall off a motorcycle or a curb, but there are better prospects worthy of the title that were busier and one that even should get extra points for all the travel time from a few states away in one piece to compete.

Anonymous said...

I picked Farmer, but it was very close.

Anonymous said...

It's got to be "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles! He had 4 fights by April of 2007 so he belongs on the list. If he wasn't injured, he would have had at least 4 more fights. He doesn't need to travel either. He's got good people behind him and they bring guys to him. 2008 is his year.

Andrew Farmer is a great young prospect as well. Very exciting fighter.

Although they are hard working, good young fighters, that in and of itself does not a prospect make. I would say Tim Coleman, Horace Grant, Terry Roy, and Thomas Snow fall in to this category.

I think that Mike Paschall and Jesse Nicklow are under rated in many ways. Paschall, in my opinion, is especially slick. And Nicklow has a toughness factor that is very difficult to defeat.

I have never seen Ty Barnette or Reggie Taylor, so I can't comment on them.

Prospect of the year is Robles followed by Andrew Farmer, Mike Paschall, and Jesse Nicklow. At least one of those guys will become a World Champ!

Anonymous said...

why not put a real Boxing prospect and not popularity contest in the running, I have not seen a better prospect than Bayan Jargnal I mean vote on skills not who you no.

Anonymous said...

I think this is a good idea but put up the total record of opponents then you can see the quality of what you are dealing with..who fought the better fighters then you get a gauge on these so called prospects.

Gary Digital Williams said...

Unlike last year where there weren't enough real prospects to fill a list so I had to almost combine the rookie and prospect category, there's no need to this year.

The Rookie class that Jargal is in stands on its own. The Prospect class does the same. That is why Jargal is not on this particular poll.

It's not just who I know, it's what I know and see that make up this poll.

For others, feel free to use Boxrec to look at the competition of the prospects.

Anonymous said...

Who won the last poll Rookie of the year? I hope this poll comments are as intresting as that last one!!! lol

Anonymous said...

I think Farmer and JC are both deserving!!

Anonymous said...

I think this is a good idea but put up the total record of opponents then you can see the quality of what you are dealing with..who fought the better fighters then you get a gauge on these so called prospects.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

I agree with this person's comment.

Anonymous said...

Here are the combined records of the opponents of those on the list AT THE TIME OF THE FIGHT.

Ty Barnette: 65-120-9 - 1 winning record

Tim Coleman: 75-103-13 - 4 winning records

Andrew Farmer: 19-49-3 - 1 winning record

Horace Grant: 34-25-7 - 6 with winning records

Jessie Nicklow: 74-119-10 - 3 Winning records

Mike Paschall: 87-133-10 - 3 winning records

Juan Carlos Robles: 73-148-5 - 0 winning records

Terry Roy: 9-13 - 1 winning record

Thomas Snow: 5-16 - 0 winning records

Reginald Taylor: 28-18-3 - 3 Winning records


All fights are counted in the above listing, including rematches.

That said, based on the quality of opposition this probably should come down to Tim Coleman and Horace Grant. Grant has fought more "winners" but Coleman has fought guys with a lot more experience.Edge goes to Coleman for remaining unbeaten. But thats just IMHO

Thank you

- TBT

Anonymous said...

yo Doug Roger, good job you are doing with right things to develop Horace Grant into real fighter and into real contender. He in definitly my first choice of prospect of the year in beltway. hAN kIM

Anonymous said...

Tim Coleman has been active, been in with decent journeymen and stays in shape. I would love to see him develop some more power, his style is such that he trades punches and I am concerned he doesn't have the firepower to fend off a heavyhanded fighter. My choice is Coleman, though in fairness to Mr. Farmer, I only watched him once. Like Paschall, slick fighter but seems vulnerable as he doesn't demonstrate any ko ability.

Anonymous said...

Most of those guys have been fighing tomato cans. Charles Norwood is 3-2, but his opponents were 16-1, all had winning records. A fighter shouldn't be considered a prospect until he has fought a live opponent.

Anonymous said...

Kai says, "Horace "The Reason" Grant gets my vote all the way :) He's a beast...GRRRR"

Anonymous said...

I was going with Grant even before I read that breakdown. Now that I see it,it's even more clear. Gotta go with Grant on this records speak for themselves. Not to mention knockouts.

Anonymous said...

"The Reason" Babe!!!.......... Name fits the title/person...

He got my vote....

:-)

Anonymous said...

Here are my rankings of the top prospects of 2007:

1. Tim Coleman- He wins hands down. He has fought consistently strong opposition as he has developed. Although some people point out the records of his opposition, that is very deceptive. Maryland, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Nevada and California are the strictest commissions in the country in terms of the standards that they require of the individual fighters. So when you look at any of these fighter's opponents you need to look first at their records and then almost more importantly at where they fought and the quality of their opposition. Now Tim had a draw with Martinus Clay, but Clay's last ten opponents have a combined record of 168-1! And even Tiger Hall who was 10-18 when they fought, his last ten opponents had records of 124-17. Tim has faced increasingly tough opposition and has clearly fought the best guys. The problem with him is that he should be fighting at 140 not at 147. So although he is the top prospect in the area, with a record of 14-0 he should be beginning to look at the top guys in his weight class. And Cintron, Margarito, Cotto, Mayweather are all too big for him.

Tie for 2nd place between Paschall, Nicklow and Taylor- Taylor has the fewest fights, but he has two high quality wins under his belt against Brian Norman (15-6) and Jameel Wilson (13-10). Paschall has fought some tough guys in William Gill ( a good fighter with a terrible record) and a draw with Dhafir Smith who has emerged as a prospect as he has taken his record over .500 with his only loss in his last six fights to Olympic medalist Andre Ward. Nicklow beat the above mentioned tough guy Martinus Clay, Jayson Champion and James Shedrick and seems to be getting better with each fight.

5. Ray Grant - Heavies develop slower, so Grant is not ready to fight the tough journeymen of his division. His best win was a close one over Michael Rhodes 3-1-3. He needs to keep improving and start beating guys at his level.

The rest- with only one loss between them, Snow, Farmer, Roy and Robles all need to fight some decent opposition. Of Roy, Robles and Snow, if you exclude George Holder (Roy's last opponent who had been off for a couple of years and was 8-7) none of them have fought anyone with a winning record. Farmer fought Jason Jordan who is far better than his 4-13 record and then stepped up in his last fight and won even though he was knocked down. Barnette will certainly be a great prospect, but fighting a guy in his last fight who had not won in seven years hurts him.

These five guys could all emerge as the best prospects in 2008 if they step up their competition and continue to improve. None of them come close to Coleman now, but we will see in a year.

I would love to hear how the other matchmakers and/or promoters in the area rate the prospects. As long as we can have constructive dialogue about these up and coming young fighters, it would be interesting to hear what others had to say.

Also, I agree that Bayanjargal is a good prospect and he certainly should be on next years list. Fernando Guerrero who just turned pro last week in Memphis will certainly be on that list as well. Lets hope Prize Fight lets him fight up here in 2008.

Anonymous said...

t-brick is a mad mother. he is the prospect of the year.

Anonymous said...

The Prospect of the Year is undoubtedly "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles! He has made such incredible strides in his career, even with a limited amateur background, that it's amazing! He works as hard as any boxer, on any level, in the game today. Let's look at the competition he's faced in his career. Jonathan Felton - UD4 Robles. Felton can bang, particularly with the left hook and he caught Robles with a good shot early in the fight. But Juan got up, dusted himself off, and outworked Felton for the remainder of the bout and gaining the decision. Felton is a full fledged heavyweight, and Juan is at his best at the cruiserweight limit. Derek Amos 1 and 2 UD4 and UD 6 Robles. Derek Amos is a crafty ring veteran. He's also fought at heavyweight for the majority of his career. Juan fought Derek in his 4th pro fight and Derek had 40 plus fights at the time. The experience Juan gained in his two fights with a motivated Amos were extremely important in his early career. Danny Sheehan TKO2 Robles. Another ring veteran with over 40 plus fights, Juan fought Danny in his 5th pro fight. Robles became only the 6th man in Sheehan's 47 pro fights to stop him within the distance. That's something that current undefeated crusierweight prospect Adam Harris (10-0) couldn't do until the 5th round and former World Champ Lou Del Valle couldn't do at all. Sheehan also went the distance with James Butler, Derrick Whitley, Chris Mills, Richie LaMontagne, Mario Veit, Sam Ahmad, Daniel Judah, and Elvir Muriqui. Lenzie Morgan, UD6 Robles. I think that Morgan is the best fighter than Juan has been in the ring with thus far in his young career. Lenzie Morgan doesn't have that great of a record, 14 and 31, but that's because he's fought some great fighters in his career. Despite that record, Lenzie has a dynamite jab, ring experience, and good boxing ability. Juan figured out the crafty Morgan early in their fight, made the proper adjustments and went on to win a UD against the game veteran. By the way, Morgan campaigns at heavyweight. Also, in Lenzie's very next fight after losing to Juan he fought the former Cuban Olympian and heavyweight prospect Eliser Castillo to a close decision loss. Two judges scored the bout 95 to 93 for Castillo. In Juan's last fight he shut out another 40 plus fight veteran in "Gentleman" James Johnson (21-28). Juan shut out Johnson on all three judges scorecards in their 6 round bout. What's even more impressive about Juan's victory of Johnson is that in his very next fight, Johnson fought former World Champ William "Kid Chocolate" Guthrie to a 6 round draw! Johnson dropped Guthrie, who was 35 and 4 at the time, and almost stopped him during the course of their fight. Also, during the course of their fight, James was penalized 1 point which cost him the win on the judges scorecards! After Johnson's draw with Guthrie, he then defeated another fighter with a winning record. So as you can see, we are putting Juan in with fighters that have vastly more experience than he does and he's passing those tests with flying colors showing that his indeed a prospect to be reckoned with! He is now healed from injuries suffered in a May motorcycle accident and will be in the ring in the very near future. 2008 will be a big year for "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles. I think all of the other fighters on this list are great fighters in their own right with very bright futures ahead of them. In particular, I like "The Doo Man" Andrew Farmer. He can fight, he can punch, he's young, he's tall, he's fast, and he's got his father doing an incredible job as his trainer and promoter! Andrew is a stud! I also like Mike Paschall and Jesse Nicklow. Those guys are well trained and they can fight! But my vote for Prospect of the Year goes to "JC Superstar" Juan Carlos Robles! We'll see you in 2008!

Anonymous said...

Based on wins, Knockouts and Degree of better competitors, I'm going with Horace Grant. He has good power with his 7 KO's and seems to have in his mind how he wants to dominate the oponent whenever he steps into the ring. I've actually seen him fight twicw and they both ended in an impressive performance. His last match in late November was less than a minute.

Anonymous said...

Mr. hensley- Re: your case for Robles, please recognize that Derek Amos, Lenzie Morgan and Dan Sheehan would not be allowed to fight in any major boxing state. So you cannot make a case for him based on the backs of those guys. And Gentleman James Johnson may have fought well against Guthrie, but Guthrie is pictured in Websters Dictionary next to the word 'Shot". He also is a fighter that should be fighting at 154lbs or at most 160 and if he played baseball would be pictured in the newspapers today with Clemens and Bonds for good ness sake.
Robles may be the prospect of the year in 2008, but before he can be compared with Paschall, Nicklowe, Coleman he has to fight someone that can breathe. And finally, he was knocked down by Felton. That is the type of comment that will make people question his chin! Wait a year on this guy.

Anonymous said...

Well said anonymous! Mr. Hensley should be embarrassed to push Robles so hard for this category this year. There are much more deserving prospects who stayed busy in the ring and fought better opponents. Unleash your Robles in '08 against some breathing opponents. Give recognition that was actually earned to fighters more worthy this year.

Anonymous said...

Let them push their fighter into a quick knock out. If you do not have a Chin against the lower level fighters, how do you expect them to survive against a true puncher. Ones chin is not something you can work on.

D UP!

Anonymous said...

Sheehan was literally drunk the night of the fight.

Anonymous said...

jc better be as busy as his promoters lips in '08 or someones going to look like yesterydays fool. better hope your grate jc can bring it or your word is crap. Maybe thare should be a craptalker of the year poll.

Anonymous said...

To those of you that are questioning Juans chin I think you are way off the mark. Anybody that gets hit on the chin by Johnathon Felton could go to the canvas. And a knock down is not a knock out.
Robles wasn't busy enough this year to be prospect of the year but Farmer and Grant were.Farmer provided the most exciting fights of the year everytime he fights something drastic is going to happen. He has shown he has the ability to dig down and if you knock him down he's coming right5 back at you.
Grant shows alot of poise and strength in the ring and in the future he will be somebody to recon with.

Anonymous said...

"THe ReeaZoN" IS/HAS/WILL/DOES & CAN

Anonymous said...

well this goes out to the people that thinks GRANT is big tyme or really a prospect... how about a matchup with johnathan felton in 08... ive seen grant fight 3x and felton fight 3x and juice and i think that despite felton's record he is a better heavyweight then grant just didnt have anyone to nuture his early career..

Anonymous said...

Stpo promoting yourself Felton!

Anonymous said...

thats not felton thats from a man who knows boxing... PERIOD... WE CAN EXCHANGE NUMBERS AND TALK ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF THE YEAR ALL U WANT... but i said felton is a better fighter than grant... SO YOU TAKE IT HOW YOU WANT .....

Anonymous said...

I think Felton knocks Grant out!