A look at the top Welterweight boxing prospects

The Welterweight division in boxing is dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, two names that have been linked together for the past few years and two names that have transcended the sport. Their on again off again fight is one of the biggest talking points in all of sport and it makes it easy to forget that the Welterweight division is actually one of the best divisions in the sport outside of the top two. Whilst we have recognised fighters such as Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto stealing some of the limelight we also have a huge list of established contenders such as hard punching Randall Bailey, teak tough Jan Zaveck and slippery Paul Malignaggi. Though what is more impressive about the Welterweight division is the sheer depth of prospects emerging from around the world.

Firstly is Argentinian prospect Diego Gabriel Chaves. Chaves is 20-0 (16) and is currently ranked #4 by the WBO. Chaves is known as “The Jewel” and has shown genuinely heavy hands as well as solid boxing skills, though has had to climb off the canvas at least twice in his career so far. Although he currently holds the WBO Latino Welterweight title he hasn't yet gotten a major win on his record, though he does seem ready to step up a level and face some notable international competition.
To date his best wins have been against Omar Gabriel Weis and Jorge Daniel Miranda, both decent C level fighters though not great tests in all honest (though Weis did give Chaves a very tough test) and although he is talented and one of my top Argentinian prospects he does need to prove his talent against better fighters.

If you love explosive fireworks then Wale Omotoso is the man for you. This Nigerian born, Australian trained fighter has climbed to 20-0 (17) thanks to his aggressive nature and thunderous punch which has helped make him one of the most genuinely exciting fighters in the world today. Wale's exciting nature, which can see him getting shaken up just as much as his opponents has seen him break through in the US with 2 enthralling brawls in recent months (where he has fought both Calvin Odom and Lanardo Tyner).
Wale is ranked by #37 by the WBC (his only major ranking) which is a bit surprising but the exciting 26 year old really could tear up the rankings. To date his best wins have come over Emmanuel Augustus, Lanardo Tyner and Kiatchai Singwancha who are all solid fighters, but other than Tyner they had seen much better days.
Highlights of Omotoso v Tyner can be seen in the video thanks to trboxing

If you'd rather watch counter punching and slick skills then Brad Solomon is the emerging prospect that you need to follow. Solomon has climbed to 17-0 (7) by facing a number of really solid tests in relatively low key fights. Solomon was a genuinely talented amateur in the US winning a number of national tournaments and has learnt his trade incredibly well, though sadly his style isn't one that everyone will appreciate. Solomon doesn't have thunderous power, he's not an aggressive monster and he won't swarm guys to finish fights in the early rounds, instead he'll box a guys socks off and make them pay for their mistakes.
The 28 year old American current holds wins over Ray Robinson (who was then 11-0), Kenny Galarza (who was then 13-0) and most recently Demetrius Hopkins (who was 31-1-1). These wins have moved Solomon to #1 with the WBA though sadly he has been inactive since March 2011.

The oldest man on this list is Yoshihiro Kamegai the Japanese Welterweight who recently made his US debut and opened a lot of eyes with an impressive performance against Hector Munoz. Kamegai is similar in many ways to Omotoso and actually has an identical 20-0 (17) record, whilst he's not as out and out powerful he has got a slightly more refined style and one that seems to make him harder to pin down for clean shots. With genuinely heavy hands Kamegai has got the potential to be in very fun fights (Kamegai v Omotoso is screaming out to be made).
Kamegai is ranked #12 by the WBA and has so far only two wins of real note, the victory over Munoz in his US debut and a victory over Jose Alfaro. Despite his lack of big name wins he is genuinely one of the most exciting Japanese boxing prospects.

For a fight fan who wants to watch a fighter develop from being a near novice to being a world champion Thomas Dulorme seems the obvious choice. The 21 year old Puerto Rican sensation is 13-0 (10) having turned professional incredibly young back in 2008 and despite struggling in his debut he has started to mature into a genuinely exciting young fighter. Dulorme is still a growing fighter so his major issue may be the fact he won't be staying at Welterweight for long but whilst he's there he is certainly one to watch with perfect timing, wonderful speed and truly thunderous power.
Dulorme is ranked #4 by the WBA and has already has impressively defeated the experienced DeMarcus Corley as well as Harrison Cuello and Charlie Jose Navarro