Before champions earn their titles, they are contenders. Before they can contend, they are prospects. Some fighters wear the prospect tag well but fade into obscurity, with injury, losses, and inactivity all major pitfalls. But some prospects that catch the eye early into their careers go on to live up to their potential. It can be difficult to define exactly what a prospect is. Some boxing fans may designate Andy Cruz as a prospect despite his amateur pedigree and mandatory challenger status with the IBF at lightweight, whilst some world champions are viewed as potential prospects in certain corners. The Independent and DAZN’s list of prospects only contains fighters with fewer than 10 professional bouts, with boxers holding either mandatory challenger status or with a pending major title bout deemed ineligible. In no particular order, here are 10 of the best fighters with fewer than 10 fights on their records. Emmanuel Buttigieg, better known by the name 'Leli', has already claimed that he is the biggest prospect at 154 pounds. It is not just the fighter making such claims, with Eddie Hearn labelling the ‘Maltese Monster’ an 'outstanding talent'. Nine fights into his career since making his debut in December 2023 with a first-round stoppage of Mario Oliveira, Buttigieg has stopped his last two opponents. Hearn now plans for the fighter to step up to eight-round affairs. Described as an all-rounder, Buttigieg has improved his work in the pocket over his last few fights. Managed by Lee Eaton, Buttigieg has been boxing since the age of seven, going on to represent England at the European Games in an extensive amateur career. He turned pro at 18, signing with Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Trained at Ibox Gym, the 20-year-old shares a stable with Sam Noakes and Skye Nicolson, but has often been grouped with Matchroom’s fellow Essex fighters Johnny Fisher, Jimmy Sains, and George Liddard. The quadruple frequently appear on the same shows, with all four in action at the Copper Box in May 2025. The United States of America was a heavyweight-producing machine for many decades, but recently boxing’s most glamorous division has been missing an American contender. Deontay Wilder held the WBC belt between 2015 and 2020, the ‘Bronze Bomber’ himself ending an eight-year drought, the longest between American heavyweight world champions. Fast forward five years, boxing fans in the USA are now looking for a prospect to snap their current wait, with some pinning their hopes on Ali Feliz. A gold medallist at the USA’s Olympic trials and national champion in 2022, Felix turned pro after signing with Bob Arum’s Top Rank in 2024. Son of former pro Fernely Feliz, the American stands at just 6’ 2” - making the 21-year-old relatively small by modern heavyweight standards. Signed with Top Rank, Feliz has been on a tear since turning pro, fighting six times within the first 13 months of his paid career. He has won all six of those fights, managing to finish five inside the distance, demonstrating his knockout power. No, you are not seeing double – although Teremoana Teremoana’s opponents might feel that way after stepping into the ring with the Aussie heavyweight. Teremoana, who sometimes goes by Teremoana Junior rather than his doubled name, is the second-oldest inclusion on this list, with his professional career interrupted by a foray into the Olympics in 2024. He reached the quarter-finals of the super-heavyweight competition in Paris, where he was defeated by reigning champion Bakhodir Jalolov, who would go on to secure a second, successive gold medal. Prior to his Olympic journey, Teremoana had four knockouts from four bouts, a feat he has replicated since returning to the professional ranks in December 2024. So keen to get rounds under his belt, Teremoana flew across the world to New York in order to face Aleem Whitfield on the undercard of Hitchins-Kambosos Jr a week after his fight on the Opetaia-Squeo card was cancelled. Teremoana dispatched the American inside the first-round, forcing Whitfield to retire, making it five-straight stoppages inside the first three minutes for the Australian. Giorgio Visioli commanded a lot of attention and respect as an amateur, winning the England Boxing national competition at lightweight and light welterweight. Despite his pedigree, Visioli missed out on a spot on the Team GB squad, instead turning his attention to the professional ranks. Former IBF flyweight champion Sunny Edwards offered advice, with Visioli now managed by the retired boxer and Anthony Fitzpatrick. Whilst promoters usually hide behind vague platitudes when discussing their fighters, Eddie Hearn has not minced his words when taking about Visioli. Despite a lack of belts to prove it, Hearn stated that Visioli is already at 'British, Commonwealth, and European level' and that the 22-year-old is a future world champion. Visioli fights again this weekend on the undercard of Yafai-Rodriguez Jr, with a potential tricky bout against Elias Federico, 7-1-1 (2), the WBC Latino champion at lightweight. Welshman Taylor Bevan has been fighting consistently since turning pro towards the end of 2024. It is easier for Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing to get Bevan back into the ring every two months when the super-middleweight makes quick work of his opponents. His dispatching of Juan Cruz Cacheiro in May was the fourth time Bevan has ended a fight before the send of the second round. He is already scheduled to fight again in July, returning to the south coast of England where he was born. Currently based in Cardiff, Bevan will be in action on the undercard of Garner-Bellotti in Bournemouth, on Saturday, July 26, live on DAZN. Knockout power is desirable at any weight, but as you go down the divisions, it can be rarer to find. At 147 pounds, 19-year-old Cayden Griffiths has demonstrated his ability to finish a bout on his terms, with two brutal KOs already in 2025 – one of which has made our list of best knockouts so far this year. Backed by Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, Griffiths is trained by brothers Joel and Antonio Díaz at the very same gym that coached world champions Israil Madrimov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev. It remains to be seen whether Griffiths can maintain his knockout streak against a higher-calibre of fighter, but the early signs indicate that the teenager may become a threat sooner rather than later at 147 pounds. The only Team GB boxing medallist at the 2024 Olympic games, Lewis Richardson is backed to make quick gains in the pro ranks. Having picked up a bronze medal at the welterweight tournament last summer, Richardson turned his focus to the pro ranks, with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions swooping in to sign the Colchester native. So excited is Warren about Richardson’s potential that the veteran promoter has already spoken about the prospect of the 28-year-old headlining a card at Colchester United’s stadium. A combination of his advanced age, Richardson being the oldest fighter on this list, and his amateur pedigree will likely see the middleweight fast tracked. Richardson was chucked straight into a six-rounder with Dmitri Protkunas on the undercard of Wardley-Huni, a routine affair for the debutant as he picked up a points win. Another Olympian, Omari Jones earned the nickname ‘Banger’ for a reason – his power. If things had gone differently, Jones and the aforementioned Richardson could have faced each other in the final of the welterweight tournament at the 2024 Olympic games, but both fighters had to settle for bronze after losing their semi-finals. Jones turned pro at the start of 2025, joining Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, and he has already demonstrated his knockout power. After taking two rounds to dispatch Alessio Mastronunzio in his debut, Jones stopped William Jackson in the first three minutes of his second bout. Aside from his hard-hitting punches, Jackson is fairly tall for a super-welterweight, at 6’ 1”. Not many fighters can say they have been handpicked for mentorship by Floyd Mayweather Jr, with Curmel Moton firmly a protegee of ‘Money’ Mayweather. Still a teenager, Moton has worked with Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, Shakur Stevenson, and Keyshawn Davis in the ring. Despite only being 19 years of age, Moton has plenty of experience thanks to over 130 wins in the amateurs, the American picking up 18 titles in the unpaid code. Predominantly a lightweight, Moton has the ability to finish fights inside the distance, with six stoppages from eight bouts. Only once has he fought an opponent with a losing record, with his last win a routine unanimous decision victory over Renny Viamonte at the end of May. Ibraheem Sulaimaan has quickly earned fans for his front-foot mindset inside the ring, with the super-featherweight fighter keen to take the fight to his opponents. Aside from gaining fans, Sulaimaan’s performances caught the attention of Eddie Hearn. Having fought his five pro bouts on Matchroom cards, it was not until 2024 that the promotion signed Sulaimaan as one of their own. Nicknamed Spider, Sulaimaan was named prospect of 2024 by Matchroom fans in the promotion’s yearly awards. The 24-year-old is back in action this weekend, fighting on the undercard of Yafai-Rodriguez Jr, which will be shown live on DAZN. It will be a homecoming for the Brummie, with the card hosted at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. His opponent, Brian Phillips, should be wary – Sulaimaan likes to put on a show in front of his home crowd, with his three previous fights in Birmingham ending in wins via stoppage. Watch over 185 fights a year from the world’s best promoters with a DAZN subscription. More information here.