1 Isaac Chamberlain
A former Southern Area cruiserweight champion, Chamberlain is currently 14-2 (8) as a pro and was last seen giving Chris Billam-Smith plenty to think about in a 2022 barnstormer in Bournemouth.
2 Mikael Lawal
Unbeaten at 17-0 (11), Lawal, born in Nigeria but raised in England, won the British cruiserweight title with a career-best eighth-round stoppage of David Jamieson in November.
3 Jordan Thompson
Known as “Troublesome”, the 6’6 Thompson is unbeaten in 14 pro fights and has won six of his last seven inside the distance. He was extended the full 10 rounds for the first time by Vasil Ducar last year.
4 Luke Watkins
Though he came up short in his two biggest fights in 2018, against Lawrence Okolie and Isaac Chamberlain, Watkins, 16-2 (11), remains a decent domestic contender, with good wins over Robin Dupre, Mike Stafford and, last time out, Iain Martell, which landed him the English title.
5 Hosea Burton
Now 34, Burton has been a pro for 11 years and in 2016 lifted the British light-heavyweight title when beating Miles Shinkwin. Up at cruiserweight, Burton is 28-3 (12) and last October outpointed Erik Nazaryan over four rounds.
6 Ellis Zorro
Unbeaten in 15 pro fights, with six wins coming inside schedule, Londoner Zorro outpointed Dec Spelman over eight rounds in his last fight and will be looking to compete for domestic honours in the near future.
7 Cheavon Clarke
A top amateur, Clarke has only just got started as a pro, racing to 4-0 within his first year. Each of those fights came to an end before the final bell and Clarke, stocky and powerful, is a cruiserweight many are tipping to go all the way.
8 Viddal Riley
Untested so far as a pro, Riley has built a record of 8-0 (5) and hardly been threatened. Popular with Sky Sports, he seems to have the platform to make the most of any opportunities that come his way.
9 David Jamieson
Scotland’s Jamieson has won nine of 11 pro fights to date and has lost to only Mikael Lawal (twice). The last of those Lawal defeats came in a British title shot, which is a belt Jamieson, 9-2 (6), desperately wants to win.
10 Nick Parpa
London’s Parpa, nicknamed the “Nightmare”, is 10-1 (6) as a pro, with his sole loss an upset knockout defeat to Vasil Ducar in 2017. Since then, he has won six in a row, including a Southern Area title triumph against Daniel Mendes in 2019.
