THERE are certain fighters, often referred to as ‘boogeymen’, who tend to get avoided, mostly because they hit like a mule and offer meagre paydays to possible opponents.
They are, in other words, the monsters that lurk in the shadows, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike as us mere mortals eagerly await their next attack, thankful that we – fingers crossed – will never be on the receiving end of such carnage.
Many have terrorised the boxing landscape, including the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Sergey Kovalev, yet only a select few have ever become mainstream attractions.
Here, Boxing News takes a look at eight bona fide boogeymen in the sport today, each of them, for want of a better phrase, representing a boxing hipster’s wet dream.
David Benavidez
Unlike most fighters on this list, David Benavidez has reached a level of stardom where, even as the Canelo Alvarez fight continues to elude him, his career appears to be in no danger of stalling.
That is to say, while Canelo remains blatantly uninterested in facing him, ‘The Monster Bandera Roja’ will nonetheless chuckle his way to the bank every so often.
Better still, WBC world champion Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs), has silently amassed a strong, unblemished resume across two weight divisions, all the while maintaining his ferocious, and indeed relentless, approach to every assignment.
Janibek Alimkhanuly
Despite being a unified world champion, Janibek Alimkhanuly somehow appears to be having a hard time convincing challengers, or in fact fellow belt-holders, to step into the ring with him.
It is perhaps no wonder, though, that, given the unbeaten Kazakh’s ruthlessly disciplined defensive shape – and destructive hands – a line of worthy opponents are not exactly knocking at his door.
In any case, one can only hope that a mouth-watering unification between the 32-year-old and WBC champion Carlos Adames is close to materialising, even if Alimkhanuly, 17-0 (12 KOs), continues to accuse his middleweight rival of ducking him.
Yoenli Hernandez
Sticking with the 160lb division, we have a truly vicious operator who, in his last outing against Kyrone Davis, delivered a perfect blend of violence and technical flair.
Indeed, Yoenli Hernandez has emerged as yet another promising Cuban talent – and possible world champion – with the WBA number-one ranked contender patiently waiting for his big opportunity.
Until then, Hernandez, 8-0 (7 KOs), is likely to extend his almost terrifying surge, even if it means that any potential fights are pushed further beyond his grasp.
Andy Hiraoka
Andy Hiraoka is the embodiment of a nightmare, plain and simple.
With dynamite in both fists, the rangy southpaw typically launches each attack from impossible angles, keeping his opponents locked in a torturous state of vulnerability.
The 29-year-old did exactly that in his last outing against Ismael Barroso, a seasoned super-lightweight veteran, who ultimately failed to overcome that psychological punishment beyond nine rounds.
Now, Hiraoka, 24-0 (19 KOs), is the mandatory challenger for Gary Antuanne Russell, but while their matchup was ordered by the WBA earlier this year, it seems that, rather unsurprisingly, ‘Da Blade’ has since been left waiting in the wings for his world title shot.
Bakhram Murtazaliev
One way to cement yourself as a formidable puncher is by facing a fighter like Tim Tszyu – a proven, and typically sturdy, customer at world level – only to then deliver a punishing three-round demolition job.
That is precisely what Bakhram Murtazaliev engineered last October and, ever since then, it is fair to say that, even with a world title around his waist, he has struggled to entice his super-welterweight rivals into following in the footsteps of Tszyu.
Based on his 11th-round finish over Jack Culcay, too, the top contenders at 154lbs cannot exactly be blamed for swerving an encounter with Murtazaliev, 23-0 (17 KOs).
Andy Cruz
Just six fights into his professional career and, already, Olympic gold medallist Andy Cruz is knocking on the door of a world title shot.
With IBF champion Raymond Muratalla entering negotiations to face Floyd Schofield, though, it would seem that mandatory challenger Cruz, 6-0 (3 KOs), has, perhaps strategically, been placed behind the eight ball.
Still, it is hardly surprising that an operator of his calibre, who fights with an almost effortless rhythm, remains several steps away from a meaningful opportunity to showcase his talent.
Osleys Iglesias
From one dangerous Cuban to another, it is not difficult to see why Osleys Iglesias remains at the bottom of every super-middleweight contender’s hit list.
The spindly southpaw, much like the aforementioned Hiraoka, is like a wild box of tricks, unpredictable enough to keep any opponent second-guessing whether or not to step into his funhouse.
Fans might remember Marcelo Coceres – as in, the bloke who once gave Billy Joe Saunders a spot of bother. Well, Iglesias, 13-0 (12 KOs), orchestrated a blistering first-round finish against that very same fighter last year.
And with the 27-year-old gearing up to face Vladimir Shishkin this Saturday, it should not be long before he earns himself a crack at what would most likely be a vacant IBF world title.
Sultan Zaurbek
As we now cast our attention back to Central Asia, another Kazakh boxer-puncher, this time in the form of Sultan Zaurbek, has emerged as a promising super-featherweight contender.
With a strong grasp of the technical side to his craft, and seemingly natural power, the 29-year-old has hardly broken a sweat in his professional career thus far.
It is not as if he has avoided stiff competition, either, as the menacing but measured character somehow delivered a dominant display against Azinga Fuzile – a proven, world-ranked contender – in his last outing.
As a result, Zaurbek, 20-0 (13 KOs), now occupies the leading position for a shot at Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez’s IBF world title.
