Carl Frampton
Super-bantamweight
(2015 2-0, career 21-0)
A YEAR of consolidation for Frampton ended with him in the gym preparing for his long-awaited duel with domestic rival Scott Quigg.
‘The Jackal’ had two fights in 2015 and won the first impressively against cocky, trash-talking, but ultimately out-of-his-depth Californian Chris Avalos.
Frampton had little difficulty in stopping Avalos in the fifth round at the Odyssey Arena and afterwards Cyclone Promotions boss Barry McGuigan looked forward to taking the show on the road.
Frampton made his US debut in July and won on points against Mexican Alejandro Gonzalez at the Don Haskins Convention Centre in El Paso, Texas but the 12 rounds produced more questions than answers.
The Belfast fighter was down twice in round one and though he did well to recover and dominated the majority of the fight for the next 11 rounds there was controversy over his problems with making the 122lb limit.
“I had a lot of the weight to take off the day of the weigh-in, too much, more than ever,” said a typically forthright Frampton immediately afterwards.
Coach Shane McGuigan added: “He’s 28, he’s full of muscle, there’s not an ounce of body fat on him and he’s huge for the weight.”
A move to featherweight was suggested but it was shelved after the Quigg fight was confirmed.
Quigg emphatically proved his worth by knocking out Kiko Martinez in the second round on the same night Frampton struggled (by his own high standards) in Texas and so they’ll meet in Manchester on February 27.
Frampton’s skill and fighting heart should be too much for Quigg, but how much will making the weight take out of him?
Tyson Fury
Heavyweight
(2015: 2-0, career: 25-0)
HIS Irish roots have been questioned as have his archaic attitudes towards women and the homosexual community but you can’t doubt Fury’s fighting heart.
The former Irish heavyweight champion Fury dethroned Wladimir Klitschko to become undisputed king of the boxing world in scrappy, but convincing, style in Dusseldorf.
Fury fully deserved to be awarded a unanimous decision and Ukrainian Klitschko, whose nine-year reign as champion was brought to an end, simply could not work the challenger out and did not do enough to win.
Fury, who was awarded the fight 115-112, 115-112, 116-111 on the judges' scorecards, and won the WBA, IBF and WBO champion but has since been stripped by the IBF of his title for declining to defend the title against mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov.
Klitschko has taken up the option of a rematch and it will take place next year. Should he win it Fury can look ahead to further defences perhaps against David Haye (though he has ruled it out) and big-hitting American Deontay Wilder.
Andy Lee
Middleweight
(2015: 0-1-1, career: 34-3-1)
THE year ended in disappointment for Lee after he was out-pointed by tricky southpaw stylist Billy-Joe Saunders in Manchester.
Lee was dropped twice in the third round – the first time after he was caught flush by a thunderous right hook – and did well to get back on his feet.
But he took too long to make an impact as the rounds ticked away and, though he closed the gap late on, Saunders deservedly took his WBO middleweight title.
What’s next for Lee? He’s still in the mix and we can expect him to be challenging for the title again in 2016.
Matt Macklin
Light-middleweight
(2015: 3-0, career: 34-6)
‘MACK the knife’ turns 34 next year. There were calls for him to hang up his gloves after he was brutally knocked out by Jorge Sebastian Heiland in Dublin in late 2014 but he fought on and won the vacant WBC International super-welterweight title in October after dropping down to light-middle. Will he get another world title shot next year?
Jamie Conlan
Super-flyweight
(2015: 2-0, career 15-0)
A SWITCH to the MGM stable in Marbella has helped to push Conlan’s career along. ‘The Mexican’ fought twice last year and the first outing, when he headlined the show at the National Stadium in Dublin, was a contender for Ireland’s fight of the year.
Conlan was dropped twice from Junior Granados bodyshots but he won on points to hang on to his WBO Inter-Continental super flyweight title.
He carried a shoulder injury into his second outing in November but still had too much for Adrian Dimas Garzon.
Next year could be massive for Conlan who has his sights set on a world title eliminator with Paul Butler. He starts in Dublin on February 6.
Ryan Burnett
Bantamweight
(2015: 6-0, career: 12-0)
BURNETT made massive strides in 2015 and ended the year by out-pointing veteran Jason Booth to land the British title.
The north Belfast fighter was out six times in total and has thrived under the astute training and mentoring he has been receiving from Adam Booth who has tipped him to be “Belfast’s next world champion”.
The astute London-based coach gave Burnett a month off after his win over Booth and he’ll be out in February before headlining a Matchroom-promoted show in Belfast in April.
Jason Quigley
Middleweight
(2015: 6-0, career 9-0)
SIX fights, six wins and five by stoppage. California-based Quigley is enjoying life as a Golden Boy hitter and making real progress in the States.
“I’m hitting these fellas now and if they’re not going down I’m really rocking them and I can see it in their eyes,” Donegal native Quigley explained.
“Their eyes go glazy and you know to pounce on them.
“I have a long way to go still, I’m at the bottom of the ladder and I’m climbing to the top – that’s where I am to get to. I’ll keep the head down and keep working hard.”
Eamonn O’Kane
Middleweight
(2015: 2-1, career: 14-2-1)
O’KANE fought in Swindon, Lavey and Madison Square Garden in 2015. The New York fight was an IBF title eliminator against Tureano Johnson and ‘King Kane’ deserves massive credit for picking himself off the canvas twice and battling to the finish.
That defeat denied him a clear path to the world title shot that remains his dream. O’Kane turns 34 in February and, while time may not be on his side, there isn’t a more determined fighter out there. He’ll defend his IBF intercontinental title in Swindon on March 5.
Marc McCullough
Featherweight
(2015: 3-1, career 14-2)
‘MARCO’ ended the year back on track after he was derailed in a hastily-arranged match-up against Zoltan Kovacs in Germany in July. McCullough went into the fight knowing very little about his opponent and it was over before the end of the first round (Kovacs has gone to win the Hungarian super-featherweight title with another first round stoppage win).
Meanwhile, McCullough regrouped and employed a nutritionist to give his preparation a new perspective. He recorded a first round TKO against Sergejs Logins and then a patient points win over Sergio Prado and intends to pursue on to a long-awaited British title shot next year.
Conrad Cummings
Middleweight
(2015: 2-1, career 7-0-1)
HEADLINED a show for the first time when he took on Alfredo Meli at the Waterfront Hall. Cummings is a dedicated and capable middleweight but hasn’t quite been able to transfer impressive form from the gym to the ring.
The Coalisland man had wins over Oscar Riojas and Roberto Palenzuela before he took on Meli for the Celtic title. He dropped the Belfast man in the opener but was then peppered until the later rounds and had to fight back gamely to come out with a draw.
It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Cummings is only in his second year as a pro. A rematch has been proposed, he’ll hope to win it and kick on from there.
James Tennyson
Featherweight
(2015: 5-0, career 15-1)
A YEAR of hard work and real progress for Tennyson ended with him in the frame for a shot at the British Featherweight title.
Tennyson had been scheduled to fight take on Darren Traynor in a title eliminator in Belfast on February 6 but the Scot now looks likely to take on reigning champion Ryan Walsh on January 22 – Tennyson will get a crack at the winner within 90 days (by the end of April).
In 2015 Tennyson’s work improved with every outing and he will can look forward to his title challenge with real confidence.
Alfredo Meli
Middleweight
(2015: 2-1, career)
THE mild-mannered mechanic was one of the stories of the year. Meli works hard, trains hard and fights hard. On the day of his rumble with Conrad Cummings one of his team arrived at his house to find him “ripping the engine out of a car”.
Meli has an effective style and is a volume puncher who can take a shot and he would certainly benefit from full-time training. Meli makes the middleweight limit so easily that he could be a real star at light-middle but that depends on him throwing his heart and soul into the fight game.
After the Cummings fight he said he was interested in doing that.
“No chance. I’ve a family and family comes first,” he said.
“You take it on the chin and go on. It’s just boxing for me – it’s not a life-time job for me, I’m back to work on Monday morning as normal with the boys. I’m looking forward to getting back to work now.”
Maybe that will change if the Immaculata fighter gets the right offer?
Tommy McCarthy
Cruiserweight
(2015: 4-0, career 8-0)
CRUISERWEIGHT McCarthy is now trained by Brian Magee and they should prove to be a good combination. Like Magee, McCarthy is a stylish hit-and-move fighter who’ll learn a lot from the former super-middleweight world champion.
McCarthy had four wins in 2015, most notably against former contender Courtney Fry at the Feile in west Belfast.
He built on that by impressing on his first TV appearance against durable Hungarian Martin Szatmari and fought a week later when he scored his third straight points win against Ladislav Reznicek.
McCarthy has moved up to six in the British rankings and his Celtic cruiserweight title challenge to Stephen Simmons has been rubber-stamped by the British Boxing Board of Control and could happen by the end of February.
Gary O’Sullivan
Middleweight
(2015: 4-1, career: 22-2)
CORK native O’Sullivan lost a WBO International middleweight title challenge against Billy Joe Saunders back in 2013. He fought his way back up the ladder though and, after four wins in Boston, Massachusetts this year, had the opportunity to make a real breakthrough against Chris Eubank jnr. He unsettled him with a kiss at the weigh-in but Eubank landed the bigger shots on fight night and ‘Spike’ was pulled out of the fight by chief second Paschal Collins after seven one-sided rounds at the O2 Arena.
Anthony Cacace
Super-featherweight
(2015: 3-0, career: 13-0)
THE Celtic super-featherweight title was the highlight of 2015 for Cyclone prospect Cacace. The Belfast southpaw travelled to Edinburgh to take on local boy Ronnie Clark and he battered him to a standstill in the thrilling final round (the 10th) to take home his first pro belt. Life in Shane McGuigan’s increasingly popular London gym seems to be agreeing with ‘Anto’ who is now up to eighth in the British rankings.
Dee Walsh
Light-middleweight
(2015: 2-0, career: 12-0)
AFTER a busy 2014 Walsh took his foot off the gas this year and was in action twice. He stopped Peter Orlik and out-pointed Patryk Litkiewicz but injury has kept him on the sidelines since June.
James Fryers
Super-featherweight
(2015: 5-0, career: 11-0)
FRYERS has already landed International Masters and BUI Celtic Nations titles and he capped off a busy year with a trip to Latvia where he stopped capable home favourite Ruslans Berdimuradovs.
Scheduled to take on Maxi Hughes in an eliminator for the British super-featherweight title early next year.
Paul Hyland jnr
(2015: 5-0, career: 9-0)
HYLAND is establishing a reputation as one of the best value-for-money fighters around. The Belfast lightweight was involved in some barnburners in 2015. He can bang, particularly to the body, and went the distance in memorable scraps with Virgile Degonzaga and Bence Molnar. Unbeaten this year and another who can step up a level in 2016.
Tyrone McKenna
Welterweight
(2015: 4-0, career: 9-0)
THE tall southpaw won four out of four on home soil in 2015 after beginning his career in the States. A small hall performer at present he needs to raise his profile in 2016.
Joe Fitzpatrick
(2015: 3-0, career: 3-0)
THREE wins by stoppage was a good start for the Commonwealth Games silver medallist who sported an eye-watering luminous ‘mankini’ at the weigh-ins for his second fight. Injury denied him a first TV appearance but opportunity will knock again next year.
Paddy Gallagher
Welterweight
(2015: 3-0, career: 9-2)
THE ‘Pat-Man’ has bags of potential and scored three out of three in 2015 including a contender for knock-out of the year against Tomas Bartunek at the Waterfront Hall.
Gallagher had dropped the Czech in the third and finally finished him off in the fourth when Bartunek’s right leg gave way and he went down like the proverbial roll of lino.
Matthew Wilton
Welterweight
(2015: 3-0, career: 13-0)
‘SPEEDY’ was out of action for 12 months but returned in September and hammered out three wins before the end of the year. A shot at the BBBofC Celtic welterweight title against Matthew McAllister in Edinburgh fell through.
Philip Sutcliffe Jnr
Super-lightweight
(2015: 3-0, career: 9-0)
YOU can’t quibble with three out-of-three but boxing fans would like to see the capable Crumlin fighter step up a level in 2016. His first outing will be at the Stadium on February 6.
Ciaran McVarnock
Super-featherweight
(2015: 4-1-0, career: 5-1-0)
THE first blemish to his record came in Spain when he was held to a draw by Jose Acero and McVarnock admitted: “It knocked my confidence a bit”. But it could be a valuable lesson for the Manchester-based Anthony Farnell-trained fighter who bounced back by out-pointing journeyman Joe Beedon.
