Thursday 10 January 2019 15:50, UK
Ted Cheeseman, Anthony Fowler and Scott Fitzgerald are on a collision course in 2019, so we asked Johnny Nelson to analyse the exciting super-welterweight trio.
British champion Cheeseman will soon take another step up in class when he challenges Sergio Garcia for the European title at The O2 on February 2, live on Sky Sports.
Fowler and Fitzgerald are then expected to meet in a battle of unbeaten prospects in March, with Cheeseman already voicing his desire to face the winner.
Sky Sports expert Nelson has given his verdict on the three rivals as they jostle for position in the competitive 154lb domestic division.
I would say that Cheeseman is top dog at the moment in this trio.
Cheeseman coming through, he's probably the one I worry about the most, out of the three of them. Ted is the one that can be talked into a tear-up, and have a tough night. The European title fight will tell us his position in the landscape, how good he can become, and I'm looking forward to it.
I would say that Cheeseman is top dog at the moment in this trio. He's the one who has proved it, and will be in that position to challenge for a European belt.
I like what I see, that rawness, but it needs refining.
Fowler, I rate him, he's a rough diamond. We all have an Achilles heel and his is temperament. He likes to get involved in a ruckus, because he knows he can fight. There's certain fighters that like that - and he's one of them.
Trainer David Coldwell has tried his hardest to contain that in Fowler. If you can let that energy out at the right time in a fight, the kid will be very, very good. But at this moment in time, he's a bit too much of a war-monger.
It's all down to how Dave can control that, because it worked in the amateurs, but it won't work in the pros the higher up in levels you get. The transition does, though, seem to be working, slowly but surely. I like what I see, that rawness, but it needs refining.
If Fowler faces Fitzgerald in March, it will be a wicked fight
Fitzgerald is a skilful fighter and out of the three of them, he's not getting the credit he deserves, because he's an all-rounder. At the moment, people haven't noticed the threat that he poses, but that kid has been successful for a reason.
If Fowler faces Fitzgerald in March it will be a wicked fight. I favour Fowler, because Dave Coldwell is such a good trainer, but Fitzgerald can spring an upset if he produces his best. This is a fight for Fowler to lose, not to win, to lose. If he listens to Dave, I expect him to pull it off, because he's a rough diamond.
Every fighter can defeat the other, so that's why this trio is so interesting. The next couple of fights will put them in the correct order. We're just surmising, these fighters haven't been in with each other yet.
Cheeseman is the one who is officially the top dog for now, but let's see the fights, let's see how they get on. By the end of the year, we'll have an exact idea of who's in what position.
