A week has passed since Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao combined to put on the Fight of the Century in Las Vegas.
The fight may not have lived up to the six years of hype surrounding it but the promotion, especially throughout fight week, was like nothing ever seen before in the sport.
We are still waiting for official pay-per-view statistics but there are rumours that it could break the $4,000,000 mark.
However, the real worry is that when these men – who are 38 and 36 respectively – retire, who is there to fill the chasm left by them, particularly the charismatic Mayweather?
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, Keith Thurman and Adrien Broner are among the names suggested as future pay-per-view stars, but here Sport360 tips 10 fighters to break through as one of boxing's main attractions.
1) FELIX VERDEJO (Record: 17-0)
Lightweight knockout artist Verdejo looks like the real deal and is emerging at the perfect time to take over the mantle from compatriot Miguel Cotto, 34, as the next great Puerto Rican boxer. The 2012 Olympian is just 21, currently under Top Rank's promotional banner and has all the tools to win world titles at various weights.
2) TERENCE CRAWFORD (26-0)
Crawford is already a world champion at two weights, with his stealthy rise up the pound-for-pound list taking many by surprise. The 27-year-old from Omaha has an incredible, Mayweather-esque skill set and has already won WBO belts in the 135lb and 140lb divisions. The problem with Crawford is that he remains a quiet, almost withdrawn individual which might make the transfer to superstardom a difficult one.
3) ANTHONY JOSHUA (10-0)
Just about everyone in the UK knows all about the London 2012 golden boy and general darling of British boxing Anthony Joshua. He is a man who has got casual fans talking about his career, which is 10 fights, and 10 KO wins, old but outside of his homeland, people are still discovering the 25-year-old, 6ft 6in wrecking ball. Fighters like Joshua often need a nemesis to become a pay-per-view star and, crucially, his career path looks set to cross with WBC champion Deontay Wilder's.
4) NAOYA INOUE (8-0)
It is difficult to overstate just how much promise 22-year-old double champion Naoya Inoue currently has. He won the WBC light-flyweight title in his sixth fight then, in just his eighth professional outing, Inoue dethroned long-time WBO champion Omar Narvaez, who had successfully defended the belt eight times in his 30-month reign as champion. Incredibly, Inoue stopped him in just two devastating rounds in December. However, his progress has been checked by a serious hand injury and Japanese boxers are not known for cracking the American pay-per-view system.
5) ROMAN GONZALEZ (42-0)
Like Inoue, Roman Gonzalez is a little man with a huge reputation. It is amazing that someone with a perfect 42-0 record, with 36 knockouts, is still unknown to many boxing fans outside the hardcore supporter group. As his record suggests, ‘Chocolatito' is one of the most exciting fighters on the planet and he has won titles at two different weights. The future could hold mouth-watering showdowns with the likes of Inoue and a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada, so the 27-year-old could yet break through into the pay-per-view market.
6) JOSEPH PARKER (13-0)
Everyone loves a heavyweight and at just 23 with a 13-0 (11 KOs) record, Parker is another big gun hoping to make it as a global star. The New Zealander is still very raw but sparring with Wladimir Klitschko earlier this year will have been a great education. And, with the likes of Joshua and Wilder also very young, there is potential for some massive heavyweight rivalries down the line.
7) ARTUR BETERBIEV (8-0)
At 30, Russian powerhouse Beterbiev is the oldest man on the list but he has only just started making waves as a pro after a stellar amateur career. The 2009 world amateur champion has already crushed world-ranked contenders like Tavoris Cloud and Gabriel Campillo since turning over and looks set to gatecrash the light-heavyweight title scene currently dominated by his compatriot Sergey Kovalev and WBC champion Adonis Stevenson.
8) OLEKSANDR USYK (7-0)
One of Beterbiev's long-term amateur rivals was Ukrainian ace Oleksandr Usyk, who is now carving his own path in the paid ranks. The 2012 Olympic champion is younger at 28 and currently campaigning in the cruiserweight division. The talented southpaw, who has won all seven of his fights by KO, is as charismatic as he is talented – and has designs on the heavyweight title.
9) ERROL SPENCE JR (16-0)
Another man who competed at the London 2012 Olympic Games and now impressing as a pro is Errol Spence Jr. Not short on confidence, Spence has already racked up a 16-0 record and broken into the WBO top 10 at welterweight – the current money making division. What's more, like Mayweather and many others, he is advised by the influential Al Haymon and his fights will be shown on terrestrial television in America.
10) GILBERTO RAMIREZ (31-0)
Talented Mexicans always have a great chance of cracking America and, with the disappointment of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr's most recent defeat and the fact that Juan Manuel Marquez, 41, will surely retire soon, there is space for another Mexican to challenge Canelo as the country's new icon. Big-punching Ramirez, just 23, is 31-0 with 23 knockouts from his southpaw stance and is currently part of a bustling scene at 168lbs, where he could really make a name for himself.
