Florante Condes beats out undefeated and more polished prospects Nkosinathi Joyi and Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym on the basis of one thing...power. Condes is 20-3-1, with all twenty of those wins coming via kayo. He is a southpaw to boot, and has upped his level of opposition without a drop in kayo ratio. His three points losses were close affairs, and they seem to have helped him in developing better boxing skills. Excitement and power are lacking in this division, so Condes will be a commodity in demand for 2007. Straweight prospect


Giovanni Segura - A high volume puncher that likes to get in there and brawl, who is getting good TV dates on fights aired by Mexican channel Telefutura. In his last fight he defeated former Colombian Olympian Carlos Tamara by wide margins, and knocked out former title challenger Jair Jimenez before that. Had five fights in 2006, and seriously upped his level of competition without suffering in terms of defensive lapses. Only knock on the kid is that he started to box a bit late in life, at age 19, but seems to have a natural sense for the ring at 24. Has good power, 12 kayos in 16 fights, and a solid push by Bob Arum's Top Rank promotions should get Segura near a title shot by the end of 2007.


Will rise in 2007: Roberto Vasquez - This is the kind of guy I root for. Four of his last five opponents have either been former champions or have contested for a world title, and he defeated all five. Since his second year as a pro, this Panamanian southpaw has mixed with a level of opposition that was superior to him in terms of won-loss records, and other than a controversial debut loss, he has defeated all comers. Has a very good amateur pedigree, and solid backing when fighting at home. At 23 has plenty of time to mature, but it looks like he will get a title shot by late 2007. This after he traveled to Japan recently and narrowly defeated Takefumi Sakata in an eliminator. Next up, the Venezuelan Lorenzo Parra in late 2007.