The crown for the king of boxing has been officially vacated.

Floyd Mayweather’s recent retirement marks the end of an illustrious career for one of the greatest fighters to ever enter the ring.

Mayweather (49-0, 26 KO’s), perhaps the greatest fighter since Sugar Ray Leonard, dominated every fighter in front of him on the road to boxing glory. His defense is hailed as “mastery,” rivaled only by Willie Pep and Pernell Whitaker.

Mayweather’s retirement opens the door for boxing’s next pound for pound king—a true champion and exciting fighter the sweet science so desperately needs. It’s a well-known secret that many of Mayweather’s fight lacked excitement. His defense first, counter-punch and never-take-chances style was extremely un-fan friendly and alienated many viewers.

While Mayweather was an art at his craft to boxing experts, he was a snoozer to watch for the casual fan. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, one of the most anticipated bouts of all time, was a disaster for boxing and put salt in to the wound of a sport some consider is dying.

While no boxer today will match the riches Mayweather earned as a fighter, or perhaps matched the skill he reached, there are a few supremely talented and far more exciting fighters who are prepared to carry the torch as the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world. The first name everyone should know is Román González.

González is the consensus best fighter in the world now that Mayweather has retired and for good reasons. He boasts a 43-0 record with 37 knockouts and always puts on a show. He boasts unusually spectacular power for a fighter his weight (112 pounds), and has no flaws in technique. He applies consistent pressure to his opponents and jumps on them the second they’ve been startled or appear vulnerable.

González is such a tremendous talent that he signed a television contract with HBO, who hasn’t broadcasted a flyweight fight in nearly 20 years. González next fight is an Oct. 17 must-see matchup against former titleholder Bryan Viloria on the undercard of the Golovkin-Lemieux pay-per-view fight. If González gets past Viloria it sets up the opportunity for a fight with junior bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue--an excited fight that would feature two fighters in their prime.

Gennady Golovkin, the man headlining González next fight is the most electrifying man in Boxing today. ESPN and HBO personality Max Kellerman rightfully refers to him as “the surest thing in sport’s today.”

Golovkin truly as hands of stones, which is evident by his 90.9 knockout percentage, the highest in middleweight-championship history. Golovkin has knocked out his previous 20 opponents and is the most avoided fighter in the world today. He punishes his opponents, using his tremendous footwork to cut off fighters in the ring and land series after series of devastating blows to his opponents’ head and body.

Golovkin does not just defeat his opponents, he brutally beats them. He’s the heaviest puncher today—Martin Murray described his fight with Golovkin as torture.

If Golovkin wants to be boxing’s biggest draw, he needs to secure fights with the other pay-per-view- fighters who are reluctant to step in the ring with him. Golovkin has been ducked by all the elite 160-pound fighters today, but seems destined to earn a true unification fight soon. If Canelo Alvarez defeats Ring Magazine champion Miguel Cotto in their November bout, it appears he will possibly square up with Golovkin in a mega fight sometime in 2016.

Both González and Golovkin are capable of carrying the torch as boxing’s next megastar. There fights are action packed and they both seemingly look to score a knockout victory—which is a delight to fans everywhere.

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