Undefeated Donegal middleweight Jason Quigley closed the show on a mightily impressive 2016 with a one-round destruction of Jorge Melendez a fortnight ago, and the 25-year-old banger is already talking up next year's chances of being the biggest in professional Irish boxing history.
The former European amateur champion and World silver medallist from Ballybofey man is 12-0 (10KOs) since signing with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions two years ago, and has been widely tipped to progress to world level in due course.
Nicknamed El Animal by the Latino contingent at his Californian base, Quigley will be joined at The Rock Gym by none other than former Irish teammate Michael Conlan next year, who will train alongside him under Manny Robles.
But the good news doesn't end there for the proud Ulsterman. Just days after Belfast's Carl Frampton was announced their World Fighter of the Year, ESPN have named Quigley as one of the top prospects in world boxing ahead of the new year.
Of the 20 up-and-coming talents listed, Quigley has the second-fewest fights on his record; only Takuma Inoue - the gifted younger brother of two-weight world champion Naoya Inoue - has fought on fewer occasions.
The former Irish amateur standout joins names such as Felix Verdejo, the bona fide future world champ from Puerto Rico who fights on Michael Conlan's undercard at Madison Square Garden in March (Conlan will return the favour in the same city on Puerto Rico Day).
Of Quigley, ESPN's boxing guru Dan Rafael - who gave us the US lowdown on Michael Conlan's pro deal back in September - wrote:
Jason Quigley (25, Ireland, middleweight, 12-0, 10 KOs)
"El Animal" is an aggressive puncher with a growing fan base. Quigley has been boxing since he was 7 and is a former amateur standout. In 2013, he won gold at the European championships and became the first Irish fighter to win a silver medal at the world championships.
He was 3-0 in 2016, including his two most recent wins against his best opponents, a shutout decision against James De La Rosa and a first-round, three-knockdown destruction of Jorge Melendez.
A nice way for Quigley to cap a fine year ahead of what he hopes can be an even better one. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at his most recent stoppage win, including the explosive performance itself, courtesy of Valentin Romero.
