“He is, in my opinion, the man to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua and ignite the heavyweight division.” Coming from Eddie Hearn, the same man who guided Anthony Joshua to world title glory, such praise carries serious weight. But for 18-year-old Leo Atang, it seemed to roll right off his shoulders. The rising star made a spectacular professional debut on July 5th in Manchester, delivering a first-round TKO on the undercard of the Jack Catterall vs. Harlem Eubank event. Atang, who first stepped into Legion’s Gym in York as an unruly 10-year-old, failed to impress trainer Ashley Martin at first. Yet now, his dominant win has even caught the attention of Turki Alalshikh. How?

The York native stopped seasoned Bulgarian fighter Milan Paunev, 23 years his senior, with a display of power, poise, and stamina that had promoters clamoring to sign him. Speaking to Calendar ahead of his debut, Leo Atang revealed his journey into boxing was far from predestined. “None of my family are boxers… I definitely wasn’t one of those kids you’d avoid in the playground,” he said. “I was always a happy, active kid, so I thought boxing would fit well for me.” 

Leo Atang went on to dominate the amateur boxing scene, capturing five national titles and the Under-19 World Championship last year. But unlike Anthony Joshua, who rose through the Team GB Olympic system, Atang took a different route, choosing to turn professional instead. In April, he officially signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions, setting his sights on becoming a world champion. And just yesterday, following his emphatic debut win, Matchroom Boxing shared a clip on Instagram featuring Atang and Hearn, captioned: “The future 🚀 @leoatang1.” So, what exactly did Eddie Hearn say in the clip?

“As soon as he did that I look down at my phone and I had a message from Turki Alalshikh to say ‘This Atang is special.’ I said not just special, but the future,” Hearn revealed. He went on to declare, “We are going to box this young man all over the world in the UK in America, Saudi Arabia in every market. And you need to get on this band wagon. Get on the bandwagon.”

Watch out, world, Leo Atang is just getting started

“It was everything I dreamed of, from the build up to the fight and the outcome. It was perfect, just what I wanted,” Leo Atang told BBC Radio York after his sensational professional debut. “I saw the opportunity and when I hit him with the first one I thought ‘just stay on him and get the job done’. He’s a journeyman, I know I’ve got a long way to go but not many heavyweights like to go for the body so I proved out there that I’m not just hype, I’m something special.”

Immediately after the fight, Eddie Hearn echoed the sentiment, telling DAZN that Atang was “the future” and urging fans to “get on the bandwagon.” According to Hearn, the 6’6″ York native could fight twice more in 2025 as Matchroom Boxing looks to build momentum around the undefeated heavyweight. Despite the praise, Leo Atang admitted he was nervous ahead of the bout and remains grounded about the road ahead.

“It means the world that people from York have come out and spent their hard-earned money to come and watch me,” he said. “We keep going. I’ll have a few days off and then I’ll be straight back in the gym to climb the ladder to the top. I want to see it all and hopefully build a nice little fanbase.”

The buzz among fans has skyrocketed following Van’s performance. One Reddit user dubbed his victory “one of the best fights in flyweight history,” while others are raving about his pinpoint striking and youthful energy, labeling him as “the future” of the division. The flyweight division is really stepping up its game: folks over on r/CombatSportsCentral are telling everyone to “stop shitting on flyweight because of their size,” and they’re all about the fast-paced action and skill showcased in Van vs. Royval.

So, what do you think about this up-and-coming heavyweight contender?