It is still early – some would say very early – but people are excited about welterweight prospect Benjamin Johnson. 

Among them is BoxingScene’s Lucas Ketelle, who named Johnson to our list of top prospects who are undefeated and unranked. Longtime fight scribe Francisco Salazar of The Ring and the Ventura County (Calif.) Star refers to Johnson as an “amateur standout and top prospect.”

During his most recent bout, there were boxing fans on social media who described the 21-year-old as “one of the best prospects in America, if not the world,” “so mf good,” “another fast-rising 147 prospect” and “my personal favorite prospect.”

All of that for a boxer who is just seven wins (and seven knockouts) into his professional career.

But it’s not just those seven wins. It’s what they’ve seen from him in the past as he’s developed through the amateurs. It’s what they’re seeing of him right now as his development continues as a pro. And it’s what they can see him turning into, and accomplishing, down the line.

Johnson was a top amateur who became a 12-time national champion. He’s been transitioning into the pro ranks since debuting in June 2024. He remains under the tutelage of trainer Lamont Roach Snr, who has worked with Johnson since he was 10 years old and readying for his first amateur boxing match. Roach now also works as Johnson’s promoter. 

“I think he’s going to be one of the faces of boxing when it’s all said and done,” Roach tells BoxingScene. “He has it all. He’s a full-package fighter: charisma, speed, power. He can box, he can bang – a little baby [David] Benavidez in there when he wants to. It’s just development. Moving him, you know, not rushing him at all. Let him grow at his own pace.”

Johnson has the “It Factor,” Roach said.

“He had it since he been a kid and, and people seeing it as well as a professional. I don’t see it slowing down,” the trainer said. “I could just see it getting higher and higher as he continues to fight."

In his amateur days, Johnson had a long run of success – to the point that Roach recalls other fighters moving out of his weight class.

“And he always beat the top guys,” Roach said. “No disrespect to none of the guys he beat – ’cause a lot of them guys are a hell of a fighter, but he beat a lot if not all the top guys at his weight when he was going through the amateurs.”

Johnson had two professional bouts in 2024, both first-round knockouts. He achieved the same result for his first two appearances in 2025, then added a fifth-round TKO and a fourth-round stoppage before the year was out. 

He kicked off his 2026 on a January 30 show promoted by Roach, with the undercard spotlighting many of the region’s up-and-coming prospects. Johnson scored a third-round TKO over the 4-1 Mario Meza.

Of course, even the most highly touted young prospects still have room for growth.

Roach wants Johnson to continue working on his defense and ring awareness, among other areas: “He worked his jab beautifully in his last fight. Just setting it up. A little bit more patient, because he has a high motor. Stuff like that.”

And then there’s the matter of what weight classes Johnson will compete in once he’s transitioned from a prospect into a contender. After all, he is 6-foot-1 and has been weighing in between 147 and 150lbs, and he’s likely going to fill out given that he’s still so young. Roach describes Johnson as disciplined but also says they won’t force him to cut down to a weight that he can’t comfortably make anymore.

For now, then, the goal is two-pronged development: to continue to build Johnson as a boxer against different types of fighters and move him into longer bouts; and to continue to build him as a marketable star by getting more eyes on him. Roach’s NoXcuse Promotions shows are regularly on ProBox TV. (Note: BoxingScene and ProBox TV are both owned by Garry Jonas.)

“He’s been mentioned, I guess, with some of the best prospects out there. So at the end of the year, hopefully we can be in the talks for Prospect of the Year, if not this year, but next year,” Roach said. “But most important, [I want him] to keep developing in that ring. Stay true to yourself and keep working, man. ’Cause the sky's the limit for the kid.”

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.