It was only due to injury and a poor start to the season that meant John John Florence wasn’t in last year’s world title race.

In 2015 he will start fresh and hungry. There will be only one surfers who can stop him, Gabriel Medina.

With the 42-year-old Kelly Slater losing his competitive edge and Mick Fanning content with his success, it will be these two 22-year-olds that will be fighting over a world title for the next decade.

The surfing world hasn’t had a sustained rivalry since Slater and Andy Irons duked it out ten years ago. In 2015, a new version is all set to commence.