2015 was a mixed bag for boxing. It included the biggest-money fight of all-time – Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao – but that doubled as possibly the most disappointing fight ever. Rising stars emerged, but the big-ticket bouts failed to live up to their billing.
2016 offers promise. There are new stars ready to burst onto the consciousness of the casual fan. But they need dance partners. Here are five fights that can be made that will undoubtedly bring boxing back.
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Gennady Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez
Golovkin was the most-ducked fighter of 2015, actually making $800,000 to step aside and NOT fight former WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. Alvarez has the WBC title now, which Golovkin covets. The talk is that both will make one voluntary defense of their title(s) before fighting in the fall.
It’s a beautiful story boxing fans have heard before, but a lot can go wrong. Either man can lose, which is unlikely but possible nevertheless. What’s more likely is that Alvarez attempts to force a catch weight on Golovkin, who balks at fighting at less than 160 pounds.
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If these two fight, it’ll be the biggest bout of 2016 regardless of whether or not Mayweather unretires.
Sergey Kovalev vs. Adonis Stevenson
Kovalev’s momentum stalled a bit in 2015, as he was unable to make a fight vs. Stevenson happen and he fought two unknown fighters. Kovalev knocked them both out impressively, but by now no one is doubting the Krusher’s power. Stevenson and Kovalev have both generated serious momentum only to see it grind to a halt because they haven’t fought each other.
Now, Andre Ward is being mentioned as the super fight being targeted for Kovalev. That would be a great option for him, but Ward’s history of inactivity should be a major red flag. He also has to build up from super middleweight to light heavyweight, which likely means at least two fights before stepping to the Krusher.
A fight vs. Stevenson has more going for it; the animosity between the two men is real, they are both knockout artists, and neither needs a tune-up, or a catch weight.
Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook
Khan and Brook are not only two of the best welterweight fighters in the world, they’re two of Great Britain’s top stars. Khan has constantly held himself in higher regard than Brook, chasing dates vs. Mayweather and Pacquiao. Having failed to land either for two years, it’s time Khan takes his enormous payday to fight in Wembley Stadium.
Not only could this fight be the one that proves Khan is elite – which he’s been asking the world to recognize on the strength of his word – it could also vault Brook into the upper crust of earners. Brook is undefeated, and is one major win away from stardom. Khan offers that chance to prove he hasn’t just feasted on hand-picked opponents.
Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder
Tyson Fury finally ended the reign of Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, snapping an 11-year winning streak for Dr. Steelhammer. The fight itself was basically a dud, and featured more feinting by Fury than anything else, but the outcome was big. It established Fury as a real name, and it opened up possibilities.
Few believe that Fury, by virtue of beating Klitschko, 39, is now going to start his own decade-long run of dominance. He looks vulnerable, which makes matchups against fighters like Wilder, 30, Anthony Joshua, 26, and Joseph Parker, 23, far more intriguing. The depth of the division is better than it’s been in years, and Fury vs. Wilder would determine the top dog of boxing’s glamour division.
It doesn’t hurt that both talk a good game, and Fury in particular is a magnet for controversy.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Nicholas Walters
This one’s for the hardcore fans, who can appreciate the skill and volume (and power too!) that is bountiful in the lower weight classes. This fight was obvious until Walters started struggling to make weight. Now he’s a super featherweight, and even though he claims he can make featherweight, no one is holding their breath waiting for it to happen.
Walters fought to a disappointing draw in his new weight class, one that was widely panned as a robbery. It shouldn’t ding Walters’ stock at all, but it could spur him to return to featherweight, where Lomachenko has been completely dominant. It is THE big-money fight in that division, unless Lomachenko bites the bullet and fights Walters at a heavier weight.
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